Greg LeMond interrupts the 'Feel Good' LA tour; peppers the Armstrong team with doping questions

Cojones.  That is what Greg LeMond displays in spades.  LeMond attended yesterdays press conference in Las Vegas, at the Interbike trade show.  If Armstrong wants publicity, then he should deal with the tough issues too.  To Bike Radar:

A day after officially announcing his comeback to professional cycling, Lance Armstrong made an appearance at the Interbike trade show to give the cycling media and industry an opportunity to hear more details of his plans, including the special testing by Don Catlin of the UCLA anti-doping lab. Catlin joined him on stage along with American Taylor Phinney, who will lead Armstrong's new U23 developmental team.

Sitting in the front row, asking the first question was another Tour de France champion and outspoken critic of Armstrong, Greg LeMond. Cyclingnews was on hand to hear the plans and questioning from the industry, including LeMond.

LeMond, seated in the front row, led off the questioning with some pointed ones, all surrounding the theme of questioning the reasonability of the planned special testing of Armstrong by Don Catlin of the UCLA lab.

Very topical questions for Team Armstrong.  Or should we say Corporate Armstrong.  If an athlete is going to trumpet state of the art doping testing, then make it state of the art.  Look at more than the 'forensic' lab tests (drug level, or T/E ratios).   Look at physiologic functions and blood parameters for irregularities.

"I see Mr. Greg LeMond is here," Armstrong said somewhat wryly, but allowed him to have the first question.

LeMond pressed Armstrong and Catlin about the type of testing they had planned. He levied some reasonable critiques, essentially calling into question the proposed testing, arguing that it is not comprehensive enough, such as using T/E ratios and tests for specific EPO drugs as opposed to measuring physiological variables such as power output changes over time. LeMond inferred that a spike in power output would better indicate the use of something compared to trying to test for particular substances.

"That is not my area," responded Catlin. "He will be subject to testing by everyone under the sun. I think that will be all sorted out."

Catlin is a good guy; we hope he is not seduced by the Armstrong mystique and the Armstrong financial power.  For too long stars tend to intimidate people; even in Congress, members were asking Roger Clemens for autographs rather than grilling him about his doping agenda.  LeMond is not easily intimidated as we can see below. This exchange proved pretty testy:

Catlin said that the actual program is still taking shape. "[Lance] has agreed to a couple of a few very fundamental points. One is his data, like T/E ratio and all that kind of stuff that a doping control is allowed to do will be on the web, so you can see it. 'Ah, your T/E ratio changed today, what happened?' Like to see if he is taking EPO – all the actors to make it a very public campaign.

"The other thing is samples will be kept frozen for a good long time so that if next year, five years a new test comes out and someone says Lance was doing something five years ago, we can pull out the samples and test them. This is longitudinal testing whereas the usual type of testing is taking a stop in time. This is where you connect the dots and is much more powerful kind of program to understand the physiology."

"That is all irrelevant," LeMond responded. "It doesn't matter about T/E ratio but watts and power output..."

"I don't think it is irrelevant," said Catlin. "I dare say you know this business pretty well! Come with your ideas of what we should do!"

At that point Armstrong stepped in tried to move things along. "You've done your job," Armstrong said to LeMond. "We are here to talk about a couple of things, like the Global Clinton campaign and my comeback to cycling. It's time for us, everybody in this room, to move on. We are not going to go there, I appreciate you being here – next question."

Come on folks.  If an athlete holds a press conference to trumpet his complete transparency to anti-doping agenda, and if the athlete expects to be state-of-the-art, then the athlete needs to answer all questions completely without cutting off the questioner because the issues are too tough, or he doesn't like the path the questions are going.

This is not scientific agenda here, it is public relations.  and perhaps to sell some SRAM bicycle components.

Comments

[StevieG]

The Finanancial power of Armstrong, an interesting term, I am almost surprised Lance does not have his own team altogether and I guess, the former, Slipstream was something like that.

I understand that a big issue in the Astana camp, seems to be with Astana having Contador who is only the fifth man in history to win all of the big 3 week tours, the Giro of Italy, the Tour de France and the Vuelta of Spain and of course, who won last year's Tour de France.

