It's a TOUR DE FRANCE 2006 thread

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Two days to go until the start of the first Lance-free Tour in yonks. Haven't had much time to follow the build-up so I really don't know who the favourites are. Predictions anyone? Is Jan Ullrich fit or fat? What the heck's going on with Vino? How's Cadel Evans going to go? Or Basso? Is our lad Bradley Wiggins going to start the Tour proper in yellow? Guide me through the wheels of confusion...

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 29 June 2006 09:11 (nineteen years ago)

And anyone here figured out when it's on on British telly yet?

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 29 June 2006 09:12 (nineteen years ago)

Not yet, no. Basso seems to be favourite but his decision to do the Giro as well might work against him. Obviously I'd like a wop to win for a change.

― Earwig oh! (Mark C), Thursday, 29 June 2006 09:51 (nineteen years ago)

It would be nice for a cyclist who does more than one race a year to win for a change. I'll be rooting for Basso and as ever the Euskadi in Yellow.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 29 June 2006 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

By yellow I mean Orange, they're never much in contention but I do like the shirt.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 29 June 2006 09:59 (nineteen years ago)

Letour.fr says ITV3 and ITV4, which i actually have now.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 29 June 2006 10:30 (nineteen years ago)

Ullrich? Fat as ever, because that's the way we like 'im.

I'm not a Basso fan and I'm not sold on his "favourite" tag.

Since it's up to the Court of Arbritation, Vino will probably ride and ASO will whinge all tour.

And watch out for Cadel...

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 29 June 2006 10:40 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and anyone fancy Floyd Landis' chances (based on his early season form)?

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 29 June 2006 10:44 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, AND don't forget the Green Jersey. McEwen vs Boonen!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 29 June 2006 10:45 (nineteen years ago)

Is Millar back from his drugs ban yet?

― Teh littlest HoBBo (the pirate king), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:00 (nineteen years ago)

His ban ends tomorrow, so yes, dodgy Dave is back. Wiggins should kick his arse in the Prologue though.

Yeah Esteban, the green jersey battle should be pretty hot again, as ever.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:17 (nineteen years ago)

yeh Millars back & riding for spanish team Saunier Duval. i bet he's going to go all out to win the prologue & then retire when they hit the mountains. this is the first tour in ages that i've been excited about, although i'm sure ITVs probable lack of coverage will dampen that somewhat. COME ON FATTEY!!!!

x-post

― zappi (joni), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:20 (nineteen years ago)

Highlights are every night at 19:00 on ITV4

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:28 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, good stuff - thanks Ed. It's Liggett & Sherwen I take it? I quite like them personally. Did you know that Paul Sherwen owns a diamond mine IRL?

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:35 (nineteen years ago)

Paul Sherwen owns a diamond mine...in darkest Africa! I bet he uses slave labour (which he'd know about from *his* Le Tour exploits)!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

I bet Jackie Durand is down the shaft right now with all the other six dwarves.

Coverage on Saturday is 13.30 - 15.30 (phew no clash w/ the footy).

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 29 June 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Basso rode the Giro and the Tour last year and looked great in both, so I don't see any reason why that would work against him this year. He crushed the field in the 2006 Giro and probably would have won by a similar margin in 2005 if not for a freak 48-hour flu bug.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 29 June 2006 12:00 (nineteen years ago)

No Ullrich this year: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/5132320.stm

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Friday, 30 June 2006 07:12 (nineteen years ago)

Holy fuck! More here.

Basso has been implicated in all this since the beginning, but I guess his team didn't see the "evidence" in time to pull him from the race. And somehow, Vino's team (where the scandal started to begin with) is back in the Tour. This is gonna be 1998 Redux.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 30 June 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

fuck. no fattey. :(
i suspect this is going to get a lot worse :((((((

― zappi (joni), Friday, 30 June 2006 08:51 (nineteen years ago)

Basso, Mancebo and Beloki out too.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jun06/jun30news3

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 30 June 2006 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

FUUUUUUUUCK. My DSL connection dies for 48 hours and I miss all this.

This has totally upset the applecart but I don't think it'll be like 1998.

However, it's made this the most interesting tour in decades. I don't think we've had a tour in a long long time where we have no idea who the contenders are.

