Is Millar a lying, cheating snake in the grass?

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l'equippe as quoted on cyclingnews.com says that Millar has admitted to French investigators that he uses EPO. Apparently they found used vials in his accomodation.

This is the guy who had a lot to say (when doesn't he) when the Cofidis affair first broke. Now he has been exposed as a cheating hypocrite. I say he should be wiped out for life.

Stuart O'Grady must be regretting his move away from CA.

Cofidis let down Lance and now they've let down the sport. It's worse than Festina because now the sport is increasingly under the spotlight.:mad:

I'm no fan of Millar but let's wait for an official announcement. If it is true I despair of the sport.

I thought that they were only questioning him as a witness to the whole affair, when did it come out that HE was using drugs??

This is the article from www.cyclingnews.com

Millar confesses

According to Friday's edition of L'Equipe, World Time Trial Champion David Millar (Cofidis) has allegedly confessed to taking EPO. Millar allegedly made the confession to French police while he spent 48 hours in custody in Biarritz this week.

L'Equipe reported that empty ampoules of Eprex (EPO) were found by French police in Millar's house whilst he was being detained, writing "Millar has recognised that he used Eprex (erythropoetin) in the practice of his profession which puts him in the same position as a positive rider in the eyes of the UCI."

If this is the case, Millar will likely be charged by Nanterre judge Richard Pallain, who is heading the investigation into the Cofidis team, with illegal possession and use of toxic substances. So far, eight others have been charged in the affair which began early this year: Cédric Vasseur, Philippe Gaumont, Robert Sassone, Médéric Clain, Marek Rutkiewicz and Daniel Majewski (all riders), Boguslaw Madejak (ex-Cofidis physiotherapist), Oleg Kozlitine (former directeur sportif of Oktos).

Originally posted by Spider1977
This is the article from www.cyclingnews.com

Millar confesses

According to Friday's edition of L'Equipe, World Time Trial Champion David Millar (Cofidis) has allegedly confessed to taking EPO. Millar allegedly made the confession to French police while he spent 48 hours in custody in Biarritz this week.

L'Equipe reported that empty ampoules of Eprex (EPO) were found by French police in Millar's house whilst he was being detained, writing "Millar has recognised that he used Eprex (erythropoetin) in the practice of his profession which puts him in the same position as a positive rider in the eyes of the UCI."

If this is the case, Millar will likely be charged by Nanterre judge Richard Pallain, who is heading the investigation into the Cofidis team, with illegal possession and use of toxic substances. So far, eight others have been charged in the affair which began early this year: Cédric Vasseur, Philippe Gaumont, Robert Sassone, Médéric Clain, Marek Rutkiewicz and Daniel Majewski (all riders), Boguslaw Madejak (ex-Cofidis physiotherapist), Oleg Kozlitine (former directeur sportif of Oktos).



If this is real, and Millar starts to feel pressure, who knows ;) who he will name as well?

C'mon guys!! They all do it! (well, the majority I'm sure). Open your eyes and smell the coffee... in probably every professional sport these days the guys are on something, especially when its something like EPO with no real testing procedure.

The rules are simple... take whatever you can without getting caught. Why is everyone so surprised when someone get's busted??? Check what's happening amongst athletics track sprinters right now... HGH, steroids, etc, etc, etc...

Let's not get all upset about it - it's the nature of the beast, unfortunately.

Well I don't agree that it's the nature of the beast. It's fraud as we supporters of the sport in question, whether it be aths, cycling, football etc. are being hoodwinked.

The only way to deal with it is for the UCI to have the balls to invoke life suspensions. The IOC at least has the guts to invoke life suspensions for those who get caught and found guilty.

The yanks who have been "caught" in aths are in a state of denial, but their victories, if they get to Athens, will be hollow and lack credibility. A win without honour is a loss.

As a Brit on this forum I with a David Millar avatar I feel I should comment on this matter.

But I cannot think of anything to say. It is utterly tragic for the sport in general regardless of whether you Dave is a big gob or a great rider.


As this all unravels I get the feeling the very very top men arent immune from this and we will get to the whole truth.

