Friday, January 25, 2013

UCI less latest !

This Blog Post was in the " draft " section , since Nov 2011 ! On reading it , it seems to be " Same old " , year by year for UCI less !


" UCI less latest "

FIRED ! Now we find that this recently dismissed person left a sting in the tail !   5 “ dopers files “ are found , after this departure from UCI HQ !

My comment to the “ mushroom farm ( CNF ) ” :

“ What is this thread ? 20 guesses ? Does it matter who the FIVE are ?

Question is , Why was the person sacked by UCI ? Had it been for incompetence then why was All the work done by that person not audited to see what they had been involved with recently ? Would this have found the “ Missing Files “ earlier ? When some people leave a job because they are not doing it well would not the “ Supervisor” have concerns about the “ Quality “ of work done ? Perhaps a few more heads should roll?

UCIless appear to be an organisation that needs help to do even the most fundamental tasks and the sooner the “ IOC “ step in and sorts them out the better chance Cycling has to continue as an Olympic Sport beyond 2012 ! ”



Question is whether this guy , Hein , on the right , was running a competent organisation that was already on a slippery slope Or whether this guy , below , could do a better job ?



Some time back there was discussion about whether Cycling should continue to be an Olympic Sport because of the “ Doping Problems ” ! Whether Cycling can continue to be considered an Olympic Sport will largely depend on how it is managed in the Near Future and thus it is time that the hierarchy at UCI is replaced with those who can “ Bite the Bullet “ and face up to the reality that there are serious problems that neet to be addressed NOW ! To many UCI is short for “USELESS , COMPLACENT , INCOMPETENT “ !

Keep up the pretence Pat et alia and Cycling will be excluded from 2016 Olympics !
Share/Bookmark

" UCI IC " Derailment ?

If today's " Procedural Session of  UCI IC ", was an episode out of " Faulty Towers ", that TV Comedy , with phat taking the role , for which John Cleese is known to play , then today's session could not have been any more Comic ?  Originally scheduled for Tuesday , the " Procedural Hearing , was moved back to Today , Friday , due to the expectation that Heavy Snowfall in the London Region , last Tuesday would create Transport Chaos .

Only when i spotted the following Tweet , did i discover , why i was not seeing an earlier report of that hearing :
the Inner Ring ‏@inrng
Sounds like the UCI's Independent Commission has just been blown out of the water
https://twitter.com/richard_conway/s...55366577774592 …

On investigation of the tweet link i found a bunch of tweets over a period of a few hours . Read them , below , at the bottom of this blog post , starting from the last , to make sense of the timeline and goings on of the Hearing .

From seeing this tweet , i went to the CNF Clinic to see what was occuring there ! Nothing ! So i started the following thread :
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?p=1121658#post1121658

Some of the comments were of interest , others comic :


  "  I'm not sure why, but this scene from " A Few Good Men ", keeps springing to mind.

Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I'm entitled to.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Jessep: You can't handle the truth!  "

  "  "We're not trying to kill this inquiry. We set you up," Mill responded later in a heated exchange that led to him being told by Otton: "Please do not raise your voice."

Perhaps the bolded bit is all the UCI meant to say "


"  Nick Howson ‏@NickHowson

UCIIC hearing will be adjourned until Thursday 31 January to allow Wada, USADA and UCI to agree amnesty process.


Jacquelin Magnay ‏@jacquelinmagnay

Uci ind comm suspended til 31st January. And will decide to "vacate" the hearing at that time.  "

There has now been a " News Release / Bulletin " from " UCI IC " :


Would like to have been a fly on the wall , today , but the only winners , appear to have been the Counsell , for the various parties , since they are reputed to be receiving GBP1500 , for each day . My computer does not have the " Pound key "!

Those of us , keen to see the " UCI IC " , succeed in their endeavours , hope that they " Stand Firm " , cause the UCI , to give them ALL Documentation and cause UCI & WADA , to create the necessary "Regulations " required to set up the " Truth and Reconciliation Process " to enable the Panel to do the JOB , with which  they were Tasked !

As my readers will recall , i have created a number of " petitions " , asking for an " Amnesty " , since i feel sure that Current Racers , are unlikely to risk their careers , to provide the type of Evidence needed , to enable Cycling to move away from it's sullied past !

