Landis letter re drug use in cycling

[theswordsman]

In case people (like me) haven't seen this before. It's from after the 2005 Tour.

The instant message exchange took place between a pair of former riders early one morning just after the cycling superstar and cancer survivor won the Tour de France for the 7th and last time. In the discussion, Jonathan Vaughters told Frankie Andreu that Landis knew about blood doping during the race.

The two men were back home in the U.S. after the race where Vaughters had been working with a European team and Andreu was working as a television commentator. They chatted about how one team in particular ran it’s doping program.

Vaughters claimed oxygen-rich blood was taken from the riders just after a shorter tune-up competition a few weeks before the Tour De France. It was then transfused on rest days to give the riders a boost going into the next stage of the legendary race. Vaughters then alleged that Landis had a picture of the refrigerated container of blood, called a pannier, which was carried by support staff along the route.

That part of the instant message exchange went like this:

Vaughters: They draw the blood right after the Dauphine.

Andreu: How do they sneak it in, or keep it until needed? I'm sure it's not with the truck in the fridge.

Vaughters: Motorcycle – refrigerated panniers. On the rest day. Floyd has a photo of the thing.

Landis told CBC News he had no such photos and wondered why Vaughters would make such a claim.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/landis/

 

[blackcat]

hubris to think StrongArm could keep this under wraps and he was teflon. Did not have to come back to the sport. Could have paid Floyd off.

Now I wish the sycophants, lackeys and apparatchiks like Liggett and Sherwen would get it in the end.

Hope the SCA case comes back, contact law yes, but if the ASO decide to overturn his wins, remember they overturned Riis' yellow jersey, Zabel's maillot vert, atleast one of them.

 

[python]

what is vrijman thinking now ?

 

[issoisso]

what is vrijman thinking now ?

"Crap. I already spent all the money he gave me"

 

[ca_greenjersey]

VeloNews reports that Lance and Johan will speak to the press at their team bus before the stage in the morning. Blanket denial would be a good guess. Floyd bashing will undoubtedly be included. This will now be the center of attention for the rest of the ToC.

 

[Epicycle]

Armstrong is an idiot. He should have made good on the suggestion that FLandis might be hired by RS. Just as he has Livingston as a pet at Mellow Johnny's, he should have kept Landis close.

You are exactly right Bro. Everybody knew Flandis would go nuclear eventually.

That's why I brought up Bahati. Maybe Floyd finally has some guys around him who actually give a crap about him and that helped spark the fuse.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Thinking about this:

1. Money, from Quasi-Federal agency in USPS, goes buying illegal drugs/medicines, for years. Probable Felony
2. Pressure to dope from within team (dope or you got no job), owned to some extent by LA. Felony
3. Inquiry extending into Livestrong? seems to be a logical next step. Novitzski was an IRS prosecutor, IIRC. Just read he is FDA? hmmm... a drug angle? DEA and FBI seem the more equipped.

This all adds up to a very bad series of issues to have to answer for under penalty of perjury. Bad indeed.

Wow. Just, wow.

The biggie for me is the involvement of USAC (and perhaps the UCI).

This will expose their 'conflict of interest' - and if I am not mistaken they get funding from the USA Olympic Committee.

If I am correct there are American tax dollars going in to USAC - if so I am sure the Fed wont be too happy about how US sports are run.

Q - Why was Roger Clemens case brought before a Congress Committee??

 

[python]

"Crap. I already spent all the money he gave me"

quick finger, isso

second question..what is verbruggen thinking now ?

 

[Publicus]

That would certainly count for a lot, but is there anything to suggest that such training journals existed? If I was doping I wouldn't write down anything that could be used against me.

Landis, who began his career as a top mountain biker, had kept detailed training journals since he was a teenager. He said he continued the same methodical record-keeping once he started using banned drugs and techniques. Landis said he spent as much as $90,000 a year on performance-enhancing drugs and on consultants to help him build a training regime. Landis said he has kept all of his journals and diaries and has offered to share them with U.S. anti-doping authorities in recent meetings. He added that he has given officials detailed information on how athletes are beating drug testing.

From the ESPN article: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5203604

 

[issoisso]

quick finger, isso

second question..what is verbruggen thinking now ?

