Lance Armstrong drug charge: Witch hunt or due diligence?

Christian Science Monitor ^ | 8/24/05 | Peter Ford

[Crackingham]

Ben Johnson. Jose Canseco. Lance Armstrong?

The seven-time Tour de France winner faced a battle Tuesday to salvage his reputation, in the face of a detailed report in the French sports daily L'Équipe that he took the banned blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO) during the 1999 race.

Mr. Armstrong, who retired last month after winning a record seventh Tour, issued a terse response on his website, saying "I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance enhancing drugs."

L'Équipe reported that the French national drug testing laboratory had found "indisputable" traces of EPO in six urine samples taken from Armstrong in 1999. The paper published a laboratory document showing positive EPO results for six anonymous samples taken during that year's Tour de France, and matched their identifying numbers with statements Armstrong had signed.

No test existed in 1999 for detecting EPO, which enhances the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Laboratory officials refused to explain why they had retested 1999 urine samples last year, only confirming in a statement that they had done so.

L'Équipe said they had been refining their detection methods. One prominent antidoping expert, however, suggests the analysts were deliberately seeking to target Armstrong.

"Scientists have had their doubts about Armstrong for a long time," says Jean-Pierre de Mondenard, a sports doctor in Paris who once worked for the Tour, detecting riders' drug use. "They were fed up with being fooled. Armstrong's seven victories were a defeat for the battle against doping."

[stocksthatgoup]

Now that the French Tour officials have collected their money for 7 years, they will go about trashing "the one that brung em".

[American Vet Repairman]

"They also found evidence indicating that Lance had used two other banned substances in France. Soap and deodorant."

ROTFL!!
We need to include toothpaste and mouthwash. You forgot the French disdain for fresh smelling breath.

[IamConservative]

Takes a lot of courage to accuse a man of cheating - after he retires.

The French are like slinkies. They are basically worthless, but it brings a smile to your face to push them down the stairs.

[ShadowDancer]

The French are like slinkies. They are basically worthless, but it brings a smile to your face to push them down the stairs.

ROTFL

[mj1234]

notice how there were no names on the sample that was taken-

they added Armstrong-

BTW- Lance was tested 26 times during the 2001-2004 tours!
no hint of illegal substances-

The french are pissed because he has eclipsed their
biking stars- sort of like Hank Aaron getting the
home run record-(our sports writers trying to talk that
record down)- this is typical of the french-now that
Lance is retired and in America- bash him good!

[nikos1121]

....And the Chain of Custody of the urine samples were never broken since 1999...? give me break...give me an f***iin break...

[SC DOC]

Could be False Positive

[nowings]

So that makes it OK? Someday all the truth will come out and he will no longer be hero, Ala' Mark Maguire.

[auboy]

France is French for Jerks.

[soundandvision]

My favorite quote from AP today...Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc:

"For the first time - and these are no longer rumors, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body," Leblanc told L'Equipe.

"The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled."

1999? This is 2005..you've waited 6 years to drop this news and then you do drop it you say 'we were all fooled'. It sounds like the Frenchie French have an axe to grind, a big axe.

[soundandvision]

They also found evidence indicating that Lance had used two other banned substances in France. Soap and deodorant.

Dammit that was funny stuff! LOL

[Hildy]

That's what I was thinking...maybe a reaction from some of the medications he was taking for Cancer. But nonetheless...how slimy of these creatures...1999???

[RetiredArmy]

The French cannot stand that Americans have won 10 tours since they last won one. They have not won a tour in over 20 years. Americans, Spanish, others own the French race and they simply cannot stand it. The French government drug control nazi's tested only one rider in the race this year and that was Armstrong. They have had a vendetta against him since he won the first. They simply do not believe that he could survive cancer and come back and win their slimy race. Him beating the stinking French is what got me to watch and into cycling in the first place. When I ride, pounding hills, I dream that I am ahead of some stinking French rider, riding his @$$ into the pavement. I would not put it past them to alter the paperwork just to get him. He was tested over 15 times in this past tour and there was nothing. He has been tested hundreds and hundreds of times over the past seven years, nothing. So, if he is that good at hiding it, he should be selling those secrets to Barry Bonds and everyone else. He would be worth more than Bill Gates in what he could rake in. To the French, I say, stick it where the sun don't shine, cowards.

[llevrok]

Ping

[llevrok]

So the Tour director keeps his gob shut for 7 years and now starts to squeel like a pig.

I will give him something to now put into that open mouth - menge le merde!

[proud American in Canada]

Then you learn that the claim is made based on samples taken in 1999 and held in a New York Knicks refrigerator. In the end there is no way for Michael to respond other than to say, I didn't do it!"

Exactly! This charge is coming out five years after the fact?!

If they had anything credible, it would have come out long ago.

[fortunecookie]

Gee, after years of being dogged by rumors and proving them false, Lance is targeted by the French just after riding with Bush on Bush's Texas ranch? Sacre bleu! I smell a rat. The timing is a little fishy. Now that he's ridden with Bush, merely ridden with him and chatted, the left is ready to trounce on him and now the Frenchies, too.

[fortunecookie]

"For the first time - and these are no longer rumors, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body," Leblanc told L'Equipe. "The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled."

1999? This is 2005..you've waited 6 years to drop this news and then you do drop it you say 'we were all fooled'. It sounds like the Frenchie French have an axe to grind, a big axe.

Exactly. They have tried to attack other Tour performances and failed. So go way back to the beginning and try to attack something so remote that proving or disproving it will be difficult, but will cast dispersions on his 7 consecutive wins. This way, to the delusional frenchies, it will be Lance, winner of 6 (not 7) and only 5 consecutive, thus tying but not breaking the previous records of 5 consecutive. Leaving it open for some frenchie to break the record. Very slimy.

And the timing? Right on the heels of Lance's ride with Bush? Wow, what a coincidence (not!). Not 2 weeks ago, or before this Tour, his 7th consecutive win? Wow, they are a slimy bunch. Let's hope this takes off the rose colored glasses for Lance on what the left is really like and drives him closer to the right.

[RJL]

The ball is now in his court.

I'd love to see Lance reply by winning number 8, that would really tweak the Frogs.

[Glenn]

It's time France suffered a good old fashioned ass-whuppin.

I'm sick of their whining. Let them meet us in the street - bare knuckled.