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the "Bassons Incident"

May 7, 2009
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I have seen much mention of the “Bassons incident” here on the forums. From the context, it seemed that there was some bad treatment of a French cyclist named, I believe, Christoph Bassons, for something related to doping. This apparently happened a while back- well before the Simeoni incident (which many of us observed on TV during the Tour a few years back). Can anyone here on the forum help fill-in the blanks for us who are not familiar with this incident? You have me very curious about this whole thing,
Thanks in advance …….
 
Aug 18, 2009
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I didn't know about it before either. Alluded to here: Cycling News about halfway down.

Short version, Bassons (called Mr. Clean for his refusal to use PEDs) put in his diary that "no one could win a stage of the tour without EPO." The entry was published (with permission). Armstrong talked to him and said that if that's how you feel, you shouldn't be here. Bassons felt like he was being told to leave the race by Armstrong. Armstrong said he was asked by a group of team leaders to talk with him. Bassons was not well liked by the other cyclists after his comments were published (so it seems).
 
Deagol said:
I have seen much mention of the “Bassons incident” here on the forums. From the context, it seemed that there was some bad treatment of a French cyclist named, I believe, Christoph Bassons, for something related to doping. This apparently happened a while back- well before the Simeoni incident (which many of us observed on TV during the Tour a few years back). Can anyone here on the forum help fill-in the blanks for us who are not familiar with this incident? You have me very curious about this whole thing,
Thanks in advance …….

Bassons rode for the infamous Festina team when they were busted in 98 but the sognieur at the centre of the scandal, Willy Voet said that Bassons was the only guy on the team who didnt take drugs.

Bassons signed for Lfdjeux for 99 and became a symbol of clean cycling, he won a stage in the Dauphine that year and was selected for the Tour. French newspaper Le Monde asked him to write a column for them during the Tour.

After Armstrong dominated the first mountain stage to Sestriere, Bassons wrote in his column that many of the riders were disgusted because they didnt believe it was clean performance, it was so dominating and in your face. The type of ride that was not possible without drugs.

A few days later, Lance decided to have a conversation mid-race with Bassons. He asked Bassons why he was writing what he was writing. Bassons told him he was trying to eradicate the problems with doping from cycling and didnt believe his perfromances. Lance then replied that if he was not happy with the race situation or sport, he should just leave the race. Bassons didnt receive much support after this incident and felt isolated retiring from the race a few days later.

It should also be noted that a team-mate of Bassons, Jean Cyril Robin had alluded back at Paris-Nice the same season that cycling was travelling at 2 speeds, the French were mostly clean but others were still doping. He said at the time if he saw any superhuman performances, he would speak out. He was then warned by the UCI to shut-up or face disciplinary action. Robin went quietly but Bassons was not scared of speaking which is why he incurred the wrath of Lance.

Incidentally, Paul Kimmage described Bassons as his hero of the 99 Tour. He said at the time, they were still shooting the messenger.
 
Prior to the Bassons incident, a guy named Jean Cyril Robin said in 1999 that 'we must never again have the law of silence.' Lance told him at the Circuit de la Sarthe race that Robin 'shouldn't have said that.'

Bassons was known as Monsieur Propre (Mr. Clean). At the Dauphine in 1999, he broke away. USP didn't have the yellow. Vino had it. Bassons was way down on GC. The person who told his team mates that Bassons should be chased down. Lance. According to JV, "Lance didn't want Bassons to win, just didn't like him."
Bassons spoke out about the doping siutation in 1999, prior to the Tour.
Lance said to him on a stage, "You know, what you're saying to the journalists, it's not good for cycling."
"I am simply saying what i think. I have said there is still doping."
"If that's what you're here for, it would be better if you returned home and found some other work."
"I am not going to leave when I haven't changed anything. If I have things to say, I will say them."
"AH, F*** you."
 
May 7, 2009
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Thanks for the quick replies. It seems that all it takes is just a little ability to read between the lines here to see what’s going on.
As far as Bassons goes, this reminds me of a saying I have heard: “no good deed goes un-punished”
The response on the part of the UCI is very disappointing. Pat McQuaid seems no different.
 
A

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Digger said:
Prior to the Bassons incident, a guy named Jean Cyril Robin said in 1999 that 'we must never again have the law of silence.' Lance told him at the Circuit de la Sarthe race that Robin 'shouldn't have said that.'

Bassons was known as Monsieur Propre (Mr. Clean). At the Dauphine in 1999, he broke away. USP didn't have the yellow. Vino had it. Bassons was way down on GC. The person who told his team mates that Bassons should be chased down. Lance. According to JV, "Lance didn't want Bassons to win, just didn't like him."
Bassons spoke out about the doping siutation in 1999, prior to the Tour.
Lance said to him on a stage, "You know, what you're saying to the journalists, it's not good for cycling."
"I am simply saying what i think. I have said there is still doping."
"If that's what you're here for, it would be better if you returned home and found some other work."
"I am not going to leave when I haven't changed anything. If I have things to say, I will say them."
"AH, F*** you."

Boy that LA just oozes class.
 
Apr 24, 2009
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Lance Armstrong confirmed the incident to the press after the stage. He also said Bassons was 'destroying cycling'. After this incident his own team, including current FDJ D.S. Marc Madiot disowned him and refused to even give him his share of prize-money. He was forced to pull out of the race a few days later after enduring a lot of bullying.

