ATO Goodbye...

Uh-oh! Somebody's numbers aren't lining up!

Lance Armstrong's drug-testing program scrapped

Associated Press

DENVER -- Lance Armstrong scrapped his much-publicized plan to set up an independent drug-testing program on Wednesday because of high costs and nearly impossible logistics.

When Armstrong announced his comeback last year, the seven-time Tour de France winner said he wanted to prove he was clean, and was teaming with anti-doping expert Don Catlin, who would test him and post the results online.

But Catlin told The Associated Press that after months of negotiations, both sides realized the program wasn't workable this year.

"It was going to be difficult," Catlin said. "There were so many issues in trying to get this going -- legal issues, financial issues, and we sort of tried every which way. Finally, it made more sense to put it aside for the moment and maybe take it up at another time."

Armstrong began his comeback last month in Australia. He is training this month with Team Astana in preparation for the Tour of California, which starts Saturday. He also has announced plans to ride in the Tour de France this summer.

Mark Higgins, Armstrong's spokesman, did not immediately return messages left by AP seeking comment.

The news first was reported by The New York Times.

Armstrong still will be subject to testing by UCI, cycling's international body, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Part of the problem in working out a deal with Catlin was the logistical issues of adding another round of tests.

"And we were having to figure out how to pay for it," Catlin said. "You're coordinating collectors ... doing all these things. It became a nightmare of logistic issues and also, when you're drawing blood, an athlete can rightfully complain if you take too much."

Armstrong bristled at an AP report that came out in November, shortly before he was to begin training in earnest, that said the Web site he promised when he announced his return was nonexistent.

"It's a tough thing to organize, but we'll make it happen," he said.

He added that he stood ready to be tested every day. "Whether I'm in France or in LA, no one's trying to pull a fast one here," he said.

Though he never tested positive during his record-setting career, suspicions were always out there, which was one reason the 37-year-old cyclist went to Catlin to quiet the naysayers.

Catlin long has been acknowledged as the gold standard in anti-doping testing. He ran America's first anti-doping lab in UCLA for 25 years and left to set up the nonprofit Anti-Doping Research to develop new ways of catching drug cheats.

He is a proponent of performing baseline tests of athletes for a number of illegal substances, then comparing subsequent tests against the original results. It is widely considered a more accurate way of testing than the method most commonly used, but is also more expensive and time-intensive.

UCI has begun performing baseline tests. Under Catlin's program, Armstrong presumably would have been tested the same way -- but there were too many moving parts to make it work this year.

"We were going to put it on the Web and that got a lot of internal flak because we didn't have horsepower to deal with it," Catlin said.

He said it would have taken two scientists devoted primarily to the Web site to post the results and explain what they meant.

Home Improvement

I didn't ride the bike today. I didn't ride the bike yesterday either. I did ride the bike on Sunday and it was glorious even though I had to ride before church and again in the evening. We are nearing the end of our home improvements. The counter top is in and the next item is refinishing the wood floors. After that, de-clutter, stage and wait. Phew! Next up will be moving to Phoenix, learning a new airplane and job and learning to survive without my loving family near by. The best thing about losing your job is being able to spend 24 hours/7 days a week at home. This has been awesome! I have not felt a need to get alone time. My family is simply the best. Not perfect but wonderful all the same.

Update

Hi all. I have been taking some hits regarding the paucity of activity on my blog. Well, as most of you know I lost my job with Ford Motor Company this month. We received the news December 2 which was nice because it gave me a couple of months on the payroll to look for a job. I am happy to announce I have secured a position with Honeywell in Phoenix beginning February 23. The company is terrific, the location is great and the airplanes are awesome.

Over the last two months I have worked harder than ever before in my career. It was difficult to get on the bike so blogging just fell by the wayside. I ho


pe to have more free time as we move forward but the sale of our house is going to be a killer for the next couple of weeks. We have contractors and realtors coming in to get things lined up. De-cluttering is also a full time job.

Here's a pic of the new airplane I'll be flying.

And the front office...