Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

Lance Armstrong went on Larry King Live last night to talk about the doping allegations that were printed in L’Equipe. Armstrong was in New York with Bob Costas while Larry King was in Washington. Armstrong appeared annoyed at the allegations, but was relaxed overall. The main issues about this doping revelation as L’Equipe would like to say are:

1) The tests violated several WADA codes. Namely, when a test is conducted, there should be two samples. If there is one sample, it is used for testing purpises only and the rider must be notified before the test is carried out. Plus, the test results have to remain anonymous as the rider in question does nat have any way to counter the allegations.
2) It is uncertain when the tests were carried out, and what kind of security the samples had during that time. Armstrong made a point several times during the interview that he thought the samples were tampered with before testing.
3) There is doubt about the EPO test in general which s why they were testing with old samples.
4) Armstrong pointed out that out of 17 samples taken during the Tour in 1999 that only six gave a positive result. Armstrong pointed out that If EPO was present then all of the samples should be positive.

Those are some quick points that Armstrong discussed during the interview. I am sure that with a good lawyer there would be many more issues brought up. Armstrong said that he is on the fence about bringing this matter to court because he is not sure who to bring the case against. Would he sue the French Lab? WADA, or L’Equipe?

The test results are out of the realm of normal test results and cannot be used to penalize Armstrong in any way since there is no B sample and so many WADA guidelines were violated. So Armstrong cannot lose his 1999 win, and can’t be penalized especially since he is retired.

In the end the interview turned jovial as Larry King asked if he plans to marry Sheryle Crow. Armstrong even fielded a question on how he would split time between being a roadie for Sheryl Crow and seeing his kids.

Velochimp’s analysis:
This doping issue seems likely to go away for Lance is most circles except for in France. Most Americans don’t care about this issue except for people who really did not like Lance. There are enough code violations in the testing process where the result can be ignored. This will serve as an argument to have in French cafes in the future, Did Lance cheat or not cheat? My view is that in 1999 he really did not need to win. The scandal the previous year must have had most riders on edge. Armstrong already had a near death experience, so why would he risk his life again with EPO which was known to cause several deaths already? Plus, Armstrong gained a tremendous advantage by losing quite a bit of weight during his cancer treatment. He had a power to weight increase of 18%. This helps explain his increased performance for the Tour. Lance Armstrong in pre-cancer days was already a top level cyclist. Give any top level cyclist an 18% power to weight increase and you will see a huge performance increase, probably more than what you would see with EPO.
In the end, L’Equipe may look bad for violating several drug testing codes simply to get a sensational story printed.

Armstrong `Sono vittima di una congiura`