The druggies are back

The main reason I continue to believe Lance raced clean is that I simply don't believe he could have engineered an EPO program that would defeat every single test he's taken. At the TDF, every cyclist is tested before the event starts. Every stage winner (Lance has many stage wins) is tested, plus random tests throughout. I believe Lance was tested at other major events many times - such as the Giro and the US based Tour of Georgia. Don't forget he competed in the Olympics twice. I think an EPO test on frozen urine from 1999 cannot be trusted. They say the samples were well cared for. But can they prove it? They haven't. That only his name was released is a sign that the French press were looking for something on Lance (as they have for seven years). A suspension of an elite triathlete (Beke) was recently overturned because they showed that EPO levels vary naturally during competition. Remember too that the EPO test is not like a pregnancy test - it requires very skilled interpration of the data. Many Lance haters fail to recognize that Lance has always been a special athletic specimen - going back to his days as a swimmer, then triathlete, finally as a pro cyclist. Many physiologists have tested him and his MHR, VO2 max, etc. are off the charts. Combine that with a maniacal focus on the TDF and VERY advanced training techniques and you have a TDF winner. He has been a bit lucky not to have a serious crash in his 15,000+ miles of TDF racing. He's had a fantastic team to support him, but in virtually every test - man against man - Lance has beaten them all.

The main reason I continue to believe Lance raced clean is that I simply don't believe he could have engineered an EPO program that would defeat every single test he's taken. At the TDF, every cyclist is tested before the event starts. Every stage winner (Lance has many stage wins) is tested, plus random tests throughout. I believe Lance was tested at other major events many times - such as the Giro and the US based Tour of Georgia. Don't forget he competed in the Olympics twice. I think an EPO test on frozen urine from 1999 cannot be trusted. They say the samples were well cared for. But can they prove it? They haven't. That only his name was released is a sign that the French press were looking for something on Lance (as they have for seven years). A suspension of an elite triathlete (Beke) was recently overturned because they showed that EPO levels vary naturally during competition. Remember too that the EPO test is not like a pregnancy test - it requires very skilled interpration of the data. Many Lance haters fail to recognize that Lance has always been a special athletic specimen - going back to his days as a swimmer, then triathlete, finally as a pro cyclist. Many physiologists have tested him and his MHR, VO2 max, etc. are off the charts. Combine that with a maniacal focus on the TDF and VERY advanced training techniques and you have a TDF winner. He has been a bit lucky not to have a serious crash in his 15,000+ miles of TDF racing. He's had a fantastic team to support him, but in virtually every test - man against man - Lance has beaten them all.