The moment cycling's Tiger Woods announced he was coming back to race again, doping issues have exploded.
Will Lance Armstrong take substances to help train? Will he take substances during the races? What substances will he take?
Well, it turns out, the French anti-doping agency wants to take samples of Armstrong's urine from all the way back in 1999, the year rumors swirled that Lance's urine had failed portions of a drug test. Stupid urine, you can't pass anything anymore!
The biggest snag is they want urine samples from 1999, where only one portion of the test still exist. Not like I'm a urine expert (swear) but supposedly when being tested your urine is divided into two samples, the "A" and "B" samples. Both samples have to show a banned substance for you to fail, and the only ones remaining from Lance's 1999 pee is "B." So, if they test it and it comes up showing something banned, it will still not be confirmed because there is zero "A" samples. Whew, that's a lot to stomach, now I know why it's tough to land that job teaching "Urine Testing 101" at Fort Manor Community College.The French anti-doping authority has thrown down a challenge to the seven-time Tour de France champion, proposing he agree to retesting of his 1999 urine samples to see whether a French newspaper was right when it reported they contained traces of EPO, a banned blood-boosting hormone that enhances endurance.
A positive test from the samples could not lead to a ban that would thwart the 37-year-old's much-heralded return to cycling after three years in retirement. Too much time has passed for disciplinary measures to be taken and only part of Armstrong's samples were kept.
Even so, the proposal renews debate about one of the most contested questions surrounding Armstrong: whether he was clean when he won.
The president of the French anti-doping agency, Pierre Bordry, said he wants to be the intermediary in this whole situation, even though, you know, he already thinks Armstrong doped.
Quoted by L'Equipe, Pierre Bordry said he wanted to act as "a referee" between the newspaper and Armstrong. But Bordry already seemed to have an opinion, speaking to the newspaper of samples "which contain erythropoietin [EPO]."
"I want this comeback to take place in the best circumstances," L'Equipe quoted him as saying in its Wednesday edition. "If he agrees, we'll launch the operation."
He added: "This way, he will perhaps have the chance to affirm that he never cheated during his brilliant career."
It sure is hard to know if Armstrong ever doped or not, but I hate all the negative attention on the guy after he said he's coming back mainly to "raise awareness of the global cancer burden." Also, his new team, Astana, is hiring a drug-testing expert to follow the seven-time Tour de France winner around and continually keep his test updated and posted online.
The French have always had it out for this guy, but honestly, in our country you're innocent until proven guilty. Maybe it's time they accept the same set of ideals.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-01-2008 @ 5:10PM
Laurent said...
Lance is A DOPER....... WHO CALLED
FRENCHMEN @$$HOLES at the 2006 ESPY award show
NOW he wants to go back to the scene of the crime....
why? The dope must of burned a few memory cell !
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10-01-2008 @ 5:30PM
SIRFUR said...
let's test the 1999 samples......where is the problem if you're clean... .. Lance
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10-01-2008 @ 6:16PM
Bob A Ganoush said...
Lance Armstrong is one of the greatest athletes in the history of the world. The witch hunt will never end. Why should he have to prove anything to anybody? He was been tested hundreds of times and come up clean every time.
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10-01-2008 @ 9:12PM
Josh said...
I am a road bicycle racer, I am U.S.A. Cycling # 264627, Lance has confused many people.
Outside any private proceeding or rumor many people outside cycling do not know how simple abuse of prescription medication can be, E.P.O. specifically boosts red blood cell count.
The French anti doping organization is titled in French an acronym that does not translate to British English: the acronym starts Agence France pour the "fight against doping in sport" I am searching for the organization web site but the link from the W.A.D.A. web site is not available and my broken French grammar has eluded me from securing the full title.
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10-01-2008 @ 9:12PM
Josh said...
French anti doping is a national organization as United States Anti Doping Organization is a national organization.
International athletes report to the national organization of the country where they are competing, any athlete in France whether German, Italian or French reports to the French anti doping organization, AFLD; Agence France de Lutte Contre le dopage.
In Italy a French athlete reports to the Italian anti doping authority.
The W.A.D.A. is the sanctioning body for any national anti doping agency.
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10-01-2008 @ 10:59PM
Martin said...
Although I would like to see the samples tested, I don't think the tests should be through a French lab. The French would like nothing better than to show that Armstrong cheated, and there would be a lot of pressure on the lab to prove this. Of course, if Armstrong is constantly being tested during the next Tour de France, and wins, that would be pretty conclusive as well.
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10-02-2008 @ 7:59AM
George said...
Lance is the # 1 doper in the history of the Tour.
Greg Lemond was the real deal as well as Bernard Hinault.
I am sure he will be using the same dope that Phelps used that is why he wants back.Who needs him anyway??
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10-03-2008 @ 12:25PM
RITA said...
TO THE MICHAEL PHELPS HATER: MICHAEL HAS BEEN TESTED AND RETESTED THE SAME AS LANCE GET OVER YOURSELF NEITHER ONE HAS EVER BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE TAKEN ANYTHING
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