Lance interview in Feb Procycling

Martin Van Nostrand

hi,

Regardless if Armstrong doped or not, it's still very pathetic that the cycling press has to resort to printing every tedious aspect of this guy's training life. Even from the perspective of an insane cycling fan, this stuff is a boring read.

He's just not that interesting. Not enough to warrant the cover of most magazines all year.
I already have Lance fatigue and he hasn't even started racing yet.

SpaceJunk

This is where I start to get annoyed by this whole Armstrong working with Catlin stuff. We all know that LA hasn't announced anything. However the mainstream media really have no idea about what is going on.

Cant find it in the local paper's website - so I will laboriously type it in:

But the question marks hanging over his head has prompted Armstrong to resort to using his own anti-doping scientist.

Armstrong summoned US physician Dr Don Catlin to oversee his personal drug testing.

In September, Armstrong said doping test results would be available to the public.

"I want to have a level of transparance. I don't want to leave any hint of doubt. I'll do what I am asked to do. It's his (Catlin's) work. He will do whatever he wants (concerning testing)," Armstrong said.

---

Unfortunately the journalist (Val Migliaccio) hasn't questioned Lance here in Adelaide about what the update is with Catlin. Reading Val's stories for the week, it seems he gets most of his info straight from LA twitter's account anyway.

The media really need to ask LA the tough questions - he is getting a free ride at the minute.

I applaud Iain (and Pete Cossins for at least asking the question) in the first place. Pity Pete didn't push LA a little harder when he made his feeble response.

dave_1

LA said an hour ago at the meet the media PR event that Caitlin is now testing him. Why the delay of 4 months? Well...I suppose if LA is on a doping program then he will have to keep it rolling through the next 7 months so at least he is now being tested by WADA, damsgard, Caitlin and at the races he rides

That will add up to a lot of testing for him...

He truly will be the most tested rider of 09 by a long way if he is subjected to the 25 tests a year like Garmin does...add it up....3 out of comps a month, 2 a month by Astana...2 or 3 a month by caitlin...then 5-10 times a month racing depending on his results...15+ tests a month??? One every two days average....makes me think he might ride clean this time??

....

blazing_saddles

Armstrong announces at a PC that he is being tested by Catlin?
You mean like Armstrong announced at a PC, that he was going to be tested by Catlin, back in September?

I think it would be nice to hear from Catlin that he has begun testing Armstrong.......just to be sure.

iainf72

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 532474.ece

Vaughters comment at the bottom is pretty barbed.

iainf72

In other news, he just did an interview with L'equipe

Better get practising me French

leguape

iainf72 wrote:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/cycling/article5532474.ece

Vaughters comment at the bottom is pretty barbed.

For a guy who is pinning his hopes on someone who rode in Armstrong's Tour team and seems to have something of an issue with transparency about his own professional career (see Kimmage interview last summer), Vaughters sure likes to trash talk everyone else. And a record of, what a harsher critic than myself might call, "letting business dictate his principles".

DaveyL

He probably still has a certain other rider's trash talk still rinigng in his ears, from the day he abandoned the Tour due to a wasp sting.

blazing_saddles

Hey, who knows, maybe Armstrong has finally said something we can all agree is spot on?

Reacting to the reports at a news conference in Adelaide on Saturday, seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong said the problem of doping was not confined to cycling. Armstrong, who retired after the 2005 Tour, is starting his comeback to professional racing in Australia.
"You guys (media) have a responsibility to keep in mind that Operation Puerto is not a cycling controversy, it is a sports controversy," Armstrong said. "If we're going to open a Puerto and talk about cyclists, then let's talk about soccer, let's talk about tennis, let's talk about everybody else involved."

I have to say it. Nice one Lance.

iainf72

Blazing Saddles wrote:

I have to say it. Nice one Lance.

Fanboi alert, fanboi alert.

Right, who's going to be the first to say "Who on earth was Cowboy the codename for in Puerto?" (yes yes, I know it's an Italian, I'm just messing with y'all)

Wouldn't a stronger statement be "There are other sports involved but if they want to let althetes get away with it that's up to them, but lets get it sorted in cycling"?

iainf72

Where does he want to me send the response to this challenge? Anyone know? And what is the prize?

