The Evidence

[D-Queued]

Here's more:

More evidence coming to light.

Apparently Lance had some pretty good masking agents:

Armstrong’s masking agents, USADA believes, were undetectable for years.

Dave.

First (?) we have heard of masking agents.

Dave.

 

[JRTinMA]

Here's more:



First (?) we have heard of masking agents.

Dave.

Nope, nothing in there about masking agents.

 

[Merckx index]

Masking agent is being defined very broadly here. EPO is actually a masking agent, because by raising reticulocytes it masks the effects of a transfusion, which suppresses reticulocytes. Similarly, a saline infusion masks the effect of a transfusion on hematocrit.

 

[Zweistein]

Here's more:



First (?) we have heard of masking agents.

Dave.

I thought it was assumed this was going on for awhile because I remember someone reviewing Lance and a few other rider's samples and finding no artificial or NATURAL EPO in the samples. There not being any natural EPO in the sample was throwing a lot of flags that something wasn't right. I remember there being speculation that a detergent of some kind was being used to breakdown all the EPO.

 

[Berzin]

Kristen Armstrong testifying to the blood bags and steroids stored at their apartment in Girona, Spain-that would be something.

I've heard rumors about this for years-wonder if she gave testimony to the USADA?

This would be just as if not more compelling than Hincapie or any other rider telling all, simply because of who she is.

 

[Animal]

Surely that would hurt her income stream?

 

[urban attacker]

The search was planned for Pau on the 2nd rest day. The perfect time to do it. Not sure if they would have found anything though as the transfusions would have been done the night before

Does't matter if or what they may or may not find but that somebody vary high in command said pull back !

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Took out the trash (deleted off-topic, baiting posts).

Stay on topic, or face the consequences. This is the one warning I will give before taking action against those who violate this. No exceptions.

 

[TubularBills]

Report: Armstrong hotel search cancelled in 2005

The search was planned for Pau on the 2nd rest day. The perfect time to do it. Not sure if they would have found anything though as the transfusions would have been done the night before

USPS Hotel Procedures:

According to one of the U.S. Postal team's most prominent riders at the time, Floyd Landis, one room at the hotel had been set aside for a secret procedure.

Outside its door, Mr. Landis said, team staff members were stationed at each end of the hall to make sure nobody showed up unannounced. The riders were told before they went into the room not to talk when they got inside, he said. The smoke detectors had been taken down, he said, plastic was taped over the heater and the air-conditioning unit, and anything with a hole in it was taped over. The purpose, Mr. Landis figured, was to obscure the view of any hidden camera.

The riders on the team who participated in this procedure lay down on the bed, two at a time, Mr. Landis said, with a doctor on each side. Mr. Landis said he got a blood transfusion. He said he also saw Mr. Armstrong and two other team members, George Hincapie and José Luis Rubiera, taking blood. He said he didn't see any other riders getting transfusions that day.

The procedure, which enhances performance by boosting a rider's red-blood-cell counts, is considered cheating by the International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body.

Mr. Landis said that he isn't sure what happened to the empty blood bags, but that on other occasions he had seen team staffers dispose of them by cutting them into tiny pieces and flushing them down the toilet.

Blood Brothers

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704911704575326753200584006.html

 

[ManInFull]

Kristen Armstrong testifying to the blood bags and steroids stored at their apartment in Girona, Spain-that would be something.

I've heard rumors about this for years-wonder if she gave testimony to the USADA?

This would be just as if not more compelling than Hincapie or any other rider telling all, simply because of who she is.

I just can't see his ex-wife ratting him out. Of course, he would blame it on her being "angry, jealous, and vindictive"....

 

[TubularBills]

World Anti-Doping Code

1999 to the present

It is said that the 1999 corticosteroid positive test was not in the positive range.

I think it should be clarified with a link, that at this time there was no "borderline" for positive or not positive.

