Lance Armstrong... greatest doper there was or ever will be

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/lancearmstrong/9621381/Jonathan-Vaughters-warns-David-Brailsford-that-Sky-drugs-policy-ignores-valuable-history-lesson.html

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-860283 - CNN suggest fraud in Live strong rides.

Interesting. Not sure the freakin loon helps has case by suggesting Armstrong never really had cancer.

I don't find that report credible. The idea of Armstrong taking 28% of the money raised by a Livestrong ride as his appearance fee is not consistent with his usual 95% cut.

Re JV and Sky STFU contracts... He speaks the truth but is the UK ready for honest discussions about doping? We've only just figured out why Cav doesn't win the TDF every year.

In other news... The Italian police bugged Ferrari's motorhome and Scaponi is recorded chatting about prep for the 2010 Giro. There's dirt on Astana and Radioshack too.

Why Cav doesn't win the TDF every year?

Woah woah woah...Cav is the fastester. He must win it!

This ^.

Sky's zero tolerance policy with riders has been consistent, as none of them have ever been sanctioned for a doping offence (although I'd never have hired Rogers). It's their hiring of management staff that has caused them problems.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20121019_Report__Armstrong_offered_bribes_to_fellow_cyclists_in_Philadelphia_race_and_others.html

Latest headline, incredible but could be true:

LANCE ARMSTRONG ATE MY HAMSTER

http://www.themadeuppaper.com/20121020/features/LanceArmstrong.html

http://www.youtube.com/embed/rOKBU_U9hHA

15th ann livestrong speech

Somehow I couldn't take my eyes off the brunette to his left. Struggling to figure out her facial expressions.

Well the Livestrong 15th anniversary keynote speech tonight is going to be interesting

Should have been but instead we get more of the same

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rOKBU_U9hHA

This ^.

Sky's zero tolerance policy with riders has been consistent, as none of them have ever been sanctioned for a doping offence (although I'd never have hired Rogers). It's their hiring of management staff that has caused them problems.

While I have a lot of time for Vaughters, I think DB's approach has merit. Vasughters has made Garmin into some sort of 'safe house' for reformed dopers, but I like the idea oif Brailsford trying (and it will be hard) to make a clean break from the past. Heads do have to roll though, for the policy to convince. It remains to be seen whether he has the melons to get rid of Yates

Jimmy, it feels like Brailsford's way is a baby and bath water situation.
If doping was as endemic over the last twenty odd years in cycling, as the investigation into Lance supposes, then lots of cyclists, sporting directors, soigneurs, are going to be implicated, which means if you have a zero tolerance policy there is no chance for redemption within sky.

Vaughters is saying within the sport there is shades of grey, Brallsford is stating its black and white. For a cleaner peloton to exist in the future, maybe there need to be both approaches, carrot and stick, but instinctively I'd side with Vaughters on this one. It feels nice and neat to take a Brailsford stance, but seems to go against the ability of humans to change and grow, and to denounce what they did in the past, whilst giving them the opportunity to make amends in the present/future.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/usa-cycling-strips-lance-armstrongs-name-from-race-series

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/20/lance-armstrong-livestrong-15th-anniversary

Or just continue the omertà and give Brailsford an autograph.

So far Barry and (possibly) Yates have lied to keep their jobs.

Yates was disqualified from the 2011 National 50. Fact.

He was DQ'd for cheating - using an illegal front wheel. Fact.

The event was a trivial amateur race he had no chance of winning. Fact.

He was room mate and mentor to the greatest doper there was or ever will be. Fact.

His A-sample was positive for testosterone doping at Torhout-Werchter 1989. Fact.

He never doped or was aware of doping in a 15 year professional career. ????.

What's the story about the WADA president talking about across-sport amnesty?

LMGTFY
https://www.google.com/search?q=wada+amnesty#q=wada+amnesty&hl=en&prmd=imvnsu&source=lnms&tbm=nws

I'm asking to know what the people here think of it, Captain O.

Well, why didn't you ask that question to start with?

A general amnesty kind of already exists; the USPS dopers who fessed up and gave evidence got 6-month suspensions in the off season, so they aren't going to miss much, if any, racing. Going further than that would be a legal and ethical minefield.

Perhaps it's trivial compared to the fallout, but how did Lance/Postal ensure Motoman had access to the circuit for dropping off supplies? In 'The Secret Race' it's matter of factly stated that he joined the traffic as if anybody who felt inclined to could - surely anyone using the route under racing conditions needs security clearance? Without it, he couldn't have stood a chance of getting close to the riders without appearing suspicious. I find it odd that he did his crooked job with apparent ease.

Poor old Filippo Simeoni Chistophe Bassons has been given a full year (which is what Contador served isn't it?) suspension for missing a doping control after a mtb race.

Brad has deleted his twitter account.

Tomorrows Daily Mail