A mess....played out on Twitter

First Bicycle Magazine reports that 60 Minutes reports George Hincape told Federal investigators that he saw Lance Armstrong dope

Then Hincape comes back with this:

I can confirm to you I never spoke with "60 Minutes." I have no idea where they got their information.

and this:

As for the substance of anything in the "60 Minutes" story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation.

In short, another doping related mess.

Not surprising when you're dealing with a doping investigation, where even the authorities make a habit of ignoring the rule of law in order to get a conviction.

I'm a George Hincape fan, doping or not. I'm also a Lance Armstrong fan, doping or not. What I'm not a fan of are doping agencies trying to legislate events that occurred years prior without a shred of physical evidence.

A mess. Like it always is.

And you thought overtrained athlete's syndrome was a bad excuse....

.......try "it was the steak" defense on for size....


(Contador blames bad meat for positive doping test, Ciaran Giles and John Leicester, AP via ChronBlog Sports)

Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador blamed contaminated steak for his positive doping test, vowing Thursday to clear his name so that cycling's latest drug scandal doesn't "destroy everything that I have done."

The Spanish rider was provisionally suspended after a World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Germany found a "very small concentration" of the banned substance clenbuterol in his urine sample on July 21 at the Tour, according the International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body.

Amazingly, unlike overtrained athlete's syndrome, there is some scientific evidence that this type of drug contamination is possible.

However, the hurdle that Contador must still climb is why none of his teammates tested positive for the same substance. Especially Alexsander Vinikorov, who was coming back from a drug ban and is, behind Lance Armstrong, one of the most tested riders in the peleton.




When evaluating drug cheat accusations the simplest explenation is often the most likely.....they took the drug. That's why so many suspensions are upheld upon appeal.

Even Floyd Landis, who had some solid science behind him explaining his reults, turned out to be a drug cheat. Will Contador? Time will tell, but don't be surprised if his Tour win is vacated in the near future.

Clever

Meet Team Radio Shack 2010:

Breaking the rules in the name of National Arrogance

I've long maintained that the French Anti-doping organizations are dirty, the rest of the World is finally realizing this.

[AP via Chron.com]

The head of world cycling on Friday accused France’s anti-doping agency of unprofessional and “disturbing” behavior after it released a report saying Lance Armstrong did not fully cooperate with a drug tester.

The French agency, known as AFLD, said it could punish the seven-time Tour de France champion for not remaining in sight of the doctor conducting a test on his hair, urine and blood on March 17.

No banned substances were found and Armstrong has denied misbehaving, claiming that he was allowed to take a shower during a 20-minute delay.

While the tests fell outside the International Cycling Union’s jurisdiction, Armstrong received the organization’s backing on Friday.

“The fact (is) the test was done and was a matter of fact reported by Lance Armstrong himself on Twitter,” UCI president Pat McQuaid told the BBC. “Then the French authorities decided to make up a report on the testing procedure, forward it to the UCI — knowing that the UCI have no jurisdiction in this case — and at the same time that report has leaked to the press.

“So I would have to question why is that the case? I would have to say that the French are not acting very professionally in this case.”

Add to this past indiscretions regarding Lance, and their deplorable behavior during the Floyd Landis debacle, and you have an organization that's using anti-doping hysteria as a political tool to mask the deficiencies of their Nation's premier cyclists.

It's too bad that the greatest bike race in the land has come under the control of a group of seemingly unscrupulous, vindictive managers.

What are the chances this tests clean?

The French go after Armstrong's hair...

[AP via Chron.com]

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong submitted a hair sample for a surprise doping test in France.

The French anti-doping agency Wednesday published hair test results suggesting widespread use among French athletes of DHEA, a banned substance that can be used to boost testosterone levels.

Armstrong was approached for a hair sample Tuesday in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, where he is training, AFLD chief Pierre Bordry said. This was the first time the AFLD has tested Armstrong since he came back to cycling.

“He needs to know that he is like everyone else,” Bordry said. “To have done this test yesterday was a good way to make him realize that he is like everyone else.”

Anti-doping authorities have not traditionally examined hair samples, instead focusing on urine and blood tests. Hair tests are allowed under French law but not under regulations of cycling’s governing body UCI.

“Yet another ‘surprise’ anti-doping control. 24th one. This one from the French. Urine, blood, and hair!” Armstrong wrote on his Twitter feed Tuesday.

“So I’m clear — never complaining about these tests,” he added. “Anything to prove I’m clean.”

Doping accusations, especially from the AFLD, have dogged Armstrong since the beginning of his run to a record seven straight Tour de France victories. He has never tested positive. He plans to compete in this year’s Tour after a three-year hiatus from cycling.

There's also been questionable results and phantom "B" samples that wouldn't hold up in any court, no matter how flimsy the standard of evidence.

Many French, Including the Mensa's at L'Equipe have never accepted the FACT that the greatest cyclist of all time is an American. Because of this they are willing to do anything to prove he is tainted.

The question they are ignoring however is this: Even IF Lance Armstrong, at one time, did EPO or some other substance, how illegitimate are his wins if everyone he was competing against was using the same stuff?

Of course, until something is proven that's not even an issue.




By "proven" I mean tested in an independent lab using strict, accepted, chain of custody and anti-tampering safeguards. Sorry, but a French agency with an agenda doesn't qualify. We already saw how much they're willing to break the rules in the Floyd Landis case.