Lance Armstrong

[kev776]

I can't believe that Lance Arm$trong i$ going to admit to Oprah that he wa$ doping. What i$ it about her that make$ people want to tell their deepe$t, darke$t $ecret$ on televi$ion?

[Tee]

at least he had the ball to admit it.

I can't believe that Lance Arm$trong i$ going to admit to Oprah that he wa$ doping. What i$ it about her that make$ people want to tell their deepe$t, darke$t $ecret$ on televi$ion?

[Neil Young]

Something the mainstream press isn't bothering to report as it dutifully follows Armstrong's agenda...

U.S. government rejects Armstrong's $5 million offer in whistleblower case

Report claims Texan's offer to be a witness also knocked back

Cycling News Published: January 16, 06:30, Updated: January 16, 06:31

With news that the United States Justice Department is considering joining a federal whistleblower lawsuit reportedly filed by Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong is said to have offered to pay compensation in a bid to stem the potential financial fallout that could be coming his way.

CBS News reports that Armstrong has offered to pay the U.S Government more than $5 million dollars and also cooperate as a witness in the investigation. The channel claims that its sources say that the government in turn rejected "both offers as inadequate."

The suit is aimed at recouping the sponsorship funds provided by the US Postal Service, which supported the team from 1996-2004, in light of the US Anti-Doping Agency's lifetime ban of Lance Armstrong for doping.

If the suit is successful, Landis could, under the Federal False Claims Act, personally claim up to 30% of the funds that the government wins.

The US Postal Service contract in 2001 was renewed to the tune of $32 million, according to documents available in the US Anti-Doping Agency’s reasoned decision. The total settlement to the government could, by law, be two to three times that amount.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/u-s-...steblower-case

[Hollowman]

Says Cycling News. Quoting CBS.

[Neil Young]

I was obviously referring to the British media. But hey, whatever, you're right, how stupid of me.

[Hollowman]

The story broke in the middle of the night. I'm not sure our papers have Armstrong correspondents on 24hr call. What makes you think they're willfully ignoring it and following his narrative (which seems an odd allegation, especially with the Times), rather than just, you know, asleep?

[Neil Young]

It seems that way, that's all. I haven't done a proper analysis so it might be a partial sample of what's that out there. It's all the fluff about the Oprah Show - will he/won't he, did he/didn't he - that seems to be covered. Not positively of course but still, that's pretty much the way the story is being covered so far.

Ok, so it broke in the night but I was surprised not to find mention of it anywhere in the Guardian, BBC, Independent or FT. It's not like they couldn't have linked to it.

And it f*cks me off that with all this Nicole Cooke's comments about how women cyclists are treated got lost in the mix. That's partly her own fault but still, it's a pity, especially as some of the people she takes aim at for that are up on their hind legs pontificating about Armstrong.

Perhaps I misinterpreted your tone. If so, I withdraw the unnecessarily sarcy response.

[Shaggy]

I like it when you back down and withdraw remarks.

[Shaggy]

PS have we seen the ongoing needle between Paul Kimmage and Wiggins? It's as if Kimmage knows something. Very odd. Wiggins went on Irish radio and had a dig at Kimmage - saying the Armstrong stuff had 'totally consumed him'. Kimmage tweeted this earlier:

Paul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
Interesting that Bradley Wiggins is still following the Lance Armstrong blueprint for success: 1 Ignore the message 2 Attack the messenger

Paul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
It is one year tomorrow since I lost my job at The Sunday Times...profitable work this anti-doping.

Paul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
If I still had a job, I'd be camped outside the Sky training camp in Majorca and would not go away until Wiggins adressed the message...

aul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
...the hiring of Gert Leinders, and the sacking of four key members of staff since he won the Tour.

aul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
Coming soon: An interview (not Oprah) with the greatest bike rider I ever saw (not Armstrong).

Paul Kimmage @PaulKimmage
Oh, last thing Bradley, if you would like to address those issues in an interview, I'd be more than happy to sit down with you.

[Fredo]

What is Kimmage insinuating, that Wiggins has been doping?

[Shaggy]

Well he is relentless in his pursuit of drug cheats. Not sure what he's insinuating but....I dunno........it's as if he knows something. Maybe he just has some questions he would like answering.

[Hollowman]

The Landis/Post Office fraud case has been mentioned in several articles today, but I don't think it's considered headline news over here. It's a US sportsman making a dollar offer to the US Justice Department over a case regarding defrauding the US post office.

The Nicole Cooke thing is being reframed as a dispute between her and Lizzie Armitstead on the BBC site today, which seems like a pointless angle on the story.

Lots more will be lost going forward as the story becomes focused on two areas - Oprah, and then the lines being drawn between the doping agencies and the UCI commission. Politics and PR will reign.

[Neil Young]

I like it when you back down and withdraw remarks.

The Kimmage/Wiggins thing is interesting certainly.

The changes to the Sky backroom staff can be seen as suspicious and given professional cycling's longstanding and at times endemic problems, it's understandable if people look askance at what's happened and suspect the worst.

But equally it could be the result of a perfectly valid response (i.e. tightening up their anti-doping practices, especially in the light of recent revelations about the likes of Mick Rogers) to the fallout from the Armstrong case. The trouble is both look much the same from the outside so it really could be either. Or maybe even neither.

Much the same could be said of Kimmage versus Wiggins. Wiggins feels he and his teammates are under attack for the sins of others, Kimmage interprets it as an indicator of something to hide and, understandably, feels he's continuing to be persecuted...

It's a mess and we won't really make progress until the UCI is reformed. And even if it is, it's still no guarantee.

It's so depressing. I just hope it all gets somewhere in the end.

[Hollowman]

Well he is relentless in his pursuit of drug cheats. Not sure what he's insinuating but....I dunno........it's as if he knows something. Maybe he just has some questions he would like answering.

He was all over the Leinders thing during the Tour, especially in light of Wiggins's mental presser when he called people on Twitter cunts, and the time he blasted Rasmussen (who Leinders 'treated') after Cofidis dropped out of the Tour. I can't remember who the doctor was, but when Team Sky first started Kimmage asked Brailsford why they hadn't offered a contract to a 'rehabilitated' doping doctor (or, it may have been a rider. Was there talk of them contracted Millar in the early days?). Brailsford said Team Sky had a cast iron policy of no dopers and would only employ British doctors who had no prior connection to cycling so there could be no grey area. The it all comes out that Leinders was contracted and Brailsford defended it saying he was a brilliant doctor and knew it was all about being clean now. I think a lot of the journos thought Brailsford was basically taking them for cunts.

[Neil Young]

There was also talk at the time of there being a fine line between doping and "assisting recovery". It's plausible I suppose but I don't know if it's true and it certainly muddies the waters, at best.

There was understandable speculation Millar would join. No idea if it was actually considered though and yes, it was rejected because of his doping conviction.