Floyd Landis is a Compulsive Liar

Floyd Landis is cooked.  After four years of denial of performance enhancing drug use, Floyd Landis admitted in a surprise interview with ESPN writer Bonnie Ford, that he used human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone throughout his entire cycling career. Even worse, Floyd Landis admitted that he used human growth hormone and testosterone during the 2006 Tour de France!

Unbelievable!  Floyd Landis claims that he tossed and turned all night wrestling with the deception that he perpetrated on the cycling community. Overwhelmed with the pangs of consciousness, poor Floyd finally decided it was time to come clean and confess.

Bother Floyd.  You could have saved me and other people who supported you through thick and thin the pain we suffered from insidious attacks from the doubters, if you would have admitted to your crime, at once, without reservations. Floyd, you were supposedly offered a deal by USADA CEO Travis Tygart with the shortest suspension in history if you would have implicated Lance Armstrong in a doping allegation.  Why did not you accept this offer? Or was this deal that Travis Tygart offered you another fabrication of your demented mind?

What are we to make of your nonsense Floyd? You state that you took performance enhancing drugs without remorse because you reasoned that since others may have doped, why not you as well? That reasoning is similar to the logic you used on people whom you exploited with the Floyd Fairness Fund: a slick presentation, solicitation of money, accusations of wrong doing by the anti-doping-crusade. You were the innocent victim, you presented your case so convincingly that fools supported you based upon your word of honor.

Velo Vortmax respected your honor and maintained the position that you were speaking truthfully. This position is now forfeit. Floyd, from this moment, this blog will regard you as nothing more than a psychopath, a narcissist, a compulsive liar, and a skillful manipulator. You should retire from cycling immediately!

Because, Floyd, if you have the audacity to think of yourself as the new whistle blower of the peloton, if you think that you are destined to assume the role of the man who will convict Lance Armstrong of a doping allegation based upon unsubstantiated witness testimony, then quit riding and start writing. Use David Walsh, the author of From Lance to Landis, as you ghost writer.  But don't expect me to buy a copy of your book.  I expect you to spin yarns, and I have better fiction to read.

Note to ESPN Radio

Colin Cowherd is a complete moron and his evaluation of cycling fans was one of the most despicable accounts I have ever heard on radio. According to Cowherd, cyclists are nothing more than rich tri-athlete snobs who shave and wax their backs, ride four thousand dollar bicycles, have six figure incomes, and who are Francophile fairy fags. Cowherd thinks cycling fans are nothing more than drunken idiots who wear outrageous costumes during the Tour de France. Listen to this you xenophobic clown.  American people do care about cycling races, and these people are not the typical obese American slobs who endanger the lives of cyclists, slobs who text while driving four thousand pound vehicles, slobs who are lost in space while listening to morons like Colin Cowherd on the radio! Non cyclists eat sausages and drink beer on the couch all day in front of a television watching football games. These football fans are fat, lazy people who could not ride to the nearest corner. Obesity is at epidemic levels in America, these fools should be encouraged to get some exercise. Get out and ride! You might become a true red, white, and blue American cycling fan patriot with a body fat content of less than five percent. Get off the couch and get a life!

The Tour of California is an important race, we want more coverage! Enough of Tiger Woods and his alleged actovegin, human growth hormone, and platelet therapy already. Doping is not confined only to cyclists, by the way. Every sport is rife with drug use.  People caught doping is growing at an exponential rate. Awake! Colin Cowherd, you moron. Does Tiger Woods need a doping doctor to hit a drive five hundred yards, and do we need to be reminded of this fact on your crap radio show every five minutes?

To the Anti-Doping Agencies

Your labs suck. You have no harmony. Your behavior in the Floyd Landis case was beyond belief. Your draconian laws are as unfair as ever. You need to reform. You are not above the law.

Conclusion

Floyd, you have nothing left to prove. Quit. Your e-mails to the anti-doping agencies won't make you a pro-tour rider again. You have an outstanding warrant pending in France, do you not? Did you hack the computers at Chatenay-Malabry? Did you tell Martin Dugard that Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs? Did you orchestrate the drunken phone call to Greg LeMond? Liar! Why should we believe anything that you say ever again?

From Lance to Landis; A Review

Lance Armstrong accomplished one of the most remarkable sport comebacks in history after being diagnosed with cancer. There have been a number of people who have questioned this comeback as an impossible feat; some have even accused Mr. Lance Armstrong of using a systematic doping regimen for success; although no laboratory test has detected a prohibited substance to refute Lance Armstrong's seven consecutive Tour de France victories.  However, in spite of an absence of any clinical evidence of doping, people exist who insist that the performance increases of Lance Armstrong post cancer are impossible: they have formulated an agenda based on circumstantial evidence, or an agenda based on past witness testimony of people who had intimate contact with Lance Armstrong, or teammates, or support staff, who rode for or had contact with the professional cycling teams where Lance Armstrong worked.

