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Tour Down Under Positive 2003

Jul 16, 2012
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Tour Down Under race director and president of the Oceania Cycling Confederation Mike Turtur said he did not believe race organisers needed to make public Caruso's positive test and the ban.


"It would have been published on the (International Cycling Union's) UCI website that he was found to be in violation of the code and that's how it's dealt with," Mr Turtur said.

"Race organisers don't go around publicising or advertising or making a point of any doping infringements because it's not their job or their responsibility.

"The organisers manage the race, the UCI manage the sport."


Yep all starting to unravel now...
 
Oct 25, 2010
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This guy Turtur sounds great..."not sure"..."pretty sure"..."I think so"..." I don't think there were other positives" ect...wasn't this the race where they had to scrounge up a million bucks to get lance to appear? It's been awhile so correct me if I have that wrong...
 
Sep 29, 2012
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The Gnome said:
This guy Turtur sounds great..."not sure"..."pretty sure"..."I think so"..." I don't think there were other positives" ect...wasn't this the race where they had to scrounge up a million bucks to get lance to appear? It's been awhile so correct me if I have that wrong...

2009 - $2M to Lance. Mike Rann, from memory. Same year they cut the $1M high performance MTB program from AIS. That's what annoyed me the most.
 
Oct 25, 2010
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right...thanks...of course it had to be the comeback...wonder who paid that? that race get government help?
 
Sep 29, 2012
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The Gnome said:
right...thanks...of course it had to be the comeback...wonder who paid that? that race get government help?

Definitely.

Premier Mike Rann paid for it - photo opps galore - the race does not exist without SA government support.

Look what $2M (2009) + $2M (2010) of appearance fees buys you: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...tralian-election/story-e6frgczx-1225819277319

Lance Armstrong backs Mike Rann to win South Australian election

by: Pia Akerman
From: The Australian
January 14, 2010 3:59PM

CYCLING superstar Lance Armstrong today predicted Mike Rann would win the South Australian election, describing his friend `Ranny' as an "old pro".


Appearing with Mr Rann at a joint press conference today, Armstrong emphasised his strong personal relationship with the premier and said he would like to see Mr Rann returned for a third term in March.

“To be honest I don't know who he is running against,” Armstrong said. “I think it's safe to say that over the course of the last 12 months we've become friends ... I've gotten to know the man on a personal level.

“What people don't see is throughout the year we constantly communicate and keep in touch on things that he is doing here in South Australia, but also things that are going on in our world.”

It is common knowledge the Rann government last year paid Armstrong to make his return to professional cycling at Adelaide's Tour Down Under.

The government has refused to reveal the sum, but it is estimated to be at least $2 million.
 
Oct 25, 2010
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gee...now there is a softball any first year journalism student ought to be able to pound outta the park...I remember he got a ton of public money from Ireland as well...if journalists don't go after such obvious stuff like that then they are truly useless...those kinda takedowns are gimmes...
 
Sep 29, 2012
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The Gnome said:
gee...now there is a softball any first year journalism student ought to be able to pound outta the park...I remember he got a ton of public money from Ireland as well...if journalists don't go after such obvious stuff like that then they are truly useless...those kinda takedowns are gimmes...

Entirely OT, but can you point me to any Ireland + Lance stories? Google is crap for "LA" search at the moment. Any search terms other than the obvious would be appreciated.
 
Oct 25, 2010
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Dear Wiggo said:
Definitely.

Premier Mike Rann paid for it - photo opps galore - the race does not exist without SA government support.

Look what $2M (2009) + $2M (2010) of appearance fees buys you: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...tralian-election/story-e6frgczx-1225819277319

you couldn't fabricate this sorta stuff...comedy gold...if that were here in america, the guy's opponent would do an ad saying "Lance Armstrong says Mike Renn is an old pro and good friends...what does that mean? Did Lance Armstrong and Mike Renn share needles?"
 
Sep 29, 2012
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Check crikey.com.au too if you want to see some real journalism, including the whole livestrong.org connection and how revolting it was at the time.
 
Oct 25, 2010
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Dear Wiggo said:
Entirely OT, but can you point me to any Ireland + Lance stories? Google is crap for "LA" search at the moment. Any search terms other than the obvious would be appreciated.

I am having no luck either...you are right about google...I think he got around a million, maybe more...if I remember right, folks were abit peeved when he pulled out after it started to rain...took his cash and went home...
 
