Cycling's on a Slow Death March: Greg Lemond

Professional cycling has been rocked by several major scandals over the past few years.

[ZENmud]

Au contraire, Monsieur Lemonde...

Cycling has never been cleaner; I forgive your bitterness, however.

Even Cycling sponsors admit (through polls they've ordered) that, due to MEDIA frenzy, many people now tune in to the Tour de France for the scandals...

If you read my blog, you'd know that the same French newspaper, le Canard Enchainé(not available on line), has by-lined two articles since February, one of which claiming people are watching Le Tour as much for the doping scandals (and coverage thereof? we don't know) as for the Race... the second of which replaced 'scandals' with the word 'scenery'(which I admit enjoying TdF French coverage for its intricate details on potential vacation spots)...

Anyway, this article leaves some holes which I'd hoped you'd fulfil with greater depth... such as Lemond's quote:

"I know the sport, and I doubt that there is anyone who has wrongly tested positive when they are negative," said Lemond. "There could be, but I doubt it. Standards must be really high to ensure that athletes are not wrongly accused."

Why not read Don Catlin's comments from the WSJ

"I'd like to think the odds of that happening are low -- it's a disaster when it does," says Don Catlin. "How often it does happen I can't tell you, but nobody's going to raise the flag and say "I had a problem with a test in my lab". I have my ear to the ground and I hear of such things, but it's hard to document."

****... I hear of such things...****

That is a WADA-accredited lab chief talking about either his lab, and its errors, or 'the Omerta-ized' network of WADA lab Directors, discussing each others KNOWLEDGE of lab work that should not be ending Athletes careers...

Greg, you're a smarter man than this, unless you've a vendetta or a job-offer in front of you...

ZENjd

[ZENmud]

My Don Catlin quote came from my blog:

http://wadawatch.blogspot.com/2007/12/wall-st...

For the most recent posts:

http://wadawatch.blogspot.com/

ZENmud aka Ww

[Raymond]

Zen, In hindsight, you could be right! But I have always been an idealist. Silly me!

[Raymond]

What we all need is FACTS not OPINIONS.

[ZENmud]

Let me guess (smile with me...)

Lemond ='opinion'
(GL (former racer with no competency in anti-doping science of analysis): "and I doubt that there is anyone who has wrongly tested positive when they are negative")

Catlin ='fact'
(DC (former lab director stating to international media what he personally experienced as a lab director): "I have my ear to the ground and I hear of such things, but it's hard to document.")

**********

Sadly, Landis case was pronounced against him twice, on 'opinions' written by arbitrators with proven conflicts of interest... cuz the facts enumerated many more 'egregious errors' by the lab, than its one pseudo-result...

Imho

ZENagain

Raymond wrote:

What we all need is FACTS not OPINIONS.

[My Opinion_El Paso_TX]

The facts were there for anyone to read and research furthur. Problem was that on one really wanted to look deeper into this problem.

The probelm of doping was here for too many years. No one cared enough to do anything about this problem. Even after too many athletes had died from drugs.

Every country and every rider involved in cycling is to blame. Play it, sing it, or cry about it in any form you wish, but the bottom line is that doping was taking place right in front of your nose and every one of you chose to look the other way!

[ZENmud]

Why aren't we all on TPX number NINE >>>>>>> > over here on my list, anyway?

"Man uses nail clippers in DIY circumcision"
http://www.topix.net/forum/news/weird/TQ9KGFQ...

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....haha haha
(I coulda done that a moment after my coccyx got sledge-Titanium'd...)

Zm

[My Opinion_El Paso_TX]

ZENmud wrote:

Why aren't we all on TPX number NINE >>>>>>> > over here on my list, anyway?
"Man uses nail clippers in DIY circumcision"
http://www.topix.net/forum/news/weird/TQ9KGFQ...
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....haha haha
(I coulda done that a moment after my coccyx got sledge-Titanium'd...)
Zm

I hope you med quickly!

Nail clippers and DIY Circumcision = Priceless

[SpeedyPete]

Well, that's nothing really. In our wonderful country, the natives use a blunt and dirty "assegaai" (spear) for the job. The "docter" uses the same assegaai to "operate" on various "patients" without cleaning his instrument between operations. It's a initiation process all of the men must go through to become a "man". Unfortunately a lot of them stop being a "man" afterwards because they lose their "tools". 31 died so far this year in the process of becoming a man. That's Africa.

[Rick]

Greg lemond is a little baby! I am embarrassed that he is American!

[SpeedyPete]

Rick wrote:

Greg lemond is a little baby! I am embarrassed that he is American!

Maybe a sick little baby??

[ZENmud]

"My bikes aren't selling like Lance's; I'm so jealous; I'll make him pay for my family's smaller house(s) and tourist-class plane fares..."

GL (mega-fantasy quote)

ZEN
VIVE LE TOUR...
http://wadawatch.blogspot.com/2009/07/lhomme-...
(en Français)

[My Opinion_El Paso_TX]

ZENmud wrote:

"My bikes aren't selling like Lance's; I'm so jealous; I'll make him pay for my family's smaller house(s) and tourist-class plane fares..."
GL (mega-fantasy quote)
ZEN
VIVE LE TOUR...
http://wadawatch.blogspot.com/2009/07/lhomme-...
(en Français)

If he's so fixated about the dopping problem in cycling, than why hasn't Greg Lemond gotten more involved in that area?

[Jeremy]

This Tour could change all that! Just a few days in and this is the best Tour I have ever seen!

[My Opinion_El Paso_Texas]

Jeremy wrote:

This Tour could change all that! Just a few days in and this is the best Tour I have ever seen!

Good observation and good point!!!

[f0rTyLeGz]

There is something broken in Greg's brain. Is he a born-again? A Scientologist?

[SpeedyPete]

Jeremy wrote:

This Tour could change all that! Just a few days in and this is the best Tour I have ever seen!

Why do you say that, Jeremy?

[Gus]

Hey Raymond,congrats...Thomas won stage for you today...Cheers...Gus.

[SpeedyPete]

Jeremy, I'm not trying to be clever or nasty. You made an interesting remark and I would like to hear how you see things.

Cheers

[Jeremy]

SpeedyPete wrote:

Jeremy, I'm not trying to be clever or nasty. You made an interesting remark and I would like to hear how you see things.
Cheers

I am saying this because the teams are making a turn around. The top teams like Columbia, Astana, Slipstream, and Saxo Bank are going beyond the requirements to prove that they are not doping past any doubt. I hear all these naysayers say that the sport is dead, but then I see massive crowds in Barcelona! Not only that, but this Tour is yet to have a boring moment, although Jim "Porn-stache" Rome would have you believe otherwise.

We start off with a great TT in Monaco, Cavendish wins 2 straight stages, Thomas Voeckler rises again to win in a breakaway (I'M SURE YOUR COUNTRY'S PROUD RAYMOND! WOOOO!!!), and Thor Hushovd moves on to win Tour win #7.

Oh, and there's that little mountain stage on friday that will decide which of the Four Horsemen of Astana will reign supreme. Will it be Lance, Alberto, Andreas, or Levi? Can Vandevelde come back from his Giro injury to win it all? How many more moments of pure gold will come from the microphone of Phil Liggett?

This tour is fantastic not just for Lance. If this Tour ends up going clean, it will be a massive middle finger in the face of the cynics who wrote this race off years ago.