AFLD v Armstrong

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Comments

  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Kléber wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    I would certainly find out if they(AFLD) had the authority to do this, if I didn't know, before letting anyone test anyone.
    Quite true but for both the rider and his manager to not know that the AFLD is the testing body in France is quite something. After all, many fans know it is, and that's just from reading about Paris-Nice or Riccardo Ricco. Claiming you need to check, well it makes my eyebrows rise!

    I see your point. Still, people can't know it all and the rules in that game are probably
    beyond the understanding of mere mortals, what with all the different organizations,countries, and people involved. Enough rules and regulations to make even the sleaziest of lawyers cringe. Guess I don't blame people for being wary of it all.

    Dennis Noward
  • leguape
    leguape Posts: 986
    aurelio wrote:
    leguape wrote:
    Keeping it in also pre-empts Armstrong demanding right of reply and avoids giving him cause for complaint.
    Which reminds me...

    From The Sunday Times
    March 22, 2009
    Publish and be slammed

    The rich and famous are employing expensive new muscle to protect them: strong-arm lawyers who take no prisoners

    Stephen Robinson

    Every year, dozens and dozens of … legal letters are sent out from Schillings - policing newspapers, magazines, TV, radio stations and websites - and by a handful of other firms that have cornered the market in celebrity “reputation management” on behalf of actors, pop singers and people simply famous for being famous. He acts for such household names as Nicole Kidman, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Naomi Campbell, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Cameron Diaz, Lance Armstrong, JK Rowling and others.
    http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 931985.ece

    That 's been Schillings gig for god knows how many years now. It's hardly even news.

    Legal firms have always done it (it used to be Carter Ruck who sent the letters on behalf of) and the most famous case on record is Terry Hatcher winning against Sport newspapers in 2005: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00002487.html

    If you are wealthy it is what you do to protect your brand, simple as. Plenty of cuddly names with less of a rep to defend than Lance on the list. It's surprising that you're even surprised.
    http://www.atomicecho.com/cycling
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    I'm still puzzled as to why you need to phone the UCI to check the credentials of a tester from the AFLD...

    This is their take on the story - seems the tester was no callow youth with unimpressive credentials and a backpack but one of their top men with experience of testing at the highest levels - which makes sense really:

    http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_con ... ews_Sports
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    I have to say, I did think this earlier too

    http://twitter.com/lionelbirnie/status/1485592222
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    Leguape, off topic, but you do know that Armstrong's supposed victory against the Sunday Times was overturned on appeal? It meant Armstrong's only recourse was to the highest court in the land - don't you think we'd have heard about it if he'd taken the case to the Lords?

    It's a shame the Giro is so desperate for the publicity it would apparently do anything to have Armstrong ride. One thought though - if Armstrong isd part of a soping infraction procedure come the start of the Giro, won't RCS have to exclude him anyway on a strict application of the rules?
  • owenrwall
    owenrwall Posts: 14
    It seems to me that one side is overtly lying - either LA & Bruyneel OR AFLD - about whether LA was allowed to disappear from a supposedly experienced tester for 20 mins whilst the latter's credentials were checked out.

    Whatever the truth, surely it is not relevent as the results of LA's dope tests on urine , blood and hair were all negative. Now, i defy anyone to tell me what procedures could be undertaken by the accused in the alleged 20 mins of disappearance that would cause not just urine samples but also blood AND hair samples to be negative?

    Or maybe I've got it all wrong and he's obviously managed to self-catheterise (with a fake urine sample), have a complete blood transfusion, AND shave off all his hair and manage to grow a new mane......................................all within 20 mins :shock:


    I think not............................................... :roll:
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    aurelio wrote:
    iainf72 wrote:
    Latest Twitter from HRH

    Was winning the Tour seven times that offensive?!?
    I don't think that it was his 'winning' seven Tours that anyone found 'offensive', it was the methods he employed. :wink:

    Whats so offensive about winning or taking packets of time in the first TT and sticking it big style to your rivals first day in the mountains ?
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    DaveyL wrote:
    Odd that none of the tin foil helmet brigade have made a link between the Giro being re-routed to avoid France, and this story...

