Thursday, May 17, 2007

Hue - Lemond Drops The Bomb

He is here.

Barnett examines him, consistent with my prior observations about his ambitions. Barnett's on stage now. He seems to have a hitch in his voice.

[MORE]


This examination will be a discussion about the famous Landis and Lemond phone call.

Lemond thinks if Floyd did it, the sport was in sad shape. Lemond told him to salvage the sport and "come clean". Landis said "what good would it do?". then Lemond told him a personal story which we didn't get to hear. "It would destroy my friends and a lot of people".

Lemond read about the message Landis posted in the Daily Peloton about Lemond, got Landis' phone number for $15 and called him about it. Barnett calls Lemond Mr Landis and there is a chuckle in the gallery.

The message is read in court. Lemond denies its contents but understands "The race to the bottom" reference to be part of the personal story he told Landis.

Lemond reveals he was sexually abused prior to cycling.

Barnett is the guy who gets to deal with the bad stuff. Now Barnett publishes Lemond's cell phone record and the voice mail Lemond called back was for a voicemail of a person named "Will" about a message the guy on the line said was "Lemond's uncle and they would play "hide the weenie" tomorrow". This is Will Geohagen, Landis's friend, who is with him in Court. So, Lemond is basically saying Will called Lemond on Lemond's cell phone, using Will's own cell phone to make the call in order to intimidate Lemond.

There is a conversation about the Armstrong arbitration from Jacobs and Barnett introduces Mr Landis' personal attorney (Lemond-too many late nights he says) who says he is instructing Lemond not to testify.

Barnett talks Jacobs down. This is all very sad.

We are waiting on the Panel's ruling on the motion to strike. It is difficult for me to know how they can even decide this when Mr Barnett, the representative of the "truth seeker" talks over Jacobs so he can't articulate why or how the Armstrong stuff is relevant. This is how Barnett earns his stripes. Hopefully he will enjoy the benefits of his efforts.

Another contributer may have an idea as to what Jacobs was trying to get to about Armstrong:

Anyone remember last year, when Greg Lemond claimed that Lance Armstrong called his home and threatened his wife's life? He's rather hard to believe, for me, at this point, after his erratic behavior for the last few years. Now he claims that more people are threatening him.

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't get in the webstream.

Too much traffic.

Anonymous said...

That heading ("Lemond Weighs In") isn't a reference to Mr. Lemond's physique, is it?

Anonymous said...

Portly.

Pommi said...

Lemond has to read Floyd's comment Floyd posted on DPF. The slide is a screenshot from TBV!

Laura Challoner, DVM said...

Lemond looks trim to me. not portly or fat.
Bill

Unknown said...

Lemond reveals he was sexually abused prior to cycling

WTF does that have to do with anything??!!

Anonymous said...

Pardon my ignorance, but can anyone provide a link to the Daily Peloton message posted by Landis about Lemond?

Thanks for all you are doing TBV.

Anonymous said...

Mman --

I couldn't agree more. This isn't supposed to be Oprah. Maybe he got the wrong cell number...

Anonymous said...

Floyd needs to fire Will immediately and distance himself from him.

Thomas A. Fine said...

USADA called him to testify about something that didn't happen until after he showed up to testify?

tom

Anonymous said...

If that is indeed Will's cellphone number, he just gave USADA a huge gift, with a bow and a dozen roses to boot.

Anonymous said...

Did the defense insist on a ruling so that they could talk to will? or did they already know about this? They didn't seem as surprised as they should have been.

Wow, talk about an own goal.

Anonymous said...

are they in a recess right now?

Anonymous said...

Was the alleged call from Floyd to Greg before or after Tygart offered Floyd the 1-month suspension deal?

Anonymous said...

I suppose Will could blame it on Jack Daniels.

Anonymous said...

If LeMond won't answer questions about Lance, (and his attorney says he will not allow him to do so)which is the link to the motivation for LeMond to testify, Jacobs has moved to strike ALL of LeMond's testimony. And he's insisted on a ruling right now, which is what we're waiting for.