We're underway, it's been slightly complicated because a lot of people involved, and obviously a lot of other agencies involved outside of Don Catlin. I've had 12 other anti-doping controls out of competition. I would challenge anybody else to show me 12 anti-doping controls in the past 12 months."

CSC riders averaged 28 tests per rider last year and 13 blood screenings. And that's only Damsgaard. The UCI would have also tested.

I would expect similar numbers for Columbia and Garmin.

Did I win? Is it one of those wristband things?

finchy

Martin Van Nostrand wrote:

hi,

Regardless if Armstrong doped or not, it's still very pathetic that the cycling press has to resort to printing every tedious aspect of this guy's training life. Even from the perspective of an insane cycling fan, this stuff is a boring read.

He's just not that interesting. Not enough to warrant the cover of most magazines all year.
I already have Lance fatigue and he hasn't even started racing yet.

Me too. There are other races and riders apart from LA and the Tour.

blazing_saddles

.....that went well........

dave_1

iainf72 wrote:

Where does he want to me send the response to this challenge? Anyone know? And what is the prize?

We're underway, it's been slightly complicated because a lot of people involved, and obviously a lot of other agencies involved outside of Don Catlin. I've had 12 other anti-doping controls out of competition. I would challenge anybody else to show me 12 anti-doping controls in the past 12 months."

CSC riders averaged 28 tests per rider last year and 13 blood screenings. And that's only Damsgaard. The UCI would have also tested.

I would expect similar numbers for Columbia and Garmin.

Did I win? Is it one of those wristband things?

eh...and he is now being tested by Caitlin, Damsgard in Astana, by WADA out of comp, at races he does in his full race schedule...he's going to blood/urine tested 3 or 4 times a week if you add all that together...so let's talk about that. What have you got to say to that Iain? Not true..? its a fact. And before you and others say it, allow me, he's using something they can't test for yet. Ok, but what more can he do inthe next 7 montsh than be dope tested evey two days or so? I think he will be riding clean...or fairly clean...no blood doping. He won't risk what he's built...

And he is now going to be the most tested athlete on the planet...fact! He has 7 months to the TDF so what's he on?

iainf72

Dave_1 wrote:

What have you got to say to that Iain? Not true..? its a fact. And before you and others say it, allow me, he's using something they can't test for yet. Ok, but what more can he do inthe next 7 montsh than be dope tested evey two days or so? I think he will be riding clean...or fairly clean...no blood doping. He won't risk what he's built...

I was responding to his "challenge" to find an athlete who has been tested more. I scratched my backside and thought of somewhere in the number of 70 to 80 without any difficulty.

I would like to press to pick up on these interesting marketing statements. Print them by all means but perhaps follow up?

Would anyone be surprised if the mooted 12 tests which have already happened weren't really 12?

Nuff about that. If anyone reading ever interviews him it would be interesting to hear if he's planning on going to Kazakstan as part of his mission. They have the highest rates of cancer in central Europe and seeing as they're paying for his support team it would be nice. Also, I wonder if he's ever considered meeting with all the pro's and discussing the cancer hazards of using EPO and HGH?

dave_1

iainf72 wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

What have you got to say to that Iain? Not true..? its a fact. And before you and others say it, allow me, he's using something they can't test for yet. Ok, but what more can he do inthe next 7 montsh than be dope tested evey two days or so? I think he will be riding clean...or fairly clean...no blood doping. He won't risk what he's built...

I was responding to his "challenge" to find an athlete who has been tested more. I scratched my backside and thought of somewhere in the number of 70 to 80 without any difficulty.

I would like to press to pick up on these interesting marketing statements. Print them by all means but perhaps follow up?

Would anyone be surprised if the mooted 12 tests which have already happened weren't really 12?

Nuff about that. If anyone reading ever interviews him it would be interesting to hear if he's planning on going to Kazakstan as part of his mission. They have the highest rates of cancer in central Europe and seeing as they're paying for his support team it would be nice. Also, I wonder if he's ever considered meeting with all the pro's and discussing the cancer hazards of using EPO and HGH?

Sure, i know you are right re his 12 tests comment. And you were totally correct re the caitlin question in Pro Cycling...LA will query caitlin and cast doubt on his work when Caitlin finds something...or if.


