Landis letter re drug use in cycling

[Cooper]

If the training journals/diaries have corroborating evidence about the timing of the new doping regime he started in 2002 with the assistance of Bruyneel, that's all the corroboration he will need. The fact that he's tracked the data since he started racing will give the documents credibility. Again, this depends on what is in the training journals/diaries. But if it's there, then Armstrong and Bruyneel are screwed.

From the ESPN interview:

He added that he has no documentation for many of the claims he is making about other riders or officials, and that it will be his word against theirs.

None of this is going to matter soon.

 

[santacruz]

The only point of all this hullaballoo is to clear Floyd's conscience, plain and simple, all that lying for all those years probably made him feel like crap on a daily basis and he's known for some time the only way to feel good again is to come clean and be a clean person. This is about easing his mind, not about making any great inroads against Lance... And maybe the info he provides will help the drug testers learn a new trick or two that the riders use. GJ getting with the times Floyd.

I'm starting to feel like the doping really is getting less now.. I was thrilled to see Levi not break away solo on the Bonny Doon climb, finally a Levi with less dope, maybe he can be beat this year.

 

[Cobblestones]

It seems we've one of those situations.

 

[theswordsman]

I'm hitting refresh over at Google News, and all the newer stories have Lance in the title too

NBC Sports has it.

 

[issoisso]

I expected this at some point. Floyd hates Armstrong, so telling all he knows was the logical step once he had nothing to lose.

Notice how most of the "ZOMG LANDIS IZ A VICTIM OF A CONSPIRACY U GUYZ" fanboys are going to immediately jump into "LANDIS IS LYING BECAUSE HE WANTS MONEY" mode.

 

[Berzin]

Here is a quote from an article I just finished reading-

"The emails are particularly focused on American riders. Mr. Landis said in them that during his career, he and other American riders learned how to conduct blood transfusions, take the synthetic blood booster Erythropoietin, or EPO, and use steroids. Mr. Landis said he started using testosterone patches, then progressed to blood transfusions, EPO, and a liquid steroid taken orally.

In one of the emails, dated April 30 and addressed to Stephen Johnson, the president of USA Cycling, Mr. Landis said that Mr. Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, introduced Mr. Landis to the use of steroid patches, blood doping and human growth hormone in 2002 and 2003, his first two years on the U.S. Postal Service team. He alleged Mr. Armstrong helped him understand the way the drugs worked. "He and I had lengthy discussions about it on our training rides during which time he also explained to me the evolution of EPO testing and how transfusions were now necessary due to the inconvenience of the new test," Mr. Landis claimed in the email. He claimed he was instructed by Mr. Bruyneel how to use synthetic EPO and steroids and how to carry out blood transfusions that doping officials wouldn't be able to detect. Mr. Bruyneel and Mr. Johnson could not be reached for comment.

In the same email, Mr. Landis wrote that after breaking his hip in 2003, he flew to Girona, Spain—a training hub for American riders—and had two half-liter units of blood extracted from his body in three-week intervals to be used later during the Tour de France. The extraction, Mr. Landis claimed, took place in Mr. Armstrong's apartment, where blood bags belonging to Mr. Armstrong and his then-teammate George Hincapie were kept in a refrigerator in Mr. Armstrong's closet. Mr. Landis said he was asked to check the temperature of the blood daily. According to Mr. Landis, Mr. Armstrong left for a few weeks and asked Mr. Landis to make sure the electricity didn't go off and ruin the blood. George Hincapie, through a spokesman, denied the allegations."

The Wall Street article can be seen here in its' entirety-

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703691804575255410855321120.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us

 

[BroDeal]

The UCI drove him to this. If FLandis had not been black balled and been able to find a euro team then he would have something to protect. McQuaid's political skills leave a lot to be desired.

All it will take is another teammate to come forward. Andreu should give a complete account.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

"He wanted to enlighten people, and he wants to leave the sport in a better place than where he started it. He had a feeling that was an obligation he had to fulfill."

Go FLandis!!!!!!

You wanted to bring down the establishment. This is the way to do it. I wish you the best of luck.

I was on the Joux Plane the day he did his amazing escapade - and when he got popped a week later I felt so sad and disappointed for this great sport.

But today I will say for the first time since that day ...

GO FLOYD!!!!

Chapeau!

 

[theswordsman]

Hey, does this mean Tiago Machado gets to ride the Tour???

 

[red_flanders]

From the ESPN interview:

He added that he has no documentation for many of the claims he is making about other riders or officials, and that it will be his word against theirs.

None of this is going to matter soon.

If nothing like a video or photos comes up, you're probably right. If his detailed journals come out, I'll be interested in what spin you'll provide.

 

[Hillavoider]

From the ESPN interview:

He added that he has no documentation for many of the claims he is making about other riders or officials, and that it will be his word against theirs.

