doping question (Re Lance Armstrong scandal)

[hal]

It's similar to Penn State - lots were willing to ignore the horrendous claims because of the love for Penn State's football team, but everyone came around eventually. Same with Armstrong - LOTS here defended him with everything they could muster, but there aren't nearly as many today as there were a year ago...

[hal]

"Hmm, I still don't get that statement."

I think the point was that EVERYONE was using - so it's an even playing field... (not MY point)

[Chris Y]

if you read Tyler Hamilton's book you'll understand how this all happened.

Early on, there was no test for EPO. You just had to keep your hemocrit levels below 50. So, you were able to dope with EPO until it pushed you over 50 and then you'd just dilute your blood (usually by drinking alot) to bring your levels down below the limit.

Later on when they were able to test for EPO, the found that microdoses worked. Also they did blood transfusions, where you reinjected your blood that you took out a few weeks ago to up your red blood cell count. Obviously, this is very hard to detect.

Tyler hamilton was doping for years (like 7 or so) and only tested positve once or twice. And that was only because his doctor screwed up. His doctor infused someone elses blood into Tyler (which is very dangerous and would not provide any benefits, so it was basically a mistake). In the book, Hamilton speculates that Lance may have paid the doctor to make the mistake.

[Manlove]

hal wrote:
It's similar to Penn State - lots were willing to ignore the horrendous claims because of the love for Penn State's football team, but everyone came around eventually. Same with Armstrong - LOTS here defended him with everything they could muster...

I've thought the same myself. He was a national hero who prevailed through personal strength and endurance over not only the Tour de France and many other races, but cancer as well. America loves a winner.
Personally, I say that he was lucky to beat cancer. He didn't beat it by being morally superior to it. He was just lucky that his genetics and that particular cancer worked out in a such a way that he is still alive. Yet some people regard him as some how heroic for "beating" it. As to the doping part...well, he's a low-life cheating bastard who has at last been caught and pilloried.
In talking about this the other night I think we decided that there should be two leagues for every sport: a clean one and an unclean one in which anything goes. Upon further reflection it occurred to us that most people would prefer to watch the unclean leagues because that is where athletes would be cycling faster, jumping higher and throwing longer than in the clean league.
Did I already say that people like a winner?

[Filliam H. Muffman]

I heard he was drinking fetus smoothies. Is that considered doping, or does he have to inject them to count?

[zero]

Carnos Jax wrote:
Maybe I'm not getting your point here, but in regard to GMO's, don't we have a choice not to eat them?

Next time you go to your grocery store, please look at the foods you buy, and see which foods you are eating are GMOs...

[Carnos Jax]

I mostly buy organic, non-GMO labelled stuff.

[vision63]

He's attacked by the jealous and/or untalented. They all have motives. If you're gonna bust somebody, bust 'em.

[Sam3]

Unless they go after other pro cycling winners with the same fervor, it's a witchhunt.

[decay]

i like to inject junkie blood, that way i don't have to take the dangerous step of buying the drugs.