Ullrich admits to blood doping... Finally.

[Lucky Luke.]

Game, set and match to dips.

 

Lance was a doped to the gills machine - we have every conceivable reason to question his character but anyone who has eyes in his head knows the man could pedal a bike.

 

It wasn't the Euros powering Lance to a billion hilltop and TT wins...

 

Nope, that would have been the Ferrari exclusivity clause and the ability to make positive tests go away - both bought and paid for.

 

The evidence is plain as daylight in his palmares. Pre-99 Lance returned from Paris four times - with 3 DNF's and a 36th place if I remember correctly.

 

We know about the backdated TUE for cortisone and the TDS EPO positive. How many other hall passes were handed out?

 

Getting back to Jan, maybe he'll have some light to shed on this. He's definitely of the opinion that Wonderboy had protection anyway. Sufficiently convinced to mention it in his interview.

[T-Bob]

 

Ultimately we're wasting our time though - in the 20s riders were staging protests against other riders using cocaine and chloroform.

 

 

Yeah, and you look at the stats for the 1903 race:

 

- 2,428kms over 6 stages

- Steel and wooden bikes weighing in at over 18kgs

- Have to be fully self sufficient, no support

- No brakes

- 1 gear

- longest stage of 468 odd kms.

 

Now those are stats that would make me reach for the bottle, the chloroform, coke and any thing to dull the pain! Todays riders need the HTFU!

 

It appears that 'party' Boonan was the only one in recent times that has been caught having a cheeky snort.

[Gavmeister]

Just finished Tyler Hamilton's book, great read, must say, have changed my views on LA, think he deserves everything that comes his way, comes across as a bully and would have done (will do) anything to win. As far as Ulrich's confession goes, no surprises there!

 

If anybody is interested in reading Tyler's book, pm your e-mail address, I'll send a copy.

[Guest Latent Blue]

Funny how every doping related threat goes back to Lance......................

 

In a sport of sinners (it seems) Lance was the best............................ but then he called poor Betsy a fat bitch

 

Its because he did(n't) win those 7 yellow jerseys....

 

Wasnt she fat? I just took his word for it. ..

[Baaisikilist]

Try David Walsh's 7 Deadly Sins next.

[Guest Latent Blue]

 

LA had no talent for grand tours, but he managed to bribe, bully and pay his way to 7 yellow jersies. If any of you find that admirable I feel sorry for you.

 

So he beat talented guys (that doped) while being untalented?

 

I don't buy it.

 

To be there you got to have it....

[VicanZA]

All of them do it! Sure the guys today are on something...

[Agteros]

All of them do it! Sure the guys today are on something...

.... bicycles!?

[Guest Latent Blue]

.... bicycles!?

haha.

No sh*t!?

[Eldron]

 

 

Yeah, and you look at the stats for the 1903 race:

 

- 2,428kms over 6 stages

- Steel and wooden bikes weighing in at over 18kgs

- Have to be fully self sufficient, no support

- No brakes

- 1 gear

- longest stage of 468 odd kms.

 

Now those are stats that would make me reach for the bottle, the chloroform, coke and any thing to dull the pain! Todays riders need the HTFU!

 

It appears that 'party' Boonan was the only one in recent times that has been caught having a cheeky snort.

 

A similar race started a few days ago. Its called the Freedom Challenge :-)

[Lucky Luke.]

Lance Armstrong ‏@lancearmstrong 2h

Jan Ullrich? Warm hearted. Amazing athlete. Great competitor. Loved toeing the line with you my friend.

 

LOL is LA being smug, sarcastic and friendly all in one sentence

 

 

 

LL you need to take of those chicken tinted glasses, last i looked LA still rode his bike to the finish in +/- 25'000 km of TDF, your'e making out like he got a free ride in the big red car with sunroof.

 

He wasn't very good at riding to the finish in those three tours he um... didn't finish.

[Lucky Luke.]

So he beat talented guys (that doped) while being untalented?

 

I don't buy it.

 

To be there you got to have it....

 

Why not have a look at the history of the sport? You'll find plenty of miraculous transformations. Some of them are actually pretty recent.

[Christie]

How did this topic sound gather the Lance fanboys?

 

Im not an Ulrich fan, but imo he is was one of those freaks of nature - the Eddy Merkx of his generation. However, I think he was almost too talented, and got results too easy early on. This made him complacent, perhaps even lazy.

 

He could have won more, but he came up against the ultimate doper, who had bought exclusive access to the wolds best doping expert, for his whole team. He was the equivalent of a soldier who is the best marksman, armed with a pistol, fighting a group of soldiers armed with machine guns. The playing field was not level.

 

I think Ferrari was LOL when watching the TDF at Fuentes. Ferrati had a good rider and he beat Fuentes every time, who had one of the best ever.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Christie

[JGR]

Nope, that would have been the Ferrari exclusivity clause and the ability to make positive tests go away - both bought and paid for.

 

The evidence is plain as daylight in his palmares. Pre-99 Lance returned from Paris four times - with 3 DNF's and a 36th place if I remember correctly.

 

We know about the backdated TUE for cortisone and the TDS EPO positive. How many other hall passes were handed out?

 

Getting back to Jan, maybe he'll have some light to shed on this. He's definitely of the opinion that Wonderboy had protection anyway. Sufficiently convinced to mention it in his interview.

But you also assume he was the only one with 'help' ... many tests from many riders could have been swept under the carpet, many signs (obvious) with many riders and they still carried on. People act as is LA/PS were the only team getting away with it and that is simply not true.

 

Many of these Doctors much the same as todays Doctors have a very similar level of skill, access to to dope, testing methods ect. I think its safe to assume he wasnt the only one who one doped up so why does your theory of inside help only extend to him?

 

It is true that the dope effects people differently, as does training at attlitude, use of 'legal' performance enhancers. At least throughout all this time he never looked like its head was going to explode form bloat ala ulruch, riis et al.

 

In Hamiltons book he speaks of micro dosing as well as LA uncompromising attitude towards training, diet ect. With regards to talent - im sure you have seen him decending like a demon, cutting across fields to avoid accidents, determination - flying past ulrich after two crashes. Regardless of the doping you kinda have to acknowledge him as a pretty darn good athlete

 

With regards to his first few years and dnf's - I stand corrected but think one or two of them the idea was that he wouldnt finish due to his age ect at the time? Didnt the current TDF champ just get a dnf at the giro?

 

Wasnt Hashim Amla dropped initially and after a few seasons came back to be the top batsmen in the world? LA himself admitting to not knowing how to ride GT's at the time. Trying to hit it hard from the beginning and having no real strategy.

 

Personally I would hate to be judged on my outputs in the early stages of my career and like most my output levels and quality is much higher now with a few years of experience - would it be fair to assume the same for LA/other sportmen?

Edited June 23, 2013 by JGR

[raptor]

Seriously? Have a look at UK Postal. Does that look like an authentic athletic performance to you? Somebody has paid the right people a lot of money to put those motorbikes at the front of the peloton.

 

Then same could be said about team sky then

Edited June 23, 2013 by raptor

[chris_w_65]

LA and Ulrich were my favourite riders (dopers) - They made the tour interesting.

 

I am sure the tour this year will still be interesting now that it is "supposedly***" clean and still a level playing field

 

*** -- Or maybe the doctors have become more clever and the top ten are still doping???? - Maybe we will know in 10 years time.

 

I also have Hamiltons book if someone wants to have/borrow it and I am keen to read David Walsh's book or other good books on the subject if one of you guys have for me.