But I have just read an interesting article from The Independent.... to which at the end is the following table;
Tour de farce: Who takes Lance's titles?
1999 Who finished second? Alex Zülle (Swit) who admitted to doping as part of Festina Affair in 1998. Banned for year but returned for 1999.
2000 2nd: Jan Ullrich (Ger). Five-time runner-up was given a two-year ban in February this year after the Operation Puerto doping scandal in 2006, with his races from 2005-2007 banished.
2001 2nd: Ullrich
2002 2nd: Joseba Beloki (Sp). Clean.
2003 2nd: Ullrich
2004 2nd: Andreas Klöden (Ger) Connected to a 2006 doping programme, the rider eventually paid a €25,000 fine. German ADA announced an investigation into Klöden and others on doping suspicions.
2005 2nd: Ivan Basso (It). Acquitted in October 2006 in Operation Puerto, but reopened in 2007 and proved guilty. The Italian was banned for two years after he admitted to attempting doping.
I have nothing else to add other then... what a complete and utter debacle and mess for him, for the sport, UCI, USADA, WADA..... etc....
It's a mess. This is very interesting too. Who wins really?!?
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I think Lance just got tired of the energy required to try to clear his name. He's never tested positive. They are going on testimony only, so why do they bother testing?
*sigh* I may never watch the tour de france again.