When you consider that these petitions , aimed at assisting the Racers , have been largely ignored by the public , it is reasonable to believe that the " Racers and Support Staff " , will not step out of the shadows , without reasonable assurances of " Anonimity "!



&



there was another Petition , created by members of CNF / clinic , that achieved several hundred supporters , but it has dropped out of sight .


An Eye witness to , Today's hearing , offered this comment :

  "  I went to the hearing.
 Some comments:

The UCI were fully lawyered up. I counted six alongside Pat on the UCI benches.

Anyone who doubts the independence of the commissioners is flat wrong. They were openly sceptical of the UCI and turned down UCIs request to put the process on hold, for now at least.

The UCIIC will probably eventually put the process on hold, but not until there is evidence that 
a) some form of T&R / amnesty procedure has been agreed with WADA and 
2) the process will continue to look at UCI behaviour in a reasonably short time period.
 They are pushing to evidence of these at next weeks hearing.

The commissioners did not understand why they had not received documents and were concerned that even you accept the UCIs reason about T&R replacign the currrent process, that excuse only really became valid a week ago when the amnesty discussion started.

UCIIC keen to have all three of USADA, WADA and CCN involved in the review, as they have both evidence and expertise.

At one point, Ian Mill regarding the T&R process said to the the commissioners something like "you have chosen to take the side of WADA and USADA".

UCI have only agreed to support T&R because UCIIC pushed them to do so. To be fair, they do have reasonable arguments abotu the length of time such a process will take, but they then seem to want to put everything else on hold while this was completed.

At least one current or former member of staff at UCI has volunteered to give evidence to UCIIC, but only on condition that UCI do not attempt to discipline him or her for e.g. breach of confidentiality. UCI gave verbal agreement to this.

UCI raised the cost of the process many times, and said that they would "partly fund" a T&R / amnestry process. This looks to me like the next defensive position for the UCI. They may refuse to go ahead with T&R until there is sufficient funding from other stakeholders."



START your reading of " Richard Conway Tweets ", from the bottom !


UCI lawyer to Armstrong panel:"We're not the bad guys here.We have a finite amount of money available to us..we're not like a football body"
 Retweeted by Richard Conway BBC
Expand   Reply  Retweet  Favorite  More
12m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI want panel suspended. Panel requesting docs. UCI say expense is reason for not releasing, esp if panel won't consider matters in the end
Expand
22m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCIIC says needs to be persuaded UCI not using truth and reconciliation disagreement to "kick into long-grass" allegations in USADA report.

Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI counsel - "why have two processes when you could have one?" Independent panel increasingly aghast at UCI position.
Expand   Reply  Retweet  Favorite  More
41m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI counsel responds by saying that "we're funding this process" as one reason why it won't release requested docs to independent panel.
Expand
43m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
Things heating up at UCIIC meeting. Panel demanding to UCI counsel to see documents. Say no documents provided by them to panel.
Expand
51m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
Truth and reconciliation process wouldn't begin until middle of year. UCI counsel says twelve months before all involved give evidence.
Expand
59m Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI plan update in March on progress towards wider truth and reconciliation process.

Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI say no amnesty can go ahead without changes to WADA code. No April hearing, no report in June. Commission they established neutralised.
Expand   Reply  Retweet  Favorite  More
1h Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI accept need for truth and reconciliation process but it must go wider, involve WADA. Say proposed UCIIC hearing in April can't go ahead.
Expand
1h Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI about to explain its position on amnesty and truth and reconciliation process.
Expand
1h Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
UCI counsel:3 week window for doping amnesty proposed. UCI declined. Strength of amnesty highlighted by Armstrong's statement he'd take part
Expand
1h Richard Conway BBC ‏@richard_conway
At UCI commission meeting. Lead counsel says it has met with "omerta" and without amnesty for witnesses evidence over doping will be limited




Found this gem today :








Share/Bookmark

Sunday, January 13, 2013

OPRAH WINFREY advised .


Oprah ,

As you awake this morning , your mind may well be dwelling on the upcoming interview with Lance ? Whether you decided to initiate the Interview , or Lance's Interests prompted the approach , is immaterial . There is a great deal of Speculation about how you will approach the questions that will be posed to Lance . Many people are wondering if you have the " Skillset " to go the Hard Yards needed to get the TRUE Answers , that the PUBLIC deserve , or will it be a " Tease " , setting up the situation where someone else will gather the accolades ?