If that is the case, then maybe names like Gaumont, Manzao and Millar will be seen as savoiurs of cycling, rather than dirty cheats.

Originally posted by Jimmythecuckoo
As a Brit on this forum I with a David Millar avatar I feel I should comment on this matter.

But I cannot think of anything to say. It is utterly tragic for the sport in general regardless of whether you Dave is a big gob or a great rider.


As this all unravels I get the feeling the very very top men arent immune from this and we will get to the whole truth.

If that is the case, then maybe names like Gaumont, Manzao and Millar will be seen as savoiurs of cycling, rather than dirty cheats.

Jimmy, I disagree that we should classify these guys as savoiurs for one simple reason, they got caught.:D

I agree with Spider1977, the only way to limit (NOT eradicate) the doping problem is lifelong suspensions. You have to make the riders seriously consider whether it is worth it to cheat this way!

At present, it is still worth their while to risk getting caught - you get a suspension, say you are sorry and won't do it again, and come back to racing.

And, as ds0709 pointed out, these guys are not the saviours. People who get caught red-handed (as apparently Millar has, although this is yet to be confirmed) and decide to sill the beans are simply trying to limit the damage to their own careers!

That's a shame. From some of you Brits, you really had your hopes up with Millar, that he would be the next great Tour champion. Maybe he will be back in the running in the future, if this is true that he doped. Virenque is still at it, and he came clean a few years ago.

I have a feeling it may be even more prevalent for climbers to dope. Just look at the recent history of deaths and suspensions. It kind of makes me feel a little bit guilty to be a spectator. After all, everyone who watches draws money into the sport, and part of that is paying for these guys to dope themselves. I wish there were a way to stop them short of a worldwide boycott. Maybe there is. Lifetime suspensions are punishment, and just, but it would be better if you could simply prevent them from doping before you have to follow through with punishment. That, I'm afraid, is a dream.

Another one bites the dust apparently. I am pretty sick of the whole thing.

Originally posted by Spider1977
Well I don't agree that it's the nature of the beast. It's fraud as we supporters of the sport in question, whether it be aths, cycling, football etc. are being hoodwinked.

The only way to deal with it is for the UCI to have the balls to invoke life suspensions. The IOC at least has the guts to invoke life suspensions for those who get caught and found guilty.

The yanks who have been "caught" in aths are in a state of denial, but their victories, if they get to Athens, will be hollow and lack credibility. A win without honour is a loss.

Correction, the yanks who have been caught are facing life-time bans.

Read this article for more info.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/olympics/story/7444758

Originally posted by MidBunchLurker
Why is everyone so surprised when someone get's busted?
Because Millar had been such a vociferous opponent of Gaumont's allegations. While I've never admired him as a bike rider I considered him clean. Assuming the cyclingnews.com article is correct I'm appalled at his deceit.

I've been watching this for the last 2 days and am getting very good at reading news stories.

If I may point out, this story today has been exploded from 1 small piece in the paper L'equipe printed last night before midnight French time. I post it here with the lousy google automatic translation

==============================================
Millar dans la tourmente

Selon le quotidien l'Equipe daté du 25 juin, David Millar, le coureur écossais de l'équipe Cofidis aurait avoué avoir consommé de l'EPO, lors de sa garde à vue de 48 heures au commissariat de Biarritz dans le cadre d'une enquête sur un trafic de produits dopants.

«Millar aurait reconnu avoir utilisé de l'Eprex (erythropoïetine) dans l'exercice de sa profession ce qui le place aujourd'hui réglementairement dans la même situation qu'un coureur contrôlé positif au regard de l'Union cycliste internationale», écrit le journal.

Des ampoules d'EPO vides auraient également été découvertes par les policiers au domicile de David Millar lors de la perquisition effectuée peu de temps avant l'interrogatoire du coureur.

David Millar devrait donc être convoqué par le juge Richard Pallain au tribunal de Nanterre pour être mis en examen, ajoute le quotidien. Le champion a été entendu par les enquêteurs de la brigade des stupéfiants jusqu'à jeudi midi.

