Lance coming up live on Sportscenter, getcha popcorn ready!

Michael Scott wrote:

I've always been a bit confused about Lance's bout with cancer. Was he essentially allowed to legally use PEDs for a time because of his cancer? And if it's like the guy who used his mom's cancer meds, then wouldn't Lance have had some leftover and probably some knowledge about what they could do?

He wasn't allowed to "legally use PEDs"...he wasn't competing so they weren't PEDs. For a cancer patient, EPO is what is supposed to be...a lifesaving way to increase red blood cells/oxygen flow, etc. Not doping because he wasn't competing and was doing it to stay alive. And the effect would not be residual IF he stopped.

Plus I'm sure he knew what they did well before he had cancer, whether he used them or not. I mean, I know what EPO does and I've never used it for doping OR medical purposes. It isn't exactly a big secret, especially if you're an endurance athlete.

Doping clearly gives an advantage. Doping was part of an accepted cycling culture in Europe.

I don't think doping is part of the current running culture in the USA, but it was part of the past culture. There may be some doping now, but the real cowards are the ones who didn't tell the truth about what they saw. They allowed this to happen and they don't get any points for trying to uncover truths now.

theone wrote:

beastiality wrote:

no, running is dead. has been for 20 years now.

FALSE running is on the rise cycling is dying. What I like about distance running is that we're not even sure doping gives you an advantage in it, whereas in cycling it's a bit more clear that doping helps a lot.

you HAVE to be kidding/trolling, right?

Everyone is PLENTY sure the doping (the right kind of doping for the specific sport) gives a huge advantage in distance running. It gives the exact same advantage as doping in cycling. A doper in one sport is no different than a doper in another, same advantage, if they're doing it right. Your point is totally illogical.

speaking of cancer...

Logging in after stem cell transplant here in Nashville...

A few thoughts:

one of my chemo nurses in Chattanooga was once married to a Euro-pro (sub-pro Tour level, several Italian and Belgian teams) and she ended up serving as a soigneur. Saw Lance before his cancer. She said,"Don't let ANY of the big names kid ya, drugs were the only way to ride in the 90's and after."

Here's my take on Landis' adamant and financially bankrupting claim that he did not use testosterone that day: he DIDN'T, but he DID use a blood refill bag of his 6-weeks old and chilled blood. And THAT refill bag contained remnants of testosterone that he used for recovery during training (the only sensible use of the product).

Runners may remember the same scenarion happening to Marti Vannio, a Finnish silver medalist in the 1984 Olympic 10,000 meters. He was pulled from the startline of the final day's 5k because testers found traces of steroids in his blood after his 10k win. He protested his innocence by saying, " I only blood doped ," a surprisingly legal means also used and bragged about by Eddie B and the uS cycling medalist team. Same deal: he admitted to roid use in his buildup training and thought that the drug's half life would clear his system before the Olympics.

Speaking of blood refills, I'll be getting plenty over the next two weeks as my hematocrit is now 25.

I'm sad for Lance's foundation, for they have done more than much for research, support, and awareness.

The truth is that there are a lot of cowards who facilitated the idea that you could lance a Kenyan and pretend that you were a respectable coach. This was nothing short of slavery. The sad thing is that no runners did anything about it in 1980.

I'm glad this isn't 1980.

'Everyone is PLENTY sure the doping (the right kind of doping for the specific sport) gives a huge advantage in distance running. It gives the exact same advantage as doping in cycling. A doper in one sport is no different than a doper in another, same advantage, if they're doing it right. Your point is totally illogical.'

You only have to look at the difference in GDR perfomances between men and women to see thats not true

+1 I hate the spreading of such cynical nonsense because it is only going to nurture a doping culture.

Frei was pretty much the average pro before EPO and he wasn't exactly a GT contender on dope. Landis claims he started doping after the 2002 Dauphine Libere. He finished 2nd in the -02 DL, only beaten by Lance.