Lance Amrstong confession

Here is the opening of Lance Armstong's interview with Oprah Winfrey last night. It answers all the questions cycling fans like myself wanted answers to, the details came later.

Winner 1999-2005 none #TDF

Earlier this year I looked at what would happen if Lance Armstrong were removed as winner of the Tour de France from 1999 - 2005. I used a zero tolerance approach for any rider associated with drug taking through their career, including as a result of the Lance Armstrong case if there seemed to be team wide offenses in a team they were in.

As I pointed out at the time all of those who came second had been  either part of the Festina team from 1998, named in Operation Puerto, or part of the 2007 Astana Team. There was nobody totally above suspicion on the second step of any of Armstrong's podiums. Beloki from 2002 had been cleared and Klöden in 2004 did not fail any tests. But then as we know as it has been often quoted by the UCI and others neither had Armstrong.

The decision of the UCI yesterday to not upgrade anyone in any of Armstrong's stripped titles would seem to suggest that they also don't want any further tainting from the past to affect the future. Much as Team Sky have since taken a relook at their zero tolerance programme in removing Bobby Julich from their set up, the decision seems to be a new perspective on things.

Although the continuation of suing Paul Kimmage who has been acknowledged by UCI President Pat McQuaid as a constant whistle blower in the sport seems contrary to this decision on Friday. But one American is calling for McQuaid to quit; now the only American winner of rewritten Tour history* , 3 time victor, Greg LeMond. He has written on Facebook:

"I have never seen such an abuse of power in cycling's history. Resign, Pat, if you love cycling. Resign even if you hate the sport.

"I want to tell the world of cycling to please join me in telling Pat McQuaid to resign.

"The sport does not need Pat McQuaid or Hein Verbruggen - if this sport is going to change it is now. Not next year, not down the road, now! Now or never!
 
"People that really care about cycling have the power to change cycling." 

He is joined in that call by Tyler Hamilton who is one of  those who has come clean to his doping in Armstrong's teams.

Update McQuaid and Verbruggen had called off their plans to sue Kimmage.

* As well as Armstrong, Floyd Landis was stripped of his win in 2006.
 

Parcours for the 2013 Tour de France

Today in Paris the route of the 2013 Tour de France has been announced. It is the 100th Edition of the TOur It starts with a 3 stages on Corsica on 29 June to 1 July and ends with a night time finish on the Champs-Élysées on the 21 July

 

 The Champion Bradley Wiggins as I posted earlier will not be going flat out for a defence of his title. There are four, tough mountain top finishes and only 65km of individual time trials compared to 101km this year means it will suit his Sky team mate Chris Froome better. Wiggins may be looking to add a Giro title just before the Grand Depart, but he will be riding in support of Froome around the roads of France come July. Although he joked that he would have to grow some sideburns before the start to take over that role.

On the subject of Armstrong the man who last wore the Maillot Jaune said he doubted that the American would ever confess. But Mark Cavendish looking forward to a chance to go for Green once more called on Armstrong to confess saying:

''I think [he should confess], definitely.

''But he is a stubborn man and I don't think he is ever going to confess, he has too much to lose.'' 

Cavendish wants Armstrong to follow in the steps of his Great Britain team-mate David Millar and his former HTC director Rolf Aldag who have admitted to doping. '

"It's not fair on me having to answer these questions. If you've done something, confess.

''That anyone can damage the sport I love right now, it's frustrating.

"I've worked with David Millar. This guy's remorseful. He's repented. The team I grew up with, HTC, one of the directors (Aldag) – these guys care about the sport. They ruin their reputation to move the sport on, but other people care more about themselves.''

A Texan gets out of the shower after a bad dream

These never happened

The UCI today has said it has accepted the findings of the USADA report and has stripped Lance Armstrong of all results since 1 August 1998, therefore he has not won a single Tour de France, meaning that Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx,  Bernhard Hinault and Miguel Indurain are the most successful riders in Le Tour with five wins apiece.

Pat McQuaid the UCI President said that Armstrong "has no place in cycling" in handing out a life time ban as well as the removal of his palmarès since August 2008. The decision on placings from 1999 to 2005 will be decided in a meeting on Friday of the UCI.

However, despite agreeing with the USADA findings, which mentioned that the UCI had helped to cover up a failed test by Armstrong in the 2001 Tour of Switzerland, McQuaid said that the defamation case against journalist and former Irish professional cyclist Paul Kimmage would carry on.

