The Plot Thickens
 

This is just idiotic.

yep. cnn international reported it about an hour ago.

It's really hard not to think that French officials don't have it in for Lance. They should kiss his ass and pay him a million friggin Euro we-hope-you-actually-make-an-appearance fee for even announcing he's doing their stupid race considering that fact that such news will boost the interest in the event 100% globally.

Doping Schmoping. Somebody should send these Frog Morons to Economics 101.

Yeah, pretty damn idiotic. I can't understand why these agencies are allowed to operate without any oversight. They can basically do whatever they want, it's ridiculous.

"AFLD said cycling's governing body has given its permission to open disciplinary procedures against Armstrong, but did not say what the punishment could be."

So what could it be?

Armstrong's response yesterday:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...pr09/apr08news

Im with the French, Lance brings back bad old memories to them and deserves to be treated under a cloud of suspicion. Lance should have stayed retired.. Anybody with 2 cents worth of common sense could sniff out that the guy probably used some kind of dope.. He evaded it and came out the winner. His return just puts him back in the ring as the big doper who got away with it rather than a retired star promoting his favorite charity.Hes not bigger than the sport nor race and the fact that they would take away his titles in a heart beat if they could shows that.

They're looking for smart guys like you @ Le Tour de France Thinke Tanke. Get your resume together.

P.S. Lance may not be bigger than cycling, but Texas is.

Wow. I had always thought he kept his hair that short by choice.

You missed the point.

Woo-hoo! Does this mean we can stop bumping BD threads?

Maybe you missed the part where all his samples, including the hair samples, were clean...and the fact that it was his 24th unannounced testing since the fall.

I'm not putting it out of the realm of possibility that he doped, but the massive evidence of clean tests over his career indicate otherwise. Its also pretty clear that the French anti-doping community has lots of flaws, and an unabashed agenda against LA.

Isn't there a Lance forum or a TdF forum where this stuff could be posted? Maybe it can go in the Lance twitter forum in the subcategory 'drug testing.' It's incomprehensible anyone can follow this sport anymore. Everyone involved seems to be a total flaming Ahole. From the directors, to the athletes to the promoters. It's perhaps the most sub par group of human beings in existence.

I can tell you that I started watching bicycle racing this year when I read Lance would be in the Tour of California. I think I have watched at least part of each race on steephill.tv

EDIT - This was intended to go under Barese's post, I am a slow typer

^^^
You my friend are rediculous, how many tests did he take? It was never proven that he doped, I am not saying I think he did or didn't. You even say probably, so based on your reasoning, every competitive rider during those years should not be in cycling? He takes all the tests, he has never been proven guilty, he is good for the sport. I am not the biggest Lance fan but he deserves to race if he still wants to and calling him a doper is not true.

they never should have let the press guys start running the show.

I wonder what the standard delay is for unannounced tests. Is 20 minutes out of the norm?

Right on the money.

All Floyd's tests were clean until they weren't.

Someone there twisting your arm, or is it the tourette's?

My prediction is 4 pages by 5:00 PM CDT.

There is a protocol to how this is done, and the testers carry specific identification to make it obvious and clear that they are who they say they are. Based on Lance's account, this was not the case. Since there are nutjobs all over the world, he was 100% right to check this out. And it appers he has witnesses, not the least of which was Bruyneel.

There's nothing he could do in 20 minutes in a shower to alter the results of a test.

Good Lord this is stupid.

BTW...this is the same level of professionalism exhibited by the people that handled Landis' samples.

BTWII...it's really fun to urinate in front of a tester. Especially if you are dehydrated.

The timing of all this, now that there is a question on if Lance is going to make an appearance in the Tour, seems like the organizers of the Tour along with the anti-doping organizations are jumping up and down screaming like brat "LOOK AT ME!! LOOK AT ME!!"

If Lance did dope, and he somehow avoided detection all these years, with the improvements in testing (and increased numbers, etc etc), the risk of coming back to get caught now would be enormous to Lance. He's got his legacy as a racer, the image of his LiveStrong foundation, and who knows how many endorsements and other business ventures which would be severely damaged if he were to test positive now. I don't buy it. I don't see anything wrong with how Lance handled the situation, seeing how bad leaks are coming out of the French labs in the best of situations, it would only be natural to verify who this yahoo was and what authority he had before letting him take off with samples of Lance's blood urine and hair.

tourette's.

I am John Galt

Bruyneel would be the least reliable or objective witness. And good question: is there something someone could do in 20 minutes to skew the test? I would think the hair would still have traces, but then again, he has short hair...still in all, he tested clean.

Just wanted to see the reaction of Pcad and followers..

Very predictable.

Me I could care less, Lance and the French are old news.

befuddling

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...le_turrets.jpg

You do see the disconnect right? There is no "until they weren't" with Lance. I get your point though...keep scruitinizing until proof is found. You would think after the guy won 3 in a row some of the shroud of suspicion would be removed after being the most tested athelete of all time.
The thing I love about Lance and no he is far from perfect as we all are is...he puts himself in that arena knowing going in what he is going to get. The french will do everything in their power to thwart him from winning and have done so since he has won consecutively early on. Gotta love Lance's resolve to dominate. The guy will just not knuckle under given any circumstances....the ultimate warrior....genetically more gifted and works harder than anybody and likely smarter than most.

Not sure if this is the 1st of 24 tests to be conducted by a French organization, but it seems to me quite wierd that through all those tests there was never a problem with his cooperation until the French have to conduct the test.

If it wasn't obvious before, I think it is clear that the French just have it in for LA. Apparently they can't let go of the past and the fact he has "never" tested positive and now are fearful that LA may come back and win another TdF. I'ts obvious as PCad said that LA is great for the sport. More people watch when he is involved just as more people watch golf when Tiger is playing.....just to see what they can do.