Armstrong playing same defense

Federal authorities are closing in on Lance Armstrong. The investigation stems from doping claims made by former teammate Floyd Landis while both were riding for the United States Postal Service. By riding for the USPS, federal authorities can explore whether the team used their funding for PEDs.


Armstrong and his team have done what they always do: deny and shun his accusers. When it comes to Landis, Armstrong says that he lied previously so has lost all his credibility. The first athlete to profess using PEDs while competing and not failing a test has yet to emerge. Athletes cheat and deny it because they lose all credibility once found out.

Cycling has been found to be one of the dirtiest sports with blood doping and transfusions in order to get an edge. The governing body of cycling has been active in trying to prevent doping, but the cheaters are always ahead of the testers. Are people really supposed to believe that Armstrong did not dope, but everyone else in cycling did and still weren't able to beat Armstrong?

The government's investigation should shed some light on whether that assumption is correct.

Oxymoron Alert: Cyclists Protest Over Safety

File under: Are you freaking kidding me (AYFKM)?

After Pedro Horrillo suffered near fatal injuries from crashing into a ravine during stage 8 in the Giro d’Italia, the cyclists still competing were understandably on edge. When the cyclists saw the conditions for the 9th stage, they decided to not race at full speed and then most quit entirely when race leader, Danilo Di Luca, with Lance Amstrong by his side, addressed the crowd as to why they were not racing that stage due to safety concerns. All riders were given the same time for the stage per an agreement reached between race officials even though some riders went on to finish the 9th stage in a move that angered some of the protesting cyclists.

Di Luca said, "We’re sorry, but the course is too dangerous. We don’t want to risk our health. The circuit is not safe enough. We hope the fans understand.”

Apparently some of the fans didn't understand, prompting racer Michael Rogers to respond to the criticism on his Twitter page with the following post:

"Maybe on TV it didn’t look dangerous but believe me, IT WAS! No one wants to see a repeat of yesterday’s disaster with Horrillo. Funny that everyone is blaming the riders for our protest today. No one mentions the parked cars on the circuit, the oncoming traffic.”

I can't believe the gall of these cyclists. They have a conscience...now? They now "don't want to risk their health?" This is one big failed marketing stunt because after all the blood doping and testosterone injecting cyclists out there, are now concerned about their own health and safety is laughable. These guys are willing to take the spike to get on Tour and in the most elite races, but then are going to invoke moral standards on what is considered safe? Every year, there is some doping scandal that rocks the sport, so where is the unity in concern over risking their health then?

French Clear Armstrong for Tour

The French antidoping agency has cleared Lance Armstrong of any wrongdoing stemming from a rules violation during a doping test last month. This decision is a stark contrast after comments stating that there was “a very high likelihood” that Armstrong would be barred from the Tour de France.

Per The New York Times:

The agency said it “decided to take into consideration the written explanations of the athlete” that came in a letter from Armstrong dated April 16.

Unfortunately the statement did not elaborate on why the agency made the decision, but did reiterate that Armstrong’s urine and blood samples from that drug test came back without abnormalities. The agency said that his hair sample, also taken that day, has not been tested.

The drug test in question occurred on March 17th. The tester arrived and Armstrong’s assistant checked for the tester’s credentials. Armstrong left the tester for 20 minutes to take a shower even though the tester warned Armstrong that he must be in view of him the entire time of the test.

Armstrong commented on the latest development from Aspen, CO, where he has been training, via his Twitter page: “Just got the word from the French agency AFLD on the shower gate incident. Case closed, no penalty, all samples clean. Onward.”

The self described “most tested athlete” needs to be smarter than this....and accurate. When any tester shows up, don’t leave their sight for a prolonged amount of time and then provide samples. For someone who claims to be transparent, he is not acting in a transparent manner. Also, not all samples were clean since the hair sample hasn't been tested yet.  The hair sample test results will put this incident all to rest…whenever that takes place.

Cyclist Retires After Another Positive Test

Tyler Hamilton, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist and once one of Lance Armstrong’s top lieutenants on the US Postal Service team, announced his retirement from cycling after testing positive for a banned substance. Hamilton served a two year ban after testing positive for blood doping in 2004 at the Vuelta a Espana. A second positive test at the minimum is an 8 year ban and can lead to a lifetime ban from the sport. Hamilton said his retirement had nothing to do with his failed test.

Hamilton tested positive on February 9th for the substance DHEA, an over the counter dietary supplement that is on WADA’s banned list. He took the substance before the Tour of California to fight symptoms of depression. Per The New York Times, “DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, converts to a steroid in the bloodstream and its benefits, including as a muscle-builder and antidepressant, are widely debated.”

