Not looking good for MIllar

Dirtylitterboxo

See

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackag...html?type=spor-
tsNews&storyID= 539966&section=news

or

http://tinyurl.com/237md

"Millar faces French inquiry Thu 1 July, 2004 19:36

PARIS (Reuters) - A French magistrate has placed cycling time-
trial world champion David Millar under official judicial
inquiry on suspicion of "acquiring and possessing toxic
substances", a judicial source has said.

The Briton had already been banned from the Tour de
France starting on Saturday as his Cofidis team is under
investigation in a doping probe. Several other riders
have also been barred from the race while they remain
under scrutiny.

Millar was released after questioning in Nanterre, north of
Paris, by magistrate Richard Pallain.

Magistrates decide first whether there are grounds for
opening official inquiries into suspected offences and later
whether there is a case to be answered in court. Official
investigation is a step short of pressing charges in France.

During police questioning last week, Millar admitted taking
the banned drug erythropoietin (EPO), an endurance booster,
in 2001 and 2003, his lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins told
reporters as he left the Nanterre hearings.

Iweins said empty syringes were found during a search of
Millar's home and traces of banned substances detected.

Millar now looks likely to miss the Athens Olympics next
month after the British Cycling Federation announced on
Thursday that he had been suspended pending the
investigation. Millar was favourite for the individual
time-trial.

"I'm greatly saddened by the whole affair but I can
confirm that David Millar is suspended with immediate
effect pending further investigation and a disciplinary
hearing," federation acting chief executive David
Brailsford told Reuters.

Three Cofidis riders have already been charged,
including 1992 Olympic bronze medallist Philippe
Gaumont, who was sacked by Cofidis after admitting
taking and dealing in drugs.

The team withdrew from competition for a month before
starting to race again on May 5.

The affair is the biggest judicial investigation into
cycling since the Festina scandal that erupted during the
1998 Tour de France.

In May, eight cyclists in the Giro d'Italia received early
morning visits as part of a nationwide probe into doping in
sport though investigators said they found no illegal
substances.

Millar, a Scot, won the penultimate stage of the 2003 Tour
de France, a 49-km time-trial, to go with a prologue success
in 2000 and a stage victory in 2002.

Also on Thursday, a French appeal court ruled the ban
on another Cofidis rider Cedric Vasseur on competing in
the Tour after being charged in a doping investigation
would stand.

"I tried to assert my rights. I failed but never mind. The
Tour is not the only race. I shall carry on racing and my
team will help me," Vasseur said after the hearing.

Vasseur has not been retained for the Tour by his team.

Five-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong will hear on Friday
the outcome of his appeal against publishers of a book
containing doping allegations about him.

Armstrong has appealed against the June 21 decision of a
Paris court, which rejected his request that a denial he
took any performance-enhancing product be inserted in the
book "L.A. confidential, the secrets of Lance Armstrong",
written by journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh.

He was ordered to pay legal costs and fined for faulty
procedure."

