All the sordid details: USADA evidence against Armstrong

[Lister Farrar]

Best comment from an exrider yet:

(quote)What the UCI have done during the EPO era has been far from enough, they have let down a generation of fans, riders, sponsors and supporters. They and the people behind the 50% farce have been lucky that there weren't deaths. The UCI have been dragged forward by one scandal after another and now the social media generation has cried enough. It's no longer a carefully selected group of people asking if they think it was alright for Armstrong to be invited to respond to a dubious test result. It's all of us shouting: What ? And you took donations from him afterwards? And you thought that was OK? And maybe he asked how you reached those results and you thought he was being helpful? And it's still a 50% limit today despite the evidence that it isn't normal?(/quote)
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert ... re-minimum

[Brian S]

Sent to me from the Vancouver Sun. The British papers (OK the Evening Standard free paper they hand out a tube stations) are worried about next year's Tour being too hilly for Wiggo.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/apol ... story.html

[Lister Farrar]

Sent to me from the Vancouver Sun. The British papers (OK the Evening Standard free paper they hand out a tube stations) are worried about next year's Tour being too hilly for Wiggo.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/apol ... story.html

I think he's aiming for the giro anyway.

[leftcoaster]

Wiggo has confirmed he's aiming for the Giro........

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13140 ... -2013.aspx

Most riders who win the Tour attempt to add a second title to their palmares, but Bradley Wiggins has confirmed that he’ll almost certainly play things a different way in 2013. Speaking at today’s Tour de France presentation, the Team Sky rider said that he will peak for a different Grand Tour, even though he accepts that it will almost certainly cost him the chance of successfully defending his title.

“I am probably going to concentrate on the Giro next year, because for me it is the only other race on the cycling calendar – along with Paris-Roubaix – that is up there with the Tour de France in terms of historicalness,” he told Eurosport. “It is just beautiful. I’d love to win that pink jersey as well as the yellow.”

[Andrew]

Interesting that you are discussing Wiggo in the doping section.. is Freud at work here?

[norman marcy]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/ ... ever-give/

The Apology Lance Armstrong will never give

cheers

[Lister Farrar]

Lemond goes Postal
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/10/ ... aid_262523

Not the most articulate or clever plan, but can't fault his id of the problem or his passion.

[leftcoaster]

It looks like the UCI is getting the message............


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-man ... ongs-tours

Armstrong's titles....

The management committee of the UCI has decided not to award Lance Armstrong's stripped Tour de France titles to any rider following a special meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday.

independent(?) commission......

The management committee has also requested that an external commission be established to examine "various allegations made about UCI relating to the Armstrong affair".

In particular, concerns have been raised over the manner in which the UCI accepted donations from Armstrong in 2002 and 2005 totaling US$125,000. The governing body has rejected the accusation that the donations were made to cover up a positive test from the 2001 Tour de Suisse, although it has acknowledged that Armstrong returned a "suspect" sample during the Swiss race.

As well as examining the UCI's role, the independent commission will look to "find ways to ensure that persons caught for doping were no longer able to take part in the sport, including as part of an entourage."

Kimmage lawsuit...........

Pending the independent commission's report next year, the UCI management committee also opted to seek the suspension of the defamation case against the journalist and former rider Paul Kimmage, launched earlier this year by UCI president Pat McQuaid, honorary president Hein Verbruggen and the governing body itself.

"UCI President Pat McQuaid and Honorary President Hein Verbruggen who are individual parties to the case will similarly seek to put their cases on hold," the UCI statement read.

[Ramsey A]

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bassons ... suspension

Christophe Bassons has been handed a one-year suspension by the French Cycling Federation after he missed a post-race doping control at the marathon mountain bike event at the French championships in Langon on September 1.

A noted anti-doping advocate following his experiences at Festina, where he refused to partake in the team’s systematic doping programme, Bassons explained that he missed the control in error.

Really?!?

They've suspended one of the few early whistleblowers?

Bassons - known as M. Propre (Mr Clean) for refusing to participate in the Festina doping program, passing up a 1000% pay increase - wrote of his suspicions on the '99 Tour peleton's breakneck speed, and was shunned by his team and bullied by Armstrong à la Simeoni.

Bassons' story is among the details laid out in a phenomenal nearly-2 hour BBC radio doc:

Peddlers: Cycling's Dirty Truth
Mon, 15 Oct 12
Mark Chapman lifts the lid on the secret world of drug abuse in cycling. With contributions from former Tour de France cyclists Tyler Hamilton, Matt De Canio, Christophe Basson. Lance Armstrong's former soigner Emma O'Reilly tells us about an abuse that was rife inside his US Postal Service Team during their period of dominance. British cyclist David Millar also outlines how the present and future of the sport are a different proposition.

It, and a follow-up discussion, can be downloaded here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/5lspecials

[Lister Farrar]

Two good summaries of the people who brought it to light.

“This is a story of how a group of people at the low end of bicycle racing used the Web and social media to take back custody of their sport from powerful dopers and liars and their enablers in the media."

