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Friday, September 16, 2005

 

Curiouser and Curiouser

So Armstrong's comeback appears after all to have been nothing more than a publicity stunt, albeit an effective one. After all, there was more written about his comeback than about the original doping allegations. Still, for me at least, his piling on about how he just can't simply get a fair deal in France is a bit much. Are you happy in retirement like you claim to be, or did those nasty Frogs force you out? Pick one story and stick with it.

Meanwhile, new ripples in the UCI v. L'Equipe. The editor of the French sports daily sharply criticized the UCI's reaction to their story in the latest edition of Der Spiegel (Click here for the story from Radsport-news.com. Not yet available on Der Spiegel's site.) Besides the usual recriminations you expect in the he-said-she-said, Claude Droussant did have an intriguing point in calling the problem "certain men behind the scenes." Noting that the team managers and assistants remain constant, he claims "the have the Tour in their hands. If someone is [caught] doping, they show themselves as completely shocked and push the riders out. But the bosses remain the same." As long as they stay "nothing will be changed."

Now there's an idea that bears further examination: sanctions against the managers of teams with doped riders.

Comments:
What is your take on this story? http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/8897.0.html

Lance admits he gave L'Equipe access to at least some of his testing results. The reporter claimed to be doing a story on Lance's medical (drug) exemptions. Now we are supposed to believe that Lance was naive enough to think that the French press would use that information to help clear his name.
 
Lance and Bill Stapleton are idiots. Even according to their account, they gave the reporter essentially unlimited release of medical information. If the results were privlidged or confidential medical records, they could have given a limited release which would have restricted the legal ways in which the data could be used (e.g., only to confirm a story on therapeutic drug exemptions). But instead they gave them carte blanche, so they shouldn't complain too much about something partially their own making.

Which raises another question: if as Lance maintains, L'Equipe has been consistent in their witch hunt against them, why would he agree to release sensitive medical information which he knew could easily be manipulated by a periodical carrying out a smear campaign?
 
L'Equipe is a rag...yellow journalism, no pun intended...and thinking you could "cooperate" with them in any fashion defies logic...stupidity...

Davis
 
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