epoh Posted October 18, 2006 Share From news24.co.za'Lance's dirty secrets' 18/10/2006 16:51 - (SA) http://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gif http://www.news24.com/News24v2/Images/tsp.gif Paris- A new book which claims to further lift the lid on some of thedirtier secrets of Lance Armstrong's successful cycling career will goon sale in France on Thursday.The seven-time Tour de France champion is now retired, but asecond book by Pierre Ballester and David Walsh - authors of thecontroversial "LA Confidentiel" two and a half years ago - claims toshed new light on their allegations that Armstrong's feats came throughthe use of doping products.Extracts of "LA Officiel", which like the first book has beenwritten only in French, will appear in Thursday's edition of Le Mondenewspaper.The book is centred mainly around an October 2005 legal dispute between Armstrong and an American insurance company, SCA.On the basis of allegations in the first book by the pair, "LAConfidentiel", SCA tried to pull out of a contract they had made withArmstrong in 2001, and according to which they would pay him $9.5m ifhe went on to win the Tour in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.SCA went on to lose the dispute with Armstrong, who in the faceof several allegations over the years has always vigorously deniedcheating.In the new book the testimony of Australian doctor MichaelAshenden, a former Australian Institute of Sport scientist who iscredited with creating a blood test to uncover blood boosting drug EPO(erythropoietin), suggests otherwise.Some doctors had previously stated that the American's recoveryfrom cancer, his change of morphology and his extraordinary lung andheart capacities were the key to Armstrong's almost superhumanendeavours.'Armstrong used doping products'However Ashenden says in the book that Armstrong's lung andheart capacities are not "exceptionally high", and added: "There's nodoubt: he (Armstrong) used doping products."The book also uses the testimony of Frankie Andreu, a formerteammate of Armstrong's who recently claimed he used EPO in 1999 whenriding with Motorola.Andreu's wife Betsy also appears. She was also a key witness inSCA's dispute with Armstrong, whom she claimed to have heard admittingthat he had used banned doping products prior to contracting cancer, in1996.The book's co-author, Pierre Ballester, said their aim was not a relentless pursuit of Armstrong."It's a vital addition to an inquiry which throws the spotlightback on claims which in the past tried to reveal Armstrong'spersonality," Ballester told AFP."(He is) a rider whose career has been characterised by liesand cheating, but who nonetheless left the sport unsanctioned,unblemished and untouchable."The 236 pages of "L A Officiel", which will go on sale Thursday in France, are bound to cause controversy.However it remains to be seen if Armstrong takes any legal action for defamation.The 35-year-old American, who is set to run the New Yorkmarathon in November, pulled out of an initial threat to sue theauthors in France over their first book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nellie Posted October 18, 2006 Share How long is this still going to continue? The guy has retired,there are millions of people who adore him, and he is a sport and cycling icon who has promoted the cycling immensely and inspired people to keep going! Things like these only bring a a dark cloud over the sport that we all love. I mean...SEVEN TOUR DE FRANCE VICTORIES...(without being proven guilty of any doping scandals) doesn't that prove something??? The guy is in a class of his own and just plain excellent! If the people really so dearly want to prove him guilty of something, wasn't seven years enough? Hell, how long do they need? I'm with Jason on this one...LA all the way!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted October 18, 2006 Share He he, "not a relentless pursuit of Armstrong", now that is an understatement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epoh Posted October 18, 2006 Share Lance inspired me to start cycling...LA all the way!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissVan Posted October 18, 2006 Share He he' date=' "not a relentless pursuit of Armstrong", now that is an understatement [/quote'] Yep some people have sick ways of making money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeMax Posted October 19, 2006 Share How long is this still going to continue? The guy has retired' date='there are millions of people who adore him, and he is a sport and cycling icon who has promoted the cycling immensely and inspired people to keep going! Things like these only bring a a dark cloud over the sport that we all love. I mean...SEVEN TOUR DE FRANCE VICTORIES...(without being proven guilty of any doping scandals) doesn't that prove something??? The guy is in a class of his own and just plain excellent! If the people really so dearly want to prove him guilty of something, wasn't seven years enough? Hell, how long do they need? I'm with Jason on this one...LA all the way!!![/quote'] If Lance used PED's to win 7 times and achieve his performances, then I for one want him pursued and the truth to out. The fact that he won 7 times is as good an indicator that he was not clean as anything I have seen. It is not likely in my opinion that one rider could perform so much better than the others and there is now a fair amount of evidence that he was not clean - it is right and reasonable that that evidence is pursued and examined. It is not things like these that bring the dark cloud over the sport but the fact that most of the things like these are brushed under the carpet and riders get away with doping. Lets take our heads out of the sand and get this sport cleaned up. If LA goes down then so be it.BikeMax2006-10-19 01:22:54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nellie Posted October 19, 2006 Share Okay BikeMax, see your side of things. But wouldn't seven years of intense doping (as he then must have done) ruined him by now? I mean, your body can only take as much. To be honest, I don't think any pro cyclist rides without some or other sort of dope, but some stuff are legal nowadays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted October 19, 2006 Share Absolutely, but for the authors to say they are not on a mission is nonsense - whether or not you agree with that mission is a different story, but these guys are certainly on a mission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michelle Posted October 19, 2006 Share Did anyone read about the gay rumours.. he was linked to Matthew McConaughey Ah... people can talk sh!te Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michelle Posted October 19, 2006 Share Lance Armstrong & Matthew McConaughey Deny Everything By Mike Baron Oct 18, 2006 Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong have taken those brokeback buddy rumors by the horns, reports the New York Daily News. Speculation has been ripe for some time that the Tour de France champ and the actor might be more than friends. Last summer,they were photographed together (shirts on and off) shortly after McConaughey split with Penelope Cruz and Armstrong broke up with Sheryl Crow. In November, McConaughey joked on the gay rumors: "We tried it. Wasn't for us." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jokerman Posted October 19, 2006 Share I guess that's why it's called news/ballocks............as long as we admire ppl there will always be idiots out there to put them down...... I mean we all have our own brain to know what's going on Lance is a gay addict that sure as hell can cycling like nothing else on earth Whatch this space for his triahtlon rumours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michelle Posted October 19, 2006 Share http://pics.hollywoodrag.com/gallery3/images/lance_matt_shirtless_medium.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perico Posted October 19, 2006 Share This really is rather pathetic, I mean who really cares????? Valentino Rossi is probably the biggest raging closet homosexual in theworld, but he is by far the greatest athlete to ever race motorbikes.Does that make him any less of a champion. Not in my book. Go LA (and go Rossi for that matter, kick Haydens ass!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallrebel Posted October 19, 2006 Share Not a LA fan, so cannot wait for him to go DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of them uses something and it's not only at that level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big H Posted October 19, 2006 Share Same song by the same choir..... it is getting sooooo boooooring!!!!!!! The Aunty Laans Song Ensemble. Wonder what Lance did to these poor unhappy souls that they hate him so much.??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linnega Posted October 19, 2006 Share I agree with most of you. The authors need to call a spade a spade. They are after Armstrong (and fairly as Bikemax has said) and the reason they continue is because there is interest and they will continue to earn revenue from the thousands that will buy the book and read the newspaper. As for how long it will continue depends on the public - the more they want, the more they will get, especially if they pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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