Comeback

by Andy Shen

Deep throat was right!

9/9 UPDATE #4 Fast and Furious now. Some of Ed Coyle’s findings are in dispute. Was data fabricated to benefit Armstrong? Read the original article here. Any real physiologists out there care to read that and decipher for us?

9/9 UPDATE #3 Another credible source further confirms this story.

9/9 UPDATE #2 Well, whaddaya know. The article is up.

9/9 UPDATE: Vanity Fair is now saying that Armstrong himself was behind the leak. The article will go online today, but not appear in print as it is no longer an exclusive. We believe the writer is Douglas Brinkley.

Why would Armstrong sandbag Vanity Fair? Why did he ruin Brinkley’s scoop?

9/8 UPDATE: VeloNews is now reporting this, but just remember where you heard it first. Hey, Deep Throat, feel free to call any time!

We got an anonymous tip today, which was somewhat corroborated by independent sources. Seems that a certain retired cyclist is planning a comeback next year. This cyclist may or may not race five races. He may or may not take performance bonuses in an effort to prove his un-dirtiness. He may or may not join a team whose name might be an anagram for ‘a satan’. Has anyone else heard anything?

UPDATE: He’s not racing for no bonuses, he’s racing for free.

8/29 UPDATE: A former teammate confirms, Astana vehemently denies, but 2 sources within Astana promise ‘big news’.

64 Comments

Wheelsucker

Can’t he just enjoy gangbanging blondes with McConi’hey-bro and stay the hell away from cycling? I know he has nothing going on aside from sitting on his enormous pile of money, but coming back to cycling is a bad idea. He’s not Michael Jordan, more like Favre.

Ed Merks

Seriously — He’ll never get busted. The Lance PR machine is too powerful and Bristol Meyers Squibb was 10 years ahead of everyone else with their performance enhancing drug program, specifically designed for Lance’s cancer recovery and subsequent TdF wins.

Do you think it’s possible that dozens of riders were busted taking EPO and a bevy of other drugs thinking they could mask them with other substances while he smugly brushed off allegations, tested clean, and just rode away from Ullrich, Vino, Mayo, Botero, etc…? The guy is a super-cheater and will never get caught unless Johann or Carmichael has a meltdown from the stress of covering up the greatest lie in sports history and spills the beans.

Booyahkasha!

JB

If LA came back to a “cleaner” cycling with a focus on, let’s say, the Classics not the Tour. Why would he need to dope? He’s still be one of the stronger guys on the new “level” playing field. Bring it on.
JB

Wheelsucker

Everyone around Lance pluse all his teams where using and all got cought!
When you represnt the big boys you go free….

jp not partland

no not zui no not gulla its ralph hassard, no tim clarsen, wait he is in europe and still racing but not in nyc so it doesnt countso it must be simon orr. seriously matthew mccounaughe or however you spell it is gay, i have proof, but dont ask for details.

Patrick

Is it true? Tony Falk is returning to bike racing? Will Andy Shen release him from his ML contract so he can go to Astana? Stay tuned!

Pack-Fill

Not quite the most reputable source is it?

I’m still thinking its just a rumor and probably linked to his movie, as in possibly he’ll ask the UCI to allow him to be filmed in the pack during a major race or a few for film footage, I doubt any French races LOL!

Wheelsucker

Looking at timestamps on information posted, looks like the sportspladder guy was the first to put it out there…

Wheelsucker

Do they even have team anymore. The guys are either suspended, old and basically PP Masters racers or off to college. They have Frieson thats it? They getting any new riders?

Brother Historicus

http://www.velocitynation.com/node/636

but Messrs. Shen, Schmalz and Ostroy continue to treat these important, 1st person historical documents with the cavalierism (cavalierity? cavalierality?) the way a modern-day inhabitant of Roma treats that fair city. “Quod non fecerunt barberi, fecerunt Barberini.”

(You have no idea how many Romans you’ll find writhing all over each other in il Colosseo on a moonlight night – you can’t take one step without stumbling into a beast with two backs, if you catch my drift.)

Suckwheeler

Does this mean I can ride my Madone again?
Seriously, it was ironic to see the Espoirs Lauvel team at GMSR all on Treks and us all on, err, not Treks.

Wheelsucker

an Astana spokesman denied the report to The Associated Press.

“He is no part of our team,” Astana team press officer Philippe Maertens told the AP in an e-mail. “Team Astana has no plans with him.”

Wheelsucker

…from the Chicago Bull’s and never come back to the Wizards…this Lance thing is like that just worse…I predict a train wreck.

Wheelsucker

Actually Thor team selection is totally sucky. He’ll be riding for the defending Tour champion team. There is no room for Tour Smashs is they are hoping to win.

Specially with the stupid dude planning a comeback/

Wheelsucker

What about Basso? He will be around? Is the current US RR champion going to race the tour? Has Floyd served his time? I think that Vino still has another year to go? We could have the special TdF – Master’s Edition where we could see how a ‘clean’ (*snicker*) list of the stars of the past stack up.

Hun Bastard

Is Jan coming back too? Wow…the 2009 Tour looks to be the best one in years. I can’t wait. Drugs. DRUGS! AND MORE DRUGS!!!

If Lance comes back than the UCI should change their drug policy. Anything Keith Richards has not done is off limits. That would make it even more entertaining.

Bye bye cycling. 🙁

Wheelsucker

Lance, Jan, Ivan, Joseba, Floyd, Tyler, Oscar, Santiago, Pantani (RIP), why not all on Rock Racing?
Gaggioli/Saiz can DS…

Tete De La Course

So I contacted VeloNews who supposedly broke the story even tho many of us already had known thanks to velocitynation.com.

RESPONSE FROM VELONEWS:

If we had borrowed the information from either of those sites, we would have credited them. We did not. We had our own sources.

On Monday and early Tuesday, the national media credited us because they couldn’t get the information themselves.

Letter I wrote:

Velo,

I find it disgusting that you guys would push all this info without giving credit where it is do. Neal did not break this story. and to be correct I heard about this about 2-3 weeks before I saw it on your website. I do enjoy the tidbits and the cycling coverage you provide but as responsible journalist you must feel shame when congratulating Neal for this particular break. I like Neal. Often watch his videos and read his column but we are all aware in the industry that this news was first leaked on cyclingfansanonymous.com but originally on
http://www.velocitynation.com/node/2191 .please give credit rather than swimming in it because of some national recognition VeloNews got.

thanks Guys,

Keep up the good work.

bikeboy

“9/9 UPDATE #4 Fast and Furious now. Some of Ed Coyle’s findings are in dispute. Was data fabricated to benefit Armstrong? Read the original article here. Any real physiologists out there care to read that and decipher for us?”

There was an good analysis done on Science of Sport. Also happened to read a funny take on the whole situation on Cozy Beehive yesterday.

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