Hamilton said, “Was it stupid? Absolutely yes. Was I wrong? Absolutely yes. But the people who suffer from depression know that sometimes you make drastic decisions to make yourself feel better. Yes, I took a substance that was on the banned list for my mental health. Did I take it for performance enhancement? Absolutely not.”

Some background regarding Hamilton’s first positive in 2004. Hamilton claimed innocence and denied that he transferred blood from another person, boosting his red blood cells and his endurance. Hamilton’s appeal to the highest court of international athletics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was unsuccessful and when he returned to the sport in 2007 his name was linked to a big blood-doping ring in Spain. The investigation into that ring is ongoing.

Hamilton has said winning the gold medal at the ’04 Olympics was one of the greatest achievements of his career. A month after his gold medal victory, he was accused of doping. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed Hamilton’s initial blood sample from the Games positive for blood doping. However, the IOC could not strip him of his gold medal because Hamilton’s backup blood sample had been frozen leaving too few red blood cells to analyze.

Cycling has some drama, what else is new. Suffering from clinical depression or not, there is a banned list for a reason. All competitors in the sport know the consequences if they are caught using a banned substance. I applaud Hamilton seeking treatment for his illness, but if he wanted to compete into his 40’s, he should have done the right thing and met with a coach or doctor and pursued treatment that would have allowed him to continue to compete professionally. Hamilton had too many shady dealings in the past to know this was going to blow up in his face. I take him at his word: this last positive test had absolutely nothing to do with his retirement.

Armstrong’s Vanishing Act Might Force Him to Vanish from the Tour de France

After Lance Armstrong vanished to take a 20 minute shower before providing doping samples when French doping authorities showed up last month, Armstrong now feels that there is a “very high likelihood” he will not be allowed to race in this year’s Tour de France.


Looks like the comeback couldn’t go any worse for Armstrong. He announces the most comprehensive and transparent testing program in conjunction with his comeback to cycling only to abandon the testing without a single test, breaks his collarbone and disappeared for 20 minutes when doping authorities requested hair, urine and blood samples. Now, he appears to be using the only argument left: it’s the French. They are out to get me, always have and always will.

If you know you are a perceived target, don’t disappear for 20 minutes during an unannounced drug test. Do not violate the rules of the sport and expect not to be punished. Public outcry can only help so much, but at the end of the day, rules are rules and violators usually get punished.

Armstrong Evasive During Test

When a French tester requested a sample from Lance Armstrong March 17th, Armstrong hit the showers…literally before providing blood, urine and hair samples.

Armstrong’s assistants reviewed the tester’s credentials while Armstrong took a 20 minute shower. The samples that were eventually provided were found to be drug free. This behavior is in stark contrast from when Armstrong announced his return to competitive cycling when he stated that he would embark on “the most advanced anti doping program in the world.” As we all came to learn, that ambitious testing program he announced in conjunction with his comeback resulted in zero tests.

Armstrong said, "I had no idea who this guy was or whether he was telling the truth. We asked the tester for evidence of his authority. We looked at his papers but they were far from clear or impressive and we still had significant questions about who he was or for whom he worked."

Once the identity was confirmed, the samples were provided. France’s anti-doping authority was not pleased with Armstrong’s act. They sent a report outlining Armstrong's behavior during the test to cycling's governing body and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Armstrong has said he has been tested 24 times without incident prior to this episode.

Everyone wants to believe Lance Armstrong. The man has raised awareness and countless funds for cancer research like no one before him. Being discovered as a cheat would cripple his image and those efforts; no one wants to see that. At the same time, people want to know the truth. For someone who makes a big splashy announcement coming back to racing and appears to do the right thing by embarking on an aggressive testing program only to never be tested once, raises flags. The zero tests under his new plan combined with suspicious behavior, leaving a tester for twenty minutes, and then providing samples is odd. I understand the need to validate the testers, but when will this end?

If you want to be on the forefront of transparency in testing, you don’t go off for 20 minutes and then provide samples. Lance Armstrong knows that; if he didn't, he does now.

Nailed: PED's Found on Mac's Materials Linked to Rocket

The New York Times reported today that the drug paraphernalia Brian McNamee submitted to federal authorities and was found to have Roger Clemens DNA on it has now been confirmed to have PED's on them as well. Not good news for the Rocket.