David Walsh author of From Lance to Landis is a person who is convinced that Lance Armstrong used prohibited substances during his remarkable Tour de France seven year reign. David Walsh wishes to convince the reader that his circumstantial evidence is enough to convince, beyond a reasonable doubt (not to a comfortable satisfaction) the veracity of his claims. Statements made by Betsy Andreu, for example, that she recalls Lance Armstrong admitting to an Indiana University examining doctor, in her presence, that he used performance enhancing drugs while riding for Team Motorola is substantial evidence supporting the doping allegations. This testimony by Betsy Andreu although interesting (Lance Armstrong would insist that her testimony is delusional at best or pernicious at worst) the so called "smoking gun" is not verified by any hospital medical records or physician citations; although such references to past use of performance enhancing drugs would have most certainly been included in Lance Armstrong's medical history. Betsy Andreu may have simply been mistaken in her recollection (Frankie Andreu as well) although it is certain that Betsy Andreu was a hateful person with a score to settle with Lance Armstrong. After all, Frankie Andreu was a domestique for Lance Armstrong during the 1999 Tour de France.  Frankie Andreu bought vials of rEPO voluntarily from a pharmacy in Switzerland, he claims to support the team, and he voluntarily used rEPO during the 1999 Tour de France.  But Betsy Andreu may have irrationally blamed Lance Armstrong after she found a vial of unused rEPO in the ice box and demanded to know from Frankie how he could climb the cols so quickly.  It is certain that Betsy Andreu wanted revenge on Lance Armstrong whom she considered the kingpin who forced his lieutenants to use dope. Also, Betsy Andreu's testimony complicates the effort to pin down what exactly Lance Armstrong did to increase his performance post-cancer. If we discard the performance enhancing drugs Betsy Andreu claims that Lance Armstrong admitted to using during the Motorola years (a 20% increase in performance due to rEPO use, for example) finding the reason for the performance increase is extremely complicated.

One in a Million? Lance Armstrong

The most pertinent and best researched chapter of the book is Lance Armstrong: One in a Million? where the SCA Promotions vs. Lance Armstrong testimony is evaluated, where the Ed Coyle weight loss/performance increase theory is so eloquently refuted, where possible physiological factors that could account for the miracle increases in the post-cancer Lance Armstrong performance are disputed, where Michael Ashenden insisted that the capillary density, lactic acid production, heart stoke, and other physiological values of Lance Armstrong were not of an exceptional athlete, and where David Walsh states his hypothesis that Michele Ferrari was the doping doctor of evil who increased Lance Armstrong's performance with a program of blood manipulation that was never detected by WADA. Micheal Ashenden also insisted in his SCA Promotions vs. Lance Armstrong testimony, after a lengthy physiological parameter evaluation of Lance Armstrong, a conviction that Lance Armstrong improved his performance by using blood manipulations. Micheal Ashenden never offers any direct evidence in support of his blood manipulation testimony, so his conclusions are speculative.  However, Micheal Ashenden was a expert paid witness for SCA Promotions, therefore it is safe to assume that his conclusions were tailored to support the SCA Promotions accusation that Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs to win six straight Tour de France titles in order to be paid a six million dollar bonus.  Unfortunately, it must also be conceded that autologus blood transfusions had no test at the time (1999-2005) so the conclusion that Michele Ferrari did not use blood transfusions to increase Lance Armstrong's performance during all of his Tour de France victories is impossible to refute, or confirm.

Ed Coyle, the originator of the weight loss/power increase theory as the causal factor in Lance Armstrong's increase in performance made several errors in his methodology.  Even though his research showed a slight decrease in weight of Lance Armstrong between 1992 and 1999, the Tour de France weights are missing.  It is impossible to maintain a Tour de France weight in the off season when Ed Coyle measured his values, so the weights he presented are questionable as evidence to support his conclusions.  Perhaps ASO has Lance Armstrong's Tour de France race weights locked away in some vault. Sampling off season weights and using an average to make a point is very unscientific, although some might argue that this is the critical point of the chronology.  David Walsh and Micheal Ashenden also insisted that Ed Coyle did not calibrate his instrumentation properly, and after a lengthy peer review of his findings, Ed Coyle admitted that his computations were in error.  Therefore the weight loss/increase in power theory advocated by Ed Coyle was a myth.

Was I convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Lance Armstrong doped after reading From Lance to Landis? No! Nice try but no cigar, there is no proof of anything.  A midnight meeting between Lance Armstrong and Michele Ferrari in some camper van in the middle of the night just before a race could provide substantial evidence of foul play.  Unfortunately, no one witnessed what Michele Ferrari and Lance Armstrong did in the camper van, although witnesses stated that Lance Armstrong emerged from the camper van in a state of euphoria.  Then there is the Lance Armstrong telephone call at the airport to Greg LeMond, where Kathy LeMond states that Greg was threatened by Lance Armstrong.  In the telephone conversation Lance Armstrong allegedly admitted to Greg LeMond that he used rEPO and that if Greg LeMond did not play ball Lance Armstrong would 'find twenty people who will state that you [LeMond] used rEPO during the Tour de France.' These events sound more mythical, as did the Betsy Andreu hospital recollection, than factual. Very good circumstantial evidence, taken in context they collectively could amount to something, but circumstantial evidence is not proof.  Reasonable people, those without an agenda, will read the book with an open eye, and think for themselves. Those with an agenda will be lead like sheep. The information is all there, read and think.

France Issues an Arrest Warrant for Floyd Landis and Arnie Baker

ESPN Radio reported that the French government has issued an arrest warrant for Floyd Landis and Arnie Baker. The issue is related to the hacking incident of the WADA accredited laboratory LNDD and the purloin of sensitive documents that relate to a conspiracy of incompetence by the laboratory and a subsequent cover up. The authenticity of the documents has been questioned and they may be fabrications. The documents may be found in the What is Fair is Clear slide show, with a disclaimer by Arnie Baker in the wiki defense.

