Well, well, well. Looks like the fireworks have started going off ahead of the Fourth of July, with the much rumored Wall Street Journal article finally hitting the newsstands and the web.
At first glance, the article is stunning in the detail it provides about Floyd Landis’ experiences at the top of the sport, as well as his account of the behind the scenes efforts taken to ensure Lance Armstrong’s Tour victories during at least three of the seven Tours de France the Texan won. I’ll be back in a day or two with some more detailed commentary, take the time to read the article and come back and weigh in on the story.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
There were certainly some surprises. The smashing of the goblet. The hooker party (which seems uncharacteristic for both Lance and Floyd, but what do I know). The bikes for dope angle is new (to me). It also seemed odd that Floyd is saying here he just did it for the money, where other pictures of Floyd made it sound more like he was just interested in advancing to the next level, but not so much for the money.
We are still not seeing corroboration on the really big details, but we are seeing more and more corroboration on the little stuff. As these tangential details are all verified, Floyd’s credibility rises. And more general corroboration like that from Chad Gerlach also helps him.
One thing I’ve been really curious about, but haven’t talked about, is which riders are denying. It seems obvious to me that riders who are now cooperating with the investigation are unlikely to be denying to the press, knowing what is coming. So it’s interesting that I see no denial here from Leipheimer. It’s also interesting that Zabriskie isn’t in here at all, as well as the fact that he’s had absolutely nothing to say about this publicly, as far as I can tell. I’d like to see a scorecard of everyone who’s caught in Floyd’s net, what they’ve been accused of, and what their public response has been.
But to save the best for last, I find it shocking that everyone seems to be missing the point (well, my point anyway). If all this is true, if doping has been this widespread, and everyone’s getting away with it, and they only “caught” Floyd because their test was wrong, shouldn’t the lead story not be Floyd and Lance? Shouldn’t it be the obvious and colossal failure of the international anti-doping system?
If there’s anything we need to burn down and rebuild from scratch, it’s that.
tom
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120 bikes given by Trek. 60 are sold. Transactions for the bike sales are traceable, albeit possibly hard to track down. But if it was posted online, ebay, whatever.. there is a record of it.. John Doe’s check, paypal, etc.. heck, the Trek guy said he saw some online and that’s why they changed the contract that the bikes goto junior racers after the main season. So that portion can be proven, that they sold bikes intended to be raced.
so, lets do the math.
60 bikes
@ 10k a pop, we’re looking at $600,000
@ 20k a pop, we’re looking at $1.2 million
where did the $600k-$1.2m go? Bruyneel? got any receipts? maybe some gold plated dura-ace bolts? cokadacain stripper parties for Lance? (of course, Lance just went along, it was for the team… you know.. let em cut loose). If we can get some more proof on the bike sales.. which is out there.. then how will Bruyneel answer that question?
But here’s an interesting analogy from LA:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-hits-back-at-landis-accusations-in-the-wall-street-journal
My reaction to LA’s “sour milk” comment was: well…yeah. FL is not only sour, but bitter. That’s the whole point, dude.
Give this some thought: if Novitsky sends subpoenas to Kristen Armstrong and Cheryl Crowe, just what would they say to a grand jury? Think there are confidentiality provisions in the divorce decree involving the former? And you think the latter can afford some pricey lawyers? And hey, didn’t the latter date Eric Clapton? Doesn’t he have an interesting (chemical) past?
Wait for it…
“I haven’t been to church since I don’t remember when
Things were going great til I believed in you.
So I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do
He said you can’t go hatin’ others
Who have done wrong to you.
Sometimes we get angry but we must not condemn
Let the good Lord do his job, you just PRAY for them
I pray your brakes go out runnin’ down a hill
I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill
And knocks you in the head like I’D LIKE TO
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you’re flyin’ high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are, FRAUD LANDIS, I pray for you”
And if you don’t know what to do now, HERE’S a thought – get off your ass, get a job & PAY ME & ALL THE OTHER DEFRAUDED ONE-TIME BELIEVERS THEIR FREAKIN MONEY BACK!
The bike business is intriguing; obviously bikes were sold off, Trek found out and changed the contract to stop that. But what happened with the money from the sales and can it be tracked? I can think of some possible uses that might not be illegal or contrary to UCI/WADA rules that team officials might not have wanted to be public knowledge: stripper parties comes to mind. If the bikes were sold on eBay, there certainly would be a paper trail to some extent, and unless the buyer actually meet the seller, there would be no way for a purely cash transaction. This could also open up the door for the IRS to get involved, such a sale would result in income which should have been reported. Ask Al Capone about the IRS.
What about checking the records at that hotel where the hallway was allegedly blocked off while riders got transfusions? Were extra rooms above and beyond the team needs booked? Or do teams routinely reserve an extra room or two for team meetings or the like?