Thomas A. Fine said...

Before he fires him, he should first examine the phone in court to make sure that the number shown is really listed in the incoming calls on that phone, and not somewhere else. Even if this is true, he should take the additional step of determining if the phone call really took place by examining Will's phone records (because many phones have a computer interface that makes it possible to rewrite information on the phone, including the call logs).

Still, I wouldn't hold my breath.

tom

Anonymous said...

Used LeMond for sale....cheap.

Anonymous said...

My question is what does this have to do with anything. Can you say heresay? They don't have a recording of the call do they?

Anonymous said...

What a bombshell. This is really sad that it has come to this.

Illinoisfrank said...

I'm confused as to what is actually happening here...

Anonymous said...

Frank - You are watching the Jerry Springer show.

Anonymous said...

It's called "testimony". You're free to believe it or not, but it's not heresay. If LeMond said he "heard someone say that Landis said..." -- That would be heresay.

At least attempt to be partial. Or not.

What, Thomas A. Fine, are you holding your breath for? Phone record examination? Should be easy enough. Your suggestion that this is faked also reveals your gross bias. Unbelievable.

What is likely clear? LeMond got a call from the phone number he says. Does that prove anything about the conversation? Of course not. Will the owner of the phone be asked to explain the content of the call? Probably. You all can then evaluate the likely conflicting testimony, then get on with calling LeMond a liar.

Anonymous said...

Dictionary says: HEARsay

Anonymous said...

illinoisefrank - I am following this discussion via TBV and am also currently confused.

Try Rant's summary of the Lemond testimony at:

http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=264

It is a cohesive summary of Lemond testimony leading up to the motion to strike.

Thanks TBV and group - great job on the coverage and I appreciate all of your efforts.

Anonymous said...

Did they actually play the voice message in court, or is Lemond just telling us what the message said? This isn't clear to those of us who aren't seeing the video.

Anonymous said...

What is happening is this:

1) Lemond is suggesting that Landis confessed "What good what it do"

2) Lemond confided to Landis that Lemiond had been sexually molested.

3) Lemond claims that Will, Floyd's agent/manager, called and left a message that was teasing Lemond about being sexually abused.

4) Jacobs wants to cross on Lemond/Armstrong but Lemond's attorney is admonishing "no". Fear of Armstrong reprisals?


I do not know if there was a recording or merely that Lemond claims all of the above. It is hearsay and inflammatory. I do not see the weight of this BS and cannot believe the arbs would give it any credence. I have been surprised before.

Anonymous said...

How on earth does it matter what Will said to LeMond?
Relevance?

I just got my internet back after being down since before lunch.

This is still the same case, right?

GO GO TANGENT HOOOOOO!!!

Anonymous said...

Lemond is a jerk. He has been for years. He is greedy, and has emotional problems letting go of certain things in his life. It is not Floyd's problem that Lemond can't get out of the early 90's. Landis is over 30 years old, however, and he should have known that the daily peloton forums and immature phone calls would come back to haunt him.

In my opinion, we all just witnessed the death of American cycling. All my memories of Lemond miraculously winning in the time trial mean nothing. My memories of Landis flying up that climb last year...meaningless. This is very sad for anyone who has emotional connections with watching these "men" do incredible things.

Anonymous said...

There was no message. Lemond claimed he got a telephone call and put the call on speaker phone. Lemond testified to what the caller said to him. In essence: This is your uncle, I'll be at the hearing tomorrow, I'll tell everyone about hiding the weenie.

Anonymous said...

What point is there on cross-examining LeMond here? Ask one question: "It wasn't Landis who made the insulting telephone call, was it?" No more questions. Digging into Armstrong, abuse, hurts Landis' case and credibility.
As for the purported "confession," only Landis can rebut that.

Anonymous said...

Here's some stuff I stole from Rant's site that explains what happened in the courtroom...