Last month, federal prosecutors had linked Clemens’s DNA to blood residue in at least one of the syringes that McNamee handed over to authorities. Upon this latest discovery, the Rocket's attorney, Rusty Hardin, fired off this response. “Duh. Do you really think McNamee was going to fabricate this stuff and not make sure there were substances on there? The fact is Roger never used steroids or H.G.H.”

Going with "duh" is an epic response Rusty! Was "liar, liar pants on fire" overused? Again, these two men are buried deep in their respective foxholes, but the question remains: why would Mac tell the truth about Andy Pettitte, but lie when it comes to Clemens? It makes no sense. Mac had no incentive to lie to the Mitchell investigators, and every incentive to tell the truth or face prosecution.

Also interesting to note in the article is the reemergence of Dr. Don Catlin. He was going to oversee Lance Armstrong's drug testing during his return to cycling, but both parties mutually separated ways and Catlin never tested one sample.

Catlin is conducting the tests on these materials. Since 2002, Catlin has been the lead drug-tester for federal prosecutors which is one reason Armstrong possibly wanted to associate with him. Last month, federal prosecutors said that Catlin had found PED's in a 2003 urine sample from Barry Bonds. The feds are hoping to use this retest in the Bonds' perjury trial which has been delayed until the summer.

Too bad we'll never know what Catlin would have found if he worked with Armstrong.

Armstrong Bails on Transparent Testing Program

When Lance Armstrong announced that he was coming back to competitive cycling five months ago, he also stated that he would embark on “the most advanced anti doping program in the world” to silence the doubts that have persisted throughout his career.

All of that changed Wednesday according to the New York Times, when it was announced with much less fanfare that the testing program has been abandoned without ever starting. Don Catlin, the former chief of the U.C.L.A. Olympic Analytical Laboratory who was supposed to run Armstrong’s program, said that they decided to mutually part ways, without Catlin’s analyzing a single blood or urine sample from Armstrong due to the program's complexities and costs.

Armstrong would still be tested by the internal anti doping program of his professional cycling team, Astana. This abrupt change is startling since Armstrong made his private anti doping program one of the cornerstones of his comeback and had Don Catlin with him in announcing his return.

Perhaps misspeaking or "misremembering" like the plague that has struck many baseball players, Armstrong said that his customized anti doping program was under way, but did not publish all of his biological data online as he said he would, before the Tour Down Under in Australia last month. A news release by Astana on Jan. 18, the first day of the race, said that Armstrong would be tested about every three days by Catlin’s program. Per the NYT, at that point, Catlin said, Astana had paid him a “small contribution” to begin taking samples. Asked about the program’s details, Armstrong said that Catlin would answer all the questions.

With a lack of transparency about the program, criticism ensued. Dick Pound, the former chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said last week: “Armstrong made all the big announcements, and the testing has dropped right off the radar. No sign that anything is actually getting done.”

Making matters worse, was Catlin's silence after Armstrong pushed all the questions regarding the program on him. Catlin remained ominously quiet since the September news conference announcing Armstrong's return to cycling, not returning or responding to more than a dozen phone calls and e-mail messages — until Wednesday.

Lance is a shrewd marketer; he knew that "the most advanced anti doping program in the world" would hit the right buttons with the media. At some point, the media will need to ask about these broken promises. You can never escape the suspicion of doubt if you make these grandiose proclamations of stringent testing and then slink away from it and hope no one calls you out. So far, it's a plan that has worked to perfection.

1st Bust Unoffically Signals Start of Tour de France

For mainstream media in the U.S., the Tour de France strated on Friday with the doping bust of Spanish rider Manuel Beltran. For those not paying attention, the Tour de France officially started on July 5th.

Beltran was suspended from the Liquigas cycling team and kicked out of the Tour de France after testing positive for EPO on July 5th after the first stage. If Beltran was using EPO on the first stage, his chances of winning the Tour were never that good to begin with. Beltran was a teammate of Lance Armstrong helping him win the Tour in '03, '04 & '05. Beltran is the fourth former Lance Armstrong teammate to test positive for doping after Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras .

Pierre Bordry, leader of the French anti-doping agency, said Beltran had been targeted after his "parameters were abnormal" during pre-Tour blood testing July 3-4.

Let's give the Tour some credit. Race organizers know their sport is in dire straits and have constantly raised the bar for combating doping. This year the Tour employs 8 specially trained chaperones who shadow riders after each stage, going as far as climbing onto team buses, to ensure cyclists go to post-stage anti-doping checks. Tour officials are realistic enough to know they won't eliminate the problem, but at least they are being out in front of the issue.