Omega Pharma-Lotto bombshell?

[roundabout]

Well, there was this guy. Not sure if his charges shared the 'medicine' though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Sainz

 

[Granville57]

Not sure if this exact quote came up yet.

Speaking to Belgian newspaper De Standaard, Vansevenant says he ordered a “food supplement” over the Internet because he felt “old and tired.” He denies trying to buy doping products.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/omega-pharma-lotto-team-cuts-ties-with-ex-rider-vansevenant-after-reports-link-him-to-doping/2011/06/29/AGLnftqH_story.html

It's the lies that I enjoy the most when any of these stories break.

What, no FSR in Europe?

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

Well, there was this guy. Not sure if his charges shared the 'medicine' though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Sainz

Mark French featuring Graeme Brown

 

[mewmewmew13]

The hair dye and peroxide helps nullify the drug hair testing. Its an old trick but works like a charm.

oh no, not my Phil! ..I wouldn't have thought much about this but for seeing that pic of Virenque....ugh..
and the others..

also I don't like the timing of the new 'do'

 

[mewmewmew13]

Not sure if this exact quote came up yet.

It's the lies that I enjoy the most when any of these stories break.

What, no FSR in Europe?

"monster sheep" ! that just boggles my mind ...muscular aggressive sheep...

 

[christianpetrin]

Jesus Christ! I was starting to believe cycling is really getting cleaner... it seems it is just getting more sophisticated!!!

Well, it was the naive man in me speaking louder!

Just read this article (http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/ent2995.html) which says this thymosin beta 4 drug (main component of the TB-500 drug imported by the Vansevenant) increased the heart stroke by 25%.

"We saw an improvement in the ejection fraction, in the ability of the heart to pump out blood, of 25%."

Such a increase would enhance endurance performance tremenduously!!!

I'm starting to realize cycling now is as durty as it has ever been and it will never be a clean sport (as long as individuals with no moral keep taking part in it).

This hair thing and the incredible OPL team riders performance (Gilbert,
Van Den Broeck...) just helped turn on the lights in my head.

I'm used to train like a horse, eat like a habit and believe I really
could do good in this sport without any kind of drugs... this belief is just
vanishing... what sould we, clean, honest and hard working riders do? It seems we are down to three main options:

1) Leave the sport
2) Dope
3) Keep being naive, trying, training, and failing

I'm so disgusted right now!

Oh, and this story of Mr. Vansevenant buying this incredibly expensive drug
to use himself, specially now that he is retired, is a just a MAJOR JOKE!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Funny how people are so eager to jump the gun. Let's see if it is indeed meant for pro cyclists (which i still doubt, since not only did he order it online through a legitimate website which would show in his bankstatements, everybody in Belgium knows the chance that international packages get intercepted are about 50%), and if that's the case, let's see who it's for. Pointing fingers right now seems way too premature. If you really like connecting dots, you would likely end up with other names than Vandenbroeck for instance.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Oh, and this story of Mr. Vansevenant buying this incredibly expensive drug
to use himself, specially now that he is retired, is a just a MAJOR JOKE!

It is not just the cost. It is also the quantity. If the figures I posted above for race horses are correct then the amount bought might be enough for seven or eight 160 pound cyclists for thirty weeks. Since the riders would not be on the junk all the time, it could be enough to supply a team for an entire season.

EDIT: Actually it might be more than that. Another site quotes a price of $2500 USD for 60 mg. "Thousands of euros" worth would be more than 100 mg.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Yes, I agree with the premature verdict. Whenever a new story hits it is usually poorly written, reported, etc and facts keep changing.
..will be interesting to see how this develops over the next couple of days.

Go Phil! I'm still rooting for you..

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

What a ripoff. For that money, he could have hired Chris Carmichael and won a bunch of Tours. Plus he could have gotten an entry into Leadville.

 

[Anonymous]

Wim Vansevenant - lantern rouge winner, three years in a row. great rider

 

[Angliru]

There must be some Spanish connection in here somewhere. This can't possibly be happening in Oz, the land of athletic purity. Obviously one of those dirty Spaniards set this fine gentleman up to be the fall guy.