Le coureur écossais est soupçonné d'avoir utilisé des produits dopants et d'avoir participé à un trafic de produits dopants autour de l'équipe Cofidis. Il avait été mis en cause par le coureur Philippe Gaumont, un de ses anciens coéquipiers chez Cofidis.

Huit personnes ont été mises en examen dans cette affaire : les coureurs Cédric Vasseur, Philippe Gaumont, Robert Sassone, Médéric Clain, Marek Rutkiewicz et Daniel Majewski, un soigneur, Boguslaw Madejak, et le directeur sportif d'une formation de 3e division, Oleg Kozlitine.

Millar in the storm

According to the daily newspaper the Team dated from June 25, David Millar, the Scottish runner of the Cofidis team would have acknowledged to have consumed EPO, during her police custody 48 hours to the police station of Biarritz within the framework of an investigation on a traffic of doping products.

" Millar would have admitted having used of Eprex (erythropoïetine) in the exercise of its profession what places it today in the regular manner in the same situation as a positive controlled runner in comparison with the international Union cyclist ", the newspaper writes.

Bulbs of empty EPO also would have been discovered by the police officers in the residence of David Millar at the time of the searching carried out little time before the interrogation of the runner.

David Millar should thus be convened by judge Richard Pallain with the court of Nanterre to be put in examination, adds the daily newspaper. The champion was heard by the investigators of the drug squad until Thursday midday.

The Scottish runner is suspected of having used doping products and to have taken part in a traffic of doping products around the Cofidis team. It had been blamed by the runner Philippe Gaumont, one of his former fellow-members at Cofidis.

Eight people were put in examination in this business: the runners Cédric Vasseur, Philippe Gaumont, Robert Sassone, Médéric Clain, Marek Rutkiewicz and Daniel Majewski, a welfare man, Boguslaw Madejak, and the sporting director of a formation of the 3rd division, Oleg Kozlitine.
==============================================

There has been no official confirmation just an anonymous informant.

All the articles since, wherever they are from stem from this one little piece of 'news' It has been added to, embellished and totally turned round quoting everything as the gospel truth.

This I find offensive.

There is one glimmer of hope, someone has stood back and taken an overview of the shark feeding frenzy, and I post it now from the Daily Peleton

============================================

Tour Shakedown: When Rumors Shape Races
By Janna Trevisanut
Date: 06/25/04
Tour Shakedown: When Rumors Shape Races
The Tour of France director, Jean Marie LeBlanc, has apparently announced today that he won't accept riders implicated in judicial procedures regarding dopage or who are part of a police doping investigation. This position has apparently been approved by the UCI.
Two French publications, LeMonde, and the sports publication L'Equipe, have published various stories since the beginning of the year regarding French and Italian dopage investigations that have implicated various riders or who are included as part of doping investigations. L'Equipe also published the LeBlanc announcement today.
Such a stance by LeBlanc is certainly understandable, but the difficulty lies in the fact that at least some of the allegations published by these media organs may be part of confidential judicial investigations that improperly appeared in print. Cofidis and Saeco have both complained that they have not been officially notified of their implicated riders, learning of it instead in the press, and earlier this year Cofidis was barred by the investigating French judge from being made an official party to the investigations of its riders and former riders.
Since no binding legal decisions have yet been made as part of either of these investigations, such as convictions or national cycling federation suspensions, LeBlanc is in the quite interesting position of perhaps excluding riders based on rumor.
For the various Tour teams, such a decision has impact:
Cofidis:
According to the French publication L'Equipe, Time Trial World champion David Millar was detained for 48 hours by the French police earlier this week in relation to an ongoing investigation regarding former Cofidis rider Philippe Gaumont. L'Equipe also reported that Cedric Vasseur has also been interviewed as part of the Gaumont allegations. Interestingly, Vasseur's father and Jean Marie LeBlanc, Tour de France director, are old friends, going back to their racing days.
Saeco:
Eddy Mazzoleni has been precautionarily suspended by the Saeco team after media leaks of a supposed investigation against him which appeared in the French publication LeMonde last week. Other Saeco riders supposedly implicated in a large Italian investigation are Danilo Di Luca and Alessandro Spezialetti.
Police raids by the Italian NAS (Nuclei Anti-Sofisticazione, anti-drug branch of the Carabinieri) were conducted during the second Giro rest day in May. At the time of the searches, the officials in charge of the searches announced that nothing significant and nothing compromising had been found.
Fassa Bortolo:
Fabio Sacchi is implicated in the Italian investigation.
Domina Vacanze:
LeMonde also reported that Mario Scirea and Alessio Galletti are part of the Italian doping investigation.