Still, looking forward...he's being blood and urine tested on average maybe 100 times in the next 12 months..that's every 2-3 days...bang goes the theory about him avoiding races to avoid controls during his training phases in the first half of the season. That past is done....there won't be any way of getting him sanctioned now and everyone did it. I am looking forward to seeing him race...hope you do too.

micron

The problem with the 12 tests etc. is that we only have his word for it - and since the man who is so anal about his prepapration can't seem to remember what either his V02 or Hct what are we to conclude? At best he has a lousy memory at worst its more of the usual smoke and mirrors.

He did it, he got away with it, move on? That's somewhat difficult when he is, for better or worse, cycling's poster boy and has done more than any other rider to keep the doping spotlight firmly fixed on the sport.

But there are many other races and other riders to follow, particulalry when normal service is resumed and the sport can get back to being a sport and not Heat magazine meets Male Menopause Monthly

DaveyL

I guess it would be quite easy for all the testing bodies to get together and share how many times they've tested him, to refute this claim (or not).

blazing_saddles

DaveyL wrote:

I guess it would be quite easy for all the testing bodies to get together and share how many times they've tested him, to refute this claim (or not).

I guess is he's banking upon them not, as what he says in the press should be of little consequence to the individual agencies.

Anyhow, time to move on.
Announce Catlin in September, give him his first sample on race week.
Doesn't take Einstein to work out why the delay, given that these programmes look for fluctuations.

DaveyL

Yes, I suppose you're right - Anne Gripper probably doesn't care one way or the other.

iloveshimano

well he's announced Catlin already. I, for one, think he is racing clean. At least for this time.

dave_1

Blazing Saddles wrote:

DaveyL wrote:

I guess it would be quite easy for all the testing bodies to get together and share how many times they've tested him, to refute this claim (or not).

I guess is he's banking upon them not, as what he says in the press should be of little consequence to the individual agencies.

Anyhow, time to move on.
Announce Catlin in September, give him his first sample on race week.
Doesn't take Einstein to work out why the delay, given that these programmes look for fluctuations.

is being tested in comp, my damsgard, by caitlin and, out of comp...4 different guarantees not enough?

No wonder he doesn't give VO2. he didn't need to do Caitlin at all...and look at the reaction now he is opening himself to such scrutiny....LA should not have done the Caitlin testing at all...or give folk like you anything at all

blazing_saddles

Dave_1 wrote:

....LA should not have done the Caitlin testing at all...or give folk like you anything at all

I agree with the first part. LA need not have bothered with Catlin, just signed straight on with Damsgaard at Astana.

As for the second part. I'm a lot less interested in Armstrong and his testing than you might think.

timoid.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

....LA should not have done the Caitlin testing at all...or give folk like you anything at all

I agree with the first part. LA need not have bothered with Catlin, just signed straight on with Damsgaard at Astana.

As for the second part. I'm a lot less interested in Armstrong and his testing than you might think.

I'll wait to see what this Catlin regime is actually going to do before voicing and opinion.

If it is bona fide, then there's not much else the man can do to demonstrate he's clean. Which leads to one of two conclusions:

- He actually is clean this time
- The monitoring tests can be circumvented and we can't trust anyone

Kléber

This is good news, a little late but the delay will soon be forgotten. I'll look forward to more detail on this.

Go back to the start of the decade and riders had nicknames like "Mr 60%" and the likes of Michele Ferrari were lurking in the shadows. Maybe there will be more scandal this year but riders have the choice to ride clean these days, something that was almost denied a decade ago. Things are not the same in the bunch today so I hope Armstrong is doing it clean. Pierre Bordry of the French anti-doping authorities said he thought 80% of the bunch in the Tour de France were clean, riders can compete fairly and I hope this includes Armstrong.

stagehopper

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

....LA should not have done the Caitlin testing at all...or give folk like you anything at all

I agree with the first part. LA need not have bothered with Catlin, just signed straight on with Damsgaard at Astana.

As for the second part. I'm a lot less interested in Armstrong and his testing than you might think.

Given the cynical attitude towards in-team testing he shouldn't have bothered with Damsgaard either.