As for the bans themselves. Well, I'm in favour of them even if they haven't been found guilty or not. If Ullrich or Basso is found to be innocent and have missed out on a tour win, that's going to be bad - but shortcake biscuits compared to if a drug cheat wins (Hello Pedro Delgaro).

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 1 July 2006 16:10 (nineteen years ago)

And THOR HUSHOVD wins the Prologue? OK, he's on drugs...unless the Norwegian Time Trial Championships are more competitive then I'm lead to believe.

It's a dame shame that George Hincapie just missed out on yellow, that would have been great.

Adelaide's Stuart O'Grady...sixth? OK, Stuey is an Olympic Pursuit medallist but I'd never would have bet him beating Michael Rogers, even over 7kms.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 1 July 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

Stage 1

THE PMU GREEN HANDS STRIKE AGAIN

Jimmy Casper is on DRUGS!!! (OK, Boonen fucked up and McEwen was boxed in. And Zabel is old.)

George Hincapie gets that yellow after all and good on him.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 3 July 2006 06:03 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think its too unusual for a sprinter to win the prologue. I still have very little handle on how this race is going to pan out.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 3 July 2006 06:54 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, now they're saying Thor was an under-23 TT world champ.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 3 July 2006 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

Robbbbbbbie McEwen win stage et malliot vert!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 3 July 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

I think Hushovd woulda come round McEwen but for the McEwen drift to the left (which was legal IMO, but typical McEwen). A more confident Hushovd might simply have put his shoulder down and tried to go round anyway--McEwen probly gives up close to 40lbs to Hushovd.

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/6673/normalmcewenwheelie8mp.jpg

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 3 July 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

Typical McEwen is pushing the fuckers off the bike and that's why he's AWESOME.

I think Hushovd was happy enough just to get the yellow back today.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 3 July 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

I think Hushovd woulda come round McEwen but for the McEwen drift to the left (which was legal IMO, but typical McEwen).

Every time McEwen wins a race, Liggett and Sherwin are incredulous on commentary -- "Wow! You never see Robbie McEwen in the sprint until just short of the finish line! Amazing!!!" -- uh, yeah, because he always elbows his way through other riders/leans into them/drifts into their wheels/etc.! It's hardly a mystery!

I love McEwen though.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

Does anyone know how to get the France 2 netstream to work (spoofing a french ip or something?)

http://tour-de-france.france2.fr/videos/territoires.php3

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:13 (nineteen years ago)

My dad and sister allegedly were burning up the phone lines when the scandal/ejection broke. Getting both of them in the same room again and asking idly 'So, the Tour de France...' will be interesting.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:15 (nineteen years ago)

Boonen in yellow? Pah. Especially after Michael Rogers had a cheeky go this afternoon to get within a second. But good on that Matthias Kessler lad for giving it the ol' college try.

Things...don't look good for Modbury's Stuey O'Grady :-(

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:25 (nineteen years ago)

Have any of you read Paul Kimmage's book about the Tour De France. I haven't a huge interest in cycling but after reading it would definitely have a much bigger interest. Best book about sport I've ever read perhaps.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:27 (nineteen years ago)

I think O'Grady was involved in the Valverde crash. xpost

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

Ronan: Rough Ride? Yeah, that's quite the classic that one, albeit somewhat of a depressing one.

McEwen's quite the bike handler isn't he? Think I remember him last year bunnyhopping onto a traffic island running alongside him and then off the other side, right in the middle of the peloton moving almost at full tilt.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah Rough Ride

I must actually watch some Tour this year having just read it.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:44 (nineteen years ago)

In that case, one of the choice stages to watch will be the L’Alpe d’Huez one that I think is in about two weeks time. Um, what are the other big ones folks?

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

I think there are three mountain top finishes in the Tour this year (incl. L'Alpe d'Huez), watch those if you choose to watch nothing else.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

Watch the mountain stages, that's when the real action happens. They're going to be very interesting since nobody knows who is going to win Le Tour this year.

L'Alpe-d'Huez (Stage 15) is always the choice stage to watch (unless you have Mont Ventoux...imho). Stage 11 should be one to watch with one HC and several Cat. 1 climbs to the finish at atop Pla-de-Beret in Spain.