One side issue of all those results being removed from history is that Mark Cavendish, the most successful current professional, is now the 4th most successful stage winner in the Tour de France. The new Omega Pharma-Quickstep rider would need 3 more to pass André Leduzq, six to surpass Hinault and 12 to overtake Merckx.

Meanwhile in a shower in Texas

Hincapie - it was not possible to compete [drug free]

George Hincapie retired from cycling in August after completing his 17th start in the Tour de France. Then he was given the honour of leading the race unto the Champs-Élysées.

Yesterday he became the latest witness to come forward in the case against Lance Armstrong. He said:

"Because of my love for the sport, the contributions I feel I have made to it, and the amount the sport of cycling has given to me over the years, it is extremely difficult to acknowledge that during a part of my career I used banned substances."

He was served with a six month ban from September 2012 and stripped of his results from 31 May 2004 and 31 July 2006. He said that he had stopped using banned substances 6 years ago. But he was part of Armstrongs team at the time that he said "Given the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete without them." This was referring to the period he was one of the loyal lieutenants to Armstrong in the US Postal Team.

He did have something positive to say yesterday when he talked about the present of the sport.

"Thankfully, the use of performance enhancing drugs is no longer embedded in the culture of our sport, and younger riders are not faced with the same choice we had."

But the addition of Hincapie's testimony made all the more strange that he was still racing only this summer as a cyclist who had never tested positive during his 19 year career, yet now clearly was part of the team that USADA is calling a team-run doping conspiracy.

What if the Tour were Armstrong winless?

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now." 

These words of Lance Armstrong today have far reaching ramifications for cycling and the Tour de France. World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey, said:

"[Armstrong] had the right to rip up those charges but elected not to.

"Therefore the only interpretation in these circumstances is that there was substance in those charges.

"My understanding is that when the evidence is based upon a career that included seven Tour de France wins, then all of that becomes obliterated." 

Ullrich leaving before the start of 2006 Tour

So with those seven titles obliterated it makes Jan Ulrich GER not a one time winner but a four time winner, his second behind Marco Pantani is also looked by some as a doubtful outcome considering Pantani's later record (named in Operación Puerto posthumously) and untimely death. He could be credited with the wins in 2000, 2001 and 2003. He was also 4th in 2004 but he too was stripped of his 2005 third place earlier this year as a result of the Operación Puerto doping case. He was about to take part in the 2006 Tour and was suspended just prior to starting that Tour as a result of the Puerto list of names.

Alex Zülle SUI was second to Armstrong in his first 'win' in 1999, but the year before Zülle was caught up in the Festina affair the year before and admitted to taking EPO. In November 1998 his haematocrit was found to be 52.3% the limit is 50%. Under rules today he would have been suspended at the time he came second to Armstrong.

The 2002 win should go to Joseba Beloki SPA who the following year coming off his bike ahead of Armstrong who then famously went cross country to rejoin the race. However, in 2006 he was also implicated in Operación Puerto but cleared by Spanish authorities, the same Spanish authorities who recently cleared Contador to race only for the UCI to end up giving him a suspension. He's also come 3rd in 2000 and 2001 behind Armstrong and Ullrich.

2004 the runner up was Andreas Klöden GER who has faced accusations of an illegal blood transfusion in 2006 as well as being part of the Astana Team in 2007 that was withdrawn after the team leader Alexander Vinokourov had a positive test proven.

Finally it leads to 2005 where Ivan Basso ITA came in behind Armstrong, Basso was another one caught up in the Peurto scandal and in 2007 was handed a two year ban which included his suspension from his own team and lasted therefore until October 2008. He was also 3rd in 2004.

Further down the general classifications:

