Rasmussen accusations to 2002: "Biopure"

Seems to me there's about 15 or so facts in the guy's story that I assume one could easily enough check out. If I was an editor and they all turned out to be true I wouldn't hesitate to publish the story. To think the guy would have just happened to be in the right place to meet and know Rasmussen and his wife, and then have enough sense to concoct a story where he doesn't mess something up that sends up a red flag, and he told the story years ago. I'm sure stranger tails have been made up, but this seems exceedingly unlikely to be a fabrication.

 

Story is probably true, but .... is their enough evidence to convict or pull the Chicken based upon what is alleged to have happened in 2002.

Where is the product. Only two people (we assume) can collaborate the story. What about The Chicken's friend who delivered the goods?

Now that the ASO wants the green jersey from Zabel (and the yellow from Riis), I wonder if they already got some of the Polka Dots back from Richard Virenque?

I say the timing of this is a little suspect. Coming one day before the Chicken is set to (surely) lose the yellow jersey.

True it may be, but true also it would have been over the past five years. Today seems like the "perfect" time to drop the bomb.

Helmut, I wouldn't doubt that, given that its an exclusive, VN paid something for the story.

 

cant you read between the lines? im trying to say that eyewitnesses mean nothing if they dont have evidence. if 1,000 people implicated rasmussen then id have to believe it was true,however believing isnt enough to convict somebody,they mean nothing if none of them has evidence.

 

I don't live in Texas..........600 miles away.

 

oi ! Need to be careful here.... Velonews don't back the story they merely printed it...... if the source is proved to be a crackpot Velonews won't be the ones in trouble... circulation numbers, advertising per page and reputation count for nothing.............. who is this guy with a story about cycling shoes with cows blood............. think about it........ if you wanted to dope.... if you really wanted to inject cows blood into your own...... how would you do it...? how would you really do it....? think about it..... would you purchase it in the USA ? Would you then ask someone who you don't really know to carry it under the guise of carrying cycling shoes....? or would you just hook up with a doctor in Europe ? Rass is doping for sure but this guy didn't carry blood extract. There are easier ways to dope....... I mean I can walk down the street and I live in one of the most affluent parts of London and I can buy drugs.... I don't need my friends in the US to carrying for me.... if I want I know where to get it.... thats my point... whats the point ?

 

Assuming that Prudhomme doesn't have the same contorted logic as the Lantern and therefore doesn't feel it is a requirement to see the actual video of the shoebox smuggling operation before he can make a decision, Rass's days are probably numbered. Luckily for the not all that great Dane, he's already got a custom made, anonymous, bolt hole available in Mexico, where he will no doubt hunker down to avoid the voracious attention of press guys who have been inspired by RD's homilies about obtaining more evidence.

I suggested in an unrelated thread this morning that there still might be a great doping denoument about to happen but this is potentially and catastropically (or comically, depending on your perspective) much greater. In the space of the next few weeks it is quite possible that the last winner of the TDF is finally busted, the current leader is thrown off in ignominy, and the next winner, Piti, is sanctioned. Oh, Doctor House. How did you get it all so wrong!

 

But how easy is it to get a synthetic hemoglobin that is partway through the FDA testing process? Frigo ended up buying saline solution instead of Hemassist.

Maybe Rass is a scumbag who would let a friend unknowingly take the risk of smuggling the crap into Europe. Maybe he get's all his supplies in Mexico and the U.S.

 

It seems that the crap is stacking up so fast something needs to be done before everyone in the sport drowns in shit. Amnesty deal combined with longitudinal testing. Anyone who wants amnesty needs to name the doctors and suppliers and maybe team staff who were involved.

 

Biopure was named!

 

exactly. velonews cant even get people to pay them to reead the mag...i'm sure that they cant pay people for info

 

If you actually took the time to listen what he said it was in no way racest. Yep, he was addicted to pain meds.

Seriously you should take the time to listen to him before you make a judgement. I wouldn't expect you to do that seeing that you actually used the word ethical in regard to American journalists...

 

The ol' whodunnit. Who is really setting up who? And what is to be gained? As they say follow the money trail ... and see where it leads.

 

I have listened to him and I've made a judgment.

I have judged that he's an assclown. Or is it ass-clown.

 

1. There is no way VeloNews paid. If they did pay, they didn't disclose it in the story, which is a major no-no for reputable journalism. VeloNews isn't the National Enquirer or Network TV gunning for a Paris Hilton interview. In addition, the text of the story indicates that Richards approached them and offered the story. So if they did pay, they're not only leaving out important information that would be relevant to the veracity of the piece -- they're distorting what they claim happened. Some people may not like VeloNews, but it's not a tabloid.

2. "Suspect" timing? Richards point blank says he timed the story b/c of Chicken saying a bunch of stupid things on the rest day. Chicken burned him and now chicken's burning the sponsors, race organizers and the fans. Sounds like a good reason to go public now to me.

3. Is it enough for ASO to pull Chicken? Last year, no way. Now? I still doubt it, but maybe. As Bro or Helmut pointed out, the best move is to force RaboBank to pull him. Or even better, RaboBank tells chicken to get food poisoning. Tomorrow is too soon. If Chicken gets booted -- or starts booting, I'd say it comes next Monday.

4. Cow blood? WTF is wrong with these people?

 

If VN paid or did not pay--is wholly irrelevant. Cow blood is real and in use.

The chicken is not the only rider on meat/milk cow juice.

Noontime tomorrow is the time to DQ Michael and save the 2007 Tour from a Floyd Landis redo.

 

I suspect that we'll find out a bit more about this story tomorrow evening, or perhaps on the rest day, once Rass has lost the mj. He's relatively safe while he's an outgoing leader because it's not worth it for ASO to actually throw out their yellow jersey man - think how big that story would be, the Tour would descend ever deeper into the abyss - when they know that he's going to lose the lead anyway. Once he's lost 4 minutes to Evans and Kloeden then the equation will look a bit different and he'll on a plane back to Mexico.

 

According to the velonews story, this occurred in 2002, and WADA has developed a low cost screening for Hemopure in 2004. So what? Chicken was blood boosting in 2002, along with everyone else. He just picked a more dangerous way to do it. He's a jerk for using someone as an unknowing mule to get it past the border, though. Makes the Landis sidekick look polite in comparison.

Why slam Chicken now for an unproven accusation in 2002? If that is the case, then why is Zabel riding? He actually admitted to using EPO.

 

Sadly it would appear he does.

 

Well welcome to 'rockandhardplace'. He just made a mockery of the sport today.

 

Let's not let Astana off the hook. It was almost '94 Fleche-Wallone all over again. Same deal as in the Vuelta last year. This could be the same story again, started out competitive but not the strongest, then kicked the shit out of everyone in the final hard week. And that was just Kashi and Vino, now they have Kloden too. I wonder if they'll skip any visits by the vampires during the Tour?