Today, I was woken up super early by my phone with numerous text notifications about Tom Danielson being positive for synthetic testosterone. For me, I just rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. It isn’t anything that I didn’t already know. Well, I didn’t know that he was going to be so stupid to be caught doping, especially with synthetic testosterone, when it is so hard to get caught, but it wasn’t a surprise at all, that he was, and is, currently doping.
This is one of his tweets from last night. “Especially after everything I have gone through the last years.” He is saying that it makes “absolutely no sense” that he would take drugs currently, even though he took drugs to get into the Pro ranks of the sport and was only “caught” after he was subpoenaed to testify concerning Lance. And even then, it wasn’t public until his team director, Jonathan Vaughters “leaked” it so brilliantly.
I already wrote a pretty long post on my views of Tommy D. Here is the link. It pretty much summed up my experiences with him over his “career”.
Anyway, addressing his tweet. My question is why wouldn’t you “take anything”, especially after what you have gone through. You’ve been racing on drugs your whole career and have never turned up a positive doping control, so what would be the reason that you wouldn’t dope? The reason is the small, minute chance that you might get caught. And that happened. Dang. Bad luck.
So, your choices are you dope and feel great, kick ass racing bikes, or you are a piece of shit athlete and you can’t compete and you have to watch from the outside. You made that choice years ago, I can’t see any reason you would stop.
Tom is so eloquent with his tweets. This maybe explains one reason he dopes. But, like most of these guys, he is being super greedy and really doesn’t love the sport. He loves himself and wants the easy money, fame and such. If he truly loved the sport, he would quietly disappear into the history books, with a couple of asterisks next to his name.
But, Tom won’t quietly disappear. He is going to go down kicking and screaming. Because if his B sample turns up positive, (and it will, it’s synthetic testosterone) then he is going to be facing a lifetime ban, so there is no downside to proclaiming innocence until it really becomes a moot point. Then Tom becomes minute, so small as to verge on insignificant. We’ll all forget him, or, maybe NBC Sports will hire him to do commentary.
It is interesting, to me, what Jonathan Vaughters is going to say, or do the next few days, weeks, months.
From the Cyclingnews article on Tom today –
In February, Vaughters told Cyclingnews, “It’s true we ask for that [scrutiny] and still in ten years we’ve not had a rider dope on our team. Ever. We’ve lived up to that. That was the initial promise. If that ever is broken then Doug and I are out.”
So far, Jonathan’s response is – “Tom Danielson notified Slipstream Sports that he was informed by USADA that he has returned an adverse analytical A sample using carbon isotope testing. In accordance with Slipstream Sports’ zero tolerance anti-doping policy, he has been suspended from competition, effective immediately. He awaits the results his B sample. Slipstream respects and will adhere to the process of the anti-doping authorities and will not comment further.”
So, Tom is going to be suspended for competition? And Slipstream “will not comment further”. It is funny, Jonathan usually has a ton to say on these subjects. Guess he is at loss for words in this situation.
Okay, I’m done with this for today. I have better things to do, like feeding the hummingbirds.
I’m sure he will still be welcomed back at Levis’ Granfondo this year. He is such a crowd pleaser.
Ditto for Mount Evans where (ahem) Jeannie Longo also holds the woman’s record.
“At least Armstrong had some balls…”
actually….
http://www.dailypeloton.com/article_images/nichols/03/redlands/stage5/podium.jpg
What an absolute TOOL Danielson is.
These dopers are deserving of academy awards for their cutting edge acting abilities.
eleventybillion dollars on the low end.
Seen her BUTT:
https://twitter.com/tomdanielson
So of course Horner is soft on his comments of Danielson. Danielson has the potential to bring Horner down. They’ve robbed races together for years. Also, shouldn’t vaughters step up and accept responsibility for being part of the problem? I mean, he hires ex-dopers who obviously still dope. Spend a moment and think about why vaughters hires guys like Danielson? Is it because he believes in second chances or is it purely money and business. If vaughters cared for the sport he would have never hired ex-dopers. He should step away from the sport or never hire another ex-doper and not re-sign any of his ex-dopers. Vaughters is as much of the problem as Danielson.
Yeah, and this – http://kourtneycompton.com/
She seems to be pretty strong on a bike, according to Strava. Maybe she’s juicing too.
http://kourtneycompton.com/ride-with-me/
JV is the enabler. It’s like Rock Racing (but without the black kits, skulls and Escalades). JV is like the Winston Wolfe character from Pulp Fiction. He solves problems by covering them up with bedspreads and household cleaning products. But Marvin is always going to be sitting there in the trunk. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWmRTjLRMfU
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I think Steve is talking about Tom Danielson and Well, Huh is talking about Brent Bookwalter.
How were the Leadville climbs?
