Lance Armstrong interview part 1

[bigmig95]

Anyone come across a link yet to part 1 ?

[RedRobin]

.
I haven't looked yet - I think I'll rely on what gets posted here.

I have to say that I am a bit confused about whether he is guilty or innocent, due to the understanding that he has never failed a drugs test?

I do think that too many people are judging him as guilty who are outside the sport and in reality don't have any justifiable evidence. The words "witch hunt" and "making an example" come to mind. I'm still keeping an open mind.

According to one BBC report, Oprah is "surprised" by some of his answers to her 112 pre-prepared questions. His lawyers were in a nearby room and he will have been extensively briefed by them. If guilty in truth I hardly think he's going to confess - It would be suicide and he's clearly not that stupid.

[RedRobin]

Here we go...........

Oprah: Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?
Lance Armstrong: Yes

Oprah: Was one of those banned substances EPO?
Lance Armstrong: Yes

Oprah: Did you ever blood dope, or use blood transfusions to enhance your cycling performance?
Lance Armstrong: Yes

Oprah: Did you ever used other banned substances like cortisones, testosterone, or human growth hormone?
Lance Armstrong: Yes

Oprah: In all seven of your Tour de France victories, did you ever take banned substances or blood dope?
Lance Armstrong: Yes

[bigmig95]

Thanks Robin, I'll keep my eyes peeled for the full version.  You don't get much clearer answers than that.

As an athelete I have the utmost respect for him even with his banned substance use. As a person my respect for him has all but disappeared.

I did find it amusing the story of taking the bronze TT trophy off him from 2000.  Just look at the gold medal, Viatcheslav Ekimov one of Lance's right hand men in his USPS team at that time.  Clean ?  I doubt it.

Silver medal, Jan Ulrich, clean ?  definitely not he's admitted doping as well.

No mention of this on the news though, it was all about Lance.

Back to the old argument of it being an even playing field.  The cleanest rider during the tour could well be over an hour down on the GC when all the top riders were on the gear.  If everyone was clean would it make an hours worth of difference over a three week tour ?  Unlikely ?

[bacillus]

I have to say that I am a bit confused about whether he is guilty or innocent, due to the understanding that he has never failed a drugs test?

Technology for drug detection improves over the years.
In Lance's case there was no reliable test for detecting EPO doping until a few years ago hence drug testing in the past missed it.
It's a bit like the Olympics athletes now are having their blood samples stored for 8 years then retested to see if anything was missed the first time around.

[RedRobin]

I did find it amusing the story of taking the bronze TT trophy off him from 2000.  Just look at the gold medal, Viatcheslav Ekimov one of Lance's right hand men in his USPS team at that time.  Clean ?  I doubt it.

Silver medal, Jan Ulrich, clean ?  definitely not he's admitted doping as well.

No mention of this on the news though, it was all about Lance.

Back to the old argument of it being an even playing field.  The cleanest rider during the tour could well be over an hour down on the GC when all the top riders were on the gear.  If everyone was clean would it make an hours worth of difference over a three week tour ?  Unlikely ?

....If so many other cyclists were NOT clean at that time, it becomes logical to say that Lance Armstrong still beat his serious rivals to make it on the podium. In other words, they were competing on the same level playing field. However, I know this concept is flawed because it shut out all the genuinely clean riders, but would any of them have won if every rider was in truth clean? - I doubt it very much.

[Hedge]

Also to level the playing field each rider would need to be on the same set of drugs.

[RedRobin]

Also to level the playing field each rider would need to be on the same set of drugs.

....That's right. And that's also where everything gets really complicated because of factoring in how every individual rider's physiology reacts/responds differently to the same substances, even when legal.

It then comes down to how individuals respond to substances which happen to be termed as legal.

As ex racing cyclists (amateurs), both you and I, Hedge, drank energy and body salt drinks such as Gatorade - But did we really know what was in that powder? - Obviously nothing exciting because I never won any races (unless you count handicaps).

However, as usual I am going off slightly at a tangent and going as far as blood transfusions is clearly cheating.

[Janner_Sy]

Didnt he sue a loadof people back along for accusing him of doping? If so he is gonna be in a BIG sh*tstorm

[Hedge]

Francesco Moser set the precedent for the blood doping after he set the world hour record in Mexico using the same methods. It probably goes back further than that but that's the earliest I can remember.

[bigmig95]

Francesco Moser set the precedent for the blood doping after he set the world hour record in Mexico using the same methods. It probably goes back further than that but that's the earliest I can remember.

I'm sure there has been a lot of ex top pros slipping back into the shadows with all this. 

No one has mentioned Bradley Wiggins abuse of hair straighteners.  I've spoken to one of his ex team mates and they were an essential part of of his pre race preparation

[Hedge]

Moser was completely open about it as I remember reading about it at the time. As the UCI had no understanding of it they were stuffed.

[stealthwolf]

Surprised he came out with it after years of denying it. I wonder what happened to make him switch? Think they mentioned on the BBC News that he may want to take part again in the future.

Agree that it can be difficult if everyone else is doing the same kind of stuff.

Can someone please remind me - when was blood doping started in the cycling world and when did it become illegal?

[Hedge]

It started early eighties I believe.  I think EPO is just a chemical means to produce more red blood cells.

[chudds]

Francesco Moser set the precedent for the blood doping after he set the world hour record in Mexico using the same methods. It probably goes back further than that but that's the earliest I can remember.

I'm sure there has been a lot of ex top pros slipping back into the shadows with all this. 

No one has mentioned Bradley Wiggins abuse of hair straighteners.  I've spoken to one of his ex team mates and they were an essential part of of his pre race preparation

Best replying this thread! Haha

I was just did discussing the gb cycling team and there recent good fortune... Wonder if they will be a lil look into that?!

You can't just throw alot of gear at someone and become a 7 time world champ! I know And have trained with ex fb weightlifters and know a few strongmen that are currently competing at a world level... It's not as easy as an injection here and there!