1999 Banned List (Dated at footer 27 September 2002 & updated 1 January 2003)

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.volleyballnewsletter.com%2Freports%2Fbannedlist2003.pdf

Archive of subsequent annual WADA Code updates and other doping goodies.

Page # 6

D. GLUCOCORTICOSTEROIDS

The systemic use of glucocorticosteroids is prohibited when administered orally,rectally, or by intravenous or intramuscular injection.

When medically necessary, local and intra-articular injections of glucocorticosteroids are permitted.

Where the rules of the governing body so provide, notification of administration maybe necessary (i.e. a TUE, Armstrong didn't have one)

In 1999 the UCI developed a new test for glucocorticosteroids and Lance was one of the first to test positive at the Tour. The UCI let him invent a fake, backdated, TUE and said the amount was below the limit. If you refer to the UCI banned list from 1999 to present glucocorticosteroids, the class of drug to which covers triamcinolone acétonide, do not have a threshold level. They are banned outright.

Just like the extremely minute presence of clenbuterol that sanctioned Contador.

Triamcinolone acétonide is not a synthetic steroid that required the t/e ratio initial test to further test if the sample contained a synthetic steroid, a la Floyd Landis.

Armstrong tested positive, the UCI covered it up.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=17702&page=6

Press Coverage & the UCI Coverup:

The full Le Monde Article from Tuesday 20 July 1999:

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/jul99/jul22.shtml

"The presence of the corticoid traces in the urine contradicts the statements made by Armstrong. On Monday, July 19, during the rest day in the Tour, the American affirmed at his press conference that he had not had any medical treatments since December 13, 1996, the date of his last treatment of chemotherapy."

"What is more, in the official report that followed the test, Lance Armstrong had written under the heading "Drugs Taken" - Nothing."

"The same doctor continued: "On the other hand, if the urine tests detect this product, it is undoubtedly, an indication that the patient has taken it. There cannot be any confusion between the body naturally producing the substance and taken it exogenously."

"A doctor we interviewed has a hypothesis concerning the low levels found in the riders' samples: "If they are late corticoids, the low levels is not surprising, since their spread in the body happens more slowly and their tracability becomes harder."

Aftermath:

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1999/Armstrong-Accused-at-Tour-de-France/id-3617237172331c3ca922a575d3ed54ee

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/22/sports/cycling-armstrong-is-engulfed-by-a-frenzy-over-salve.html

 

[Race Radio]

Here's more:



First (?) we have heard of masking agents.

Dave.

I wrote about this a while back but have not seen it in print yet.

I was told by a Olympic Committee doctor (Non-US) that there was a masking agent that could be added to a sample that, unlike Protese, would only eliminate the synthetic EPO. Leaving the natural, liver produced EPO. USADA was aware of it

 

[Race Radio]

Kristen Armstrong testifying to the blood bags and steroids stored at their apartment in Girona, Spain-that would be something.

I've heard rumors about this for years-wonder if she gave testimony to the USADA?

This would be just as if not more compelling than Hincapie or any other rider telling all, simply because of who she is.

There is a great story of drugs in a baby carriage. I hope that will come out

 

[GreasyMonkey]

I thought it was assumed this was going on for awhile because I remember someone reviewing Lance and a few other rider's samples and finding no artificial or NATURAL EPO in the samples. There not being any natural EPO in the sample was throwing a lot of flags that something wasn't right. I remember there being speculation that a detergent of some kind was being used to breakdown all the EPO.

Here is a link to one of the research papers that investigated the possible use of protease to "mask" EPO use. It is one of the side-topics of this study/investigation into undetectable EPO.

http://www.antidoping.ch/files/download/news/Lamon_EPO_undetectable_Clinica_Chimica_Acta_2007.pdf

 

[GreasyMonkey]

I wrote about this a while back but have not seen it in print yet.

