Kim Andersen - when life doesn't mean life

[L'arriviste]

Yates? Got a link or a retraction?

The now defunct Torhout-Werchter Classic 1989, as reported by Le Soir on 11 October 1989:

"Sean Yates, le coureur britannique, vainqueur du Tour de Belgique et du GP Eddy Merckx, a subi un contrôle antidopage qui s'est révélé positif à l'issue de la première demi-étape du Torhout-Werchter Classic disputée le 9 août dernier entre Geel et Verviers. Yates avait remporté l'étape avant de récidiver, l'après-midi, à Charleroi, endossant du coup le maillot de leader de l'épreuve."

Sean Yates, the British rider, winner of the Tour of Belgium and the GP Eddy Merckx, returned a positive test after the first split-stage of the Torhout-Werchter Classic between Geel and Verviers on 9th August on which he gained the leader's jersey.

[Source]

As I stated in my earlier post, the exact nature of the substance was rarely if ever reported at that time. Interestingly though, there's an exception here in the same column: Delgado's use of Probenecid at the previous year's Tour de France is expressly mentioned.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Source? Certainly not Fignon's book.

Comparing the stories in the two books. Check out: http://www.podiumcafe.com/2010/12/8/1863638/breaking-the-chain-by-willy-voet Voet almost got a gig with Système U in 89.

 

[fmk_RoI]

The now defunct Torhout-Werchter Classic 1989, as reported by Le Soir on 11 October 1989

Far as I recall, Yates' postive was overturned on appeal.

 

[webvan]

Comparing the stories in the two books. Check out: http://www.podiumcafe.com/2010/12/8/1863638/breaking-the-chain-by-willy-voet Voet almost got a gig with Système U in 89.

Excellent, thanks, looks like someone (hey that seems to be you!) had the same questions and connected the dots! The remaining question is whether Fignon had needed any convincing..."In a jokey tone of voice" does impliy that it wasn't par for the course for Fignon to take speed when training.

Looks like I need to track down a French version of that Willy's book (do you know if the French paperback version was cleaned up? Looks like published another book in 2000) ! Must admit that I wasn't able to connect the dots for your other examples, so Pollentier almost got busted again in 1979, crazy!

 

[fmk_RoI]

Looks like I need to track down a French version of that Willy's book (do you know if the French paperback version was cleaned up? Looks like published another book in 2000) ! Must admit that I wasn't able to connect the dots for your other examples, so Pollentier almost got busted again in 1979, crazy!

The French book was unexpuragted.

Names to stories. The first Ronde story seems to be Eddy Planckaert, the second Hennie Kuiper. The Vuelta rider is Eric Caritoux. Sean Kelly is the guy busted because of his mechanic's urine and is the Tour rider. The RMO Paris-Nice stage winner is Marc Madiot. There's other stories in the book, I just picked a selection of them to show how they could be solved. Of course, the easiest way to solve them is to find someone who's read the French book.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Also, the 79 Tour story is not Pollentier (he was at Splendor by then). Nor is it the obvious candidate, Freddy Maertens, as he missed the race. I doubt it's Marc Demeyer, as he was dead when the book was published in England and so could have been named. It could have been Agostinho, he actually won the Alpe stage in 79. Or it could have been one of the other Flandrians named in the squad list linked to.

 

[webvan]

Thanks, will be ordering it then and report back in a few weeks! That second book "Sexe, mensonges et petits vélos" from 2000 looks it had no names in it, being the life of a young imaginary rider called "Arnaud Frochet".

To close the loop on the Fignon story, Willy hadn't mentioned him I suppose, even in the French version, if not Fignon would have come up with a better version of his story.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Thanks, will be ordering it then and report back in a few weeks! That second book "Sexe, mensonges et petits vélos" from 2000 looks it had no names in it, being the life of a young imaginary rider called "Arnaud Frochet".

To close the loop on the Fignon story, Willy hadn't mentioned him I suppose, even in the French version, if not Fignon would have come up with a better version of his story.

The other Voet book is reviewed on PdC. Click on hs name in the author listing.

Not sure what you mean about Fignon coming up with a better story. The two versions compare. I think the issue with Fignon, as with the likes of David Millar and other omerta supporters, is that you can confess so long as you don't implicate others.

 

[webvan]

I meant that Fignon would have mentioned where the dope came from, not leaving the reader wondering whether he had a stash in his kitchen as you wrote. If Voet had named Fignon in his book there would have been no reason to leave it in the air.

Found the review : http://www.podiumcafe.com/2009/1/19/726394/cafe-bookshelf-sex-lies-an - looks like I'll pass.

 

[L'arriviste]

Far as I recall, Yates' postive was overturned on appeal.

Fair enough, but I can't find any evidence of that appeal online. Perhaps the man himself will confirm it for us one day.

 

[webvan]

The French book was unexpuragted.

Names to stories. The first Ronde story seems to be Eddy Planckaert, the second Hennie Kuiper. The Vuelta rider is Eric Caritoux. Sean Kelly is the guy busted because of his mechanic's urine and is the Tour rider. The RMO Paris-Nice stage winner is Marc Madiot. There's other stories in the book, I just picked a selection of them to show how they could be solved. Of course, the easiest way to solve them is to find someone who's read the French book.

I just got the original book in French, any questions, feel free! I skimmed through but can't find the passage on Fignon, do you remember in what chapter it was?