    Yet. :D

    Ridiculous. You know it takes months to plan the routes, they always have back up plans for the routes, nothing to do with Lance. Use some common sense here...
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    owenrwall wrote:
    Whatever the truth, surely it is not relevent as the results of LA's dope tests on urine , blood and hair were all negative. Now, i defy anyone to tell me what procedures could be undertaken by the accused in the alleged 20 mins of disappearance that would cause not just urine samples but also blood AND hair samples to be negative?

    No, you're missing the point. The rules say when the tester arrives to do a test the athlete must remain with the tester at all times. If they do not, they are in violation. It doesn't matter if the tests are negative (and anyway, when did ADA's start telling people they didn't test positive?)

    Lance knows the rules as the "most tested athlete in the world" (except he's not)

    Now, why the AFLD did not report this infraction right away is another story.

    Lance isn't helping matters with his attitude though

    http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong/status/1487673205

    Lance, mate, showering is not an issue. Breaking the rules is.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    A bit of the CN piece:
    As the national anti-doping agency, the AFLD has the authority to test all athletes on French soil, regardless of where their licence is registered. This is the same international rule that permitted CONI to carry out anti-doping tests during last year's Tour de France when the race visited Italy, and also enables USADA to carry out tests on riders at races such as the Tour of California.

    Now, hands up those around here who didn't already know this?
    If a bunch of forum folk know the state of play, all you are left with is the backpacker description, which, we now know to be untrue.

    "Why ring the UCI to check the ID on an AFLD employee?
    This just doesn't hang with me.


    As for the UCI, they cannot impact upon what will impact upon LA.
    Namely, his ability to race in the only race he has an interest in.
    That is now solely down to the French.

    If I were him, I would have avoided the usual, bully-boy, antagonistic approach, swallowed my pride and admitted to a mistake.
    His latest "twitterisms" smack of desperation.
    I think he know realises he stepped down the wrong path.
    You don't enter a verbal head-butting contest with the French.
    Only one loser.

    So far, he hasn't put a foot right, since his "return."
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Oooooof

    For this big fish, the agency sent a man with 15 years of testing experience who teaches other would-be testers about the job and who has worked at the Tour, the Rugby World Cup and the athletics world championships, according to a French official closely connected to the affair, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

    At the agency, the version of events is that only when the tester threatened to call in gendarmes did Bruyneel agree to let testing proceed, and the French official pooh-poohed Armstrong's claim that the tester let him shower. The agency says the tester reported that he repeatedly warned Armstrong that he had to keep him within his sight at all times. The agency says it hasn't yet decided to launch disciplinary proceedings.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    True to form, the UCI are already trying to do what they can to protect Armstrong,

    Contacted by Cyclingnews on Thursday evening, UCI president Pat McQuaid said that the UCI would wait until an AFLD decision before commenting in depth on the Lance Armstrong situation... "We will wait and see what happens. As far as we are aware, he hasn't broken either UCI or WADA rules," he continued.

    ...The AFLD is certain to contest this point, given that it quoted WADA's International Standard of Testing guidelines in its statement on Thursday. That states that the athlete being tested must "remain within direct observation of the DCO/Chaperone at all times from the point of notification by the DCO/Chaperone until the completion of the Sample collection procedure."