 

[Oldman]

There must be some Spanish connection in here somewhere. This can't possibly be happening in Oz, the land of athletic purity. Obviously one of those dirty Spaniards set this fine gentleman up to be the fall guy.

When Eddie B and his Polish cohorts came to the US it was rumored most of the other impoverished Eastern Bloc coaches went South, way South. Farther South than Spain.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Funny how people are so eager to jump the gun. Let's see if it is indeed meant for pro cyclists (which i still doubt, since not only did he order it online through a legitimate website which would show in his bankstatements, everybody in Belgium knows the chance that international packages get intercepted are about 50%), and if that's the case, let's see who it's for. Pointing fingers right now seems way too premature. If you really like connecting dots, you would likely end up with other names than Vandenbroeck for instance.

True. Gilbert and VDB are two of the big earners in cycling. If they dope, it will be a bit more professional.

This is clearly the work of an amateur. I'm guessing for some 2nd tier riders, not for the worldtop.

 

[Blakeslee]

I'm not sure I see a whole lot of difference between this situation and the Festina affair. Vansevenant in his position may not be directly working with members of the current team but he was scheduled to be at the Tour during the race. Seems pretty clear to me these drugs were intended for riders participating in the race, members of his former team and the team he was scheduled to be working for would logically be at the top of the list.

 

[sniper]

True. Gilbert and VDB are two of the big earners in cycling. If they dope, it will be a bit more professional.

This is clearly the work of an amateur. I'm guessing for some 2nd tier riders, not for the worldtop.

was museeuw a 2nd tier rider?
he bought the dope himself in a pharmacy in cologne, wearing sunglasses.

 

[D-Queued]

Jesus Christ! I was starting to believe cycling is really getting cleaner... it seems it is just getting more sophisticated!!!

Well, it was the naive man in me speaking louder!

Just read this article (http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/ent2995.html) which says this thymosin beta 4 drug (main component of the TB-500 drug imported by the Vansevenant) increased the heart stroke by 25%.

"We saw an improvement in the ejection fraction, in the ability of the heart to pump out blood, of 25%."

Such a increase would enhance endurance performance tremenduously!!!

I'm starting to realize cycling now is as durty as it has ever been and it will never be a clean sport (as long as individuals with no moral keep taking part in it).

This hair thing and the incredible OPL team riders performance (Gilbert,
Van Den Broeck...) just helped turn on the lights in my head.

I'm used to train like a horse, eat like a habit and believe I really
could do good in this sport without any kind of drugs... this belief is just
vanishing... what sould we, clean, honest and hard working riders do? It seems we are down to three main options:

1) Leave the sport
2) Dope
3) Keep being naive, trying, training, and failing

I'm so disgusted right now!

Oh, and this story of Mr. Vansevenant buying this incredibly expensive drug
to use himself, specially now that he is retired, is a just a MAJOR JOKE!

Stop being so Neopharmaphobic (fear of new drugs)

What a ripoff. For that money, he could have hired Chris Carmichael and won a bunch of Tours. Plus he could have gotten an entry into Leadville.

What does this new horse tranquilizer have to do with hemassist or essence of cortisone?

Dave.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

was museeuw a 2nd tier rider?
he bought the dope himself in a pharmacy in cologne, wearing sunglasses.

Ah, yes... The Lion of Flanders, unfortunately not quite the Rocket Scientist of Flanders...

 

[D-Queued]

When Eddie B and his Polish cohorts came to the US it was rumored most of the other impoverished Eastern Bloc coaches went South, way South. Farther South than Spain.

Canary Islands?

Dave.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah, because since 1998 and now, after the festina affair, after Lance, Pantani, Ulrich, VDB1... only the officials got more professional and intelligent, the dopers got dumber. Obviously, that is the explanation

 

[Duartista]

Well, it seems French customs have decided to carry out an IQ test... http://www.dhnet.be/sports/cyclisme/article/359374/tour-de-france-operation-antidopage-sur-les-routes-de-vendee.html

 

[Franklin]

Yeah, because since 1998 and now, after the festina affair, after Lance, Pantani, Ulrich, VDB1... only the officials got more professional and intelligent, the dopers got dumber. Obviously, that is the explanation

If logic-was-their-friend I would agree.

