http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/armstrong-hunts-down-rider What does it mean to be a patron of the Tour de France? Is a patron simply the strongest rider of his era, or is there something more? In the true sense of the word, there is. A patron is not just a champion, but a godfather of sorts, a man who can dictate the moods and mores of the peloton, who can turn even a seemingly meaningless stage to his end. Typically, it is also a benefactor of sorts, a man whose magnanimity can elevate the dignity of the sport through observation of its most time-honored precepts, key among them sportsmanship. We saw a patron on Tour today, but it was not a benevolent one. Instead, the ugliest side broke out of the race's grandest champion today when Lance Armstrong bolted out of the pack to join Filippo Simeoni, who had just before broken free himself in an attempt to bridge up to the break. On reaching the six-rider move, Simeoni said Armstrong looked over at him and smirked, "Bravo. Nice move." When Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta pleaded with Armstrong to drop back and let the break have an honest chance to continue, Armstrong reportedly told them he would gladly do that, under one condition: Simeoni was not to continue in the break, either. Faced with the choice of sinking the chances of six riders or his own, Simeoni drifted back to the pack, accompanied by Armstrong. In between, the two riders talked, with Armstrong even briefly placing his hand on Simeoni's shoulder. "Armstrong and I spoke as the peloton was catching us but I prefer not to say what he said," Simeoni told BICYCLING's European Correspondent, James Startt, at the finish of stage 18. "It was too serious." Once back in the field, Armstrong spoke and laughed with numerous riders and at one point made the sign of zipping lips. Simeoni is one of cycling's most anonymous riders. In an 11-year career he has had just one significant win, a stage of the 2000 Regio Tour, and as a career gregario, or helper, he has done little to distinguish himself good or bad. But two years ago Simeoni hurled himself into a most unwelcome and glaring spotlight when he became a key witness in the ongoing trial of Doctor Michele Ferrari, a by-turns acclaimed and notorious physician, who was being tried in the Italian province of Bologna for sporting fraud. Armstrong had publicly disclosed only months earlier that he was one of Ferrari's clients. In his testimony before the Bologna court on February 12, 2002, Simeoni described how Ferrari showed him how to use the banned red blood cell booster EPO more effectively. Ferrari denied the charges, but Armstrong, in a carefully prepared interview broadcast on RAI TV in Italy on the eve of that year's Milan-San Remo World Cup opener, said that Simeoni had lied. He repeated the claim in an article in Le Monde in April 2003, saying that Simeoni was "a compulsive liar" and had doped long before meeting Ferrari. In response, Simeoni decided to sue Armstrong for defamation, saying Armstrong's comments had hurt his career. In a lengthy interview published in the French sports daily l'Equipe during the first week of this year's Tour de France, Simeoni said he had been unfairly singled out by Armstrong. "[Lance] has tried to defend his own image vis-a-vis Ferrari, but I've never accused Armstrong personally, I would never do that," he said to the paper. The lawsuit, he said, was "not a question of money. If I'm awarded money, I'll give it to charity." Ferrari, who runs a coaching service called 53x12 and continues to consult with Armstrong, should see his long-running and exhausting case finally go to trial later this summer after more than two years of preliminary hearings. Although not the only cyclist to testify against Ferrari in court, Simeoni is the only active cyclist. Fabrizio Convalle, winner of a stage of the Tour of Italy in 1990, testified he had taken unknown products provided by Ferrari and an amateur cyclist, Carlo Cobalcini, said before the court that he paid Ferrari to treat him, treatments that included procurement of EPO. But neither Convalle nor Cobalcini are professional cyclists today. Axel Merckx and Gianluca Bortolami, two other clients of Ferrari, failed to appear before the court although their presence was requested. Armstrong said today that he chased down Simeoni "to protect the interests of the peloton." On the face of it, it seems a bit disingenuous to suggest that attacking a rider who sat almost three hours down on overall time and didn't figure in any of the superlative jersey classifications was for the best. But Armstrong wasn't referring to the race. "All he wants to do is destroy cycling, destroy the sport that pays him," Armstrong said of the reason for his actions. In his phrasing, Armstrong--intentionally or not--recalled Greg LeMond's statement last week, when the three-time winner said in an interview with a French newspaper, "The problem with Armstrong is that you're either a liar or you're out to destroy