He Cycling Fans, Mr. Tilford and Dear Sir Invoking my Good Name,
Your comparison is void- I’m not going to get caught ….and by that I mean to say I will certainly not be caught twice! But remember Tommy D didn’t get caught twice either, allow me to explain with my special smile and ardent sense of candor, of course….- Back in the day Tommy D doped a while but he suddenly quit right at the statute of limitations date according to his Affidavit indicting LA. Tommy D’s testimony matched that of Hincapie, Vande Velde and Levi, then much, much, much more recently right at his pre 2015 Utah training block three weeks before the race Tommy D doped again accidentally when he took a supplement (I think it was an orange protein milkshake from Canada) that had a good amount of andro accidentally slathered on it and that was partly responsible for his unfortunate positive A test.
So no I won’t get caught twice, after all I have a TUE for Testosterone (which helps me maintain a nearly 3 dimensional body) and plus my inhaler is tots legal and I will still use this during races if I want to (Sir Brailford approved comment ;). Geesh, I’m not that traitorous piker Richie Porte who claims I’m doing what I said i’d never do- turn in to another Wiggo…. While I fear he may be right about me… I think we need to not delve too deep into absurd comparisons.
I’d suspect Lance was turned on to steroids, etc. in HS through all the footballers….surely Danielson (SP?) was in a similar situation where football ruled (Broncos)!
Danielsons been a giant douche for a loooong time. Fuck that guy. Saw him dropped over and over in races a poof! Super fast. Thanks Crawford.
Very short video related to the wives, girlfriend, whatever:
https://youtu.be/zXxvdhE1zFc
I was told LeDuc went to Belize for his injections
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Yes, I was replying to the assertions about Bookwalter as they weren’t accurate. Perhaps I didn’t clarify that well enough and Steve thought I was talking about TD.
Correct! Now his body will start to produce massive amounts of estrogen and in 2 years time, he’ll have tits, change his name to Tammy D, re-gain fame and fortune by completing his sex change and hanging out with Bruce “Caitlan” Jenner.
Haha. Perhaps this was a bad idea.
I’m a NC rider and asked Dave Leduc what he meant by his post about “gloating”. Dave had no idea what I was talking about and does not have an account /blog ID with Steve Tilford. Kinda makes sense as most everyone uses some alias…. And why would Dave Leduc of all riders us his real name?
Maybe that’s why PG left, but it would be a big change from this:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/video-danielson-mentors-gaimon-to-the-top-of-cycling/
Also, PG talks about TD being a good guy at great length in his , pp. 260-261.
In more uplifting cycling news…there is a team of local Colorado amateur elite women cyclists racing in the USA Pro Challenge Women’s Race! These women have been working very hard all season long to be ready to ride the race of their lives! You all should be celebrating those that are creating a positive and inspiring story for cycling! Look up the story on VN!!
Let’s call the Tommy D Gran Fondo” AB and friends.”
I recall Tom racing in AZ, when he was on Sobe and onward. What a dumbass. I’ll personally do all that I can to ensure the downfall of his moronic Tucson Cycling Camp. Having said that, I can’t think of more than a handful of guys from our AZ training group who has not tested positive or who is not a known and/or admitted doper. He, and many guys like him (including the ring leader, who we can all name– no, NOT Phil…though, his errors can’t be excused either), stole many promising careers from those of us who truly put in the work and those of us who were/are equally talented. Very sad. Here’s a big “F U” to USA Cycling for knowingly allowing this to continue for decades.
how long until the B-sample is released?
Not sure what you mean by exogenous testosterone test, channel zero, but I guess it’s a reference to the carbon-12:13 ratio, “fake” testosterone being low in C13. That’s the test that is much more expensive, busted him, and is indisputable.
See this link: http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/08/news/the-test-that-caught-tom-danielson_381086
His only defense now is contamination (el pistolero-prick Contador anyone?). But he absolutely lacks any credibility. Bye Tommy D.
I got to spend some time with this total douche at his house in northern Spain. My wife had befriended him as she worked at his old school – Fort Lewis, in Durango. Anyway — I think he felt sorry for her because . . .well, she WAS dying of cancer. Anyway. long story short — we stayed with him for a couple nights and I got to know him a bit. This was in 2008. Suffice it to say that — at that time — he ranked as one of the most full-of-himself guys I have ever met. Spending more than a few hours with him made me want to pull my hair out. He was the most incredibly obnoxious, pompous, condescending, and yes – ignorantly stupid people I have ever met. It honestly makes me super happy to see him go down in flames. Like others, I just wish it had happened years ago . . . before he was able to steal a dime from his employers. Lance, this guy . . . and most other pro cyclists at the top of the sport basically turned me off of not just competitive cycling . . . but all sports. A real role-model for sure! I hope he ends up selling shoes at JC Penny . . . or working at Wal-Mart or something like that. My impression was that he isn’t qualified for much else!