• Fernando Escartin SPA (Kelme)  3rd 1999 - was part of a team that in 2004 former team member Jesús Manzano accused of systematic doping during his time with the team from 2000-2004 just after Escartin's highest placing in Le Tour
• Laurant Dufaux SUI (Saeco) 4th 1999 - was part of the Festina Team that was kicked off the 1998 Tour and he admitted to doping at that time.
• Ángel Casero SPA (Vitalicio Seguros) 5th 1999 - was one of the already retired riders names in Operación Puerto.
• Christophe Moreau FRA (Festina) 4th 2000 - was one of the initial three members of the 1998 Festina team to admit to using EPO and served a 6 month suspension.
• Roberto Heras SPA (Kelme-Costa Blanca) 5th 2000 - would have won a 4th record Vuelta a España in 2005 if he wasn't banned for EPO usage. He was also part of the same Kelme set up as above for Escartin, before spending three years in US Postal with Armstrong.
• Andrei Kivilev KAZ (Cofidis) 4th 2001 - came behind Armstrong, Ullrich and Beloki. His legacy is not one of drugs but two years later on stage 2 of Paris-Nice he crashed while not wearing a helmet and died of his injuries as a result the wearing of helmets became compulsory.
• Igor González SPA (ONCE) 5th 2001 and 2002 - however in 2003 he was not allowed to take part in Le Tour because he was deemed to have gained advantage from the asthma drug salbutamol and was banned from taking part in races on French soil. During that 'ban' period which only applied in France he actually won the Vuelta a España.
• Raimondas Rumšas LIT (Lampre) 3rd 2002 - but on the last day of that race drugs had been found in a car driven by his wife, who claimed they including EPO, anabolic steroids, testosterone and growth hormone were for her mother-in-law. The following year after just completing the Giro d'Italia in 6th place he tested positive for EPO and was banned for one year. He was arrested, charged and given a suspended sentance with importing illegal drugs along with his wife in 2005 in relation to the 2002 case.
•  Santiago Botero COL (Kelme) 4th 2002 - was later suspended by his then Phonak Team in 2004 when he was named in connection with Operación Puerto. He was subsequently cleared by the Colombian Cycling Federation.
• Alexandre Vinokourov KAZ (Astana) 3rd 2003 5th 2005 - whilst he was never implicated in Operación Puerto five of his team mates were and his team Astana-Würth withdrew from the 2006 Tour as they had not enough riders to start. However, in 2007 Vinokourov was not in the GC contenders after a crash in the final 25km of stage 5. He had a bad day in the mountains before a remarkable recovery in the time trail the day after, then winning in the mountains two days later. The next day it was announced that he  tested positive for a suspected blood transfusion on the day of the time trial and was stripped of both those stages.
• Tyler Hamilton USA (Team CSC) 4th 2003 - in 2004 after winning the Olympic time trial his A sample was reported as positive, but his B sample was unable to be tested so he originally kept his medal, but as a stage winner later in that year's Vuelta a España he again tested positive and was handled a 2 year ban. He was named in Operación Puerto, an then in 2009 as part of his comeback tested positive again and was handed an eight year ban. He is also one of Armstrong's ex-team mates, from his first three 'wins', to have testified against him saying he use EPO before and during those three Tour. Earlier this month the IOC stripped him of his 2004 Olympic title.
• Haimar Zubeldia SPA (Euskaltel) 5th 2003 - has never been under any suspicion of doping offenses and came 6th in this year's Tour.
• José Azevedo POR (US Postal Service) 5th 2004 - although part of Armstrong's US Postal team from 2004 -2006 Azevedo has never been implicated in any doping scandal.
• Francisco Mancebo SPA (Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne) 4th 2005 - was another of those implicated in Operación Puerto an not allowed to compete in the 2006 Tour and announced his retirement immediately after that. Although he then at the end of the year changed his mind about retirement.

So even if the seven titles are taken from Armstrong there are suspicions over all the beneficiaries and in some cased the entire podium. Looking at names that have never been linked to doping allegation in those 7 tours the cleanest possible line up of 'winners' are:

• 1999 Daniele Nardello ITA Mapei +17'02" who had the 7th best accrued time
• 2000 Daniele Nardello ITA Mapei +18'25" 10th
• 2001 Andrei Kivilev KAZ Cofidis +9'53" 4th (see above)
• 2002 José Azevedo POR ONCE +15'44" 6th (see above)
• 2003 Haimar Zubeldia SPA Euskaltel +6'51" 5th (see above)
• 2004 José Azevedo POR US Postal +14'30" 5th
• 2005 Haimar Zubeldia SPA Euskaltel +23'43" 15th

So just how far into the past an how far down the pecking order are people going to take this retrospective removal of Palmarès.

What do points make? #TDF

Today as in every year since 1975 the Tour de France is heading for 8 circuits of the Champs-Élysées. Most of the prizes have been decided.

On the Col Du Tourmalet on Thursday the Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains was finally planted firmly on shoulders of Anthony Charteau (BBox). The challenge from fellow Frenchman and the old man of the Tour Christophe Moreau (Caisse d'Espange) failed to close the remaining gap.