Still, with Spain having their woman competitor sent home from Beijing and with 2 Spaniards busted at this tour de France and with Spain being the home of the Operacion Puerta affair, there is reason to harbor doubts on Spain.

[Jimbob]

How do LeMond's cajones taste? Is this supposed to be journalistic or just useless online Lance-bashing? We can get that anywhere.

[scottyT]

This, like everything LeMond has done recently is pathetic. He's the Jimmy Carter of cycling. Hasn't aged gracefully at all.

[StevieG]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/sports/othersports/26lance.html?ref=othersports The Bike Radar article is a tad bit difficult to read if we aren't scientists ourselves, the NY Times boils it down a little. This story is going to be evolving for a long time, we will have to see what forms it takes.

Lemond certainly grilled this Catlin fellow and seems to already have his suspicions. Lemond can't tell us, but I'd think he'd be enough in the know to know some information that maybe he can't discuss because it'd be libel and stuff.

[jim]

Lemond is absolutely correct about the true insignificance of P/E ratios being used over power/watt figures. I'm a scientist at UCLA. Making performance conclusions on P/E ratios is perhaps somewhat equivalent to basing investment decision on market forecast reports, as opposed to actual real-time evidence.

[Steroid Nation]

I think you mean T/E ratios. :-)/ P/E is what's screwed up on the stock market.

The T/E ratio isn't a bad screen for doping with testosterone. However BALCO proved you can manipulate that ratio. Furthermore an athlete simply times his use of the drug.

LeMond has a great point. However, the issue with longitudinal monitoring of lab values lies in the odds of popping out an outlier based on the number of lab tests run.

[dave purtee]

No argument from me, Lance is a great TDF rider. That said, he's also a one trick pony. All the great racers raced, all season, every race they entered. Like Lemond did...

[Methuselah]

It's spelled "cojones." The word "cajones" would refer to drawers in a piece of furniture or some large boxes. :)

[Steroid Nation]

Noted and changed

thanks

[Arnold]

If samples are frozen to be investigated in the future, why then does Armstrong now refuse to do a retest of the 1999 Tour de France blood samples? It's the same principle, isn't it?
If he really has nothing to hide why not cooperate with the French laboratory and anti doping agency?
It's this kind of trickery that keeps the doubts alive!

[stevieg]

Arnold: good question, but the Armstrong camp would want us to question the integrity of the custody and keeping of these samples, etc. Armstrong and Landis too, would like us to believe the French are not hospitable towards the 2 American riders. Of course, the lab that has the samples is endorsed by WADA - World Anti-doping Assoc.(a lot of technical talk, I hope I basically say what it boils down to).

[BrentMcB]

Please let's give Mr. Lemond his due. he was is and always will be our first Tour De France Champion and our plankowner for cycling. Lance Armstrong is a media darling and a product of a rebuilt body scientifically after cancer. What did he win before that? the Tour Du Pont? A worlds time trial? both of those are skewed because the
world's best wasn't even at those events. let us not forget how Big Mig blew his doors off during the TDF time trial. please whether armstrong is guilty of doping, I don't think anyone will ever know, but the real truth of the matter here is that in a matter of 1 year after Indurain's final victory doping in some form has become rampid in the peleton. Most of the big power's since then have either been caught or confessed to such actions. Lemond is simply upset at what has become the face of cycling, and cycling is being destroyed by drugs. his agenda I feel certain is to try and help clean up the sport by asking tough questions and expecting tough answers. Livestrong is a great message to cancer fans i agree, but lance armstrong battle with greg lemond or vice versa isn't good for the sport either. Lance is a doper of some sort in my book simply because of what I have seen happen in the peleton over the last ten years. Conditioning training etc. hasn't changed that much and all things considered equal if any one doubts greg lemond isn't a whiz at figuring out that you can classify yourself as a LieStrong peep. go make your money mr. Armstrong and your fame., but remember this it was mr. Lemond who opend up those doors long before you with a clean hand.

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