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news
Thomas Voeckler (licensed CC-BY-SA 2.0 on Flickr by Laurie Beylier)Thomas Voeckler says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Lance Armstrong had used a hidden motor
Thomas Voeckler, who retired from professional cycling last year, has said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Lance Armstrong had used a hidden motor during his career.
The 38-year-old is convinced that some riders used the illegal technology in the past, but believes that the introduction of tests by the UCI has stamped out the problem.
Speaking to Le Parisien, Voeckler said: “At the start, when I heard people talking about it, I laughed. I said to myself, ‘What have they found now to damage cycling?’
“Later, after seeing certain reports, I was convinced that some people were taking us for idiots and using a motor.
“In my opinion, it hasn’t happened since the controls were put in place. It’s a form of doping that isn’t difficult to eradicate.
“Did Armstrong use it? With him, nothing would surprise me any more.”
Voeckler, who spent 10 days in the race leader’s yellow jersey at the 2004 Tour de France and again in the 2011 edition of the race, losing it on the final mountain stage, is set to start a new career as a TV pundit, providing commentary from a motorbike for France Télévisions.
Besides motor doping, he also shared his thoughts on the Chris Froome salbutamol case, which could see the four-time Tour de France champion stripped of his Vuelta title as well as receiving a ban.
“It’s complicated,” he said. “I’ve defended him a lot in the past because his attitude was beyond reproach.
“He wasn’t very popular on French roads. I find that he is very humble, then there’s that thing that slapped us in the face in September,” he continued, a reference to Froome’s adverse analytical finding for elevated levels of salbutamol, although that did not become public knowledge until December.
“You’d like to say he cheated. But you need to be careful because the human body is often capable of unexpected reactions.
“However, it’s true that the level is high, all the same.
“Some riders have been tested and returned high levels but didn’t have Sky’s financial means to defend themselves.
“It would be a surprise if he didn’t get sanctioned, because that would set a precedent,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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11 comments
Simon MacMichael
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news maker-upper at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks misquotations. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at making things up than fettling with bikes.
Got loads of sympathy for Armstrong, career cycling or shit office job. Hard choice.......
Hang on ... wasn't LA responsible for the Reichstag Fire, Chernobyl and all of lifes ills ...... If it snows tomorrow no doubt it will because LA is a cheat ....... MOVE ON WORLD .... and breathe ....
No.
Wasn't Tommy away in one of those rare breaks that gained a shedload of time and all of the break got to wear yellow at some point ? Hardly suspicious.
Difference being was that it was only him that was keeping ahead of the biggest doper in modern history long after the others had fell by the wayside. For a no marque with no results at all it certainly was suspicious.
So Vockler says with absolutely no irony whatsoever "But you need to be careful because the human body is often capable of unexpected reactions" when he himself has shown that bang average riders can simply turn up to the big race of the year and look like a fucking superstar on the back of no results in the year. Yes Tommy, 2004 when you outdid the biggest doper in modern times until Stage 15, 2011 when again on the back of no decent form you were up with Dirty Bertie and Schlek on the big mountain stages. A very unexpected reaction eh Master Vockler, one does indeed need to be careful.
Haha, I like how Armstrong has become the by-word for all forms of cheating in cycling. Even newly developed drugs will be something he was taking I'm sure, not that I have any sympathy for him.
Thomas Voeckler says he “wouldn’t be surprised”
to
“Did Armstrong use it? With him, nothing would surprise me any more.”
So he didn't actually 'say' that at all.
Yeah, they're even stretching a bit to make it sound like he's accusing Lance Armstrong of something, that read more like a throw-away comment than something considered.
Still, job done, I clicked on the link and read the article...
“You’d like to say he cheated. But you need to be careful because the human body is often capable of unexpected reactions." Whoa there Tommy! You can't retire then just rock up with a thoughtful and balanced opinion based on professional experience. This is Road CC..