Sep 29, 2012
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The Gnome said:
I am having no luck either...you are right about google...I think he got around a million, maybe more...if I remember right, folks were abit peeved when he pulled out after it started to rain...took his cash and went home...

Ah was that the charity bash Vroomen was hinting about? I know there was some $6M gig in Ireland lauded as a success flying in people from all over the world as part of a cancer awareness shindig . Are you saying LA got paid $1M for his appearance there? Or was there some other event separate to that?
 
The Gnome said:
I am having no luck either...you are right about google...I think he got around a million, maybe more...if I remember right, folks were abit peeved when he pulled out after it started to rain...took his cash and went home...


Quick high level review.

The race was moved and shortened to accommodate his appearance fee.
It rained everyday. He pulled out. He barely was seen at the race - you could tell he just didn't give a f&ck.
The race already had funding issues so paying for Armstrong was a a gamble.
The race died the following year.
There was lots of McQuaid family conflict going on.
The $6m Livestrong p1ssup was post race and which turned into a boozey party with plenty of delegates bed hopping.

There's loads more but that's it for now...

Oh then lets gets into the Giro payment. That's a good one!
 
Oct 25, 2010
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thehog said:
Quick high level review.

The race was moved and shortened to accommodate his appearance fee.
It rained everyday. He pulled out. He barely was seen at the race - you could tell he just didn't give a f&ck.
The race already had funding issues so paying for Armstrong was a a gamble.
The race died the following year.
There was lots of McQuaid family conflict going on.
The $6m Livestrong p1ssup was post race and which turned into a boozey party with plenty of delegates bed hopping.

There's loads more but that's it for now...

Oh then lets gets into the Giro payment. That's a good one!

Right, I had forgotten they had to shorten the race just for him...then he pulls out with his money...race dies the next year...the guy is a plague...
 
At the Giro he was paid $2m to race. He was coming off the broken collarbone so his form was a little suspect even for a serial doper. The Italian press asked him one too many times if he thought he could win. They're proud people. They love their race. Armstrong had enough. He stopped talking to the Italian press all together when he was meant to be promoting the race due to the appearance fee. Day after day he ignored them despite collection the 2m.

Then he lead a riders protest on one of the stages and the peloton didn't race a final circuit which went over railway lines.

That was the end. Zomegnan had enough. It was the centenary Giro as well.

Armstrong rode a good last week. After saying he'd support Levi he often ride away from him leaving him isolated.
 
Sep 29, 2012
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thehog said:
At the Giro he was paid $2m to race. He was coming off the broken collarbone so his form was a little suspect even for a serial doper. The Italian press asked him one too many times if he thought he could win. They're proud people. They love their race. Armstrong had enough. He stopped talking to the Italian press all together when he was meant to be promoting the race due to the appearance fee. Day after day he ignored them despite collection the 2m.

Then he lead a riders protest on one of the stages and the peloton didn't race a final circuit which went over railway lines.

That was the end. Zomegnan had enough. It was the centenary Giro as well.

Armstrong rode a good last week. After saying he'd support Levi he often ride away from him leaving him isolated.

Would help explain why Zomegnan got the boot a little while later then, perhaps? Any links backing up the "refusing to talk to the Italians"? Interested to follow that up - even if I have to translate it.
 
One more story from the Giro.

Newly crowd Italian champion Simeoni was due to race.

At Comeback 2.0 time Lance gave the new version of the chase down incident saying he was just following wheels.

Simeoni was desperate to race the Giro in the colors of Italy and even issued a YouTube invitation to Lance that he had no hard feelings.

Armstrong as part of his appearance forced RCS to leave out Simeoni's team.

True story.
 
Apr 7, 2010
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the tour down under's/state government's 'investment' in paying armstrong those 2 years made a fair bit of money for that state and brought (bought?!) absolutely huge crowds to those events so at the time it was a good financial decision. in hindsight spending the money on such a questionable individual may not have been the most wise idea ;)

if it gets enough traction in the press it could be an election issue - the election there is not too far away.
 
Dear Wiggo said:
Would help explain why Zomegnan got the boot a little while later then, perhaps? Any links backing up the "refusing to talk to the Italians"? Interested to follow that up - even if I have to translate it.

Armstrong is no longer talking to the news media at the Giro, Maertens said, and will address the public only through his Web site or through his Twitter page. Armstrong wants to focus on the race and on helping his teammate Levi Leipheimer win, Maertens said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/sports/cycling/20lance.html