Tyler's Book

[Fatclimber]

Were there any boring bits?

Did you feel it dramatised things at all?

Going to be a bit before I can get a hold of a copy.

I started reading it and now I look up at the clock to see it's midnight, oops! No boring bits by my account. No over dramatization either, flowing and easy to read. The tone seems equal to how Tyler is in real life, subdued. No nonsense. I like it better than Willy's book.

 

[Cloxxki]

That TV show appearance of Tyler and the co-writer mentioned extensive fact checking among former team mates.
To which degree would they have confirmed incriminating facts? Were those guys on board to be outed in this manner, rather than another?

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

re. Tyler assuming Fuentes put the wrong blood into him.

The thought of a bungling doctor mixing up blood bags and transfusing someone else's blood into an athlete (or worse - just selecting the same blood type) is frankly terrifying.

What else are they doing? re-using needles for injections?

This practice needs to be stamped out. The risks are too high. We have at least 4 confirmed reports of athletes suffering serious ill health as a result of botched transfusions.

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

I am about 1/3 way through the book.

Although unlikely, if Armstrong still has any lawyer, PR guy, Congress friends etc that actually believe he is telling the truth, this book will be the cold shower for them.

While lawyers are used to defending the guilty, this book points to behaviour from his past that will make their desire to publicly defend and represent LA less unconditional. They do not want to be seen as associates, but hired professionals doing an unsavory job at this point. And if he spun a bunch of lies to them, well that won't make them cozy either.

Like when a defense lawyer realizes his client is actually guilty....

 

[AcademyCC]

I am about 1/3 way through the book.

Although unlikely, if Armstrong still has any lawyer, PR guy, Congress friends etc that actually believe he is telling the truth, this book will be the cold shower for them.

While lawyers are used to defending the guilty, this book points to behaviour from his past that will make their desire to publicly defend and represent LA less unconditional. They do not want to be seen as associates, but hired professionals doing an unsavory job at this point. And if he spun a bunch of lies to them, well that won't make them cozy either.

Like when a defense lawyer realizes his client is actually guilty....

Ideally your point would be correct. However I think you forget who we are dealing with here. His Lawyers are part of 'The country club' they've always known the score.

Sponsors, business partners and fanboys are also in this bracket. They all have a lot invested in Lance.

 

[irongrl]

According to my Kindle, I'm 39 percent of the way through the book. Hamilton and Coyle are discussing JV on USPS in 1999, and how LA felt about JV. No spoilers, but this is interesting in light of JV's recent posts here and his confessional to the NYT. Comparing the attitudes of Vaughters, Andreu, Livingston, and Hamilton (and LA) during that time is enlightening.

I just finished the book on my Kindle. It is very enlightening to see how the relationships between the USPS team developed and changed from 99 to 2002. I want to go back and watch the tour dvds from those years knowing what I know from reading Tyler's book. What I got from reading this regarding LA was not so much how he doped, but just how horribly he could treat people.

 

[ManInFull]

J
Say what you want about Tyler, but I think this has to be the clearest picture into the true world of cycling. I know plenty of folks are bashing him for capitalizing on his recent decision to come clean, but the fact is, we live in a capitalist society, and it is his story to sell. I personally think he would have come clean even if he couldn't have made a penny, but who knows. I think it's better for him to get paid for a book he co-wrote than for pro cyclists to continue doping unabated. Better to be paid for the truth than for a lie.

I'm reading it now. One of the most interesting tidbits: Dr. Michael Ashenden, the hematologist who helped develop the EPO and transfusion tests, was not aware of the in-the-vein microdosing strategy until Floyd Landis told him in 2010. According to the book, Tyler and Lance had been doing in-the-vein microdosing since about 2000 or 2001! A great example of how far the dopers are ahead of the doping-detectors.

 

[perico]

Were there any boring bits?

Did you feel it dramatised things at all?

Going to be a bit before I can get a hold of a copy.