Cheers, helen s


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Zog The Undenia

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
> See
>
> http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackag....jhtml?type=sp-
> ortsNews&storyID= 539966&section=news
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/237md
>
>
> "Millar faces French inquiry Thu 1 July, 2004 19:36
>
> PARIS (Reuters) - A French magistrate has placed cycling
> time-trial world champion David Millar under official
> judicial inquiry on suspicion of "acquiring and possessing
> toxic substances", a judicial source has said.
>
> The Briton had already been banned from the Tour de France
> starting on Saturday as his Cofidis team is under
> investigation in a doping probe. Several other riders have
> also been barred from the race while they remain under
> scrutiny.
>
> Millar was released after questioning in Nanterre, north
> of Paris, by magistrate Richard Pallain.
>
> Magistrates decide first whether there are grounds for
> opening official inquiries into suspected offences and
> later whether there is a case to be answered in court.
> Official investigation is a step short of pressing charges
> in France.
>
> During police questioning last week, Millar admitted
> taking the banned drug erythropoietin (EPO), an endurance
> booster, in 2001 and 2003, his lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins
> told reporters as he left the Nanterre hearings.
>
> Iweins said empty syringes were found during a search of
> Millar's home and traces of banned substances detected.
>
> Millar now looks likely to miss the Athens Olympics next
> month after the British Cycling Federation announced on
> Thursday that he had been suspended pending the
> investigation. Millar was favourite for the individual
> time-trial.
>
> "I'm greatly saddened by the whole affair but I can
> confirm that David Millar is suspended with immediate
> effect pending further investigation and a disciplinary
> hearing," federation acting chief executive David
> Brailsford told Reuters.
>
> Three Cofidis riders have already been charged,
> including 1992 Olympic bronze medallist Philippe
> Gaumont, who was sacked by Cofidis after admitting
> taking and dealing in drugs.
>
> The team withdrew from competition for a month before
> starting to race again on May 5.
>
> The affair is the biggest judicial investigation into
> cycling since the Festina scandal that erupted during the
> 1998 Tour de France.
>
> In May, eight cyclists in the Giro d'Italia received early
> morning visits as part of a nationwide probe into doping
> in sport though investigators said they found no illegal
> substances.
>
> Millar, a Scot, won the penultimate stage of the 2003 Tour
> de France, a 49-km time-trial, to go with a prologue
> success in 2000 and a stage victory in 2002.
>
> Also on Thursday, a French appeal court ruled the ban
> on another Cofidis rider Cedric Vasseur on competing in
> the Tour after being charged in a doping investigation
> would stand.
>
> "I tried to assert my rights. I failed but never mind. The
> Tour is not the only race. I shall carry on racing and my
> team will help me," Vasseur said after the hearing.
>
> Vasseur has not been retained for the Tour by his team.
>
> Five-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong will hear on Friday
> the outcome of his appeal against publishers of a book
> containing doping allegations about him.
>
> Armstrong has appealed against the June 21 decision of a
> Paris court, which rejected his request that a denial he
> took any performance-enhancing product be inserted in the
> book "L.A. confidential, the secrets of Lance Armstrong",
> written by journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh.
>
> He was ordered to pay legal costs and fined for faulty
> procedure."

If he's guilty, I have no sympathy for him. Unfortunately
the nature of the sport (raw aerobic power, and/or power to
weight ratio, generally wins) means that non-superhuman
riders feel obliged to do this kind of thing to keep up.

Simon Brooke

in message <40e47779.0@entanet>, Zog The Undeniable
('hrothgar19@yahoo.com') wrote:

> If he's guilty, I have no sympathy for him. Unfortunately
> the nature of the sport (raw aerobic power, and/or power
> to weight ratio, generally wins) means that non-superhuman
> riders feel obliged to do this kind of thing to keep up.

I actually have a great deal of sympathy for him. It's
pretty much the end of his career. And it's a profession in
which, allegedly, doping is endemic. Millar's offence,
fundamentally, appears to be that he is high profile and
not French.

As to whether professional cyclists should all be on dope,
I've no opinion. But seeing that they all (allegedly) are,
picking on individuals is a tad unfair.

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ There's nae Gods, an
there's precious few heroes but there's plenty on the dole
in th Land o th Leal; And it's time now, tae sweep the
future clear o th lies o a past that we know wis never real.

Tumbleweed

"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
news:i2eer1-sh9.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> in message <40e47779.0@entanet>, Zog The Undeniable
> ('hrothgar19@yahoo.com') wrote:
>
> > If he's guilty, I have no sympathy for him.
> > Unfortunately the nature of the sport (raw aerobic
> > power, and/or power to weight ratio, generally wins)
> > means that non-superhuman riders feel obliged to do this
> > kind of thing to keep up.
>
> I actually have a great deal of sympathy for him. It's
> pretty much the end of his career. And it's a profession
> in which, allegedly, doping is endemic. Millar's offence,
> fundamentally, appears to be that he is high profile and
> not French.
>
> As to whether professional cyclists should all be on dope,
> I've no opinion. But seeing that they all (allegedly) are,
> picking on individuals is a tad unfair.

Its not an individual, its the entire cofidis team, just
about from what i read. And how else would they stop it
other than prosecuting individuals? Ban everyone since
'everyone' is doing it?

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

David Off

Simon Brooke wrote:

> Millar's offence, fundamentally, appears to be that he is
> high profile and not French.
>

What are you saying? That French riders don't get
investigated by the French police?