ESPN Radio mentions that the warrant is confined to France, it is not an international warrant. ESPN Radio also reported that the hacking was discovered in response to a claim made by Floyd Landis that certain files pertaining to the Carbon Isotope Ratio Test were missing. The validity of these claims will be, perhaps, ascertained in a court proceeding of some kind. Floyd Landis calls the hacking accusations, fabrications. One other item of note pertaining to ESPN Radio and this is an unpardonable error, the report claimed that Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the 2006 Tour de France. For accuracy sake, Floyd Landis did not test positive for high levels of testosterone at any time during the 2006 Tour de France. The test used to screen for high levels of testosterone, was artificially created by the French accredited laboratory LNDD. These testosterone/epitestosterone tests were rejected by the AAA arbitration panel as invalid. Floyd Landis was banned from competition for two years for the presence of a single metabolite that indicated synthetic testosterone use. But as Christiane Ayotte stated in David Walsh's book From Lance to Landis the WADA rule pertaining to metabolite(s) of testosterone above threshold indicating testosterone use, never meant anything other than a single metabolite above threshold, except at Don Catlin's UCLA accredited laboratory...that is. Nevertheless, simple research into the case before spouting off would be helpful, even by a prestigious news organization like ESPN Radio. The myth of the Floyd Landis high testosterone test has become reality, simply due to sloppy journalistic practice, and this is a direct consequence of sloppy laboratory practice by LNDD, and a very skillful smear campaign by the likes of former WADA director Dick Pound. ESPN Radio should strive to improve the content of their news stories to reflect fact, not fantasy...more of the fabrications that Floyd Landis was speaking of?

Positively False an Aside

One brief issue on Floyd Landis' book Positively False.

Allen Lim seems to have been nothing more than a physiologist who had a fresh PHD and nothing to do, (apologies to strbuk), but record SRM power meter data from training rides Floyd Landis did in Spain. These power meter readings are supposed to be available on the Internet. This is important news because it supports the assertion made by Floyd Landis that the Stage 17 ride was no more difficult than a hard training ride. In fact, Floyd Landis asserts, and this assertion may be verified by checking the SRM power data, that he produced more power in training than during Stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France. The notion that the Stage 17, 2006 Tour de France ride was nothing more than a rocket fueled marvel is not supported by the SRM power data. This is another popular myth, created by a popular misconception that a rider could not possibly recover from a previous stage bonk without some form of performance enhancing substance (testosterone.) As Floyd Landis would insist, another fabrication?

Nevertheless, Positively False is a good introductory read into the background of some the characters that would later play such a prominent part in one of the most unjust doping cases ever conceived. Better and more comprehensive information for the serious student can be found on the websites listed under best blogs, trust but verify, rant your head off, WADAwatch, racejunkie, all of which link to velo vortmax. Read, learn, then make an informed decision.

After all, we don't need any more fabrications.

2010; A Year of Hope For Clean Cycling?

It is a sad state of affairs this doping in cycling business. Everyone was enamored with the prospect of an Italian rider winning the Giro d' Italia, for national pride and to support the unfortunate victims of the earthquake that devastated so much of Italy. Bah! EPO-CERA was detected, the dream vaporized into thin air.

This will continue. Every time we hope for improvement, every time we dream of a clean season, people screw up. Greed is always a factor for risk taking behavior. People are so clever in applications of prohibited substance use, newly designed drugs, genetic manipulations, synthetic haemoglobin. There still is no perfect way to detect artificial growth hormone use in athletes. Test samples are stored on ice and the laboratories hope that science will catch up in time to right a wrong. Athletes who cheat roll the dice and take chances of beating the statute of limitations, hope that they will not have to forfeit prizes and money. Gamblers.

Hope that you will not be detected, perfect the methods, beat the tests. In the old days that Pat McQuaid seems to dream of, cyclists used artificial bladders to pass clean urine samples. This method was finally rectified after several cyclists were caught red handed by dutiful examining doctors. The examination process was changed to prevent these events from occurring again. But no matter how clever the examiners are, the cheaters will adapt and succeed, for a fashion.

The treat is always there. Victor Conte and Balco designed the "clear" a designer performance enhancing substance that was undetectable until an honest coach sent a sample to the United States Anti Doping Agency for laboratory examination. Next athletes thought they could use EPO-CERA because EPO-CERA stimulates red blood cell production for several weeks. Clever, trying to alter the isoform profile and metabolite syntheses by masking agents or flushing the system with water, or by other means. Fortunately for the anti-drug crusade, ROCHE developed and supplied testing data to WADA and other agencies that provided the exact molecular model to look for. Otherwise, with the lack of commitment that WADA shows toward funding of scientific studies to detect newly formulated substance enhancement use, the use of EPO-CERA and other newly synthesized performance enhancing substances would have and will continue unabated, perhaps forever.

We can only hope that 2010 will be the year when everyone will come to their senses and compete in a fair and equitable manner. This is a very desirable outcome and it could be achieved very simply. Ride clean. Resist temptation. Respect yourself and others. Give the sport of cycling some dignity.

Remove Race Radio?

Pat McQuaid has once again bested himself by suggesting that professional cycling would be better off with out race radio. This is an extremely strange idea and almost no one likes it. The riders don't like it. The teams don't like it. The fans don't like it. But even though there is a consensus of disapproval, Pat McQuaid and the UCI fancy that everyone should endorse the no race radio paradigm because everyone is hankering for the days of yore, before Motorola introduced radios into professional cycling.

What, was Lance Armstrong World Champion then? Did radios convey an unfair advantage to Team Motorola who could discuss tactics from afar while other teams has to convey instructions by word of mouth? Yes indeed, the good old days. A specious argument might exist if only one team used radios during races while others were deprived. Sort of like one team using performance enhancing drugs while everyone else rides clean. But this is not happening, no one is deprived, all team cars have sophisticated electronics to aid riders, the gaps shown on the motorcycle board is known to everyone, in high definition television. So Pat McQuaid what is the problem? With radio communication the problems sport directors encounter become almost academic, grab a microphone and issue instructions. Reel them in. You have a mechanical? Order the team to block, organize the domestics, come to the car for repairs. What could be simpler?

