Because we don't have enough doping threads here...
OK, so PDM doped in the 80's. SHOCKER. But what I didn't know, or perhaps forgot about, is blood transfusions were already happening. Eddie B and Chris C did it with the US Olympic team in '84, and technically it wasn't illegal because it hadn't been thought about and banned yet. It didn't just go away...of course some of the Euro pros were doing it. Poor Lemond had to compete against that shit. Right...?
Back in the '80s just about everyone had a former eastern European / Soviet / East German 'doctor' or sports physician on their team or as a consultant under contract.
Of course the other option was to have a squeaky clean Nordic, usually Swede or Fin doctor / sports physician on staff. Those guys were breaking all sorts of body chemistry / mechanics / mental barriers in XC skiing and Biathlon training. And they still are, though a few have been questioned by the IOC.
Greg LeMond was able to break his 1988 contract with PDM to go to ADR by using doping at PDM as leverage. Greg knew all about doping at PDM before many of their riders became sick. A wife of one of their sick/dead riders called Kathy Lemond from the deathbed.
"PDM doping in 1988" is old news.
Didn't Sean Kelly finish out his career with PDM?
No, his last major team was Festina, followed by a smaller French team (can't remember which one).
But he was on the '91 PDM team that withdrew from the TdF due to "food poisoning."
it was the intralipid affair, good account here:
http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/dec97/dec1.html
I did not realize this until reading, but PDM roughly translated from Dutch means performance thru manipulation. eerie
Catavana was Kelly's last if I remember
Thanks CK. Forgot about Festina, didn't know about the French team.
PDM to Festina = frying pan into fire?
Cosmic, isn't "food poisoning" what AC had?
LeMond did a taco Bell commercial; maybe Berto can do one for Wendy's
How would you guys contrast and compare the Doping Program at PDM versus the Doping Program at USPS? If your kid was a pro cyclist - which team would you have preferred?
80s Omerta was killer.
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