Did Merckx test positive for dope

Gingerale392

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Jul 24, 2004, 8:45:02 PM7/24/04

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I ask because another thread said he did--did he?

benjo maso

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Jul 24, 2004, 8:48:18 PM7/24/04

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"Gingerale392" <ginger...@aol.com> wrote in message
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> I ask because another thread said he did--did he?

Only three times. The Giro of '69, the Tour of Lombardy '73 and the Flčche
Wallone 1977.

Benjo Maso

JS

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Jul 24, 2004, 8:57:23 PM7/24/04

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The mafia was behind it in 69. What happended in 73 and 77?

"benjo maso" <benjo...@chello.nl> wrote in message
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Hank Sniadoch

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Jul 24, 2004, 9:28:44 PM7/24/04

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Yes.
"JS" <mcgyver...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Steven Bornfeld

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Jul 24, 2004, 11:00:05 PM7/24/04

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I seem to remember that Merckx protested bitterly after testing
positive in the '69 Giro--as I recall, he called it an "injustice".
However, I never heard him deny he'd taken drugs. I assume he felt
that, even 35 years ago he was being singled out--that drug use was
already rampant--but I never really heard an explanation of the nature
of the "injustice". Does anyone know?

Steve

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Robert Chung

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Jul 25, 2004, 1:24:57 AM7/25/04

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Gingerale392 wrote:
> I ask because another thread said he did--did he?

http://cyclisme.dopage.free.fr/

benjo maso

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Jul 25, 2004, 7:34:16 AM7/25/04

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"Steven Bornfeld" <dentaltw...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:41032235...@earthlink.net...

Merckx tested positive after the stage Parma-Savona of the '69 Giro
(reactivan). Because it was an unimportant stage (between the TT and the
mountains) and Merckx, wearing the pink jersey, knew he would be tested, it
seemd highly unlikely he had been taking drugs. What's more, if his outrage
and desperation when he heard the news was a fake, he would have been the
best actor of the world. So there is only one conclusion possible: that day
Merckx didn't take drugs. No wonder many people thought Merckx had been
framed by the Italians who of course can't be trusted anyway. Many belgians
wanted to break off the diplomatic relations with Italy and even the king
interfered. A quite plausible story, and Merckx is still sticking to it. And
yet, what really happened was probably quite different. Two days before the
stage to Savona there was a time trial. Merckx won and there were found some
traces of reactivan in his urine. But the qualtities were so infinitesimal
that he passed the test anyway. What seems to have happened was that
Merckx's doctor advised him to take reactivan for the TT and after he had
finished the race to do as quickly as possible to the test site. Because har
dly more than one hour had passed there were weren't yet traces in his
urine. Because the day after it was a resting day and the traces would have
left the body in 24 hours, the scheme seemed to be completely foolproof. But
alas, different people are reacting in different ways, and 48 hours later
there were still traces in Merckx' s urine.

Benjo Maso

Steven Bornfeld

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Jul 25, 2004, 6:16:22 PM7/25/04

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Thanks. So Merckx stated what we in the U.S. now call a "non-denial
denial".

Steve

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