Yes, the radio less stage was tried in the Tour de France, the riders were furious for good reason. The issue is safety. Under the new Pat McQuaid radio less future of professional cycling, team cars will weave in and out of the peloton to issue instructions, this will interrupt the flow of the peloton, hazards will be created. Some one may die. Someone may be injured. There will be unnecessary accidents. No thank you.

Most cycling fans to not wish to return to the days of yore. The Grand Tours are a wonderful, beautiful exhibitions of rider skill and tactics. Pat McQuaid, leave things alone.

2009 Tour of Utah: Some Reflections

The Tour of Utah was a very successful stage race. The race was won by Rock and Republic racer Franciso Mancebo. I did not want to appear negative about the event, however some comments are in order.

This is the post information age, I understand that. Everyone is tethered on an Internet link, blogger, twitter, or a social network site. Problems emerge when people are deprived of a computer, say during a race, and they have only conventional news outlets to rely upon for information. This happened to me during the Tour of Utah and the results were less than satisfying.

The main and only media outlet was KFANZ radio in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although KFANZ repeated advertisements for the Tour of Utah thousands of times a day, the race summaries were perfunctory five minute news releases. The prologue was won by Jeff Louder who beat David Zabriskie by four seconds. Finis. Even the so called queen stage with a mountain top finish at Snowbird Ski Resort, which was advertised to have regular race radio updates...well the updates never materialized...the station ran a syndicated ESPN radio program discussing Brent Farve and Micheal Vick ad nausea. The Tour of Utah should work to improve the race coverage in 2010 beyond a mere two minute summary of the stages, realizing that some race fanatics do not have access to the Internet.

KSL radio did not even mention the downtown Salt Lake City criterium race in their sport report the following day even though there were several thousand people downtown. Bizarre.

One other thing. Take my advice and never decide to ride your bike up Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the afternoon, on race day, in one hundred degree plus heat. Duh! Being a fool and ignoring advice, I set out from Salt Lake City at 11:00 a.m. rode thirty miles to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and started to climb. I felt great for the first five miles. But the traffic was bumper to bumper and Little Cottonwood Canyon has no shoulders, a very dangerous situation. Of course, there is no need to mention the exhaust fumes, the ozone, the smell of burnt rubber, the heat, the 8% grade, or the fact that at mile marker seven I ran out of water. There is also no need to mention the fact that spectators who lined the road waiting for the professional riders to appear cheered me on with shouts of appreciation and applause.

Darn. I bonked with less than one mile to go, sick of the exhaust fumes, the traffic, the heat, the stench of burning rubber, and the ozone. There was not one breath of wind in the canyon that day. Only thirty eight miles back to Salt Lake City to ride! Panic and a fateful decision. Turn around and leave before they close the canyon road for the professional race. Bad idea, which I regret to this day.

But as you can see from some of the photographs I took maybe it did not matter. The camera may be great for portraits but not so good for high speed bicycle racing. The queen stage did not have any race changing attacks or unexpected bonks as many people had expected. The only bonk was from the idiot riding the orange and red thirty pound mountain bike up Little Cottonwood Canyon that day...me.

Lastly, I wish Floyd Landis would have been a little more interactive with the fans. Floyd you don't have to be paranoid, come out and play. I still love the way you ride man. I was there and you were there and that beats an unfair suspension every time.

2009 Tour of Utah Downtown Salt Lake City Criterium Photographs

Rock racing riders on the front to protect race leader Franciso Mancebo.




The peloton rounds a turn, three wide.



Escape! A four man pace line distances the peloton. Fido the dog responds to the escape in typical canine fashion.





Team Ouch presented by Maxxis takes a turn at the front to reel in the break. The peloton is strung out in single file.




Hammer. The Salt Lake City Municipal Library and Utah Transit Authority Trax train are in the background.




Only a few laps to go. The Tour of Utah was a very successful occasion with thousands of race hungry fans.

Special thanks to Nicole Anderson for her help in editing and posting these photographs.

2009 East Canyon KOM Big Mountain Tour Of Utah Photographs

These photographs are of the King of the Mountain sprint located at Big Mountain, East Canyon, Utah. This is stage one of the Tour of Utah. The stage was won by Rock Racing rider Franciso Mancebo, who arm and arm with his teammate Oscar Sevilla crossed the line 26 seconds in front of the main group to win the stage.



Tour of Utah volunteer "Rick" at the Little Mountain KOM summit.



Ouch presented by Maxxis rider Brad White collects the Big Mountain King of the Mountain Points





The main group arrived three minutes later.



Off the back.



Riders continue to trickle in.

Thanks to Nicole Anderson for her help in editing and posting these photographs.

2009 Tour of Utah Prologue Photographs

As promised here are photographs of the Tour of Utah. The original intention of these photographs were to focus on Floyd Landis as part of his come back to professional cycling. Unfortunately, during the prologue Mr. Landis hid in the Ouch presented by Maxxis team trailer surrounded by a group of gorillas. Landis did not even condescend to sign autographs for the fans. Therefore, what you see is what you get, with no apologies from me.




Tour of Utah volunteer Scott Sowle.



Professional wrenches are overworked and under appreciated!



This is the place for racing! The Utah State Capitol Building is in the background.