Nobody is really interested in the Cosmetic setting , that Lance is providing , by using his personal home as the setting . This usually would be seen as putting YOU , under an obligation to " Soft Peddle " , with the questions , as well as allow Lance's family members to wander on to the scene . Your Female viewers will enjoy this scenario , however , with the amount of advance Publicity , it is apparent , that this is not the audience you are seeking , nor the purpose of this Event ?

By now you are aware  that there are many people that have a " Vested Interest " in seeing Lance , meet head-on with his moment of truth ! Over the years , you have had a number , of these types of Interviews , each has had it's own individual characteristics , and thus a variety of results . No point in me speculating about what either of you wish to see , as the outcomes of this Event ! Make certain that whatever you decide to do  will be seen , as a positive result , since a " wishy washy presentation " , will result in more of your viewers , deciding that you have had your time in the Limelight , and choose to watch other programs in your time slot !

David Walsh , author of the " Seven Deadly Sins " , as well as a long term foe of Lance , has published an " Advert " in the Chicago Tribune , setting out 10 Questions , his Twitter Following gave him , following the tweet requesting their input ! The " Advert Link " is here :

https://twitter.com/lioneljbirnie/status/290156457746395137/photo/1  

Frankly , i was surprised that several more Important Questions were not asked .Questions , that would be guaranteeded to cause discomfort , both for you , the poser , and Lance , being unable to escape the consequences , unless he chose to say , " They are subject of Legal Proceedings ( 5th Amendment ?)!

Reports of your staff dealing with Betty Andreu and Travis Tygart , have surfaced also , so it would seem that some additional groundwork has been done in preparing your inquisition ?

Some years ago , a similar attempt was made on a TV Program , to broadcast , a Confession , that resulted in something less than an Admission of Guilt , from another Sporting Star ! This " Admission " , was advertised in advance , also , to have been a " Confession " , but the result can be seen in this Link :

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/sports/baseball/11giambi.html?_r=1&

Lance may be reticent to discuss the " Appearance Fees " he received from the South Australian Government , but " His Friend ( his words in the past ) Mike Rann , appears to wish that they were more distant acquaintances , judging by the following " Tweet ":

Mike Rann ‏@Mlke_Rann
@skippydetour Please dont mention my name and that man in the same sentence again... I'm trying to distance myself from any connection!

We are all aware of your trip to Australia , for  which YOU , also received " Appearance Fees " , and no doubt produced favourable Publicity , for Australian Tourism Interests . So many Events these days result in favourable outcomes for all parties involved . My personal view of CNN News Network , is that currently , it is a series of Adverts , separated by " Breaking News Events "! Each time a program goes to " Messages " , there appear 5+ "ads " , One Direct Ad. then 4+ program ( sponsors mentioned )Ads . On approach to "top of the hour " , there can be as many as 9+ such  Ad/s !

Having written an Open Letter to Lance , days ago , delivered via his Twitter feed , i have covered many of the Aspects , that the Public are expecting to see him reveal , however , here is the link for your perusal :www.skippyblogging.blogspot.com  . Doubt that it tells you much  more of consequence , in relation to his situation ?

With Sally Jenkins writing about her relationship with Lance and then Graham Watson issuing his Blog , defending his actions , particularly in respect of Greg Lemond , it came as little surprise that Juliet Moncur would suggest that Lance was preparing himself for an " Event "! In fact as much as a year ago some wags on the CyclingNews Forum/Clinic , a forum Lance appears to visit , suggested that Lance would be Using Your Show as a medium , when the time came to Confess ! Could be this idea lodged in his mind  , since these people are very stridently vocal in the derision they pour on anything he has done in recent years . Perhaps you have contacted Mike Anderson , now located in New Zealand , since his failed Court Action with Lance ?

With the Show being " Pre Recorded " on Monday , i doubt that i will have to get up early in Austria , on Friday Morning , to watch on a Computer Link . The amount of Major News Network interest in recent days , suggests that there will be " Teasers/Leaks " as early as Tuesday . An uncomfortable Lance , making FULL DISCLOSURES , will bring you Plaudits , however , anything less , will see you deluged with derision , perhaps resulting in people not bothering to watch the full program ?