Yesterday it was as you were for Yellow and White (Young Rider) as last year. Alberto Contador (Astana) was 31" ahead of Andy Schleck (Saxobank) in the time trial into Pauillac. It means that Contador leads by 39", an irony not lost on many which was the exact time difference he took out of Schleck following his chain falling off when he was attacking Contador on the Port de Bales on Monday. It means that Contador is in Yellow and Scheleck will equal Jan Ullrich with a third successive White Jersey. The top three have all been the best young rider because Denis Menchov rode a good time trail yesterday to displace the Olympic Champion Sammy Sanchez from the final podium.

Lance Armstrong in his last Tour will be on the podium but only as a part of the best team as Radioshack have won that prize.

However, the real excitement lies in the Green Jersey competition for points. The current standings are:

• Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) 213
• Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 203
• Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) 197

The point allocation on the line will be 35 for first, 30 for second, 26 for third, 24, 22, 20, 19 etc. There are also two intermediate sprints on the Champs-Élysées offering 6,4 and 2 points. It means that three teams will be working hard to secure the Green Jersey today.

If Mark Cavendish can repeat his performance in the French Capital from last year and win on the famous boulevard. The Norwegian would have to be second to stay ahead and the Italian if he was seventh would be equal on points but behind the Manxman on stage wins therefore losing his lead. The question is will any of them be in a position to take the intermediate sprints as often these go to a breakaway, or will the teams keep up the tempo for the full eight circuits to give their men a chance to get a shot at the 12 points on offer.

This will be an exciting afternoon on the approach to Paris, especially for three sprinters and a busy one for their teams.

After that thank God It's Over

What a stage! What a race!

The real battle of the Tour de France came down the the climb of Mont Ventoux and good choice by the Tour Organisers, the final hour of the ascent of the Giant of Provence lived up to it hype of being the place where the general classifications would be decided.

The seven heads of state Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Lance Armstrong, Bradley Wiggins, Andreas Kloden, Frank Schleck and Vincenzo Nibali were the ones who kept together when the big group hit the slopes above Bedoin. They started to close down the leaders up the slopes Juan Manuel Garate and Tony Martin, but that wasn't the reason for their speed.

Frank Schleck attacked a number of times, but each time he was marked by Lance Armstrong determined not to cede his third step on the podium. When little brother Andy attacked it was the Maillot Jaune on the back of Contador that came with, but when Frank didn't follow he sat up. Obviously more determined to help his brother get a leap on Armstrong rather than try and get the 4'11" he needed over the man who was covering his every move.

Kloden was the first of the big 7 to suffer and slip off the back. But Nibali and Wiggins also at times seemed to struggle to get back. But over and over again 6 of the heads of state kept together. Kloden any time he thought there was a hope of getting back on the back wheel suffered as another acceleration pulled them away again.

Then in the final two kilometres Andy went again this time with brother Frank on his wheel. Armstong and Contador went with, but Wiggins seemed unable to respond. Was this the time that more British hopes were to fade, almost at the point when the memorial marks the death of Tom Simpson on the same slopes. But no Wiggins kept digging in finding reserves from somewhere.

At the line Garate crossed first, then Martin. Then the three leaders of the race A. Schleck, with Contador and a three second gap to Armstrong. But with Kloden down the road the only real gap that mattered was going to be between Frank Schleck and Bradley Wiggins. At 43" after Garate the elder Schleck crossed the line Brad had to get there before the race showed +1'06". Then on the left hand side of the road almost out of view of the camera Bradley Wiggin's reminiscent of Steven Roche he appeared crossing the line at +1'03" twenty seconds lost but 4th place retained for the procession towards the Champs-Éylsées tomorrow.

Of course the Brits have had a good tour David Miller has been doing sterling work, and just missed out on the run into Barcelona of individual glory. Wiggins of course has ridden high up the GC and has given hope of making a podium in Paris in the years to come (why did that Texan have to come out of retirement this year?). But a little man from the Isle of Man is going for 6 tomorrow. If only he hadn't been disqualified on the run into Besançon we may still have seen him and Thor Husovd competing the two intermediates as well as the final bunch sprint on the Champs-Éylsées tomorrow.

But as it is Britain's top stage winner Mark Cavendish and equal top finisher Bradley Wiggins can look forward to Paris tomorrow one to relax the other has one more goal, to be the first of the men to cover the 3252km of the 96th Tour de France, even if only by a few yards and hundredths of a second.

Crunch Day on Ventoux

Today is the day that the general classification will finally be settled in this year's Tour de France and for the 8th time in Tour history it will act as a mountain top finish. The roll of honour to win on the summit reads like a history of worthy post war recipients.

