BergMann said:
Lance came up under Eddie B. and Chris Carmichael in the US National program.
Eddie B. oversaw blood doping of members of 1984 olympic team. Carmichael has settled out of court with former members of the US Junior National team he doped.
There never was a Lance without doping, because there was no elite cycling without doping.
Period.
What he said.
But, profiling, he probably was experimenting with stuff in his early teens...
This was a kid that soaked tennis balls in gasoline, lit them and launched them into the neighborhood with a tennis racket. He didn't stick within normal boundaries - ever. If he was so willing to cross legal and ethical boundaries with his flaming tennis balls, why would he try some hot stuff during triathlon? He was probably laughing to himself at all the mama's boys he was racing against.
What? No doping in triathlon you say? Just because athletics, swimming and cycling have long legacies doesn't mean that the combination sport would be tainted. Besides, no athlete from these other pursuits ever crossed over into the sissy sport.
His joy-riding was taken to a new level of self-reinforcement as soon as it started to make him dough and enough recognition to pick up chicks "hotter than donut grease". Eki spitting on Simeoni was merely a reflection of what Lance had been doing in his head to anyone since Papa Gunderson left.
Lance is smooth, smart and shrewd. He realizes that he can go only so far with his overt intimidation (though even his twitter feed underscores how difficult it is to keep himself reined in), that others will follow his lead, and pick up where he leaves off.
He gravitated to a sport that rewarded the behavior - in fact, arguably the sport that provides the greatest direct performance benefit from doping.
Unless someone stopped him, why would he?
Dave.