To me, what is intriguing about Landis’ allegations are that they are very specific and detailed, rather than the generalities offered up by some others. Doesn’t make them necessarily any truer, but it does offer details which potentially be corroborated or disproved.
I agree, cash would pose a problem.. if asking price online is 20k, and there is history of that.. even though cash was exchanged, you probably have a trail of who bought it, look at their bank account before they took out the 20k.. its difficult (possibly not feasible), but the data is there in one form or another.. if you can track down 10 of the 60, you probably have a case.
Tom,
I think you’ve hit on a major point, one of the elephants in the room is that by and large the tests don’t work. And yet, no one in the MSM is really following up on that angle. There are other points to be made, too, that most in the MSM are missing. But I’ll save that for my next post.
I missed the above quote on the first read through. 3 other riders confirmed doping on US Postal and 1 admitted to doping. Wonder who the other 3 are and which one admitted doping. Walker Ferguson is quoted and referred to by name later in the article. Maybe he is 1 of the 3. That quote seemed huge to me.
These were special bikes that Trek made for team use and they didn’t want them on the open market. I am sure that even if the funds were used to say, provide extra bonuses for riders or perhaps the support staff, or any other legitimate use, they still would object.
Of course, it is possible that they were aware of or suspected the money was being used for illicit purposes and acted accordingly.
I’m perfectly OK with letting the Federal investigators and prosecutors get on with their jobs, and when they have something to publish, I’ll look at it. They have a lot of work ahead of them, and they get paid to do the legal research, so why should I duplicate their efforts? One thing you can have for free, though; the spousal privilege is based on status, as determined under state law, and cannot be extended by contract after the cessation of the marriage. Although I don’t know why that came up, or how Sheryl Crow’s name got dragged into the discussion.
I keep a commonplace book of curious stories and events in cycling, and on one page there’s a list of topics I’d like to see the cycling press investigate. It’s seemed obvious to me that there’s a black/gray market in team bicycles. For instance, there were mass thefts before the 2007 world championships, and then QuickStep got hit again before Lombardy. Bike thefts and unauthorized bike sales are more common than you’d think. I read about this from time to time and I’m always surprised that journalists don’t find it remarkable or worthy of investigation. Maybe it’s classed with mass crashes — “Oh, well, that’s bike racing” — but I’d like to see someone look into this.
On the other hand, it is not all that uncommon for civil cases to include a confidentiality clause prohibiting the parties involved to discuss things about the cases and/or parties involved. I believe that the suites that LA has filed against some of the people that have accused him of doping had such clauses in them, so we don’t really know how these cases were settled, other than for the fact that the accusers seem to have gone silent, and I believe that LA did get a bonus that was involved in one of the cases. I have heard of such clauses being included in divorce settlements. I don’t know whether they just cover issued involved in the case itself, or can extend to other issues.
On your comment: “Although I don’t know why that came up, or how Sheryl Crow’s name got dragged into the discussion.”
Some of the Landis allegations mention getting drugs transfers in front of his ex. So that is pertinent information to discuss and speculate against. However, agree on Crow, she wasn’t mentioned and doesn’t know anything about all this (that is speculation on my part, as she might know everything.. and possibly Ben Stiller too).. btw, I met her at a party once.. 2 degrees of separation (as opposed to the typical 6).
btw.. what constitutes a “founded” rumor vs. an “unfounded” rumor? Or when a rumor becomes proven, does that make it founded (but then it ceases to be a rumor).. and thus, all rumors, by definition.. are unfounded? heh
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I am surprised that the regular media haven’t followed up on the bikes sales over the years. I suspect a lot of things happen that don’t get reported, based on the “Oh, well, that’s bike racing” philosophy. Probably true in other sports, too.
Thanks for the quick primer on spousal privilege. Some stories suggest that Kristin Armstrong saw Lance hand over various items to riders on the USPS/Discovery teams, which is where the references to her probably come from.
I think the reason Sheryl Crow’s name came up is because she was Armstrong’s girlfriend and briefly his fiance. Whatever she might or might not know about his training methods, I suspect, is more speculation than anything. And certainly she hasn’t spoken publicly about Lance in a long while, at least as far as I can tell.
It was also said in the article that only the bikes Lance rode fetched $10K to $20K, so the amount of money they could get from 60 bikes might be closer to $100K than $1M.
The more interesting part of the article to me was the insight into Floyd’s mindset and personality. He assumed everybody was doped and was ready and willing to dope himself before he ever got a job with Postal. He was definately not an innocent who was corrupted by getting involved with the wrong people. And at the time he left Postal I blamed Lance and Johan for the animosity with Floyd, but now I see their side of it. It sounds like Floyd was a bit of a whiner who grossly overestimated his value to the team.
