Flandis finally comes Clean about doping. Names LA & co

[El Imbatido]

Ok, Floyd has finally come clean about his doping past and is gonna reveal all about doping practices he was introduced to by Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong at US postal Service. and that Andy Rihs owner of Phonak personally paid for when he changed to them in 04. (Also i believe Rihs is still involved with BMC) He also names other top US riders such as George Hincapie, Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer. It all apparently started when someone leaked a letter he sent to a high profile US Cycling official about his doping, at Postal and methods on how it is done.

Cyclingnews apparently got the ball rolling when the somehow got some of this info

Cyclingnews article about FLandis letter

And now ESPN and Wall Street Journal have even more facts about the letter and the accusations against high profile US riders:

ESPN Article
Wall Street Journal Article

Edit: New York Daily has also got hold of it:

New York Daily Article

[damonik]

Wow, that will set the cat amongst the pigeons.

[El Imbatido]

Seems as though some of the people involved will make statements before the start of Stage 5 of Tour Of California

RadioShack press officer Philippe Maertens told VeloNews that Armstrong and Bruyneel will speak to the press tomorrow morning at the team’s bus at the start of stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California.

Sean Weide, U.S. media director for BMC Racing, told VeloNews that the team will issue a statement later regarding the allegations made against current BMC rider Hincapie and former Phonak boss — and current BMC Bicycles owner — Andy Rihs.

Garmin-Transitions communications director Marya Pongrace said that the team will offer comment soon regarding the allegations against its rider Zabriskie, who currently leads the Amgen Tour of California.

Quote taken from Velonews Article

[toolonglegs]

Floyd

[sogood]

Someone who willingly received fan's donation money for his multi-million dollar legal denial and then does 180 deg turn and smears his colleagues. Irrespective of the truth, the character of Landis is fully exposed and credibility has gone to naught. A pig of a guy and I can't believe he still has fanboys.

[El Imbatido]

This is apparently what Flandis wrote in that letter: I got it from a guy on Cyclingnews forums who is apparently pretty close with some high up sources. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But it does contains all those extracts from different articles i posted in my last post: Here is the link:

Floyd's supposed email




You can see the list of people involved getting longer and longer. Michael Barry, Allen Lim, Matt White, Checu Rubiera, John Lelangue (DS at BMC) Dave Z and Jonathon Vaughters, along with LA, JB, LL, GH, Andy Rihs (owner of BMC). Also the 2004 posal tour team was:USPS 2004 Tour team: Armstrong, Landis, George Hincapie, Jose Azevedo, Manuel Beltran, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Benjamin Noval, Pavel Padrnos, and Jose Luis Rubiera. So there is plenty of mud flying round and it is getting stickier by the minute.

[norbs]

That's the same one I was sent this afternoon by a mate in Ireland. God damn news travels fast on the net!

[MichaelB]

Who cares what he says now.

How can you believe him ?

Unless there is irrefutible evidence, then its just sour grapes, and won't even bother with it

[heay]

Who really wants to listen to this wan ker. He is a loser who got caught after he wins the biggest race on the cycling calender and now expects that all will be forgiven if he gives some BS information. We all know that there is now way that they can not be on something but it maybe a natural ingredient that they are on.

Flandis needs to go and hide back under the rock he come out from.

[Chuck]

Landis is portrayed as a drug cheat and Armstrong the cancer surviving 7 time Tour winning hero, it would kinda grate on you especially being privvy to what really went on.

It's a bit like Ben Johnson, forever tainted, almost the face of doping and yet nearly every other guy from the 88 final went down including "King Carl", but who remembers the others-nada-only Ben the illiterate fall guy.

If this makes Lance and Johan squirm a little all the better

Implicates the UCI too, pretty heavy.

[flammer]

Evidence broke these guys' careers. Evidence has yet to be provided of Armstrong's drug use. Plenty have tried to cash in on his fame with hearsay. Prove it!

[toolonglegs]

I think Floyd has probably got the evidence... .
Still a sore loser thou .

[shiv]

Who cares what he says now.

How can you believe him ?

Unless there is irrefutible evidence, then its just sour grapes, and won't even bother with it

+1 Anyone can claim they saw anyone doing anything they want, without proof its just hot air. And yes they probably were (or still are) on stuff, but unitl they get caught its still hot air. Sounds almost like he just really doesnt wana go down by himself, even though he couldnt fall much further.