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id= ... /apr10news
  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    This story's so big it even made the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning. :wink:

    The sports presenter - think it was Rob Bonnet this morning - did a phone interview with Pat McQuaid, who just said it was all under french jurisdiction and he didn't know what french law required. When asked about whether 20 minutes away from the tester was against the rules, he said it was for a UCI test, but he didn't know what the position was for a french test. He must have a lot of splinters in his erse from all that fence sitting....
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    Philip S wrote:
    The sports presenter - think it was Rob Bonnet this morning - did a phone interview with Pat McQuaid, who just said it was all under french jurisdiction and he didn't know what french law required. When asked about whether 20 minutes away from the tester was against the rules, he said it was for a UCI test, but he didn't know what the position was for a french test. He must have a lot of splinters in his erse from all that fence sitting....
    Amazing isn't it? Now even McQuaid is pretending that he doesn't know the rules regarding dope testing! Is there nothing the UCI won't do in order to protect Armstrong? (Going be their hatchet job on the LNDD, the way they accepted a pre-dated TUE from him when he tested positive for corticoids and the way they broke their own rules by allowing him to ride in the Tour Down Under, probably not).

    I wonder what Armstrong was really playing at. He is not stupid and must have known the potential consequences of his actions. Was he perhaps trying to create a situation that would allow him to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes - feeding and exploiting anti-French xenophobia? Has he become so arrogant that he thinks he can act as he please and get away with it? Perhaps he is looking for a way to avoid riding the Tour and the potential humiliation this might lead to and is trying to create a situation where his non-participation can be blamed on 'The French'. After all he has already come out with a load of nonsense about fearing for his life when racing in France.
  • markwalker
    markwalker Posts: 953
    dennisn wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    I like this from Kleber's link:-
    Bruyneel said he called UCI chief Pat McQuaid to make sure the AFLD had the authority to test Armstrong out of competition.

    Should this be of any concern to the transparent twosome?

    I would certainly find out if they(AFLD) had the authority to do this, if I didn't know, before letting anyone test anyone. If they wanted to test me I would make sure all the i's were dotted and the T's crossed.

    Dennis Noward

    Dennis, Are you seriously suggesting we should believe that they didnt know the organisation responsible for drug testing in France?
  • markwalker
    markwalker Posts: 953
    aurelio wrote:
    Philip S wrote:
    The sports presenter - think it was Rob Bonnet this morning - did a phone interview with Pat McQuaid, who just said it was all under french jurisdiction and he didn't know what french law required. When asked about whether 20 minutes away from the tester was against the rules, he said it was for a UCI test, but he didn't know what the position was for a french test. He must have a lot of splinters in his erse from all that fence sitting....
    Amazing isn't it? Now even McQuaid is pretending that he doesn't know the rules regarding dope testing! Is there nothing the UCI won't do in order to protect Armstrong? (Going be their hatchet job on the LNDD, the way they accepted a pre-dated TUE from him when he tested positive for corticoids and the way they broke their own rules by allowing him to ride in the Tour Down Under, probably not).

    I wonder what Armstrong was really playing at. He is not stupid and must have known the potential consequences of his actions. Was he perhaps trying to create a situation that would allow him to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes - feeding and exploiting anti-French xenophobia? Has he become so arrogant that he thinks he can act as he please and get away with it? Perhaps he is looking for a way to avoid riding the Tour and the potential humiliation this might lead to and is trying to create a situation where his non-participation can be blamed on 'The French'. After all he has already come out with a load of nonsense about fearing for his life when racing in France.

    Its the best way for him, or perhaps find he doesnt get fit enough after his fall to resume his career. That way his reputation is err intact, the French are bad guys, and fat Pat and his dodgy rule changing chums are in the clear too. No sponsers look bad and pansy boy need not fear for his life. Armstrong retires to a carrer as master of the universe by virtue of the fact hes a cheating influential drug using American and makes lods of money before dying alone after his seventh teenage bride has left him for a man with 2 balls.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Once again cycling hits the British headlines for the wrong reasons, a possible doping scandal instead of some good news about Wiggins, Swift or Cavendish. It's a sorry mess. What appears to be a procedural mistake now has a lot of vested interests twittering, telephoning and more.

    A cynic would say he was taking EPO ahead of his return to M-SR and the Vuelta Castilla y Léon, got surprised by the control, panicked and needed to dip his stick in some bio washing powder which he couldn't get to in time because the tester was waiting for him when he got back from his training ride.

