Step Down

Just wondering if Lance may have used the transfusion technique to win some of his TDF's, testing for this only started in the 2004 tour and the first rider caught was Tyler after winning gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics so there was no testing for 5 of the years Lance won TDF's.

steppy

cyclezealot

Something I dont want to think about. It will harm the LIvestrong cancer effort.

Devil

Wouldn't autologous be more likely?

bambule

that's what they're doing now, i guess.

meb

I wondered about him withdrawing from the 2004 team when that test was initiated.

Lots of other riders also withdrew shortly before the olympics.

But Lance still won once after the test came about so we know it was possible for him to beat a homologous transfussion free tour without homolgously transfusing.

bbattle

Botto, one shouldn't post signs about stupidity that contain misspelled words.

Dolomiti

Maybe a combination of autologous blood, bovine chemicals, and various other products such as low dose testosterone, asthma meds, etc.. He had plenty of time to stock up on blood, no?

Devil

Wouldn't surprise me. Don't forget about the Actovegin incident in 2000.

Hobartlemagne 

Spelling: INCORRECT

Blaireau

Blaireau

I think this is a definite possibility.

kensuf

No, he beat all of the dopers while staying clean.

I believe.

tekhna

Happen to be in need of a bridge in... oh hell, that's cliche now isn't it?

kleng

At least its not heterologous, that makes me shudder !!! I wonder what animal has a high haematorcrit count. - a cheetah.

gfrance

Maybe...maybe not.

But the reason botto and others think it's a waste of time to speculate, is because, without any evidence one way or the other, it is pure speculation. You may as well be debating whether or not a pink elephant orbits Neptune. Without empirical evidence one way or the other, one CANNOT know. Period. So, it comes down to just idle chatter.

benbaconlewis

+1

oldsprinter

https://www.salon.com/health/feature/...ing/index.html

I'm not saying a thing - but think back to 1999.

SunSwingsLow

on purpose...doesnt count

pcates

i'm more likely to believe that than the fact that LA won 7 TdF's clean......but you're right, this is a pointless thread best kept in the cycling conspiracy theories section

DocRay

+1, while he used the same doping doctor as everyone else who got caught, including Vino, I believe he dominated over all those dopers by staying clean, it's only common sense that while the top 5 riders of his era have now all been disgraced, he was the only one clean.

oh, and there are WMDs in Iraq and OJ will find Nicole's killer.

benbaconlewis

He was probably the most tested sportsman in the world. How would he have got away with it?

If even the best were and are getting caught, even though they presumably have access to the best doping methods, how can you explain Lance not getting caught if he doped?

alanbikehouston

Let's not talk about all of the riders in the 2007 Tour who have failed official tests. Let's not talk about the riders in the 2007 Tour who have failed to show up for official tests (Rasmussen has failed to show up for four tests just this year).

Instead, lets talk about a guy who was tested thousands of times during his career. And passed every test. Requested to show up for testing thousands of times. And showed up every time.

It is threads such as this one that make me wonder if riding a bike cuts off the oxygen flow to the brain. Do't criticize the guys who have been proven to dope. Let's talk about the guy who won who was proven NOT to dope. Geez...

Blaireau

Reality check to Botto and other. One CAN know. One DOES know. Lance took Epo in 1999. Though of course many ignore this thanks to the Lance talking points arguments # 1, 2 and 3: blame the French lab, blame the French Press, and blame the French in general etc, etc....

pcates

^^ just to continue the wild speculation that is this thread.......ullrich never tested positive on a test, neither did basso.....who knows how armstrong got around them....i suspect he was more careful than the others, he probably didn't trust his blood with a doctor who would have labeled it 'the look'

FixdGearHead

One way to look at it:

There has been plenty of top-tier pro cyclists busted for doping during the "Lance Era"...so, if he did dope and found some way to do it undetected, he was on somewhat of a level playing field with a peloton that no doubt had more than one individual using performance-enhancing drugs. If he didn't dope, then it makes an already amazing story, that much more amazing.

As an American who grew up following cycling with a constant envy of the European talent pool...I choose to believe he didn't dope, a choice made easier by the fact that no test has thus far proven he had.