I was told by a Olympic Committee doctor (Non-US) that there was a masking agent that could be added to a sample that, unlike Protese, would only eliminate the synthetic EPO. Leaving the natural, liver produced EPO. USADA was aware of it

From what I have picked up through a quick scan of some literature is that it may be a specific protease, modified to act only on the EPO that is cultured on CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary tissue)

Here is one paper that appears (to my un-educated eye) to address this, or similar issue with Human Vs Recombinant EPO.
http://144.206.159.178/ft/2795/76956/1302181.pdf

 

[TubularBills]

More on Corticosteroids with Vaughters + Tour of Switzerland

Armstrong did not disguise his contempt. "Poor Jonathan and his stupid little French team," he spat. "What the **** are you like? If you had stayed with me, this would have been taken care of but now you are not going to finish the Tour de France because of a wasp sting."

Vaughters was distraught. "I thought: '****! Here I am, on this team that is really trying to stick by the books and this guy is making fun of us for playing by the rules. That was the moment that effectively ended my career," he says. "I didn't want to race any more. It just didn't seem to matter to me after that."

Armstrong liked to boast about his friends in high places and those friends had served him well. During that first Tour win in 1999, he should have been disqualified after testing positive for a corticosteroid but was saved by a backdated therapeutic exemption. In 2002, Floyd Landis says that Armstrong told him that another positive test at the 2001 Tour of Switzerland had been overturned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/26/cycling-clean-up?newsfeed=true

 

[ggusta]

I just can't see his ex-wife ratting him out. Of course, he would blame it on her being "angry, jealous, and vindictive"....

Agreed. A woman with whom he does not share children would be a separate story, though. ie Sheryl Crow.

 

[TubularBills]

Witnesses & Whistleblowers

Lance Armstrong: the whistleblowers

http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cy...lared?page=0,0

Mike Anderson

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/interview-former-armstrong-assistant-ashamed-of-working-for-him_158382

http://www.scribd.com/doc/24714560/Michael-Anderson-s-Testimony-On-Lance-Armstrong-Doping

http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/11/8-things-on-lance-armstrong-from-other.html

Betsy Andreu

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5508863

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-09-18/sports/27075769_1_betsy-andreu-federal-probe-tour-de-france-victories

http://www.freep.com/article/2012082...ed-using-drugs

Frankie Andreu

An instant messenger chat between Andreau & Vaughters (2005):

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

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/frankie-andreu-responds-to-armstrongs-ban

Christopher Bassons

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bassons-wont-judge-landis-and-armstrong

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=12212

Tyler Hamilton

60 Minutes Interview: (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

60 Minutes | Overtime: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20064406-10391709.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/iteam/2012/08/tyler-hamiltons-armstrong-tell-all-the-secret-race-to-be-released-on-lances-birthday

Paul Kimmage

Radio Interviews:

RTE Radio | http://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/rteradiowebpage.html#!rii=9%3A3375251%3A0%3A%3A

Newstalk | http://media.newstalk.ie/listenback/22/friday/1/popup (begins at 28:08)

Discussed Here:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18281

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12721/Paul-Kimmage-Interview-Armstrong-the-UCI-and-the-true-winners-of-those-Tours.aspx

Armstrong v Kimmage (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZgns7CXeUI

Floyd Landis

FLOYD LANDIS’ LETTER TO THE UCI AND USA CYCLING: (The Letter)

Landis & Kimmage Interview (Complete) aka Drugs Pedaller

"“There have been so many questions about what’s going on now, but I’d really go back to that interview I did with Floyd,” he says. “If you read that transcript, you understand why the sport is in the mess it’s in now. It opened my eyes to it. It gave me a deeper understanding of what had happened from the time that I had spent out of it and that basically nothing had changed. The truth is in there, and the way out of it is in that interview that Floyd gave. All of the problems are there.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kimmage-uci-needs-root-and-branch-surgery

Greg Lemond

Armstrong v LeMond - Las Vegas Press Conference (video) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryH650Br8uI

Greg LeMond - How Have Steroids Changed Cycling? | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9u3AQNI9FI