 Apart from the questions posed by " David Walsh's Tweet " , i should like you to ask about people such as Jon Vaughters , Alberto Contador , Johan Bruyneel , Ekimov , Hincapie and Popovitch, and how they impacted Lance's fight for credibility ? There are also Questions that should be addressed about Members of the UCI Executive , Heinous Verbruggen , Phat Mc Quaid and WADA personalities , as well as the " Saugy Lab. Director"!


Another area i am curious about is " Why was there a NEED for the " LiveSTRONG.ORG and the LivesTRONG .com ?  Also why Did Lance Charge " .com " so much for his presense at their events , seems to me , this was " profiteering BIG STYLE "!

Lance has had dealings with Dr Ferrari and others over the years , even paid for "exclusivity with Dr Ferrari "  so we are told by those " in the know "! What other sources of PEDs , did he have AND were there ANY Product , that was not OUT of Clinical Testing ? Curious to find out what he knows of " AICAR ", reports of this being readily available these days !

What will Lance have to say to people like " Emma O'Reilly , Betty Andreu and Paul Kimmage " , ALL People that he " defamed and maligned "?  Questions regarding the Girona situation and the Israel situation require answers also ! With the suspected Personal Net Worth of Lance , there must be many Enterprises where he has an Investment , in conjunction with other Athletes and Sport Personalities worthy of discussion / disclosure !   There are a number of Ex Racers , that are associated with Lance , now in Investment Banking and Owning Sports Teams , that could bear scrutiny , since they appear to be " Teflon Coated "! I recall that " NIKE " , was reputed to have sent $250000 to Geneva , in the early 2000's , what does Lance have to add to this Event ?

Would appear to me that a series of Interviews , with Direct Questions , could be more beneficial to ALL parties , than this " one off Event "!

No doubt , with the level of interest , this Letter will get buried until after the interview , so am Tweeting links to @LanceArmstrong , @DavdWalshST , @PaulKimmage ,@KathyLeMond amongst others

Ciao

Skippy


NB some additional advice from other sources :

THE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER'S 10-STEP PATH TO REDEMPTION

1. Observe an injured, even dignified, silence. Give nothing away.
2. Express televised contrition, ideally to a popular host.
3. Involve your wife/partner in 1. and 2.
4. Apologise to everyone, but don't confess.
5. Suffer a life-threatening illness.
6. Write a book; write three books.
7. Smile through your tears; be brave.
8. Mobilise the support of influential friends and allies.
9. Turn to prayer; find a priest; talk about confession, but keep the details private.
10. Keep Buggering On.



Betsy Andreu offering five very well chosen questions:

Betsy Andreu, victim of many attacks from Lance Armstrong, plays Oprah and tells News what she would ask cyclist at sit-down

1. Will you admit that the hospital incident happened and will you describe it in detail?...

2. Did you intimidate or tamper with witnesses who implicated you in doping?...

3. Why did the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Andre Birotte Jr., shelve the federal investigation into allegations that you were involved in defrauding the government, drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy?...

4. Do you know if the investigation was ended for political reasons?...

5. How do you plan on undoing the damage you did to people, especially those who were your friends, people like Frankie?

This is what people are reported to be doing :





Share/Bookmark

Saturday, January 5, 2013

LANCE ! "Does he think people completely stupid?"

CONTROVERSY rages , just about ALL the Major News Networks are abuzz with " Speculation about a "POSSIBILITY "! That a Cycling Journo that haunts the " Le Tour " each year , offers the idea , that there are  people " close "to Armstrong , sounding out the atmosphere , regarding " An Admission of Guilt ", makes good copy , is debatable ? Would YOU , if you were Lance , have " Close Friends " , talking to the Media ? Who in their right mind , dealing with such a sensitive subject , would allow this type of disclosure ?

BBC World News are treating this " possibility " on their Sports News Feed ticker tape , just before an item about Macclesfield , the fourth Division Football Team , making theirv way into the fourth round of a football tournament . Aljazeera , RT News , Sky News and CNN News , ALL , are constantly parroting this development !