I didn't find any parts of it boring. Tyler only spends a chapter talking about his time before turning pro, so the majority is spent on his time in the peloton. I am still processing some of the information, but here are some of my first observations.

There were a lot of things that I was taken aback by.

1. With the exception of Fuentes, none of the "notorious" doctors are as involved as one may imagine. It's a few years into Tour victories before Ferrari is ever connected to administering EPO by Tyler. Cecchini has very little to do with it when it can help it, and if the book is true, then doesn't deserve the notoriety he receives.

2. USPS team would only include Lance's two top climbers (Tyler and Livingston 1999-00) during the tour when administering the junk. The rest had to ride "paniaugia" or take care of it themselves, which makes sense when you consider Frankie's admission of never seeing it with his own eyes.


2. Lance is an a$$, but so are quite a few people in this book. Johan is more of a puppet with strings, and the real power, even over Lance, is in the shadows. Tyler never saw everything, and suspects that there was something that even

3. Tyler more or less backs up the assertion that JV was one guy who would question what the team was doing, and this put him at odds with Lance. It actually balances almost completely with Vaughter's own account that was published in the NYT and the other longer interview he gave.

4. While the Tyler says that he and Bjarn were tight, I get the feeling at CSC, a guy like Carlos Sastre could exist without being implicated in doping.

 

[TomasC]

I'm reading it now. One of the most interesting tidbits: Dr. Michael Ashenden, the hematologist who helped develop the EPO and transfusion tests, was not aware of the in-the-vein microdosing strategy until Floyd Landis told him in 2010. According to the book, Tyler and Lance had been doing in-the-vein microdosing since about 2000 or 2001! A great example of how far the dopers are ahead of the doping-detectors.

Wait... I always assumed EPO is taken intravenously and micro/macro dosing is just a matter of EPO volume and how often you do it. So what is so new in IV microdosing?

 

[ManInFull]

I just finished the book on my Kindle. It is very enlightening to see how the relationships between the USPS team developed and changed from 99 to 2002. I want to go back and watch the tour dvds from those years knowing what I know from reading Tyler's book. What I got from reading this regarding LA was not so much how he doped, but just how horribly he could treat people.

Yes, that part in interesting. Of course, it's Tyler's perspective and he feels that his relationship with Lance changed because Tyler's performance numbers, as a result of doping, were moving to the range required for a rider to compete for a GT win.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

I'm reading it now. One of the most interesting tidbits: Dr. Michael Ashenden, the hematologist who helped develop the EPO and transfusion tests, was not aware of the in-the-vein microdosing strategy until Floyd Landis told him in 2010. According to the book, Tyler and Lance had been doing in-the-vein microdosing since about 2000 or 2001! A great example of how far the dopers are ahead of the doping-detectors.

Of course he knew about micro-dosing. He was just surprised that they did it during the TdF.

 

[irongrl]

What becomes apparent to me when reading and applying the USPS template of doping to present day is Wiggins is doping. I’m sorry that some don’t like to hear it but that’s what you walk away with. Yes I’m hypothesising but there’s now no doubt in my mind that Wiggins is working with Ferrari. The similarities of what Tyler explains are scarcely close to what Wiggins aimed for in terms of body form and output. I also note that the defense to doping question was similar to Armstrong once it clicked in Armstrong that attack was the best form of defense.

I knew a lot of the detail prior but this account provides excellent context as each story is cross referenced with the players involved. The real beauty everyone is named rather than innocuous terms of doctors or other cyclists.

Yes, it is impossible for me to believe that Wiggins/Sky is clean after this. The level of detail and the verification of the details is sobering. I learned alot from Tyler's book and am trying to process it all While I have learned quite a bit over the past couple of years from reading clinic forum posts, I still had no idea the extent to which cyclists were doping and how much effort was going into passing the doping controls/tests while still doping. I also didn't completely understand the role that all the doctors had in this. It's all starting to come together, or unravel depending on how you look at it. Anyone who still says LA was clean is in serious denial. His supporters should be dropping like flies after this book.