But the real showdown will be Stage 16 with two HC climbs and a final climb of 18.4km!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

Rough Ride is great. Read Kimmage's latest from the Sunday Times. What a bitter little narcissist:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2252601,00.html

At one point, David Millar claims that the peloton has cleaned up a lot even in the past two years. I have sympathy for Kimmage, but when alleges to have asked Millar "David, why should we treat anything you say with any credibility," I pretty much gagged. Yes, the question is not inappropriate; the assumed air of moral superiority is a bit much coming from a doper.

He also spends time looking for the 2006 rider who most closely mirrors his own experience as a TdF newbie in terms of background. Some pure as the driven snow Tour virgin, no doubt. But he can't really find anyone as innocent as once he was.

― Hunter, Age 3 (Hunter), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 18:07 (nineteen years ago)

Poor Erik!

http://img350.imageshack.us/img350/4954/dekker4xk.jpg

― Hunter (Hunter), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 18:52 (nineteen years ago)

go go robbie mc! you never see him until the last 150 metres, then he took that peloton thing down DAAAAAAAAMN.

― hella somethin' Gwen Stefani pantwork (haitch), Thursday, 6 July 2006 01:28 (nineteen years ago)

Shaun o'Grady is riding with a fractured vertebrae, that's got to hurt.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 6 July 2006 04:34 (nineteen years ago)

7 minute break already today

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 6 July 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know about Shaun O'Grady but Modbury's Stuart O'Grady is doing it tough.

Robbie Mac is totally on fire this year.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 6 July 2006 11:16 (nineteen years ago)

Cyclingnews.com sez the two man break is 12 and a half minutes right now. SBS coverage starts in ten minutes!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 6 July 2006 11:19 (nineteen years ago)

does SBS stream?

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 6 July 2006 11:20 (nineteen years ago)

Nah.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 6 July 2006 11:36 (nineteen years ago)

It's a "bit" "wet" on the road right now The peleton are still hanging around the feeding station.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Thursday, 6 July 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 175 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

There's yer podium. Landis, Pereiro and Kloden. Pereiro hasn't even bothered to dress his baby!

The Stars and Stripes play yet again on the Champs Elysees and look at all the thrilled Frenchmen!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ the Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Sunday, 23 July 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

THEY DIDNT GIVE HIM A MIC?

THEY GAVE LANCE A MIC LAST YEAR!

GIVE LANDIS A MIC!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ the Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Sunday, 23 July 2006 15:21 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, they gave him a mic after all.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ the Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Sunday, 23 July 2006 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

Hey, who let T-Mobile on the podium? Best Team more leik WORST TEAM TACTICS AHAHAHAHA!!1!

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ the Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Sunday, 23 July 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

Goodbyeeeee Jean Marie Leblanc! Possibly one of the most surreal moments in cycling history occured when you washed up on Aldinga Beach during one Tour Down Under.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ the Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Sunday, 23 July 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

what an awesome Tour it was this year. One of the great stories in all of sports.

― don weiner (don weiner), Sunday, 23 July 2006 22:31 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, too rich:

Lance Armstrong says the Discovery Channel team has been so impressed by Floyd Landis that they want to sign him. "We would take Floyd back. We've pursued him for some time now." Really? Would you? That would be so big of you.

Like how when Landis decided he wanted a chance to race for himself, you added him to your shit list? Like how when you and Danielson finally cracked Landis in Georgia in 05 you turned around as Danielson finished and pointed up the road just to taunt him?

Lots of recent evidence to back up assertions that Armstrong is a classless twunt (in addition to being an amazing individual and bike racer). I hope that Landis does what is best for him, but I also hope that includes telling Armstrong "no."

Armchair psychoanalysis is annoying and pointless, so let's do some.
Armstrong: Must win, but also must dominate you and humiliate you to prove himself.
Landis: Must win, must do it his way, doesn't really care so much what you think.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 24 July 2006 03:45 (nineteen years ago)

i read the Landis article in Outside today, and could have sworn that Discovery has extended the offer before.

― gbx (skowly), Monday, 24 July 2006 03:51 (nineteen years ago)

i am bad at grammar, apparently.

― gbx (skowly), Monday, 24 July 2006 03:52 (nineteen years ago)

so floyd landis, what's on your ipod?

'he cracked', modern lovers
'hip op hooray', naughty by nature

― HPSTRKRFT (haitch), Monday, 24 July 2006 03:57 (nineteen years ago)

Like how when Landis decided he wanted a chance to race for himself, you added him to your shit list?