Last month , we had Sally Jenkins , the co author of a number of " Lance books " , declare her continuing support for Lance , now we have Juliet Moncur , known in past years , as a L.A. " Groupie , come out with what i regard as an early " April Fools Joke "! That Juliet works for the New York Times , and has written many articles about Lance ,  makes this story viable and thus visible . Seems like it must be a slow News day  , as most News Sport segments , are sidelining the " Racist Controversy " involving Boateng of AC Milan Football team , to run with this myth .

CNN Sport , having received an email from the Armstrong Lawyer , Tim Herman ,  declaring  “He’s doing O.K. for a guy that has had his livelihood and his life torn from him, but he’s very strong,” have been presenting a more balanced perspective .

Follows are a few items to give you an idea of how MOST have received the reports , but at the bottom you will find a copy of this item :

http://de.scribd.com/doc/116345925/Outline-of-failure-to-respond

Does this ring any bells ? Causes me to think about what could happen in thre near future !

Most of the Social Media sites are carrying a variety of POV from ALL sides of the Controversy .

Twitter being 140 characters carries condensed view points :

 David Walsh , Well Known for writing many books about Lance since 1999 , when his doubts first surfaced , tweeted these : Read from the bottom for best appreciation , even then may be confusing , at least to me :
                                -------------------------------------------------------

David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
LA and the truth? Provided it is the whole truth, and comes with contrition, my instinct would be to say well done. 1st time for everything.

1h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
Forgive the ineptitude shown in not sending No.2 in correct sequence. But put that little jigsaw together. It's worth it.

1h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
2. "If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to . . .

1h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
4. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

1h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
3. separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. . .

1h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
1. Before the urge to bury Lance Armstrong even deeper consider this quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: . . .

2h David Walsh ‏@DavidWalshST
He cannot rebuild his life until he tells the truth, so the confession is going to happen. Also, Livestrong's only chance lies in truth.

Others had their say :



1h Athlete Motivation ‏@LV_Sports
Whoever said winning isn't everything probably didn't win.
 Retweeted by Hannah Cockroft

34m Charles Pelkey ‏@Charles_Pelkey
Lance Armstrong is thinking about admitting he's a doper. In other news, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar may soon cop to being tall.

Fat Cyclist ‏@fatcyclist
.@UCI_Overlord If I confess, it will be an exclusive interview with @RippFinklemann so I can ask about his hair care product strategy.

37m Fat Cyclist ‏@fatcyclist
YES ON ALL ACCOUNTS. RT @paulvt: But have you denied it for decades? Or sued people for saying or printing that you did it?

41m Fat Cyclist ‏@fatcyclist
BREAKING NEWS: I'm considering leaking to the press speculation that I'm considering acknowledging something that everyone already knows.

                     ---------------------------------------------------

Comments in some Blogs about the situation that is " possibilly  presenting :


Lance Armstrong has less integrity than Bernie Madoff. Let the vultures at him.

I think we've all heard enough from this charlatan. Can we all move on now, please?

We just spent an entire election cycle forced to deal with another transparently mendacious, me-at-all-costs alpha male who came dangerously close to duping his way to the white house. 

Let's call this behavior for what it is and do our part to not perpetuate it by banning this cheating perjurer from sport permanently and refusing to allow his slithering return to the limelight.

If he pays back all of the money and spends some time in jail, I'd be happy to forgive him. Anything less simply dishonors sport. Talent or not, he cheated, he lied, he must pay the consequences. Any punishment less than that would be a travesty. And I don't care if everyone else was doing it. That is no defense. Remember Nuremberg?

 so in essence that friend is saying, "This money means more to me than your respect for me", and since friends don't think to themselves about how they could profit from their relationship with you, that person never really was your friend.



“Will he pay Christophe millions of dollars for forcing him out of the sport?” Andreu asked, referring to Christophe Bassons. Bassons has said that Armstrong threatened him because he suggested banned drugs fueled Armstrong’s comeback from cancer.

“Will he compensate (Tour de France champion) Greg LeMond for ruining his bicycle business? Will he apologize to Emma (O’Reilly, Armstrong’s former masseuse) for calling her a prostitute? Forgiving doesn’t mean being a doormat. Being a Christian doesn’t mean allowing people to profit from their crimes.”


Race Radio ‏@TheRaceRadio
NYDN on the #crapfession http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/cyclist-lance-armstrong-public-confession-drug-article-1.1233634 … “Will he pay Christophe for forcing him out of the sport?”