The dark side of cycling, but USA Cycling has nothing to hide. This has been and will continue to be a point of contention, the public nature of bib information that could be used by miscreants for subversive reasons.



A Ouch presented by Maxxis rider on the rollers.



Floyd Landis hammers home fifty meters from the finish line.



Cole Sport rider David Clinger warms down on the rollers after a hard time trial. The White Chapel is in the background.



The Ouch presented by Maxxis team car and bikes.



Specialized fans eat your hearts out!

Special thanks to Nichole Anderson for her help in posting and editing these photographs.

Tour of Utah Preview

The Tour of Utah like so many other United States domestic races could have gone the way of the dinosaur. Larry H. Miller who originated the Tour of Utah died last year. It would have been so easy to quit, but thanks to the Miller family and Zions Bank the Tour of Utah lives on.

The 2009 edition of the Tour of Utah is the strongest ever featuring 22 teams.

Defending champion Jeff Louder and the BMC Racing Team will have their hands full this year. The biggest general classification threat is Floyd Landis of Ouch Pro Cycling Team presented by Maxxis, who is rumored to be training hard in Park City. Ouch Pro Cycling Team presented by Maxxis also has points jersey perpetual threat Rory Sutherland on the squad.

Rock Racing has proven climbers Victor Hugo Pena and Oscar Sevilla as contenders for general classification and sprint sensation Fast Freddie Rodriquez who is a proven points warrior. Fast Freddie Rodriquez won a Giro d' Italia stage beating 'Ale- Jet' Alessandro Petacchi. Rock Racing may on paper be the strongest and best overall team in the Tour of Utah this year.

Cole Sport Racing has David Clinger as best possible contender for general classification. Former rider for the United States Postal Professional Cycling Team, David Clinger has had a roller coaster of a career since. Now that problems have been sorted out in his life, David Clinger could be poised to pull an outstanding upset.

Other worthy riders of note:

Bissel Pro Cycling Team rider Burke Swindlehurst
Trek/Livestrong U23 Development Team rider Taylor Phinney

The 2009 Tour of Utah is billed as America's toughest stage race with over 20,000 feet of leg breaking climbs. Stage 4, the "Queen Stage" includes a climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird ski resort, 13km at 7.5%. The Little Cottonwood Canyon climb should decide the general classification once and for all.

The Tour of Utah ends with a downtown Salt Lake City criterium race where local cycling fanatics will amass to enjoy the racing exploits of their heroes.

Velo Vortmax intends to share as much of the Tour of Utah as possible on this blog during the race with reports and (hopefully) photographs.

Alberto Contador Wins the 2009 Tour de France

The 2009 Tour de France is over. Alberto Contador has won. Andy Schleck was second. Lance Armstrong was third. Nothing else matters.

No matter what you think, two Tour de France champions on the same team leads to disaster. Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault were teammates. Hinault won a Tour and LeMond won a Tour. Greg LeMond claims that he could have won both Tours. The amimosity between Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault are the stuff of legend. Those who refuse to learn from historical precedent are doomed to folly. Thus Team Astana during the 2009 Tour de France.

Nevertheless, could Lance Armstrong ever beat Alberto Contador in a Tour de France on the same team? Probably not, given the age disparities. Lance Armstrong is thirty eight, Alberto Contador is twenty six. Nevertheless, the Team Astana experiment with two Tour de France winners is over. Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel are off to Team Nabisco for the 2010 Tour de France. Alberto Contador is expected to stay with a newly reformulated Team Astana, consisting of mainly Spanish support riders.

Then shall we see who is the best rider, Alberto Contador or Lance Armstrong? Shall we see if the rider is more important or if total team strategy, effort, and strength is more important? What is most important the strongest rider or the strongest team?

Good questions that will be pondered next year perhaps. But for now Alberto Contador can bask in his glory as Tour winner. Lance Armstrong made the podium, in third place, at thirty eight years of age. 2009 was a vintage year for the Tour de France.

Sour Grapes

There are those who think that Lance Armstrong is the sort of man who demands total obeisance from his teammates. They cite Roberto Heras, Floyd Landis, George Hincapie, loyal lieutenants who sacrificed their legs so that Lance Armstrong could chalk up seven successive Tour de France wins. Some people think that Lance Armstrong expected Alberto Contador to work as a team domestic to ensure that Lance Armstrong would win an eighth Tour de France.

At the start of the 2009 Tour de France a pissing contest emerged over who would be alpha dog of Team Astana. Lance Armstrong had the best time at 0:00 behind Fabian Cancallara after the Team Time Trial. But, Alberto Contador was not far behind Lance Armstrong and the mountain stages were to come where the true classification would be sorted out.

Stage 17 decided the 2009 Tour de France when Alberto Contador attacked Andy and Frank Schleck. Unfortunately, for Team Astana, both Andreaus Kloden and Lance Armstrong were dropped. This attack by Alberto Contador was a questionable tactic if the goal of Team Astana was to place three riders on the final podium. If Alberto Contador would have shown more restraint, it is arguable that both Lance Armstrong and Andreaus Kloden could have made the final podium.

Nevertheless, the Stage 17 attack did establish Alberto Contador as the alpha dog of Team Astana, and Lance Armstrong did recognize this fact. Lance Armstrong did work for Alberto Contador by forcing Bradely Wiggins to eat wind and pull. The main goal of Stage 17 was to drop Bradely Wiggins from contention, even Andy and Frank Schleck admitted this fact.

But Alberto Contador barely acknowledged the role of Lance Armstrong in helping him win the 2009 Tour de France. In fact, Alberto Contador stated several times that he could have won the Tour without any help from Lance Armstrong.