• 1958 Charley Gaul Luxemborg Individual Time Trail (Champion 1958, King of the Mountains 1955, 56 )
• 1965 Raymond Poulidor France (8 times on podium 3 times each behind Anquetil and Merckx)
• 1970 Eddie Merckx Belgium (5 Time Champion 1969-72, 74)
• 1972 Bernard Thévenet France (Champion 1975, 77)
• 1987 Jean-François Bernard Individual Time Trail France
• 2000 Marco Pantani Italy (Champion 1998)
• 2002 Richard Virenque France (Most successful King of the Mountains (1994-7, 99, 2003-04)
• 2009 ???

But what makes Ventoux special? It is not the tallest, not the steepest but has a mystique all of its own. It stands out on the horizon however you approach its 1912m summit. Indeed from the feed station at78km into today's 167 km stage the riders will start a circuit around it. Admittedly that circuit will include the 4th category Col de Fontanbe and 3rd category Col des Abeilles. Certainly the Mont holds a little bit of a psychological hold over the riders.

But it is the 21 km ascent to the summit from Bedoin to the peak that is the real test. It starts in the airless forests at the base before exploding into the barren lunar landscape at the peak. From Saint-Esteve at 5 km up the climb to the peak (with only brief respite through Chalet Reynard and the treeline) it is greater than 6% climbing and for long stretches greater than 95 all the way to the top.

Ventoux was first climbed in the Tour on 22 July 1951 when it was including in the 17th stage from Monpellier to Avignon. On that occasion a lead group of 12 were together at the foot. At Chalet Reynard Hugo Koplet attacked*, only Raphaël Géminiani**, Luison Bobet, Gino Bartali and Lucien Lazardes*** could stay with him. 2km from the summit Lazardes attacked and reached the top alone followed by a lone Bartali and thus was Ventoux first conquered in the Tour.

Its not just the breaks but the mountain that has claimed men. In 1955 Jean Malléjac who had finished second two year previously was described 10km from the summit "Streaming with sweat, haggard and comatose, he was zigzagging and the road wasn't wide enough for him... He was already no longer in the real world, still less in the world of cyclists and the Tour de France". He collapsed as was taken to hospital struggling and shouting after regaining consciousness on the side of the road.

The same year Swiss racer Ferdi Kübler was setting such a vicious tempo that Géminiani survivor of that first ascent warned him off. Advise he ignored to his cost. He started to struggle in the last kilometre of the ascent and fell repeatedly on the descent finishing 26 minutes back on the line for his efforts on the climb.

In 1967 the British cyclist, that Bradley Wiggins is most closely competing with for prestige in the major tours, Tommy Simpson came to his own fate. He began weaving across the road in the last kilometre and fell twice. The tour doctor Pierre Dumas reached him after the second collapse spent more than an hour giving him heart massage and mouth to mouth. But realised he was dead and had him removed from the mountain by helicopter to Avignon where the cyclist was pronounced dead at 17:40. Of course Simpson's death is an object lesson on how the drugs don't always work.

So what of today's stage. Alberto Contador may well have a 4'11" lead over Andy Schleck but this is the sort of stage that that might be clawed back, especially as tomorrow there is just the gentle roll into Paris to come.

The Schleck brothers will well be aware that their fellow countryman Gaul was the first winner on the summit here. Older brother Frank will need to do something to climb back unto the podium. He'd gained that spot on stage 17 on the Col de Colombiere but lost it the following day on the TT around Lac d'Annecy. Expect him to attack at some point on Ventoux.

As for younger brother Andy lying in second he may go with his brother, and they may launch tandem attacks to see it Contador has anything to give. If they can get a gap then it is just a matter of how big they can get it. Although he may well already know that Contador is not going to be beaten this year, but then Ventoux does await.

As well as Frank Schleck wanting to get back unto the podium don't forget that Bradley Wiggins is sitting just 16" behind that spot over a man he has climbed better than on a couple of mountain finishes this year. But that man is the man who came second to both Pantani and Virenque on those other two Ventoux top finishes this decade and in that 2002 pursuit of Virenque set the record for the fastest ascent at 50 minutes. He also has the small matter of 7 successive victories in this race to his name, so don't rule out Lance Armstrong from the challenge of Frank Schleck, Wiggins or Vincenzo Nibali just yet.

Today is going to be a very interesting day and coverage live on ITV4 starts at 13:00 BST but it already underway by text on the BBC website.

*The eventual winner.
**That year's eventual King of the Mountains and 2nd overall.
***Who would be first when the Tor reached Paris.