                      ------------------------------------------------
AS most can see , the comments on the " Possibility " of a Confession are " Toxic " to put it kindly !




Some wags on a variety of Forums , have created scenarios where he would make a " Confession " at some point in the Future !



1/  From the desk of Armstrong:

Dear fans, cyclists, patriots, and others:

It is with great dismay that I have wrestled with what the USADA has wrought upon me. With great conviction and spirit, my therapist and I have struggled with the issue of 'who am I' and 'who I was'. With much soul searching and a series of breakthroughs, we both discovered that I was essentially in a Dissociative Fugue state during most of my time I 'was' a cyclist. So you see friends, what I mean to say is that who I was was not who I really am.

The hallowed reserve of truth that is Wikipedia states that a "Dissociative fugue usually involves unplanned travel or wandering, and is sometimes accompanied by the establishment of a new identity." The wandering I exhibited was mostly contained to France, the new identity was that of a world class cyclist. But you see, the problem was that I was not as good as I thought I could be, so in order to put some foundation to this identity I skirted rules, purchased souls, and injested a small pharmacy worth of drugs, all this so that I could be a lycra wearing alpha male.

Sadly, this '7 Time Tour Winner' is not who I really am or in fact was. What caused this fugue state to grip and corrode my soul? Was it the cancer? Was it the sight of Didi Senft in a red unitard? I don't know if I'll ever know.

Currently, my goals and aspirations are much more modest. My therapist and I have both concluded that a life outside of the spotlight is much more agreeable to who I really am. Therefore, I plan on retiring to an Idaho potato farm to raise championship potatos, with the hopes that some day one of my prize potatoes will somehow land me on a taping of Hee Haw. That would be.....nice.



2/    Originally Posted by DirtyWorks 
I second Race Radio, blame it entirely on some external forces. If he can burn Johan and not implicate the UCI, I think he'll try to discredit Contador too. it's a viable strategy.


3/    The statement will be more lies and personal attack. . Even though I doped a little in 2010 with Contador by my side while Johan supervised, the USADA is still wrong about the rest, Johan loves cancer. The statement ends with "please forgive me so I can continue to fight cancer appearing at triathlons" And the faithful launch into a weird ejaculatory glee and the rest of us just shake our heads.

4/    I don't know if it would be a letter though. Maybe a TV guest appearance.


5/    "When I came back from cancer, I walked into a culture of doping. I simply had to take drugs to get my job back.
I was amazed to win in 1999 and even more amazed by how much I achieved to raise awareness of cancer, and raise money.
I was embarrassed by my success. But the cancer sufferers begged me to continue. 'Win again, Lance' they implored. How could I refuse their pleas?
Six years later my feelings of conscience became overbearing. I quit the sport I loved.
But the cancer sufferers haunted me. 'I could be doing so much more for them' I thought. And the profits at Livestrong were down.
So, in 2009, I headed for the kitchen, reached for the oil, and got back on my bike.
If you punish me now, you will be denying millions of cancer sufferers the chance of a new life"
Coming to the Oprah show any time after 13 August......

6/    .. Everyone stricken by cancer knows that you have to take medication...

7/     Even though I hated to do it for cancer, and hated to do it because of the plague in cycling (from Festina and the evil French, the evil Germans, the evil Italians...), I had no choice. Once I was on medication, I was on an even playing field with the bad dopers. That I survived and won is an inspiration to all cancer sufferers that the medication works.   Regards,

                        ---------------------------------------------------------

Extracts from some of the Blogs , regarding Lance 'situation:

  "  If , when LA is stripped of his 7 titles, all the cancer sufferers whose lives were saved by awareness will immediately turn to dust with only a small grey pile and a yellow rubber bracelet left behind. I bet Travis Tygart didn't think about that when he started this witchhunt, huh?
 He isn't doing this because it is the right thing to do ethically, but because he wants to continue his professional athletic career, such as it is. I say no to that. He should consider getting involved in long-term psychotherapy, not long-distance athletic events. He has the earmarks of a sociopath. If he is not a sociopath, then he suffers from what is sometimes termed 'malignant narcissism'. He could start on a path of personal redemption by apologizing to those who he bullied and cowed into silence, and those he sued who had the courage to say what he was really doing. 