Meanwhile, Lance Armstrong was saying he did not mind being a team player. "I have seven Tour de France wins, I am proud of Alberto Contador."

But some people will always question the sincerity of Lance Armstrong, no matter what.

After the Stage 17 attack Alberto Contador established himself as the unquestioned 2009 Tour de France champion. The time gaps on General Classification between Alberto Contador and his main rivals continued to widen. Alberto Contador should be very proud of his achievement.


Until the doping tests result in a positive for PEDs?

Garmin Slipstream is a Disgrace

Garmin Slipstream is a disgraceful team. After doing no work at all for the entire race, Garmin Slipstream came to the front of the peloton on Stage 14 to reel in American rider Geroge Hincapie. This treachery deprived Hincapie of assuming the race lead and wearing the yellow jersey.

Pathetic. At the conclusion of the stage a visibly angry Hincapie blamed Team Astana for coming to the front of the stage to work when the responsibility of reeling in the break should have been Nocentini's AG2R team. This is true, but as Phil Liggit mentioned on Versus, Astana probably tried to slow down the pace to allow George Hincapie to take the race lead, but things did not work out. There was a danger in allowing Hincapie to gain a large amount of time on a break, he can climb. Astana probably wanted to keep the break manageable. The motives of Garmin Slipstream does not seem so mundane though. Garmin Slipstream could argue that they worked to protect Bradely Wiggins. Nothing more. This argument seems to hold no weight among professional cycling fans, however. Sinister rumors are circulating; Jonathan Vaughters and Bob Stapleton have bad blood. Jonathan Vaughters and George Hincapie have unsettled scores from the United States Postal Professional Cycling Team days when both were domestics for Lance Armstrong during the 1999 Tour de France. In any case George Hincapie is correct when he stated that the race tactics of Garmin Slipstream were beyond belief.

Versus has spent a great deal of time promoting Garmin Slipstream during this Tour, interviewing Jonathan Vaughters on a great number of topics. This must stop, now.

Jonathan Vaughters and Matt White should learn how to organize a team. Men work, idiots ride just inside of the time limit. On the Category 1 Col Villette-Le-Chable, Saxo Bank rider Fabian Cancellara set such a quick pace on the front for his general classification rider Andy Schleck, hammering uphill out of the saddle until he blew up. That is how you work for your team. Bradely Wiggens sat protected behind Cancellara doing nothing. Wiggens' Garmin Slipstream teammates were no where in sight. Jonathan Vaughters should show his team the tape of Fabian Cancellara working for his team as a training guide on how to do things right.

Astana knows how to run a team. Astana runs a train on the front of the group working when the Saxo Bank riders go out the back. Alberto Contador is a protected rider in the pure sense of the word, not an isolated pathetic figure like Wiggins. Where is former reformed Saint David Millar, why is not David Millar setting a leg breaking tempo up the Col like Fabian Cancellara?

If anything, the pure narcissist of Astana is Ablerto Contador who refuses to follow orders and who is so intent on proving to the world that he is so much better than Lance Armstrong that he takes unnecessary risks. Today, on Stage 17, we have a perfect example of this. On the last Cat 1 Col Alberto Contador decided to sprint out of the saddle to attack Frank and Andy Schleck. This move created problems for his own Astana teammates Lance Armstrong and A. Kloden who were both dropped. A blunder as both Armstrong and Kloden were high on the general classification and this created an opportunity for Andy Schleck and his brother Frank to move up on general classification.

However, Lance Armstrong worked to protect Alberto Contador from Bradely Wiggins who could not match the Contador attack, like a loyal teammate is supposed to do. Armstrong was glued to Wiggins wheel waiting for an opportunity to attack. At a severe grade Armstrong sprinted around Wiggins and dropped him like a rock after forcing Wiggins to ride into the wind and pull Armstrong.

Not only did Lance Armstrong drop Bradely Wiggins but on the decent he caught his teammate Kloden. Lance Armstrong tried to pace Kloden to the line. Perfect racing tactics from a team oriented man who is working for the interests of the team, not of the rider, himself. Something Alberto Contador and Garmin Slipstream should use as a training guide.

Enjoy the Tour everyone!

Pat McQuaid; Assume Some Responsibility

The 2009 Tour de France has had some unexpected turns but nothing seemed more fitting than watching Tom Boonen hit the deck after touching wheels on wet pavement during Stage 6. Boonen was probably thinking of free basing another huge rock of crack cocaine and firing up the pipe, not about racing his bike. Indeed. Tom Boonen, got an unexpected reprieve from the Court of Arbitration of Sport after testing positive for recreational cocaine use. Apparently there is no prohibition of cocaine use by riders out-of-competition. Therefore neither the ASO or the UCI has any legal basis to exclude this miscreant from the Tour de France. This is very good news for people who make a profession out of stealing bicycles to sell to a Mexican drug cartels for crack cocaine. Once your bicycle is traded for cocaine, the group sets are stripped and sold on Craigs' list or E-Bay and the frames are chopped into bits and sold as scrap metal. Tom Boonen is probably the cycling hero of these thieves. Some fans of Tom Boonen probably think there is nothing better in life than depriving people who rely upon cycling as their primary form of transportation and recreation, people who don't own cars, of their bicycles, for drugs.

The UCI and Results Management

This raises issues that should have been resolved long ago about the results management of rider behavior and who should be responsible for punishment of offenses. In my opinion the UCI has abdicated this responsibility in favor of WADA and the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

When a rider submits a sample for testing, once the urine or blood is collected it becomes the property of the UCI. Therefore, the management of the sample becomes the responsibility of the UCI, not WADA or the AFLD. In theory, the UCI could refuse to allow any WADA accredited lab to do any testing on a UCI licensed rider.