============================================

I think we need to sit back and wait for the outcome without being overly prejudicial until the facts are out in the public domain

Originally posted by MidBunchLurker
C'mon guys!! They all do it! (well, the majority I'm sure). Open your eyes and smell the coffee... in probably every professional sport these days the guys are on something, especially when its something like EPO with no real testing procedure.

The rules are simple... take whatever you can without getting caught. Why is everyone so surprised when someone get's busted??? Check what's happening amongst athletics track sprinters right now... HGH, steroids, etc, etc, etc...

Let's not get all upset about it - it's the nature of the beast, unfortunately.

I still do not belive that the majority are on some sort of drug enhancement. I do belive that there is a minority who are using and if caught should recive life bans. also DNF them from every race they have every been in and collect back all the trophys, prize money etc. Also sponsors should be allowed to sue the athelete (ie make this standard in all sports) for fraud.

As the great JOAQUIM AGOSTINHO used to say you dont win bike races with a steak and a bottle of mineral water.

Granted an admission of guilt tends to point to Millar indeed being a stinking rat but isn't anyone else concerned about these reports of a 48 hour interrogation by the French Police? It's not like he murdered someone exactly. Is this sort of behaviuor warranted for these sorts of crimes? Would we be up in arms about this sort of treatment of he hadn't made his admission? Do pro cyclists hand over any right to civil liberties when they join up or something?

All I can say is if Brad McGee ever gets done for drugs I will stop being interested immediately.



Originally posted by Spider1977
l'equippe as quoted on cyclingnews.com says that Millar has admitted to French investigators that he uses EPO. Apparently they found used vials in his accomodation.

This is the guy who had a lot to say (when doesn't he) when the Cofidis affair first broke. Now he has been exposed as a cheating hypocrite. I say he should be wiped out for life.

Stuart O'Grady must be regretting his move away from CA.

Cofidis let down Lance and now they've let down the sport. It's worse than Festina because now the sport is increasingly under the spotlight.:mad:

Originally posted by Julesa
Granted an admission of guilt tends to point to Millar indeed being a stinking rat but isn't anyone else concerned about these reports of a 48 hour interrogation by the French Police? It's not like he murdered someone exactly. Is this sort of behaviuor warranted for these sorts of crimes? Would we be up in arms about this sort of treatment of he hadn't made his admission? Do pro cyclists hand over any right to civil liberties when they join up or something?

All I can say is if Brad McGee ever gets done for drugs I will stop being interested immediately.

Well put it this way. In taking drugs Millar has defrauded his team management, business contacts, team mates, competetors, fans, merchandisers, sponsors, the UCI and race organisers. He has earned millions from the sport which he has treated with contempt. That deserves a pretty hefty kick in the arse dont you think?
Who needs to commit armed robbery when you can do it on a bike?

Originally posted by jcjordan
I still do not belive that the majority are on some sort of drug enhancement. I do belive that there is a minority who are using and if caught should recive life bans. also DNF them from every race they have every been in and collect back all the trophys, prize money etc. Also sponsors should be allowed to sue the athelete (ie make this standard in all sports) for fraud.

I wish I had your optimism pal. It is all to easy to avoid being caught. Jesus Manzano manged to avoid it for a good many years and we all know how. This means that anyone can do it.

The Irony is that the AIS was on the verge of develpoing a set of marker compunds which could be added to all banned drugs to garauntee detection but the Government stomped on it.

I sincerely hope that if it all blows up it does so now so that all the mess can be cleared up, practises published and banned, riders punished and new proceedures developed to ensure that banned drugs can be detected. proceedures should also be common to all countries and across all federations so we can avoid rediculous situations like Igor Gonzales Degaldeano being prevented from starting the Tour for using his asthma medication.