cycling," speaking of how Armstrong deals with riders who allege that doping in the sport is widespread. "When I went back to the group I can't say how many riders said thank you very much," said Armstrong of the reception given him by the other riders. "[Simeoni] is not a rider that the peloton likes to be up front because all he does is attack the peloton and say bad things about other riders and the group in general." That may be, but the peloton was content enough on Stage 9 to let Simeoni get 10 minutes up the road at one point with Euskaltel's Inigo Landaluze. The pair were caught just 100 meters before the stage finish, but not because of any particular animosity toward either rider; there were important sprint points on offer. As well, Postal did no work to bring back the pair and Armstrong, if he was perturbed by the events, showed no sign of it. Nine stages later, it was a different story. Simeoni, though, has suffered since he testified. Rupert Guinness, the veteran Australian journalist who covers the sport for various publications, wrote in his story on VeloNews.com that Domina Vacanze team leader Mario Cipollini didn't want Simeoni on the Tour team, according to DV director Vincenzo Santoni. Santoni didn't seem impressed with Cipollini or how Simeoni was treated by some riders when he did drift back from the break, and defended his rider to Italian RAI TV. "We had to plead with to stay in the race," Guinness quotes Santoni as saying. "He is someone who makes sacrifices for the team." Further defending his actions, Armstrong said that part of the problem lies with the press. "The problem with journalism is that you guys don't research the story. Simeoni - there is a long story there. All they want to write about is part of the story." Simeoni had doped before he worked with Ferrari; Simeoni admits it himself. And he won a reduction of his sentence in exchange for his testimony, from two years to six months and, eventually to four on the decision of the Court for Arbitration in Sport. He is certainly no angel, and his testimony should be examined with the same scrutiny and care as that of any other material witness to such an important case. But Armstrong declined to say what else might remain in the full story. He seems mystified that anyone could question his relationship with Ferrari, despite the fact that doping allegations have dogged Ferrari since at least 1996, when Sandro Donati, who blew the lid off EPO use in pro cycling with a firebomb of a report that implicated Ferrari's mentor, Francesco Conconi, testified against Ferrari in one of the good doctor's first doping trials. On Friday, Armstrong took a needless risk to emphasize a personal point. Laurent Jalabert, now retired, wrote on his diary on the Tour web site that in his opinion Armstrong had gone up the road to send Simeoni a message: "You'll never win a race again." And Armstrong's seemingly self-satisfied air on returning to the peloton--the "zip the lips" gesture and so on--seems to back up that premise, whatever his comment about looking out for the peloton (which, probably, can look out quite well for itself). But what does Armstrong really gain from publicly pursuing such an ugly agenda? Armstrong's comment that other riders supported him is ugly as well. For one, it underlines that cycling still has an omerta, or a code of silence. While the rider's union might be a laughable one from the standpoint of labor relations with team management or the UCI, it clearly enforces rigid conformist behavior among its own. Simeoni's ostracization is just another sad chapter in a book that includes sections on Jesus Manzano, Christophe Bassons, Jerome Chiotti, Paul Kimmage and any other pro cyclist who has the temerity to say publicly that not only did he dope, but others do too, even if no names are used. Simeoni will very likely not be a professional cyclist next year. He has, after all, bit the hand that fed him, pissed off the world's most powerful cyclist and appears to have few allies in his court. Perhaps he can get a ride with Amore e Vita, the controversial Italian team which is known for throwing last-chance contracts at reformed dopers (last week, they offered just such a gig to David Millar, who was sacked by his Cofidis team). Bike racing will probably always have doping of some kind, and there will be many riders, even clean ones, who want to protect their earning power ignoring its problems, saying "we do more than anyone to combat doping," and so on. But this issue speaks to something else besides the sport's unhealthy little addiction; it speaks to Armstrong. What does it take for this man to be satisfied? And how are we, fans of the sport, to reconcile two utterly adverse sides of a champion? How can a man who has stared death in the face, who knows the value of his own wonderful life and has shown such remarkable, limitless and genuine compassion to his fellow cancer survivors, be so needlessly petty? From here, it looks like hate, pure and simple. Armstrong now has