Emma O'Reilly

http://bicycling.com/blogs/theselection/2011/04/27/emma-o%E2%80%99reilly-responds-to-strickland%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cendgame%E2%80%9D/

David Walsh

Drug cheat claims are well-founded

http://books.google.com/books?id=zJ9IOdnm5mQC&pg=PA272&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
Interview (Audio)

 

[TubularBills]

Intimidation:

The Filippo Simeoni Incident

Zip The Lips Omerta Gesture @ 0:16

Armstrong Explicitly Motions Complicity with Omerta
in Simeoni Chase Down and Zip (Video)

Simeoni bullied into line by boss | Guardian UK

from Landis/Kimmage:

One other incident that stands out from the ’04 Tour was the treatment of the Italian, Filippo Simeoni. (Shortly after the start of the 18th stage from Annemasse to Lons le Saunier, Simeoni joined a six-man breakaway and was chased down by Armstrong. The Italian was no threat to the yellow jersey but had testified against Armstrong’s friend, Dr. Michele Ferrari, at a doping trial in 2002.) What was your attitude to what happened that day?

I was extremely upset with what was going on…I happened to be on the front when Lance came by going twice as fast as us, clearly not wanting anybody to get on his wheel. I knew why he was going up there – he had told us on the bus ‘Make sure Simeoni doesn’t go in the break’ – so I looked at the other guys behind and said ‘Somebody get on his wheel’ but he was already half way across to the break at that stage. So I got on the radio immediately and said to Johan (Bruyneel) ‘You’ve got to get Lance to slow down. You have to tell him to come back’ and the only response I got was ‘You guys have to chase him down.’ And I said ‘Look, I’m not going to look that foolish; I’m not going to chase down the leader of the race on my own team. How dumb do you think I am? I’m going to the back.’ So I went to the back and went back to the (team) car and said ‘Johan, this is ridiculous. We look really bad. He looks like an idiot. How are we going to explain this? Just tell him to sit up.’ And then he told Lance (by radio) to sit up and Lance wouldn’t sit up. He told me to go back to the front and ride. I said ‘I’m not going to be part of this. I’m going to sit at the back’ and so I stayed at the back of the peloton until they brought Simeoni back. I thought it was stupid and I said what I thought – not because I like Simeoni or don’t like Simeoni – I just thought it was a foolish thing to do in the race. I said ‘There is no good explanation for this, I don’t want to be part of it.’ And no one said anything. I was the only one that ever spoke-up against Lance and if I thought something was wrong – and that was clearly wrong – I was going to say it.

Are you saying it was wrong in the context of him as the race leader and you as the team?

No, it was wrong to treat him that way. I just wouldn’t do that.

It was wrong to treat Simeoni that way?

Absolutely, yeah, but my argument to Johan couldn’t possibly be a moral one at that point. My argument to try and get him to stop was ‘Look, this is stupid. He is not accomplishing anything.’ But I disagreed with what he was doing. I just wouldn’t do that. Alright, I had justified winning in my own mind while I was doping but I would never be able to justify preventing someone else from winning that wasn’t doping. Or that had said something to me. I wouldn’t do that, ever. I don’t race my bike to prevent other people from winning. And this is the distinction between Lance and I – I get satisfaction out of winning or achieving a goal; he gets all his satisfaction out of preventing other people from winning.

Armstrong-Simeoni polemics mar stage

Armstrong Hunts Down Rider

Armstrong responds to Simeoni

http://fraudbytes.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-finding-hgh-leads-to-nose-growth.html

 

[thehog]

Armstrong writing letters to drop the Spanish into it. He was worried about Mayo so wanted him slowed down by anti-doping.

Level-playing field indeed.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun08news2


Baal also reveals that defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong had sent a letter to ASO and the UCI several days prior to the 2003 Tour raising suspicion of a possible use of synthetic haemoglobin by certain riders in the peloton.