The UCI could refuse to accept any extra legal judgements of UCI licensed riders as was done to Floyd Landis. Floyd Landis was licensed in the United States and was suspended by USA cycling upon the decision of the Court of Arbitration of Sport. The AFLD also forced Floyd Landis to sign an agreement to suspend racing in France for two years. The AFLD action probably had no legal basis for this suspension.

In theory, the UCI could exclude the Court of Arbitration of Sport and any or all related International Olympic Committee entities from participating in UCI licensed rider results management. The basis for this exclusion would be related to the property issue. The UCI could argue that since they are the legal owners of the samples that arbitration of rider results could occur outside of IOC jurisdiction.

Pierre Bordry Shoots His Mouth

The USA Today reported that Pierre Bordry has accused the UCI of lax testing for the 2009 Tour de France. Apparently Pierre Bordry thinks that when the AFLD was responsible for the testing during the 2008 Tour de France that rider testing was more thorough. Pat McQuaid denied Bordry's accusations as unfounded.

Quaint. In my opinion Pat Mcquaid should have been more forceful in his statement. First, the UCI has responsibility for the results management of the 2009 Tour de France. Second, the laboratory samples of Lance Armstrong are being tested 24/7 for all known substances and deviations in biological parameters. Lance Armstrong has provided the largest quantity of longitudinal biological passport data ever collected on one man in the history of the world. So, it is logical to conclude that if some variation exists that suggests performance enhancing drug use we will find it. Third, we are relying upon a WADA accredited laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry, known as one of the most unreliable and lax testing intuitions in the world. Perhaps it would be more prudent if Mr. Pierre Bordry would spend his time and money on monitoring the accreditation audits and reviewing the training and competence of the laboratory personnel of LNDD rather than accusing the UCI of lax testing schedules for UCI licensed riders. Fourth, providing that there is any urine and blood left after the rigorous testing of Lance Armstrong during and presumably after the Tour de France, there is still a matter of retroactive testing to be done after developing future tests to detect experimental drug combinations or to refine testing procedures of performance enhancing compounds that currently have no tests; before the statute of limitations run out. Eight years is plenty of time.

Watch the Tour

Pat McQuaid should give this advice to Pierre Bordry. Shut up and watch the Tour de France! Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushvold are in a battle royal for the sprint jersey. Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are fighting each other for the race lead. This race may not be decided until Mont Ventoux! Wonderful!

Like the Giro d' Italia there may be no Tour de France PED positive tests, perish the thought.

Enjoy the Tour everyone!

Somebody Stole My Bike

There are those cyclists who have had their bicycles stolen and those who will. Like death and taxes this is an inevitable fact of life. Over a million bicycles are stolen in the United States each year and only twenty percent are ever recovered.

Being an old hand at the cycling game I thought I had all of the bases covered. Ride and old bike when commuting not your precious Cannondale Six-Thirteen. Park your bike in a visible area with allot of pedestrian traffic. Do not use an old Kryptonite U lock with a barrel key as these locks can be picked with a Bic pin, including some older barrel lock Kryptonite New York locks. Older U locks with barrel locks should be replaced with U locks with flat keys. All cables can be cut with a bolt cutter and should be avoided.

Sounds like good advice. But keeping honest people honest will not stop a determined bicycle thief from taking your bicycle. Cyclists try to protect their bicycles from thieves so they think like a thief would think. "Unbreakable" U locks are a figment of the imagination. My cycling friends have told me a dozen of ways to break them in a matter of seconds. Of course, I have no intention of sharing this information.

Keep a good description of your bike and record the serial number in case it is stolen. If your bike is stolen file a report with the police. Your bike will be entered in a national stolen bike registry in case some one tries to pawn it or if your Local Bike Shop runs the serial number.

My stolen bike is a 1989 KHS Touring Bike.

Top Tube: Blue
Chain Stays: Blue. One chain stay has a black chain protector labelled "Sun Tour Equipped."
Seat Stays: Blue.
Front Forks: Gray. KHS painted the forks gray. Under the paint the forks are chrome.
Seat Tube: Gray.
Down Tube: Blue.
Derailleurs: Sun Tour Alpha 5000
Chain Wheel: Sugino 52-42
Free Hub: Shimano Hyperglide 13-15-17-19-21-24-28 Seven Speed
Chain: Shimano HG 110 links
Brakes: DiaComp Deluxe
Brake Hoods: Black (factory issue)
Hubs: Shimano Parallax
Wheels: Vapor (silver)
Tires: Cosmos Cycle Cross 25X700c.
Down Tube Shifters: Sun Tour Alpha 5000
Water bottle cages: Avenier (2) Silver, Blue
Handle bars: Bulls horns (factory issue)
Decals: Missing
Frame: Decal missing: probably a Tang. Cro-Moly Steel
Handle bar tape: White
Pedals: Campagnolo clones (quill)
Saddle: Viscount
Skewers: Shimano
Saddle Bag: Planet Bike (black). Contains two spare 700c tubes, two tire irons, one six inch Crescent wrench.)
Helmet: Gray Bell helmet with silver stripes. (stolen with the bike)
Cable: (stolen with the bike)
Padlock: Master Number 1 pin tumbler. (stolen with the bike)
Serial Number: M5H43403
Case Number: U of U Police Department: 09-809

Stolen from the South side bicycle rack of the University of Utah Medical School on June 13, 2009 between 1300 and 1800 hours Mountain Standard Time.

