Velonews looking into Birotte situation

[thehog]

I don't recall where exactly, but I think I read a quote from Birotte that this is over and won't be re-opened. Is he wrong, misleading or are you suggesting another organization that the justice lea...sorry department will open the case?

Bruyneel was subpoenaed last year upon entry into the US. Hamilton has detailed some of the work. The criminal investigation is over. But the Feds from all accounts haven’t finished. What the USADA papers leaves out is the money. Where it came from and where it went. This is just the beginning.

 

[Cloxxki]

Really? Anyone have a link? (May be impossible to find with all the coverage of the USADA report, as well as the election coverage at the same time)

That would be a pleasant surprise (and McCain is a breath of fresh air on USADA support). We aren't supposed to discuss politics here, but this would be inconsistent with the whole PBS / Big Bird discussion.

Romney needs to identify $Trillions in cutbacks and closed tax loopholes to make good on his promises.

At the level this is discussed during the campaign, that means every single 'non-essential' service is on the block.

Dave.

I'm forced to retract that. I googled and searched my browsing history. indeed the amount of hits are overwhelming. Also this whole deal is killing my sleep time, I may well have dreamt it up. Let's ask both candidates about their stance in cheating and using political pressure to enhance their leverage on the workings of justice and public opinion

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Tyler mentions in his book the crappy bikes they had to ride all the time while Lance rode the nice kit.

Nowhere in this reasoned decision do we hear anything about where those bikes, wheels, etc went. Who sold them, or why or when or to whom.

That's at least one big chunk still missing from the story.

 

[Big Daddy]

Tyler mentions in his book the crappy bikes they had to ride all the time while Lance rode the nice kit.

Nowhere in this reasoned decision do we hear anything about where those bikes, wheels, etc went. Who sold them, or why or when or to whom.

That's at least one big chunk still missing from the story.

They were definitely sold to help fund the doping program. They actually made some big bucks auctioning off Lance stuff. I think Coolhand over at RBR even bought some of that.

 

[red_flanders]

Bruyneel was subpoenaed last year upon entry into the US. Hamilton has detailed some of the work. The criminal investigation is over. But the Feds from all accounts haven’t finished. What the USADA papers leaves out is the money. Where it came from and where it went. This is just the beginning.

I don't understand who specifically is going to do what. If justice isn't going to do anything, who is?

 

[KayLow]

They were definitely sold to help fund the doping program. They actually made some big bucks auctioning off Lance stuff. I think Coolhand over at RBR even bought some of that.

Who is "they" who made money selling the sponsor equipment?

Landis made this accusation, but it was tough to piece together. Hamilton suggests that, at least initially, the doping program at U.S. Postal was run by the team. Perhaps team staff (i.e. Bruyneel) was selling the equipment to buy EPO and steroids and pay doctors for the riders. Later, the team turned the doping over to individual riders, which upset Hamilton. Landis got to U.S. Postal later, so it is isn't clear to me how much direct involvement the team would have had in procuring drugs for the riders while he was there. But he specifically says that bikes were sold to fund the doping program. Were riders selling the bikes?

From Landis' accusation, that seems unlikely. He claims that all of the riders excluding Lance were PO'ed about having to ride old, crummy bikes. If riders were selling the bikes, why would they have complained about the lack of good bikes? Also, Landis claims to have asked Bruyneel about the bike situation and Bruyneel told him they were sold to fund the doping program.

Hamilton had the same complaint about old bikes, which seems to generally refer to his entire time on the team. It seems as though neither rider knows for sure what happened to the sponsor equipment and how much of it was sold. It could have been that team staff was selling the stuff off and pocketing the money. Perhaps when questioned, staff told the riders that the money went to buy drugs to silence anyone who complained.

Bruyneel certainly isn't beyond selling equipment to increase his income. Maybe some of it went to the doping program, but from the various affidavits and other confessions, it looks like riders were buying a lot of the drugs themselves at the direction of team doctors, outside consultants, other riders and DSs.