However he has been under the UCI passport system for 4-5 months as part of his requirement to return to racing so he has been tested during the Catlinless period, whether we believe in the effectiveness of Gripper et all or not - and if we don't have that belief, the same suspicion/cynicism must apply to every racer in the peleton.

dave_1

what seems less fair to me is that LA will be tested so much and others he has to race against need only worry about testing at races and using up their 3 strikes in the wherabouts system. LA has no room for taking the traditional forms of doping...testoterone, HGH, EPO, bloo tranfusions as it will show up ...IMO he will not risk it...he has such a palmares and foundation, why would he risk it all? I feel he doped before...maybe all the way...but it's a different sport now...

blazing_saddles

Catlin is an irrelevance, for me now, given this timing. Nothing more than another cosmetic layer.
I don't think volume of testing means anything, either, other than it being an inconvenience to the rider being pursued. Not until they can test for the undetectable.

OP surfaces, once again, to blight yet another season. Time to adopt a less self destructive approach and let Damsgaard do his work, for the purpose he was really intended.

What internal testing achieved, last season, was to wrap a protective blanket around the squads. No parameters resembling a seismograph readout.
All those bent upon success, using the Landis gambit, were netted and given the boot, with all that negative publicity.
They came from unmonitored teams.

At the end of they day, if Armstrong is riding within the same boundaries as Contador, Basso, Schlecks et al, who can complain?
This is 2009, not 2004. Age should be enough of a handicap and if its not, that says more about the current crop, than an aging Texan.
Keep 'em flying safe and low.

dave_1

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Catlin is an irrelevance, for me now, given this timing. Nothing more than another cosmetic layer.
I don't think volume of testing means anything, either, other than it being an inconvenience to the rider being pursued. Not until they can test for the undetectable.

OP surfaces, once again, to blight yet another season. Time to adopt a less self destructive approach and let Damsgaard do his work, for the purpose he was really intended.

What internal testing achieved, last season, was to wrap a protective blanket around the squads. No parameters resembling a seismograph readout.
All those bent upon success, using the Landis gambit, were netted and given the boot, with all that negative publicity.
They came from unmonitored teams.

At the end of they day, if Armstrong is riding within the same boundaries as Contador, Basso, Schlecks et al, who can complain?
This is 2009, not 2004. Age should be enough of a handicap and if its not, that says more about the current crop, than an aging Texan.
Keep 'em flying safe and low.

what substances/methods can't they test for or see indirect sign of? I am not sure myself to be honest. I heard there are variants of EPO. I think internal testing has gone on for 15 years but this is the the first time it's been made public by at least some teams. LA should be left alone now...he can do no more...the next 7 months are crucial to the determined doper needing his gear, so LA has limited himself more than any in what he can do...can't vanish for 2 or 3 weeks now

timoid.

Dave_1 wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Catlin is an irrelevance, for me now, given this timing. Nothing more than another cosmetic layer.
I don't think volume of testing means anything, either, other than it being an inconvenience to the rider being pursued. Not until they can test for the undetectable.

OP surfaces, once again, to blight yet another season. Time to adopt a less self destructive approach and let Damsgaard do his work, for the purpose he was really intended.

What internal testing achieved, last season, was to wrap a protective blanket around the squads. No parameters resembling a seismograph readout.
All those bent upon success, using the Landis gambit, were netted and given the boot, with all that negative publicity.
They came from unmonitored teams.

At the end of they day, if Armstrong is riding within the same boundaries as Contador, Basso, Schlecks et al, who can complain?
This is 2009, not 2004. Age should be enough of a handicap and if its not, that says more about the current crop, than an aging Texan.
Keep 'em flying safe and low.

what substances/methods can't they test for or see indirect sign of? I am not sure myself to be honest. I heard there are variants of EPO. I think internal testing has gone on for 15 years but this is the the first time it's been made public by at least some teams. LA should be left alone now...he can do no more...the next 7 months are crucial to the determined doper needing his gear, so LA has limited himself more than any in what he can do...can't vanish for 2 or 3 weeks now

Also, he has agreed to freeze samples. What's undetectible today may be detectible tomorrow.

I must admit I'm still looking for the catch