Lemond Publishes Anti-Doping Proposals

Earlier this month Bike Pure were fortunate to spend the day with Greg Lemond and his wife Kathy whilst they were visiting Ireland. Lemond, a triple Tour de France winner and former world champion is an avid anti-doping campaigner and has systematically called for improvements to be made to current anti-doping policies and procedures to hopefully bring the sport back into a cleaner, more encouraging environment. Often at loggerheads with the sports governing body the UCI, Lemond’s career was cut short in the early nineties because he couldn’t keep up with the new EPO fueled generation of cyclists. This week, Lemond will give evidence as part of the current investigation which commenced with the serious allegations made by former US Postal rider Floyd Landis against Lance Armstrong earlier in the year.

Some see Lemond as a bitter former champion but having met him on several occasions, he has an unparalleled passion for the sport. When he witnesses the sport and it’s riders damaged by the effects of doping, it generates a feeling of passion rarely seen in any previous Tour de France winner. Often taken out of context, Lemond has a deep rooted love of the sport and this encompasses his strong anti-doping messages, many of which are echoed in Bike Pure’s philosophy.

Today on the Velonation website, Lemond outlined his proposals for what he hopes will help restore credibility back to the sport, many of which we had already discussed with him over recent meetings. These include the publishing of riders’ VO2 max tests and power outputs to provide a benchmark for riders throughout their careers. Lemond’s proposed methods include removing the jurisdiction of doping controls from the UCI over to independent agencies, and using more than one lab to test individual blood and urine samples.

More importantly and in conjunction with proposals Bike Pure made earlier this week, Lemond wishes to see the correlation of riders’ power outputs and VO2 max measurements coupled with current bio-passport profiling. This would help establish a guiding barometer for each rider, sustained throughout a riders career. Any major fluctuations in a rider’s values could be a signal of doping. Another of Lemond’s proposals and perhaps the most controversial is to reward those who cooperate with doping investigations, relaxing any penalties to those who provide important intelligence. Bike Pure feel that this would help remove the omerta that currently exists within the sport and pave the way for more riders to speak out.

It is unclear what response the UCI will offer to these latest recommendations but many of which are surely a step in the right direction towards a more transparent sport.

Photo: Andy Layhe, Bike Pure, presents Greg Lemond with a Bike Pure jersey.