None of this is going to matter soon.

this is a fair bit of mud, some will stick

if Armstrong is brave enough to ride the Tour this year the French media will tear him a new .......

 

[Cobblestones]

I'm hitting refresh over at Google News, and all the newer stories have Lance in the title too

NBC Sports has it.

True. LA times, San Jose Mercury. It's all over the news and more often than not there's two names in the title.

 

[Kungfu Supercomputer]

Normally I would agree - but the fact that Dave Zabriskie is named could damage the credibility of Garmin - although it is most likely that Landis was refering to when DZ was at USPS.

Refering to CSC in 2006 I think. Im shocked he named Zabriskie, as I understood it, they were really close if not "best friends" back then.

 

[Publicus]

From the ESPN interview:

He added that he has no documentation for many of the claims he is making about other riders or officials, and that it will be his word against theirs.

None of this is going to matter soon.

If he can document that he was introduced to systematic doping program in 2002 and that his training journals/diaries substantiate that he was NOT doping prior to that time, it won't his word against their's. It's called a contemporaneous record and the fact that he has consistently maintained the diaries over his career establishes their credibility. He wasn't making allegations against them at the time the diaries were made, so you cannot impugn his motives.

It will be really key as to what is in the training journals/diaries.

And just to be clear: I spy....

 

[SpartacusRox]

If they are smart, no texts are flying.

If they have learnt anything from Tiger they aren't!

 

[BroDeal]

Refering to CSC in 2006 I think. Im shocked he named Zabriskie, as I understood it, they were really close if not "best friends" back then.

I think he stayed at Zabriskie's house before the Tour of Utah. He either had a falling out with Zabriskie or decided that he would give a full account that spared no one.

 

[santacruz]

What would happen if the power did go off and the blood went bad, would you be able to tell before injecting it into yourself and killing yourself?? Jeez!! like say the power went off for a day and then came back on.. creepy thought..

but how can it be known that the journals are from the time they are claimed to be from? I mean, legally speaking, maybe he just wrote them a couple weeks ago? not that I believe that, but wouldn't that be a good defense?

 

[Dr. Maserati]

this is a fair bit of mud, some will stick

if Armstrong is brave enough to ride the Tour this year the French media will tear him a new .......

The Tour?

I expect some names at the ToC are going to get a dose of the trotts and not be able to continue....

 

[blackcat]

I wonder if FLandis and Zabriskie had a falling out. Those two were tight.

I still think that the best way to frame the revelations is not, "I and my teammates doped," but "The Postal Service paid to dope me and my teammates."

is there still a whistleblower statute if LAndis proves fraud on the public corporation like USPS, he is entitled to 5 million.

go Floyd!

 

[barn yard]

is there still a whistleblower statute if LAndis proves fraud on the public corporation like USPS, he is entitled to 5 million.

go Floyd!

might be difficult because as far as i am aware the hog was not an employee of USPS and neither were any of the riders or staff (all employed by the hog)

i may be wrong though

 

[Cobblestones]

What would happen if the power did go off and the blood went bad, would you be able to tell before injecting it into yourself and killing yourself?? Jeez!! like say the power went off for a day and then came back on.. creepy thought..

but how can it be known that the journals are from the time they are claimed to be from? I mean, legally speaking, maybe he just wrote them a couple weeks ago? not that I believe that, but wouldn't that be a good defense?

What could happen? Clots!

 

[Epicycle]

What would happen if the power did go off and the blood went bad, would you be able to tell before injecting it into yourself and killing yourself?? Jeez!! like say the power went off for a day and then came back on.. creepy thought..

That type of thing has happened before. It happened to Puerto whistleblower Jesus Manzano. He didn't know if he got spoiled blood or just got the bag of one of his teammate's blood by accident but he got extremely sick on a train after getting a transfusion.

 

[Colm.Murphy]

The key to all of this seems to be the feds being involved...

It is always in the lying to the Feds that snags the big ones... Or contempt. Anyone convinced that guys like Danielson, Hincapie, Zabriskie, CVV, Vaughters, etc. will lie or spend time in jail for contempt.

The game changes once the Feds get involved.

I sense this is the end to the "miracle".

 

[BroDeal]

If Landis was paying up to $90K a year for his doping program then that is like twice what Hamilton was paying and probably twice what Ullrich was paying. Most of that money must have been going to Ferrari. Hamilton's actual cost for doping products was 8K euros and the cost of Fuentes was 35K if I remember correctly. First, it makes you wonder how much Armstrong was paying. Second, the winners were willing to pay a lot lot more for their programs than the also rans.

 

[Cobblestones]

Santa Cruz Sentinel, Contra Costa Times, San Diego Union Tribune. A lot of California papers picking it up. Stage 5 is going to be awkward.