    Now assume this isn't the case but sadly everything he's doing so far only heightens suspicions. Far from admitting a procedural mistake and apologising, he's on the war path with aggressive behaviour and defensive comments. A classic PR mistake.

    If this escalates any further the risk is that not only Armstrong spends July downing Shiner Bocks but that Contador and Leipheimer join him on holiday, thanks to Bruyneel's involvement.
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    When Armstrong comes out with stuff like the following:

    This is just another example of the improper behavior by the French laboratory and the French anti-doping organizations. I am sorry that they are disappointed that all the tests were negative, but I do not use any prohibited drugs or substances. As always, I'm available anytime and anywhere to be tested. It is this sort of behavior that hurts the entire system and causes me and many other athletes to call for reforms in general and an improvement in the conduct of French laboratories and authorities in particular.

    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/ ... port_N.htm

    One is tempted even more to think that this whole thing has been deliberately engineered by Armstrong in order to, as he would put it 'Piss off the French', to cause the French authorities as many problems as is possible, and to give all his 'Freedom fries' eating, French-hating followers something to shout about.

    Also, such comments are hardly the type of thing someone would say who had a genuine interest in riding the Tour, are they?
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    leguape wrote:
    If you are wealthy it is what you do to protect your brand, simple as.
    And in many ways that's what the spin and propaganda surrounding the 'Armstrong myth' is all about, not 'raising cancer awareness', or bike racing, but protecting the corporate value of a 'brand', both to the benefit of Armstrong and all those corporations who pay big bucks to exploit his image. In fact his it is no secret that his 'brand managers' regard him having had cancer as being a wholly positive thing, in that it gives him a unique selling point that immeasurably strengthens the value of his ‘brand’, and the LAF itself can be seen as just one way in which the value of his ‘brand’ is maintained. A few illustrations:

    http://www.texasmonthly.com/2001-07-01/feature4.php

    Last year Lance made $5 million in endorsements. This year he'll make twice that from companies like Coke, Nike, and Bristol-Myers. As he has won, says his friend, lawyer, and agent, Bill Stapleton, the Lance Armstrong brand has evolved. "In the beginning we had this brand of brash Texan, interesting European sport, a phenomenon. Then you layered in cancer survivor, which broadened and deepened the brand. But even in 1998 there was very little corporate interest in Lance. And then he won the Tour de France in 1999 and the brand was complete. You layered in family man, hero, comeback of the century, all these things. And then everybody wanted him." Nike was so enamored of Lance that the company signed him before it even had a cycling shoe, then made the famous TV ad that capitalized on all the drug rumors, showing him giving blood to suspicious doctors and riding his bike in the rain...And then there are the speeches. "Lance charges twice what President Clinton charges," says Stapleton.

    http://designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=1843& ... &year=2006

    US & Canada: Apple Polishes Off Google on Home Turf

    Apple loses the battle for world dominance this year in our Global results but soundly beats Google at home. Similar to the Global contest, the two have shared top five distinction in the US & Canada results for the last four years.

    …American athlete and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong brings up the tail of the top five brands. Armstrong joins craigslist and Whole Foods as new entrant notables who made the top ten for US & Canada brands.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... 419-4024r/

    Lance Armstrong can add marketing phenom to his resume. The world-class cyclist is one of the top product endorsers in the country. And he shows no sign of slowing down as more businesses align themselves with him, from cycling companies to automakers.

    …"There is a very strong synergy and powerful image of Lance Armstrong as a kind of turbo-charged delivery man finding the fastest route between two points with unique determination," says Lucian James, founder of LucJam Inc., a research and brand-strategy firm in San Francisco.

    … Armstrong has signed deals with some companies separately from his team, among them Coke, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Nike Inc. Most recently he inked a deal with Subaru reportedly worth $12 million. Subaru previously used Australian actor-outbacker Paul Hogan of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie franchise for years.

    The automaker's Armstrong campaign, using the tagline "Subaru. Driven by What's Inside," launched in April. Armstrong appears in TV and print ads pitching four Subaru vehicles --Outback, Forester, Baja and WRX.

