Armstrong Tour Blood Values Suspicious?
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9/3 Update: There's another article out now with Jakob Mørkebjerg pointing out that Armstrong's reticulocyte numbers are also unusual, and may be indicative of EPO or transfusions. Some interesting discussion going on here as well.
9/2: A Danish paper is reporting today that "one of Denmark's leading blood researchers believes that Lance Armstrong's blood values from the Tour are suspicious and indicate blood doping." The blood researcher, Jakob Mørkebjerg (ominously google translated as 'James Dark Mountain'😉 claims that Armstrong's blood values stayed the same from the first day to the last day of the Tour, with a spike in the middle. Armstrong's values fell during the Giro, but not the Tour.
Armstrong's Tour values are here, and his hematocrit and hemoglobin on 7/2, 2 days before the start of the race, was 42.8 and 14.3. On 7/25, one day before the last day of the race, it was 43 and 14.5. Also, 7/13 was a rest day, and his numbers rise from 40.7 and 13.7 on 7/11 to 43.1 and 14.4 on 7/14. On 7/20, another rest day, his numbers are 41.7 and 14, and then 43 and 14.5 on 7/25.
The Giro values are here. His values on 5/7, two days before the race, were 43.5 and 14.8. On 5/31, the last day of the race, those numbers were 38.2 and 13.
I hope to speak to some experts in blood doping in the next 24 hours and will report results. To be clear, we're not making any accusations here, just passing along the article. As you can see below, there may be innocent explanations for these values.
The article is here, and below is the Google translation. If there are any Danish readers out there that can verify the accuracy of the Google translation we'd really appreciate it.
Armstrong suspicious blood values
One of Denmark's leading blood researchers believes that Lance Armstrong's blood values from the Tour de France looks suspicious and indicate blood doping
Lance Armstrong impressed in his Tour de France comeback this year with a third place. But maybe it was not surprising for one of Denmark's leading blood researchers, James Dark Mountain from Bispebjerg Hospital, has looked at American's blood values over and they can indicate the use of blood doping, "he DR gate.
Both the number of red blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin were essentially the same on the first day and last day of Tour'en, which is quite unusual.
Furthermore, increased hematocrit value during 11th-14th July, representing the middle of Tour'en, 40.7 to 43.1, which is also strange, does Dark Mountain.