Velo Vortmax is offering a reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who stole this bike. Forward all information to velovortmax@yahoo.com or call your local police department. This bicycle is on a national stolen bicycle registry. I will add a photo of this bicycle to my blog soon.

Of course, this bike will never be recovered. My stupidity lies in the fact that I figured that nobody would be interested in a twenty year old bike that I bought for twenty dollars. Wrong. Some people will steal anything. Take nothing for granted.

Update:  I recommend to everyone to keep detailed records of your bicycle and photographs before the bicycle is stolen.  I also recommend that your records be foolproof  to prevent possible miscreants (both criminal and of the legal variety) from accusing you of stealing your own property.  I have rebuilt bicycles I have found in the city clean up piles, thrown away as junk, I have been given bicycles by people, but I have never been felt compelled to steal a bicycle, and I resent people who claim that I have.  So fuck you asshole!

The UCI Must Abandon LNDD and WADA

Current Red Flag: The "Whistle Blower" Documents

The latest news of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) head Pierre Bordry seeking an international arrest warrant of Arnie Baker and Floyd Landis to testify to issues related to alleged hacking of LNDD computer networks by Kargus Consultants should be the last straw for the International Cycling Union (UCI). If the "whistle blower" documents are validated in a French court as authentic and not forgeries, then this would end a long trail of misdeeds by LNDD. The "whistle blower" documents are provided by Arnie Baker in the Floyd Landis wiki defense "What's Fair is Clear Slide Show." The "whistle blower" documents provide a history of mis-identification of athletes and an organized attempt by LNDD to destroy evidence to obstruct judicial inquiries. If the content of "whistle blower" documents prove to be valid and correct; not some deranged fabrication by a demented author, then this should be the last straw even for the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA). The WADA laboratory located at Chatenay-Malabry, France should immediately lose it's accreditation and be subjected to a judicial inquiry by anti-corruption Judge Tom Cassuto.

WADAwatch has written a brilliant argument of the Kargus Consultants LNDD hacking incident. WADAwatch insists that Pierre Bordry must prove that the contents of the "whistle blower" documents are authentic in court; a mere belief or assertion of the factual basis of these arguments by the AFLD is not enough to establish a crime. Therefore, Pierre Bordry would have to provide to the court not only the author of the documents but other witnesses who were responsible for the original mis-identification of athletes and the people who requested that the lab document packages of these mis-identified athletes be destroyed by LNDD. Until the AFLD fulfills these requirements WADAwatch insists that neither Floyd Landis or Arnie Baker need comply with the AFLD request to appear for interrogation since the basis of a crime of hacking has not been established.

Pierre Bordry and the AFLD should heed the parable of "give them enough rope." The AFLD is doing more to discredit LNDD than Arnie Baker could ever do by highlighting alleged mis-deeds of LNDD in the "What's Fair is Clear Slide Show." If Judge Cassuto requires the AFLD to meet the requirements outlined by WADAwatch then the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will have no other choice but to revoke LNDD's accreditation and the International Cycling Union (UCI) will have no other choice but to find another laboratory to do testing for the 2009 Tour de France.

Historical Precedent: Red Flag. The Vrijman Report.

The UCI has had plenty of warnings about LNDD and has ignored them to the peril of athletes world wide. In the Vrijman Report Emile Vrijman made the following statement in reference to the assertion that Lance Armstrong and six other athletes had tested positive for traces of r-EPO during the 1999 Tour de France.

1.15 "The results reported by the LNDD that found their way into the L'Equipe article are not what they have been represented to be. They did not involve proper testing of urine samples, as explained in this report. While the testing conducted may have been useful for research purposes-which remains to be determined-the failure of the underlying research to comply with any applicable standard and the deficiencies in the report render it completely irresponsible for anyone involved in doping control testing to even suggest that the analyses results that were reported constitute evidence of anything. To suggest in any way that any of the analyses results could properly be associated with a particular rider or riders, is misleading and constitutes as least gross negligence, given the complete absence of an internal or external chain of custody, proper record keeping and security with respect to the urine samples from the 1998 and the 1999 Tours de France that were tested, and the absence of any protection against samples having been spiked with r-EPO or contamination by other samples.

The investigation recommends the UCI to refrain from initiating any disciplinary actions whatsoever regarding those riders alleged to have been responsible for causing one or more alleged 'positive' findings, on the basis of the confidential reports of the LNDD 'Recherche EPO Tour de France 1998' and 'Recherche EPO Tour de France 1999' and to inform all the riders involved that no action will be taken based on research testing by the LNDD."

Emile Vrijman's concerns about the validity of the 1998-1999 Tour de France rEPO results were amplified by statements made by Montreal WADA accredited laboratory director Dr. Christiane Ayotte in a August 23, 2005 VeloNews article. "Ayotte was extremely surprised at her laboratory 'that urine samples could have been tested in 2004 and have revealed the presence of EPO. EPO in its natural state on the synthesized version- is not stable in urine, even if stored at -20 degrees Celsius. EPO is a protein hormone and it is not stable in urine, even when kept frozen.'" Given this caveat by Christiane Ayotte it is impossible to understand how synthetic r-EPO isoforms could measure 100% from the 1999 Tour de France prologue test even if the Lance Armstrong sample was spiked in 1999. A far better explanation would be that the 1999 prologue sample was tampered with in 2004 by someone who had knowledge of the anti-doping report form number assigned to the sample and displayed on the bottle. Emile Vrijman reported that the anti-doping report form numbers were coded on the bottles at the time the tests were conducted; at the insistence of WADA president Dick Pound.

More to come.