P*ss off Floyd ya sooky ranga!

[toolonglegs]

I don't honestly think that someone would name those names without proof?...spose we will see.

[Redbull]

This is apparently what Flandis wrote in that letter: I got it from a guy on Cyclingnews forums who is apparently pretty close with some high up sources. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But it does contains all those extracts from different articles i posted in my last post: Here it is:




2002: I was instructed on how to use Testosterone patches by Johan Bruyneel
during the During the Dauphine Libere in June, after which I flew on a
helicopter with Mr Armstrong from the finish, I believe Grenoble, to San
Mauritz Switzerland at which point I was personally handed a box of 2.5 mg
patches in front of his wife who witnessed the exchange. About a week
later, Dr Ferrari performed an extraction of half a liter of blood to be
transfused back into me during the Tour de France. Mr Armstrong was not
witness to the extraction but he and I had lengthy discussions about it on
our training rides during which time he also explained to me the evolution
of EPO testing and how transfusions were now necessary due to the
inconvenience of the new test. He also divulged to me at that time that in
the first year that the EPO test was used he had been told by Mr Ferrari,
who had access to the new test, that he should not use EPO anymore but he
did not believe Mr Farrari and contin
ued to use it. He later, while winning the Tour de Swiss, the month before
the Tour de France, tested positive for EPO at which point he and Mr
Bruyneel flew to the UCI headquarters and made a financial agreement with
Mr. Vrubrugen to keep the positive test hidden.

2003: After a broken hip in the winter, I flew to Gerona Spain where this
time two units (half a liter each) were extracted three weeks apart. This
took place in the apartment in which Mr. Armstrong lived and in which I was
asked to stay and check the blood temperature every day. It was kept in a
small refrigerator in the closet allong with the blood of Mr Armstrong and
George Hincapie and since Mr. Armstrong was planning on being gone for a few
weeks to train he asked me to stay in his place and make sure the
electricity didn't turn off or something go wrong with the referigerator.
Then during the Tour de France the entire team, on two different occasions
went to the room that we were told and the doctor met us there to do the
transfusions. During that Tour de France I personally witnessed George
Hincapie, Lance Armstrong, Chechu Rubiera, and myself receiving blood
transfusions. Also during that Tour de France the team doctor would give my
room mate, George Hincapie an
d I a small syringe of olive oil in which was disolved andriol, a form of
ingestible testosterone on two out of three nights throughout the duration.

I was asked to ride the Vuelta a Espana that year in support of Roberto
Heras and in August, between the Tour and the Vuelta, was told to take EPO
to raise my hematocrit back up so more blood transfusions could be
performed. I was instructed to go to Lances place by Johan Bruyneel and get
some EPO from him. The first EPO I ever used was then handed to me in the
entry way to his building in full view of his then wife. It was Eprex by
brand and it came in six pre measured syringes. I used it intravenously for
several weeks before the next blood draw and had no problems with the tests
during the Vuelta. Also during this time it was explained to me how to use
Human Growth Hormone by Johan Bruyneel and I bought what I needed from Pepe
the team "trainer" who lived in Valencia along with the team doctor at that
time. While training for that Vuelta I spent a good deal of time training
with Matthew White and Michael Barry and shared the testosterone and EPO
that we had and discu
ssed the use thereof while training.

Again, during the Vuelta we were given Andriol and blood transfusions by the
team doctor and had no problems with any testing.

2004: Again the team performed two seperate blood transfusions on me, but
this time Bruyneel had become more paranoid and we did the draws by flying
to Belgium and meeting at an unknown persons appartment and the blood was
brought by "Duffy" who was at that time Johans assistant of sorts. The
second of which was performed on the team bus on the ride from the finish of
a stage to the hotel during which the driver pretended to have engine
trouble and stopped on a remote mountain road for an hour or so so the
entire team could have half a liter of blood added. This was the only time
that I ever saw the entire team being transfused in plain view of all the
other riders and bus driver. That team included Lance Armstrong, George
Hincapie and I as the only Americans.