Richard Goodman

"Simon Brooke" <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message
news:i2eer1-sh9.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk...
> in message <40e47779.0@entanet>
>
> I actually have a great deal of sympathy for him. It's
> pretty much the end of his career. And it's a profession
> in which, allegedly, doping is endemic. Millar's offence,
> fundamentally, appears to be that he is high profile and
> not French.
>

While I feel sad for him and disappointed for 'Britain',
that this could be the end of his career, I don't have much
sympathy. It does not seem to be a question of 'if' he's
guilty since, now according to his own lawyers, he has
admitted it. He did it knowing the intense scrutiny his team
were under and knowing the consequences. It was either sheer
stupidity or desperation, and either way I think it's
disgraceful to seek competitive advantage through drugs -
even if the 'advantage' is only to stay on a par with other
drug-users.

> As to whether professional cyclists should all be on dope,
> I've no opinion. But seeing that they all (allegedly) are,
> picking on individuals is a tad unfair.

Of course they should not all be on dope. If athletes can't
do it drug-free, better they don't do it at all. There's no
way to try and clean up the sport except by making an
example of the individuals who are caught, whether by
admission or testing.

Rich

Ian G Batten

In article <i2eer1-sh9.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk>,
Simon Brooke <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
> endemic. Millar's offence, fundamentally, appears to be
> that he is high profile and not French.

Being French didn't exactly help Richard Virenque, did it?

ian

Andy Leighton

On 01 Jul 2004 20:20:22 GMT,
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers <wafflycathcs@aol.comcomcom> wrote:

> During police questioning last week, Millar admitted
> taking the banned drug erythropoietin (EPO), an endurance
> booster, in 2001 and 2003, his lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins
> told reporters as he left the Nanterre hearings.
>
> Iweins said empty syringes were found during a search of
> Millar's home and traces of banned substances detected.

From the report I have just heard on the radio, Iweins
also said that Millar had kept the empty syringes as
souvenirs. Strange souvenirs to want to keep I would have
thought. You can't really put them on the mantle with the
trophies can you.

--
Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com "The Lord is my
shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

David Off

Simon Brooke wrote:

> That Millar was apparently - from the stories we're seen -
> clyped on by French riders.
>

Oh I see, they certainly did land him in it.

Martinm

Simon Brooke <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote in message news:<i2eer1-sh9.ln1@gododdin.internal.jasmine.org.uk>...
> in message <40e47779.0@entanet>, Zog The Undeniable
> ('hrothgar19@yahoo.com') wrote:
>
> > If he's guilty, I have no sympathy for him.
> > Unfortunately the nature of the sport (raw aerobic
> > power, and/or power to weight ratio, generally wins)
> > means that non-superhuman riders feel obliged to do this
> > kind of thing to keep up.
>
> I actually have a great deal of sympathy for him. It's
> pretty much the end of his career. And it's a profession
> in which, allegedly, doping is endemic. Millar's offence,
> fundamentally, appears to be that he is high profile and
> not French.
>
> As to whether professional cyclists should all be on dope,
> I've no opinion. But seeing that they all (allegedly) are,
> picking on individuals is a tad unfair.

There is a perfectly legal way of boosting Haematocrit, live
and train at high altitude. The bone marrow automatically
increases the red cell count to compensate for the reduced
oxygen levels.

David Cowie

Maybe he should have stuck to art.

Then he would have been well paid for drug induced work.

Simonb

David Cowie wrote:
> Maybe he should have stuck to art.
>
> Then he would have been well paid for drug induced work.

Eh?

Jon Senior

MartinM Martinm2@wcms.org.uk opined the following...
> There is a perfectly legal way of boosting Haematocrit,
> live and train at high altitude. The bone marrow
> automatically increases the red cell count to compensate
> for the reduced oxygen levels.

This is a well-known phenomenom, but injecting EPO has the
same effect. Only faster and without the high-altitude.
While I don't agree, I can see why people do it. How far
back up the line do you think it goes? Did his coach know?

Jon

Peter Connolly

Andy Leighton wrote:
> From the report I have just heard on the radio, Iweins
> also said that Millar had kept the empty syringes as
> souvenirs. Strange souvenirs to want to keep I would have
> thought. You can't really put them on the mantle with the
> trophies can you.

Well, he's probably got his favourite bikes, his best
cycling shirts, so why not keep a few favourite syringes
that have done him good service in the past?

Pete.