    "Lance Armstrong is a perfect fit for Subaru," Fred Adcock, executive vice president of Subaru of America, says in a prepared statement. "He's a rugged individualist. He's authentic and passionate about what he believes. He's engineered like no other to perform like no other."

    ...Mr. Williams, of Burns Sports & Celebrities, says athletes and celebrities must be careful not to amass too many endorsement deals. Michael Jordan "walked that fine line" and Tiger Woods is doing so now, he says.

    "There's certainly a saturation point for athletes and celebrities," Mr. Williams says. "But for Lance, he hasn't reached that point yet."

    http://outside.away.com/magazine/0498/9804lance.html

    Outside Magazine April 1998.
    Tour de Revenge

    To rise from the dead, to crush those who've slighted you, to best insurmountable odds, and to make a fortune doing so, would that not be the sweetest medicine? Lance Armstrong really, really hopes so.

    … Armstrong's decision to focus on Atlanta, while heretical within cycling, made perfect sense for a top American rider... By early July, the Wall Street Journal was handicapping which American athletes were likeliest to rake in big endorsement contracts after the Games, and Armstrong was high on the list.

    "We had Lance positioned to move up from a cycling-specific athlete to a corporate spokesman, celebrity-model type," explains Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's agent... Stapleton markets Armstrong so breathlessly that Armstrong hardly needs to market himself. "I felt," Stapleton proudly recalls, "like the evolution of the Lance Armstrong brand was really starting to take shape."

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... DSN1I1.DTL

    Like Jordan and Woods, Armstrong is expanding his brand. And like them, he has tremendous name recognition. Eighty-seven percent of sports fans between the ages of 12 and 64 know who he is, and of those, 33 percent call him their favorite athlete, according to a survey conducted in March by Marketing Evaluations Inc. Those numbers are within striking distance of Woods (90/40) and Jordan (92/49).

    "You can certainly say the Lance Armstrong brand is globally recognized and iconic," said Lucian Jam, founder of Agenda Inc., an image and branding firm in San Francisco. "He stands for excellence that is almost unbeatable. He has that perfect match of brand and celebrity."

    As Armstrong himself might put it ‘It’s not about the bike’.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    aurelio wrote:

    Also, such comments are hardly the type of thing someone would say who had a genuine interest in riding the Tour, are they?

    He's riding it for cancer awareness, not for his love of the race, remember :wink:
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    teagar wrote:
    aurelio wrote:
    Also, such comments are hardly the type of thing someone would say who had a genuine interest in riding the Tour, are they?
    He's riding it for cancer awareness, not for his love of the race, remember :wink:
    Oh, I am sure that there must be, well literally dozens of people across the world who, thanks to Armstrong, are now 'aware' of cancer who otherwise would not know what cancer is. :roll:

    I also note that after 40% or so of what the LAF receives is spent on promoting the LAF and so (not so) indirectly, 'The Armstrong brand', the biggest part of their 'work' relates to telling people who have cancer just what their treatment options are. I have always wondered how this works over in the USA where over 40 million Americans have no access to health care. What advice can the LAF give to people with no health care insurance and cancer? Tell them that they are going to die unless they can emigrate to somewhere with 'socialised' health care? (Like France or Cuba :wink: ).
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    He's trousering a $2 million fee from the Giro. If the AFLD slaps a ban on him... ouch.
  • rockmount
    rockmount Posts: 761
    I think the French are so afraid that LA may win again that they will go to any lengths to ensure he doesn't. The only thing they will succeed in doing however is finally removing any remaining credibility the TDF still has. Exclusion due to some trumped up technicality, with still absolutely no evidence of any doping activity, will not convince anyone of sound mind.
    .. who said that, internet forum people ?
  • rockmount
    rockmount Posts: 761
    aurelio wrote:
    Oh, I am sure that there must be, well literally dozens of people across the world who, thanks to Armstrong, are now 'aware' of cancer who otherwise would not know what cancer is. :roll:
    What a childish, and spiteful comment..