The courage of Emma O’Reilly and Betsy Andreu is very powerful.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/busin ... ref=sports

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8004316#49562651

[norman marcy]

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episode ... lance.html

much of the main aspects of the story are captured in this documentary to be aired on CBC

[Brian S]

great op/ed from the Times sports editor yesterday, unfortunately still behind their subscription firewall. Worth checking out if it can be down loaded from another source or if the links become active later. Slams the UCI.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/col ... 582427.ece

also, good articles about Cavendish and Yates

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/cyc ... 582538.ece

Wow, a total of 4 articles in one issue of the Times of London about cycling. Almost approaches the 11 pages of coverage of the Manchester United-Chelsea game, not to mention the rest of the Premier League

[Rolf]

Well, Brian - that's still loads better than sports coverage here. Despite the labour battle and suspension of play in the NHL, freaking hockey still manages to dominate our news, even taking the Globe's A1 the other day. Arg.

That United-Chelsea match was a perfect advert for the Premier League: great goals, controversial calls, racist referees, ranting managers, two red cards - it had it all! And at least over there they cover football, whereas here they cover some bizarre and boring version of rugby with the same name:


Just so I'm not accused of getting off topic in this thread, the UCI should know it's officially embattled when the Italian pro cyclists' association (a beaming beacon of virtue if there ever was one ) have chimed in, saying the UCI's credibility is squarely on the line.

[Lister Farrar]

great op/ed from the Times sports editor yesterday, unfortunately still behind their subscription firewall. Worth checking out if it can be down loaded from another source or if the links become active later. Slams the UCI.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/col ... 582427.ece

also, good articles about Cavendish and Yates

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/cyc ... 582538.ece

Wow, a total of 4 articles in one issue of the Times of London about cycling. Almost approaches the 11 pages of coverage of the Manchester United-Chelsea game, not to mention the rest of the Premier League

So happy to see the mainstream euro media saying this. Thanks for the link Brian.

No wonder he called them scumbags. They told the truth and that is the last thing you want when you are used to living in a world that is bright and beautiful and utterly phoney. Pat McQuaid, president of cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, called Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton scumbags because they came clean about doping.

McQuaid clearly doesn’t go along with the notion that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth than ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance. He would, it seems, much rather that sinners didn’t repent. And if they did, they might at least have the good grace to keep quiet about it.

BTW I got the full article by googling NEWS and "Times of London, False frontage". I guess they let you look at specific articles, but not browse the whole paper for free. Thanks to the Times.

[Kevin F]

If anyone is keen sign the petition to oust the UCI leadership.

I have. Can't make it to AGM in Vancouver so this is my little contribution

http://www.change.org/petitions/interna ... m=32623813

Cheers,

K

[AlW]

Appropriate?

pinocchiouci.jpg

(source: http://inrng.com/2012/10/sunday-shorts-10 )

[Lister Farrar]

I'd love to think the organizers are having a laugh at UCI's expense. That would be really cool. But maybe Pinnochio means something else in Tuscany. Artificiality? Naivete? Dang, even those apply.

It's like the republicans picking Goofy as their campaign mascot.

[leftcoaster]

Kicking Armstrong when he's down...........

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/ ... l-bonfire/

The effigy, to be burned Saturday, sports a sign saying “For sale, racing bike, no longer required.

Ouch

[norman marcy]

MORE OF THIS WOULD FORCE SOME CHANGES

PERHAPS SOME OF THE BANKS AND OTHERS WHO HAVE PULLED OUT OF CYCLING SHOULD TRY TO GET THEIR $ BACK

Australian sportswear company Skins sues UCI over Lance Armstrong scandal
From: AFP November 05, 2012 10:36AM

Australian sportswear company Skins is suing the UCI over the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. Source: AP
AUSTRALIAN firm SKINS is suing world cycling governing body UCI for $2 million, alleging the organisation harmed the company's image by failing to crack down sufficiently on doping and run a clean sport.

The sports compression wear maker says it has also cited UCI president Pat McQuaid and former president Hein Verbruggen for their handling of the doping crisis in the sport which it claims has harmed the company's international reputation.

SKINS has been involved in professional cycling since 2008 and sponsors Cycling Australia, USA Cycling, the Rabobank, Europcar and Telekom teams and BikeNZ in New Zealand, among others.

But, in the wake of the Lance Armstrong scandal, which saw the Texan stripped of his seven Tour de France titles (1999-2005) after a US investigation into alleged systematic doping, SKINS said it had to act and had served the UCI with a demand for $2 million.



RECOMMENDED COVERAGE

Lance Armstrong through the years

"The Lance Armstrong affair has damaged world cycling to the point where its reputation is possibly irreparable," said SKINS chairman Jamie Fuller in a statement on Monday.

"As a commercial partner, there are clearly implications to our brand image and as a company that has built an association with cycling to support its belief in 'The True Spirit Of Competition', our reputation and credibility has potentially been significantly damaged."

SKINS has instructed international law firm, Bonnard Lawson, from its offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, to assist it in the action against the UCI, McQuaid and Verbruggen.

The lawyers wrote to UCI on Friday saying SKINS had been involved in professional cycling from 2008 in the belief that the sport had cleaned up its act after the scandal-tainted 1998 Tour de France.

Last month the UCI said it would accept the findings of a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) dossier that placed Armstrong at the heart of the US agency dubbed the biggest doping program ever in sport.

"When we decided to invest in cycling by becoming a sponsor, we also made a significant financial commitment into a research and development program which runs in partnership with professional cycling and cyclists," said Fuller.

"We have been proud of our associations with professional cycling but we are now associated with a sport that commands little or no trust or respect from the general public.

"We believe that until it was forced into action by USADA's comprehensive report, the UCI fundamentally failed to acknowledge the issues or act to save the credibility of cycling or its commercial partners."

AFP