But it seems clear that cyclists aren't so logical. Horse dope is common in stories (or bovine drugs for Rasmussen). Also, riders have indeed buying stuff over the counter...

I would believe he bought it for himself if it wasn't such an astronomical quantity. He bought stuff that would last him years upon years... talk about illogical.

Really... you feel bad so you buy dope to shape up. Ok. I can believe it from a cyclist. But you buy for thousands of euros. Why? I mean... you really must like the stuff if you do that just for yourself^^.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

If logic-was-their-friend I would agree.

But it seems clear that cyclists aren't so logical. Horse dope is common in stories (or bovine drugs for Rasmussen). Also, riders have indeed buying stuff over the counter...

I would believe he bought it for himself if it wasn't such an astronomical quantity. He bought stuff that would last him years upon years... talk about illogical.

Really... you feel bad so you buy dope to shape up. Ok. I can believe it from a cyclist. But you buy for thousands of euros. Why? I mean... you really must like the stuff if you do that just for yourself^^.

To be clear, I'm certainly not ruling out he bought it to sell to others to dope themselves. I just doubt that guys like JVDB and Gilbert would count on a schmuck to get their stuff online, to be delivered by postorder, two weeks before the TDF starts. Again, in Belgium, you have a 50% chance customs checks your package. I've imported enough software, hardware, games etc outside the EU and more often than not, they will open it and charge you for import taxes.

Also, i would be more inclined to look for riders who had a personal relation with WVS, riding together back in the day.

Furthermore, like i said, if this is his modus operandi, he couldn't have been using it for long or he would have been caught a lot sooner. To me, that kind of rules out the fact that this was a high profile job.

But of course, anything can happen.

PS: if we're going to start a pitchfork cruisade, this might be fun for the believers: when speaking the truth, a person moves his eyes to his left, to access the part of the brain that deals with actual memories. In his Sporza interview, WVS was constantly looking to his left. Dunnn dah-dun-dun.... dunnn-dah-dun-dun-dunnnnnnn

PS2: we still don't have confirmation about the amount of capsules he ordered. There is a very vague discription in one article about "thousands of euro's", but is this based on fact or was the journalist trying to raise the tabloid level? Didn't he just google the same stuff we did and just assumed it would be the "large" kit?

PS3: then there is the fact that this is relatively new stuff, and supposedly very dangerous. Wouldn't this rather be for a guinny pig? Maybe he was the guinny pig?

 

[Dr. Maserati]

To be clear, I'm certainly not ruling out he bought it to sell to others to dope themselves. I just doubt that guys like JVDB and Gilbert would count on a schmuck to get their stuff online, to be delivered by postorder, two weeks before the TDF starts. Again, in Belgium, you have a 50% chance customs checks your package. I've imported enough software, hardware, games etc outside the EU and more often than not, they will open it and charge you for import taxes.

Also, i would be more inclined to look for riders who had a personal relation with WVS, riding together back in the day.

Furthermore, like i said, if this is his modus operandi, he couldn't have been using it for long or he would have been caught a lot sooner. To me, that kind of rules out the fact that this was a high profile job.

But of course, anything can happen.

You have repeated this claim quite often, can you cite some source for this.

Even if it was checked, as the product does not appear to be illegal the recipient may have thought it would clear through customs without difficulty.
It appears it was the volume, not the actual product that raised suspicions.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

You have repeated this claim quite often, can you cite some source for this.

Yes, like i said, myself. My girlfriend and me do a lot of importing. I haven't imported from Australia yet, but that doesn't matter for customs. Usually it's from Japan or the US.

Even if it was checked, as the product does not appear to be illegal the recipient may have thought it would clear through customs without difficulty.
It appears it was the volume, not the actual product that raised suspicions.

Customs first and foremost will check to charge import taxes. Doesn't matter if the product was legal or not or how big it is. The moment meds are found, the package gets flagged. Or at least that is what i think i read in Belgian articles about this case.