    Are you aware for instance that cancer survival rates in the UK are the lowest in Europe ?
    Are you aware of the forms of cancer most likely to effect you or your family, and how to reduce the risk, and recognise the symptoms ?

    I guess we are all aware of the existence of the disease, but the term awareness encompasses so much more !
    .. who said that, internet forum people ?
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    rockmount wrote:
    I think the French are so afraid that LA may win again that they will go to any lengths to ensure he doesn't.
    Who is this mythical 'the French', you talk of? The vast majority of people in France these days couldn't care less about who wins the Tour de France, seeing it as being nothing more than a bit of entertainment involving drug scandals.

    Also, 'the French' don't have that 'Anglo-Saxon' cult of the all conquering winner / ubermenschen that is so prevalent in the USA. Remember that the most popular rider ever in France, Raymond Poulidor, was popular largely because he never won the Tour.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    rockmount wrote:
    I think the French are so afraid that LA may win again that they will go to any lengths to ensure he doesn't. The only thing they will succeed in doing however is finally removing any remaining credibility the TDF still has. Exclusion due to some trumped up technicality, with still absolutely no evidence of any doping activity, will not convince anyone of sound mind.

    What would happen if CONI did the same thing? McQuaid confirmed the UCI would consider his behaviour a violation of the rules.

    "Trumped up technicality" - Those are the rules, and they're in place for a reason. If Lance only gave the sample under threat of the police being called you need to ask why, eh?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • aurelio_-_banned
    aurelio_-_banned Posts: 1,317
    edited April 2009
    rockmount wrote:
    Are you aware for instance that cancer survival rates in the UK are the lowest in Europe ?
    Wouldn't surprise me in the least. England is a quasi-fascist shithole and thank goodness I no longer live there.

    Pray tell, what is the cancer survival rate for Americans without healthcare insurance?

    Also, how on earth does seeing Armstrong on a bike impart any sort of detailed knowledge about cancer in anyone?
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    rockmount wrote:
    I guess we are all aware of the existence of the disease, but the term awareness encompasses so much more !

    And what good has Livestrong done in the UK exactly? I'd rather someone threw their money towards McMillan nurses or Cancer Research UK. Have a look at the LAF statements and see how much they spend outside of the US.

    Now, I think Lance is genuine in his desire to help cancer patients and he did offer to help Seb Joly when he got cancer without any fanfare or publicity which I think is worthy of some praise
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • stagehopper
    stagehopper Posts: 1,593
    Kléber wrote:
    A cynic would say he was taking EPO ahead of his return to M-SR and the Vuelta Castilla y Léon, got surprised by the control, panicked and needed to dip his stick in some bio washing powder which he couldn't get to in time because the tester was waiting for him when he got back from his training ride.

    Now assume this isn't the case but sadly everything he's doing so far only heightens suspicions. Far from admitting a procedural mistake and apologising, he's on the war path with aggressive behaviour and defensive comments. A classic PR mistake.

    Huge mistake - makes it look like he's got something to hide.

    The shower thing/washing powder accusations are throwing around are meaningless as he was also blood tested.
    @stagehopper
  • stagehopper
    stagehopper Posts: 1,593
    stagehopper wrote:
    Kléber wrote:
    A cynic would say he was taking EPO ahead of his return to M-SR and the Vuelta Castilla y Léon, got surprised by the control, panicked and needed to dip his stick in some bio washing powder which he couldn't get to in time because the tester was waiting for him when he got back from his training ride.

    Now assume this isn't the case but sadly everything he's doing so far only heightens suspicions. Far from admitting a procedural mistake and apologising, he's on the war path with aggressive behaviour and defensive comments. A classic PR mistake.

    Huge mistake - makes it look like he's got something to hide.

    The shower thing/washing powder accusations being thrown around are meaningless as he was also blood tested.
    @stagehopper

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