He retired from cycling in his late 20's.
 
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Kennf1 said:
Joke. Referring to the fact that anyone who says something bad about Lance must be in favor of cancer.

Umm, I'm a little slow on the up-take today.

My apologies because that was funny!:D
 
Jul 22, 2009
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pmcg76 said:
It should also be noted that a team-mate of Bassons, Jean Cyril Robin had alluded back at Paris-Nice the same season that cycling was travelling at 2 speeds, the French were mostly clean but others were still doping.

Isn't this a strange thing to think when it is just as difficult to prove someone is clean? Lots of things can explain slow.

It's kind of difficult to accept people speaking out against doping when they come out with broad protective statements like this.
 
scribe said:
Isn't this a strange thing to think when it is just as difficult to prove someone is clean? Lots of things can explain slow.

It's kind of difficult to accept people speaking out against doping when they come out with broad protective statements like this.

Your attitude reminds me of somebody, oh thats right Pat McQuaid(UCI President) after Paul Kimmage released his book back in 1990 and Hein Verbruggen whenever anybody spoke about doping.

Firstly, this was from a pro rider who was on Festina, who rode with Virenque et al, he undoubtedly doped, he never claimed he was angellic but a lot of the French riders & teams had a mentality change post 98. Didier Rous is another good example. The pros have a good idea of who is doing what so they are not talking out of their ***. Robin never pointed fingers directly at anybody but it is surely easier for pros to notice differences in levels of performance. I for one believe most of the French teams made an effort to clean up their effort post 98.

Of course they may have still been doping but you find me a Fdjeux rider who has tested positive or even been remotley linked to a drugs scandal. For the life of me, I cannot think of one although I acknowledge Jeff D'Hont was at this team once. Likewise, Boguyes Telecom how many guys have they had connected with doping affairs.

Overall, the French teams over the last decade other than Cofidis have had very little connections with drugs or scandals, Not saying they are all clean but why are they rarely linked to anthing when you look at teams like Phonak, Kelme, T-Mobile, Astana, Liberty Seguros.

In 1999, there was a small hope that cycling might clean up its act and the French teams were the first proponents of a cleaner sport, France was the first country to introduce heakth checks and made sports doping illegal punishable by law.

Believe what you want but you will find the majority of cycling fans will agree and have agreed with this view.
 

Dr. Maserati

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Jun 19, 2009
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scribe said:
Isn't this a strange thing to think when it is just as difficult to prove someone is clean? Lots of things can explain slow.

It's kind of difficult to accept people speaking out against doping when they come out with broad protective statements like this.

No - this was directly after the Festina affair in 98.
That winter the French Federation made new rules that all the French riders would have to go to accredited labs and be subject to a battery of tests.

This was to be done 4 times a season. While they were unable to test for EPO the French Federation could withdraw one of their riders from competition if they exceeded certain parameters.

No other countries adopted this initiative.
 
Aug 13, 2009
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scribe said:
Isn't this a strange thing to think when it is just as difficult to prove someone is clean? Lots of things can explain slow.

It's kind of difficult to accept people speaking out against doping when they come out with broad protective statements like this.

Logitudinal testing. The French have had their version of the Bio Passport for a decade. While the rest of the sport pushed their Hct up to 49.5 the French have collected biological measurements on all of their to riders, many dating back to their early teens. The French also criminalize doping, something countries like Spain only did last year.

These measures lead to quick changes in the French sport. Riders like Jalabert moved to Switzerland to avoid the new controls. Lance Armstrong, who had been living in Nice, quickly relocated to Spain. The biggest change came with France, once one of the top countries in the sport, soon had few riders in the top 50.

Informed fans, and dopers like Armstrong, said this overnight fall off in performance was the result of French laziness.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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Race Radio said:
Logitudinal testing. The French have had their version of the Bio Passport for a decade. While the rest of the sport pushed their Hct up to 49.5 the French have collected biological measurements on all of their to riders, many dating back to their early teens. The French also criminalize doping, something countries like Spain only did last year.

These measures lead to quick changes in the French sport. Riders like Jalabert moved to Switzerland to avoid the new controls. Lance Armstrong, who had been living in Nice, quickly relocated to Spain. The biggest change came with France, once one of the top countries in the sport, soon had few riders in the top 50.

Informed fans, and dopers like Armstrong, said this overnight fall off in performance was the result of French laziness.

http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefrance/article/0,6802,s-7-123-17522-1-P,00.html

And Hinault, now 54, makes no attempt to ease the pain as he constantly lambastes the recent generation of cyclists as lazy and generally whiney.
"I'm outraged," he says. "It's easier for French riders to say that the others are doped than to go off and train."
 
Jul 22, 2009
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fwiw- French riders just might be the cleanest of all the sport's participants. I don't really deny that. But I think it is bad business when riders come out and make accusations and then drop just as unfounded claims about clean riders.

I'd prefer to let the testing do the talking as not everyone is privy to what goes on behind someone else's doors with their own physicians.
 
Aug 13, 2009
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Aug 13, 2009
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scribe said:
You think the badger blood doped? It was just getting going right about then.

Never mentioned anything about blood doping, you must have read that in some Public Strategies talking points. Hinault has been open about his use of "recovery therapy".
 

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