Also, he should hire the best public relations (PR) team available. This PR job being floated by his friends, or, as the article puts it, "the people with knowledge of Armstrong’s situation", contradicts what his own lawyer is saying. What a botched effort this trial balloon is. Whoever is perpetrating this effort is only continuing to enable this ruthless, selfish jerk. Stop enabling him, people, for his sake, and because you are continuing to hurt any chances he could make a real recovery if he ever becomes contrite.  "

  "  Some cyclists had better access to drugs than others. Some cyclists had their doping regimens supervised by more skilled doctors, who knew tricks about dosage, timing and mode of administration that other doctors did not know. Some teams had their own internal blood and urine testing labs, so that they could keep their riders at chemical concentrations just below the legal limit at all times, or stall the authorities if any one rider briefly exceeded the limit. Some teams had inside knowledge of how and when drug tests were going to be administered, via a network of spies, corrupt experts and spotters. "

  "  Lance your offer is still all about getting what you want. Still trying to manipulate your situation. No deals-the ban stays. "

  "  As with all things LA, he will only confess if and when it provides him personal benefit, he will not because he thinks that it is the right thing to do. He has spent his life convincing himself and others of his greatness, nothing will change that . "

  "  As for rescinding, his life-time ban: NO WAY! He is serial cheat: I wish that USADA could go all the way back to his early days and document that he was juiced then as well and later in his career.  "

  "  Had he been truthful from the start, how different things would be. This is not a conscience thing, it's a manipulation of public opinion. It's also human, none of us are exempt from trying to brazen things out hoping we can escape our feet being put the fire. Okay, Lance, you screwed up, and had you not being taking drugs, my son would have stayed in Madrid and trained as a cyclist, but he knew he couldn't compete with you or your confederates. You got fame and fortune and deserved neither. The irony is, had you not had cheater genes working, and my son did not, who is now a cardio/thoracic surgeon, you will be haunted for essentially ruining the cycling thing for years, and the irony referred to, "You might have been a world champion anyway, not to the extent you were under the influence, but participating adding validity to the sport and being credited for what you naturally are whether you were first or fiftieth, it would add up to something admirable. You need to apologize from the heart, but you're not ready yet  "


Betty Andreu , is the author of the " headline quote " , i think she has best summed up the situation !

My take is that Juliet Macur , has sought an advantage , reported rumours , and her integrity will suffer a hit .

Lance tweeted regarding Graham Watson , the photographer recently :


It took a "photographer" to "write" the most balanced piece we've seen yet. 


This tweet was in response to Graham's recent Blog on the situation of Cycling as we enter the  2013 Cycling Season :

http://www.grahamwatson.com/view/viewmain.html

Not a great fan of Graham , but enjoyed his take on the current Cycling Scene and his picks for winners of a variety of events , would recommend people to have a read of an excellently written article .


NB: Item discovered : http://de.scribd.com/doc/116345925/Outline-of-failure-to-respond

Another good article worth the read :
http://www.5280.com/magazine/2013/01/talking-points?page=0,1http://www.5280.com/magazine/2013/01/talking-points?page=0,1


My comment to the " EXPLAINER " , weekly effort by Charles Pelkey :

    "  Been left wondering if MACUR feels like the victim of an early " April Fools Day Joke ! Last year we saw sally jenkins create controversy and this week Graham Watson write his blog . Not having read any of his previous efforts , i can't tell , if it was spoon fed to him ?


 Last year i predicted that the closing of the Grand Jury was an attempt to smooth " feathers ",  and that it would reopen in April/May after the " Presidential Honeymoon period "! Finding this item seems to confirm that conjecture :
http://de.scribd.com/doc/116345925/Outline-of-failure-to-respond 

Some speculate that it has gone away ? How far ? My blog has a few answers but i think " Betty A. summed it up brilliantly , " lance-does-he-think-people-completely-stupid.html "

Kathy LeMond , has added this item , a superb summing up of the obnoctious subject that keeps giving :
http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2013-01-05/lance-armstrong-caught-in-web-he-created-cyclist-deserves-no-sympathy

Pres.Putin is handing out " Passports " , currently , Lance would do well think of Sochi , as a replacement for Aspen . Perhaps the Russian Mafia can provide a " Horse head for him to sleep with , a la " godfather film "?



Share/Bookmark