AKA "The Year of No Gifts ... uh, except I was going to give Landis a gift but he couldn't hold it together so I changed my mind a few minutes later and said fuck it and took the win for myself"?

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 24 July 2006 07:07 (nineteen years ago)

Landis found to be too manly

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/5221122.stm

― Merrini (Mezza), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:38 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, so that's how he did it then?

― Sploshette Moxy (Dada), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

Just perfect. You couldn't have written a better screenplay.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:40 (nineteen years ago)

Are there gonna be any drug free riders left?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

Lance Armstrong! Allegedly!

― Sploshette Moxy (Dada), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

Ha, that was short lived glory! Gotta say, that seems a strange positive. Testosterone is considered risky as v. easily detectible as I understand it. Seems also like test would be a better preparation tool than recovery tool.

― Hunter (Hunter), Thursday, 27 July 2006 13:59 (nineteen years ago)

Holy god, fuckety fuck.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

So Landis is MIA presumably undergoing a full-body transfusion and taking every masking-agent possible?

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:17 (nineteen years ago)

Landis, tomorrow:

http://chicago.metblogs.com/photos/robocop.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:20 (nineteen years ago)

ned, how will he paddle?

Lance Armstrong! Allegedly!

hahahahahahaha funniest comment on this thread

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:21 (nineteen years ago)

xxpost

That won't matter now, they already have a B sample.

Are there gonna be any drug free riders left?

Greg Lemond! Didn't he bitch out Armstrong a couple of years back and basically accuse the entire peloton of doping? Sure, he nearly shot his foot off and came back to win two Tours, but he didn't need drugs, it was SHEER WILLPOWER.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:25 (nineteen years ago)

jeez :-(

― toby (tsg20), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

If that really is a positive positive, that would be a pathetically silly and desperate way to get busted, cos like Hunter says, anomolous testosterone levels are fairly straightforward to test for, and any fool knows that the stage winner gets tested. Oh well, it was an amazing illusion of a great bike race while it lasted.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 27 July 2006 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

isn't testerone a masking agent for clomonid?

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 27 July 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

from the new york times article:

...the test to discover high levels of testosterone is two-pronged and labor-intensive. The first part, to see if there is a high t/e ratio, can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, he said. The second part, to see whether that high ratio comes naturally or from an external source, is also lengthy.

“This is not a slam-dunk case,” he said of Landis’s case. “There is work to do, and if there’s ever a test that won’t repeat a positive, it will be a really complex analysis, and this is one of them.”

He also said that if Landis had a naturally high level of testosterone, someone would already know it or someone would be “running around finding the past results and plotting them on graph paper” to prove his innocence.

“These data are saved and someone can look them up,” he said.

Though Landis was granted a waiver by the U.C.I. to receive cortisone shots before the Tour began, cortisone use would not result in a higher t/e level, Catlin said. (Cortisone is otherwise banned.)

damn. i would like to think it's a false positive, but it doesn't sound good.

― Juulia (julesbdules), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:46 (nineteen years ago)

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i191/fluxion23/landis_never_forget.jpg

― Tab Hunter loves to take his shirt off (kenan), Thursday, 27 July 2006 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

Landis also bailed on his scheduled Tonight Show appearance this evening.

How many masking agent binges, blood tranfusions, dialysis treatments do you think he's gone through so far?

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Friday, 28 July 2006 01:12 (nineteen years ago)

Whoops! There goes the tour!

From what I've been reading, I think Landis is probably innocent. Well, as innocent as you can get in pro cycling. We'll know if he's guilty if he refuses a DNA test, right Jan? Jan? Jan?

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ The Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Friday, 28 July 2006 05:13 (nineteen years ago)

Very American:

Asked directly by American magazine Sports Illustrated if he had cheated, Landis replied: "No, c'mon man."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 July 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

German TV news from ARD says his testosteron/epitestosteron quotient (maximum allowed value 4:1) was 11:1, almost 3 times the limit. They also say that this can't possibly be natural.

(still doesn't mean it's doping though. he/his doctor can't possibly be this stupid, right?)