"I feel like a blueberry muffin"

From the ESPN article: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5203604

Something may yet come out of this, then

 

[BikeCentric]

short Shack, buy Public Strategies

Never short, always just buy Put options if you want to play that game. With a short you must have a margin account and are exposed to getting crushed by The Street. Unlimited downside liability on a short if it goes against you quickly and then your whole account gets liquidated on you in a margin call.

 

[Cerberus]

hubris to think StrongArm could keep this under wraps and he was teflon. Did not have to come back to the sport. Could have paid Floyd off.

Now I wish the sycophants, lackeys and apparatchiks like Liggett and Sherwen would get it in the end.

Hope the SCA case comes back, contact law yes, but if the ASO decide to overturn his wins, remember they overturned Riis' yellow jersey, Zabel's maillot vert, atleast one of them.

I don't think that Riis win was formally overturned, he confessed after the stature of limitations had expired. ASO just stoped refering to him as the winner. Still Armstrongs victories, at least some of them, are a lot more recent, even taking into account the time between Riis' confession and Landis'.

 

[BroDeal]

Here is a funny thought. Pereiro was on Phonak during 2005. FLandis can implicate him. We already know Kloden took a side trip to Freiburg for a blood transfusion during the 2006 Tour.

 

[Cerberus]

From the ESPN article: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5203604

Ah, thanks, I missed that part when I read the article. That could be interesting.

 

[Epicycle]

quick finger, isso

second question..what is verbruggen thinking now ?

He's thinking it's good for business. Hein runs a company called Sportaccord that specializes in helping organizations comply with WADA codes if you can believe that.

 

[blackcat]

Armstrong is an idiot. He should have made good on the suggestion that FLandis might be hired by RS. Just as he has Livingston as a pet at Mellow Johnny's, he should have kept Landis close.

hubris and teflon delusion

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Armstrong is an idiot. He should have made good on the suggestion that FLandis might be hired by RS. Just as he has Livingston as a pet at Mellow Johnny's, he should have kept Landis close.

I am sure Lance is regretting his comeback...........

COMEBACK 2. oh oh...........

 

[python]

and my other favourite not mentioned yet..what is dick pound thinking now

 

[flicker]

Is Floyd Landis an Idiot Savant?

 

[issoisso]

and my other favourite not mentioned yet..what is dick pound thinking now

I have a better one: What is Greg LeMond thinking?

Are he and Floyd BFFs now?

 

[ca_greenjersey]

**** Pound? With him you don't have to wonder. He will be quoted saying something tomorrow (er, today).

 

[theswordsman]

RadioShack press officer Philippe Maertens told VeloNews that Armstrong and Bruyneel will speak to the press tomorrow morning at the team’s bus at the start of stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California.

Sean Weide, U.S. media director for BMC Racing, told VeloNews that the team will issue a statement later regarding the allegations made against current BMC rider Hincapie and former Phonak boss — and current BMC Bicycles owner — Andy Rihs.

Garmin-Transitions communications director Marya Pongrace said that the team will offer comment soon regarding the allegations against its rider Zabriskie, who currently leads the Amgen Tour of California.

Read more: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...-use-by-armstrong-others_117407#ixzz0oS7IiQeE

Reuters has the bare bones, but left out the allegations against everyone else.

 

[Cerberus]

Danish press has picked up on the story, nothing new there though, just posting it in case some Danes are more comfortable reading the story in Danish.

http://politiken.dk/sport/cykling/article975574.ece

 

[BroDeal]

LOL. That Garmin statement is sure to be a classic. I can only imagine the wretched duplicity that will go into it. This will be the moment when Vaughters turns completely away from his supposed principles and fully embraces the dark side of the sport.

 

[trompe le monde]

What a strange last 24 hrs. The Giro gets turned on its head and Landis publicly pushes the false-idol myth of Armstrong off a cliff.…not that I'm surprised by the allegations though I am slightly dumbfounded that this actually happened.

This public allegation kind of puts those Landis website 'American Hero' claims into an entirely new perspective. Not that I enjoy seeing others taken down a peg or two, but with regards to Lance, this couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.