On the eve of the second stage of the Dauphiné Libéré in France, US Postal Service spokesman Jörg Muller confirmed that Lance Armstrong did send an e-mail to the Tour de France, UCI, and WADA warning of a specific doping method, as described in former Tour adjunct director Daniel Baal's new book, released Tuesday.

Despite insinuations by the French newspaper Le Monde that Armstrong's concern over the possible use of synthetic haemoglobin (derived from bovine blood) in the peloton was directed at his Spanish rivals in particular, Baal and the team both insist that the message was one of general interest and not an attack by the American.

"I saw the e-mail with my own eyes and there was nothing mean-spirited in Armstrong's message," Baal said, quoted in Tuesday's l'Equipe. "He said it in his usual fashion: Do what you can to look into this product..."

US Postal added that "He never accused the Spanish. We're surprised that the information would come out like that, as it can only spark a fight between the riders."

 

[the big ring]

The search was planned for Pau on the 2nd rest day. The perfect time to do it. Not sure if they would have found anything though as the transfusions would have been done the night before

Not sure if people realise this very obvious fact (I had to consult a map), but the trip from Paris to Pau is 800km. That's a friggin' long way to go to get told "Nah she'll be right" just as you're about to engage.

Kinda makes you think they didn't just head down to Pau for the day for shts n giggles.

 

[barn yard]

i thought lance was busy busting his 'star star star' on his bike 8 hours a day?

where did he get the time to become a scientist/pharmacist/legal expert/email author?

 

[D-Queued]

Nope, nothing in there about masking agents.

That was the quote: "Armstrong’s masking agents, USADA believes, were undetectable for years."

Yes, you are right. Short on detail.

But, the mention of masking agents is interesting as this has been rarely (if ever) discussed, and the journalist is both highly respected and well acquainted with Lance.

Mike Wise came to The Post in 2004 from The New York Times, where he primarily covered the NBA for 10 years. Born in Napa, Calif., he grew up in Hawaii and graduated from Fresno State University. His in-depth portraits of the NBA’ s Gilbert Arenas and former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear won the Associated Press Sports Editors’ Best Feature Award in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Mike was also cited by the APSE as one of America’s top five columnists in 2007 and 2010. He lives in the District with his wife, Christina, their son, Oliver, and, yes, Looly the dog. He also played college basketball very badly for Hawaii Pacific.

Mike Wise also runs a radio talk show, and discussed Lance on 23 May last year:

Wise And Holden Slam Lance Armstrong In Lieu Of New Doping Allegations

"Bracelet people hand in your canary yellow bands..."

Dave.

 

[Microchip]

Armstrong writing letters to drop the Spanish into it. He was worried about Mayo so wanted him slowed down by anti-doping.

Level-playing field indeed.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun08news2

Baal also reveals that defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong had sent a letter to ASO and the UCI several days prior to the 2003 Tour raising suspicion of a possible use of synthetic haemoglobin by certain riders in the peloton.

On the eve of the second stage of the Dauphiné Libéré in France, US Postal Service spokesman Jörg Muller confirmed that Lance Armstrong did send an e-mail to the Tour de France, UCI, and WADA warning of a specific doping method, as described in former Tour adjunct director Daniel Baal's new book, released Tuesday... "

This was the year Armstrong was going for a 5th straight win and Mayo was seen as a very possible winner, but he lost time due to a crash and mononucleosis. It's possible Armstrong wanted Mayo to test positive at some time during that race? I think so, although he didn't.

 

[thehog]

This was the year Armstrong was going for a 5th straight win and Mayo was seen as a very possible winner, but he lost time due to a crash and mononucleosis. It's possible Armstrong wanted Mayo to test positive at some time during that race? I think so, although he didn't.

Mayo was never sick. Something happened between the DL and the Tour. Mayo literally got off his bike at one point. His team had to convince him to get back on.

He certainly lost his secret "abilities" of the email was sent.