 

[TomasC]

Of course he knew about micro-dosing. He was just surprised that they did it during the TdF.

Ah that clarifies it thanks.

 

[python]

i am still reading. i intentionally read slowly to digest the details for a bigger and lasting impression of the book...

so far, the impression i got was that tyler and coyle set their bar high. the book feels like they did not try to white-wash anyone, particularly armstrong.

that said, i am a little cautious taking tyler's statement that facing the dark side for so long, he finally decided to reveal all or none.

perhaps from his point of view and by his definition it feels 100%. fair enough.
but to me the text lacked continuity in some places, it feels like there were more ugly details that did not make into the book.

 

[irongrl]

Yes, that part in interesting. Of course, it's Tyler's perspective and he feels that his relationship with Lance changed because Tyler's performance numbers, as a result of doping, were moving to the range required for a rider to compete for a GT win.

Yes, Tyler become "the competition" to Lance, when his numbers started going up and he started winning races. Whatever Hincapie did in this regard, he must have been very low key about it and was not a threat to Lance at all.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

3. Tyler more or less backs up the assertion that JV was one guy who would question what the team was doing, and this put him at odds with Lance. It actually balances almost completely with Vaughter's own account that was published in the NYT and the other longer interview he gave.

Ullrich's 2004 Tour is well explained also. Siberian frozen blood bags didn't help.

Please elaborate.

 

[serottasyclist]

Wait... I always assumed EPO is taken intravenously and micro/macro dosing is just a matter of EPO volume and how often you do it. So what is so new in IV microdosing?

In addition to changing amount dosed, there was a shift from subcutaneous administration (i.e., just inject it into a big muscle, like any old shot in the arm or **** that you're used to receiving) vs. IV administration (i.e., shooting directly into a vein like...uh, heroin?). IV administration cleared out of the system much faster than subcutaneous.

 

[the asian]

Where can buy an E-Copy or pay and download the book.

 

[Anonymous]

i am still reading. i intentionally read slowly to digest the details for a bigger and lasting impression of the book...

so far, the impression i got was that tyler and coyle set their bar high. the book feels like they did not try to white-wash anyone, particularly armstrong.

that said, i am a little cautious taking tyler's statement that facing the dark side for so long, he finally decided to reveal all or none.

perhaps from his point of view and by his definition it feels 100%. fair enough.
but to me the text lacked continuity in some places, it feels like there were more ugly details that did not make into the book.

Did you see the ESPN interview with Bob Ley? He asked him directly about Tyler's suspicion on Lance having him investigated privately and possibly spying on him... Tyler was very, very uncomfortable with that and essentially refused to go there.

So yeah, he's telling the story. Just not the whole story.

 

[the asian]

Ordered a copy. The earliest delivery estimate is October 4th.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Ordered a copy. The earliest delivery estimate is October 4th.

You must have a reeeaaaallllllllly slow internet connection

 

[PosterBill]

I just finished reading the book myself. I was shocked at the level of detail and cross referencing. I had suspected a lot of things that go on but to actually see it in print was a sobering experience. I easily concluded that Hamilton laid it ALL out on the table for this book.

The book had a color on Frank Schleck...he should outed more often. Schleck's a golden boy in many eyes when that should clearly not be the case. It makes his positive at the tour all the more telling

 

[perico]

Please elaborate.

Tyler's account of JV's mindset in 1999 matches up with Vaughter's own account. I can see why it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for him to have gone on to set up "the clean team." From what Tyler says, Vaughters was one of the guys who spoke up and was openly torn over using EPO. This type of questioning about why they needed to take certain things ****ed off Mellow Johnny.

 

[the asian]

You must have a reeeaaaallllllllly slow internet connection

Hardcover copy.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Of course he knew about micro-dosing. He was just surprised that they did it during the TdF.

I thought he did not know about micro dosing with EPO to bring the reticulocyte count back into line?