It’s interesting that Phonak didn’t have a doping program when Floyd joined them. So is (was) everybody doping or not? I still have no clue, other than I’m sure it is more widespread than I though it was 3 or 4 years ago.
I don’t know what SOP is across the pro cycling business regarding team bikes, but clearly Trek wasn’t happy about the sale of the bikes. Whether or not was because they knew or suspected the funds obtained were being used for dope is at this time only speculation.
If this is a fairly standard practice, and the funds are usually used for more or less legitimate purposes (even if the bike company isn’t happy about it), then there probably is little reason for MSM to pick up on it: it’s not juicy.
TBV
Whatever the reason, selling half of the yearly allotment from your bikes sponsor seems a bit foolhardy, at the very least.
On a different note, watching the TdF this morning, Phil made a comment that LA has someone make up a special concoction to replace minerals sweated out, custom made for his body alone. Will this stir up more rumors?
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4837/Tour-de-France-OCLAESP-investigation-from-2009-still-ongoing.aspx
So lets say they are tested, it matches.. they could always say they were framed.. still not caught in the act.. anyone has access to the garbage.. wonder how this one will go
Then there is the possibility of getting samples by subterfuge: pick a water bottle tossed away, or a glass from a restaurant. Whether or not such would be usable in a court is another question, but I believe that in the US, such things are done from time to time. At a minimum, such would give you an idea of whether or not you were barking up the right tree.
Seems ironic Verbruggen is being credited with a pair of email communications sent to Floyd with content that some might consider and attempt to intimidate or harass. Maybe it’s just HV’s way of keeping the discussion going? YMMV……..
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/07/10/2010-07-10_disgraced_floyd_landis_rides_alone.html
Tends to indicate there are not many deep thinkers in the governance/leadership segments of professional cycling or the IoC. Either that or the bright lights are keeping conspicuously quiet.
I blame Johan for the 12 minute loss on this one..
LA had a very bad wreck at exactly 5k to the start of a Cat 1 climb.. one of 2 cat 1 climbs, second having a summit finish. This stage was key to time for the GC folks. Knowing that the tempo is already extermely high, and with two super human efforts of climbing ahead, I think JB made a bad call by having the boys chase the peloton just 5k from the start.. LA said he was pegged/full steam just to catch up.. that to me sounds like a horrible execution.. when you put the hammer down just before you need to put the sledgehammer down.. something is going to fall apart.
First off.. the wind breaking factors are not as apparent at slower speeds of a steep climb, so catching the peloton b4 the first climb.. in order to “sit in” isn’t necessarily going to help that much.. the drafting portion is still there though.. so the RS guys “should” have just matched the peloton speed (2-3 minutes back, or whatever they were).. and just maintain that distance for the duration of the 5k and the climb.. then, if possible, do some kamikazi downhilling to reel in the peloton on that decent.. 1 or 2 minutes.. whatever you can muster..
taking it a little easier after a 65km crash like that.. is something the body needs.. its in shock.. and you need just a tad bit of time to let it refocus..
Next.. food and water intake.. the camera was on lance a good amount of time.. the fact that he bonked on the second climb was not his fault.. again he’s stunned from the crash and having to chase.. he’s thinking about other things other than drinking and eating.. that’s where JB and his team need to force him to take stuff down.. If he had not rushed to bring in the peloton @ the 5k to climb mark, things like that could have been focused on..
Now to hang back and do this.. would have taken an extreme effort from Horner and the other RS boys.. they obviously had the gas in them to at least pull him up the first cat1 without the comfort of the peloton.. so they had the gas to stay back, do tempo pace.. floor it on the decent.. then see what you can maintain on the final climb with a least some things lined up..
So.. ya.. I blame Johan. If Johan would have come thru tactics wise.. instead of trying to make the loss zero.. and maybe allowing a minute or 2.. focus on maintaining and getting food in.. it would have made all the difference in the world.. LA would still be sitting back.. but not 12 minutes back..
Seems like a reasonable analysis. Years ago, my coach told me never to try and chase down a group on an uphill, but rather to use the downhill as the place to make up time.
And you’re absolutely right, if Armstrong and his compatriots would have been gassed just to catch before the climb, they would have been wasting precious energy that they needed just to get up the mountain. Much better to maintain their distance and try to catch on the downhill run. And the time lost wouldn’t have been nearly so unmanageable.
Big tactical mistake on JB’s part.
And on a different note: could we see a big attack by LA later on in and all-or-nothing attempt to get into the yellow? Seems to me I recall someone who did such after bonking and losing big time. LA has said the Tour is over for him, but he is the master of mind games.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/07/10/2010-07-10_disgraced_floyd_landis_rides_alone.html
At the bottom of page two:
“(and [Verbruggen] told the Daily News his e-mails to Landis were borne of frustration over what he calls a false accusation)”
So yes, it appears these emails have been verified by the man himself.
tom