six Tours, $16 million plus a year, Sheryl freaking Crow, his incredible benefit to the sport and to the cancer community and the adoration of millions of fans. Is that success so insubstantial that he must go out of his way to make someone else fail? It's a sad epitaph to what should have been a perfect Tour for Armstrong, one where his dominant performance and sublime form confirmed him as the best racer of his era, and one of the best of all time. I wrote weeks ago that Lance Armstrong had two sides--the public Armstrong you see on television and in his books, and a colder, spiteful one that is largely private. I wrote that if Armstrong lost this Tour de France that we might see that the private one was more his true self. Ironically, it is instead while winning it that it has come to the fore. -------------- Here is a video of how he does the "zip the lips" gesture after he chased the guy down and threatened him. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/taWGQNKUgQQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
There is plenty of evidence. And someone saying under oath that they saw Armstrong use EPO certainly does count. That is not hearsay. People who say that do not understand what hearsay is. Just to educate those people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearsay We will see what the outcome of the investigation will be. But Tyler Hamilton's new statements certainly add to the picture. And it is very telling that certain people here simply WANT to ignore it without even having read it. If Hamilton had said "I was told someone saw him do it", it would be hearsay. But this guy was one of Armstrong's closest confidants for years. And he said that HE HIMSELF saw him do it. That is admissible evidence.
Where is the failed test? Where is the smoking gun? "I saw you eat poop, you poopy poop eater" isn't sufficient.
LOL. Pacquiao has always been fast, a workaholic and top with proper supplements. I guessed you are accusing all the great/hall of fame boxers are on some kind of enhancing drugs also. If he was on PED how come he had a hard time with Marquez? Do your homework. http://createwealthwithmatt.com/manny-pacquiao-the-worlds-best-fighter-secret-supplements-revealed/ Oh look Manny is juicing up. <iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aZb2a5Pw-08" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You are talking about those who are not interested. I am talking about those who are vehemently trying to defend him, although they KNOW he did it.
He just got big, strong, fast too quickly -- there is no way he isn't taking some of the strongest PEDs available.
Where is the failed test Telling me that so-and-so saw/thinks/heard this or that is not sufficient. Innocent until proven guilty, still waiting on that proof. I'll gladly toss his ass (I think he's kind of a smug jerk, honestly) in the loser hall of fame once somebody busts him. Until then... I'm not impressed.
Again - just because you keep repeating that does not make it correct. You obviously have no understanding of the law.
You have repeatedly posted articles of people saying they saw Lance do this, or heard him say this, etc. I never called it hearsay (something you seem to keep repeating, irony much?), I'm calling it not sufficient to convict him a cheater. Show me the failed test.
Give it a freaking rest. Gayweather started really light weight also and look where his weight is at now. This could be his proper weight gain that he won't be losing much speed. Any idiots who think standing at 5'7" and weighting in at 130 pounds should be the ideal fighting weight doesn't know anything. 5'7" and at 140 pounds to me is perfect weight class that it totally proper.
You are calling it not sufficient to convict him. Whether the courts agree with you remains to be seen. All we know is that one more important witness - Tyler Hamilton - came forward now. Oh, and your ridiculous "show me the failed test" is childish. Or do you honestly believe that a) the testing methods applied at the time were good enough to find all PED; b) all of the authorities involved (I am referring specifically to the cycling associations) actually had any interest in finding out that the whole sport they make their living from is corrupt from the core? They knew that already...the people in the associations had been doing it, too.
#1 I would really like to see a failed test. #2 PED's are rampant in cycling, HUGE issue... worse than in baseball. #3 Chemo > PED's #4 Who really cares at this point, the sport is a bastion for illegal PED use, Lance would be in the minority if he did not use. He is the best cyclist of his generation, bar none.
There is plenty of evidence. People testifying under oath that they saw him do it including close friends, team employees and teammates. His association with people who were involved in the drug scandal including his doctor friend. His positive test for EPO on the B-sample in the 99 tour. What do you want, a video with him sticking a needle in his ass?