2005: I had learned at this point how to do most of the transfusion
technicals and other things on my own so I hired Allen Lim as my assistant
to help with details and logistics. He helped Levi Leipheimer and I prepare
the transfusions for Levi and I and made sure they were kept at the proper
temperature. We both did two seperate transfusions that Tour however my
hematocrit was too low at the start so I did my first one a few days before
the start so as to not start with a deficit.

2006: Well you get the idea....... One thing of great signigicance is that
I sat down with Andy Riis and explained to him what was done in the past and
what was the risk I would be taking and ask for his permission which he
granted in the form of funds to complete the operation described. John
Lelangue was also informed by me and Andy Riis consulted with Jim Ochowitz
before agreeing.

There are many many more details that I have in diaries and am in the
process of writing into an intelligible story but since the position of USA
Cycling is that there have not been enough details shared to justify calling
USADA, I am writing as many as I can reasonably put into an email and share
with you so as to ascertain what is the process which USA Cycling uses to
proceed with such allegations.

Look forward to much more detail as soon as you can demonstrate that you can
be trusted to do the right thing.

Floyd Landis


You can see the list of people involved getting longer and longer. Michael Barry, Allen Lim, Matt White, Checu Rubiera, John Lelangue (DS at BMC) Dave Z and Jonathon Vaughters, along with LA, JB, LL, GH, Andy Rihs (owner of BMC). Also the 2004 posal tour team was:USPS 2004 Tour team: Armstrong, Landis, George Hincapie, Jose Azevedo, Manuel Beltran, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Benjamin Noval, Pavel Padrnos, and Jose Luis Rubiera. So there is plenty of mud flying round and it is getting stickier by the minute.

This post should be removed as it qualifies as slander (whether factual or not) and puts the website and owner in tough position.

[shiv]

I don't honestly think that someone would name those names without proof?...spose we will see.

What proof could he have though? Photos or actual documentation might help, but his diary? Not exactly a case closing item there. If he has something then good on him for trying to clean up cycling, he just should have done it as soon as he was caught in my opinion

[toolonglegs]

Who knows...have to wait and see.
He has said he want's to come clean before the 8 year statute of limitations is up...that's why I think he must have something up his sleeve.

[AUbicycles]

This post should be removed as it qualifies as slander (whether factual or not) and puts the website and owner in tough position.

Thanks for the concern Redbull - legally, each member is responsible for their own content though I will certainly react if action does need to be taken.

In this case - anyone wanting to take legal action would have to go to Floyd Landis as the letter is all over the web now - as it is still relatively new - google results for the complete texts will certain grow during the next day - one of the first results I found was for the Belgium Newspaper "Nieuwsblad" with the complete email text printed in their news article.

[El Imbatido]

I frequent many cycling websites with forums, and all of them have this posted numerous times within their similarly titled threads. But to be on the safe side i will just provide a link if that will stop any concern. Anyhow all the major news outlets are using numerous quotes from it too.

Link to Floyd's supposed email

[toolonglegs]

tick tock...still waiting for the smoking gun Flandis .

[thomas_cho]

Its just too bad he did not feel morally obliged to come forward much earlier.

Just too many doubts surrounding his credibility at this stage.

Its probably an open secret in regards to doping in the peloton, and there is no smoke without fire for lacedope. Perhaps an Ullrich confession might just tip the scales.

[philip]

I don't know what to believe, but even if true, the way Flandis has gone about this is totally whacky (not very well written and doesn't look like he's had any legal advice or anything like that) and he comes across more as a nutjob than anything else. Credibility is down the drain, I don't think he's got much of a cycling career left now (did he anyway?)

[jasimon]

I can see one approach that would provide corroboration - that is a fianancial audit of UCIs/related parties books for 2002. There is an allegation that money changed hands in 2002 related to a positive test in the Tour de Swiss. Follow the money.

[jules21]

Evidence broke these guys' careers. Evidence has yet to be provided of Armstrong's drug use. Plenty have tried to cash in on his fame with hearsay. Prove it!

lance is a doper. the evidence against him is strong, regardless of what Landis has claimed.

the fans love a hero though and are reluctant to belief Lance could dope. the truth is rarely so romantic.

[Aushiker]

This post should be removed as it qualifies as slander (whether factual or not) and puts the website and owner in tough position.

Hi

Actually it isn't slander, IF it is anything it is defamation (libel) ....

Regards
Andrew