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 29 July 2006 09:03 (nineteen years ago)

If his testosterone levels are naturally high, then why has he never tested positive for it before? He's been a pro cyclist for over a decade.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 29 July 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

Its not just cycling
World and Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin has admitted failing a drugs test in April.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Saturday, 29 July 2006 19:25 (nineteen years ago)

xpost to myself, here's Lemond, right on cue:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/29072006/2/sports-ex-tour-de-france-winner-lemond-urges-landis-speak.html

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 29 July 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

He's getting the support of Lance Armstrong, apparently. The test was done at the lab of Châtenay-Malabry that also accused Armstrong of foul play, so it's all the lab's fault, evidently.

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 29 July 2006 19:45 (nineteen years ago)

Landis' B-sample has returned positive.

So it looks like your NEW winner of the 2006 Tour de France is going to be...Oscar Pereiro!

― Domenico Buttez (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 5 August 2006 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

Phonak has just sacked Landis, who still claims to be innocent.

I bet Axel Merckx must be THRILLED by all this!

― Domenico Buttez (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 5 August 2006 10:12 (nineteen years ago)

I thought he's just been suspended, not sacked?

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 5 August 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

Hell, would YOU keep him around at this point?

Dude has a lot to answer for.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 August 2006 12:50 (nineteen years ago)

i've seen the theory bandied that he was habitually doping, and something went awry that day, perhaps a "new drug." or a miscalculation. testosterone alone would not explain this effort, one which is obv the very opposite of a sprinter's on a track. and there is no way, if he did dope, that he only did so on that day. just no way.
BUT on the other hand you have this, to me, ultra-strange statement from a scientist at a *cough* french lab, "It's foolproof. This analysis tells the difference between endogenous and exogenous." also: "No error is possible in isotopic readings" what scientist would say that?! now that attitude positively wreaks of something as well.
i don't think we will ever know, but a read of the attitudes, his and theirs, makes me believe landis. sorry y'all.
& apparently most testosterone accusation appeals fall in favor of athletes too? hmmmm

― noizem duke (noize duke), Sunday, 6 August 2006 02:44 (nineteen years ago)

theory held by my cycling fan buddy: he (like everyone else) is a habitual doper, and for whatever reason is "masking system" fell down that day. tough cookies.

― gbx (skowly), Sunday, 6 August 2006 03:13 (nineteen years ago)

i am no scientist, but is it possible a masking system could've fouled up due to some extraordinary effort he otherwise "naturally" made? now THAT would be weird

― noizem duke (noize duke), Sunday, 6 August 2006 03:31 (nineteen years ago)

let's face it, everyone who rides in the tour de france takes illegal drugs. the answer is simply to allow ALL drugs just to see how freaky looking everyone gets. cuz that would be funny and very entertaining.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 6 August 2006 03:46 (nineteen years ago)

they are already freaks, but its not apparent to the naked eye, like it is in a lot of other sports. the objective is to get as skinny yet strong as possible. these guys have body fat "only in th' earlobes" as the joke goes, but also the ones with too much muscle mass, i.e. sprinters, just fall away in the mountains.
ullrich is the one i always wondered about, as he looked too big to me to be pulling off what he would usually pull off, in the mountains.
its a shame because what these guys start with, before any doping, really is incredible natural stuff. its so far from what some dude off the street could do that its unbelievable. which is not how i feel about, say, american football. no offense (haha)

― noizem duke (noize duke), Sunday, 6 August 2006 04:09 (nineteen years ago)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14222191/ Blah, blah, blah. The media knew before he did, so he wasn't able to defend himself. DEFEND HIMSELF HOW?

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 7 August 2006 19:44 (nineteen years ago)

He's fucked.

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

His month just got worse.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 17 August 2006 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Floyd Landis still sez he didn't do it...and has a POWERPOINT SLIDE SHOW to prove it!

You can't argue with that!

Oh, and they still haven't got around to stripping him of the win.

― The Real Esteban Buttez (EstieButtez1), Friday, 13 October 2006 14:38 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

Hmmm.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 23 February 2007 07:30 (nineteen years ago)

Oh come on, just admit they're allowed to use it, FFS:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/SPORTS/702190339/1004/SPORTS

Tour of California didn't test for EPO because one of the sponsors was the company that MAKES the drug.

― StanM, Friday, 23 February 2007 07:39 (nineteen years ago)

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