"But that wasn’t all. LeMond also gave an account of a threatening phone call he claims to have received on his cell phone last night on his way to his hotel. The caller, LeMond says, claimed to be his uncle, and went on to mention that he would be at the hearing and that he was going to tell LeMond’s long held secret. LeMond gave his cell phone to one of USADA’s attorneys, who projected the phone and the number that the call originated from on the screen.

By LeMond’s telling of the story, the caller was Will Geoghegan. LeMond filed a police report for witness tampering, which was displayed on the overhead projector during the testimony. Whether it was Geoghegan or someone who stole Geoghegan’s number is not clear. But to hear LeMond’s telling, the call sent a chill down his spine."

Anonymous said...

I know Lemond's cycling performance is not on question here, but if he didn't use PEDs then, he surely needs drugs now. Appears Lemond has some serious phobias and insecurities.

It really is all very sad. And not just for American cycling. But for America too. It is business as usual in the homeland of freedom and democracy.

Anonymous said...

Desperate times call for deperate measures.....so who's the desperate one, USADA/LNDD or Landis? Or both! We need to hear from Landis camp before final judgement is rendered.

Anonymous said...

How did LeMond know to put the call on speakerphone? Most of us answer it and listen in the earpiece first to see what it's about, before we decide to put it on speakerphone. Does anyone else find that odd?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone else tried to call that number?

Anonymous said...

I hate to say it, but that number comes up as associated with floydlandis.com:

http://www.alexa.com/data/details?url=www.floydlandis.com/

Does not follow with other whois searches, like Network solutions.

Anonymous said...

What was the number? I have Will's card (and number).

Illinoisfrank said...

This is entirely stupid. USADA's case should merely be: 1) Here are the results of our 'A' and 'B' testing. 2) They match. 3) They belong to FL. 4) They are out of the range of what is acceptable. The rest has no place in this hearing.

Anonymous said...

anonymous 2:23 said, "There was no message. Lemond claimed he got a telephone call and put the call on speaker phone."

Did Lemond say who else, if anyone, was in the room to hear the conversation? Anybody with any credibility?

The other phone call between Landis and Lemond seems to have been fairly extended. Lemond is only relating the parts he wants to. It seems plausible or even likely that Landis denied using PEDs early in the conversation, but Lemond kept harping on the come clean stuff prompting Floyd to eventually say "what good would it do". I don't see a confession.

~ Cub

Anonymous said...

Or even ...could it be that Floyd's "what good would it do" comment came more from...admit even though I'm clean??...what good would it do? It would certainly harm a lot of people around him to admit to doping when is, in fact, clean.

Not bring privvy to actually conversation who knows???

Anonymous said...

Landis just fired Will. That answers that. How incredibly stupid and sickening.

Anonymous said...

Firing "Will" (are we all buddies here?) proves nothing. Floyd threatened to out a secret about LeMond months ago on the DP Forums. Very cryptic and weird at the time, makes sense now.

Bad day for Landis.

Anonymous said...

OK...here's one for the psycho awards.....So Lemond was abused as a child. I'm close to someone who was too. There are times when one can use that information about themselves to get attention, and manipulate people...messed up though it is, sometimes people confess to this to try to somehow gain respect in a bizarre line of thinking. It somehow gives a feeling of power when they feel powerless. My freind finally got help (as an adult)...I hope Mr. Lemond does too.

If Will really did that..he's just as sick as Lemond.

Anonymous said...

I met Will and Floyd. Having spoken with them both I would not believe that Will would do something so stupid and short-sighted.

The "threat", if there was one, only appears to give credence to what Lemond said. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I am saddened and disillusioned.

Anonymous said...

The "threat" is archived on DP forums. Floyd's threat that is.

Yes. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Anonymous said...

OK, who is going to go over and update Greg Lemond's Wikipedia entry?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Lemond

Perhaps in the Post-racing Career section there should be an entry on "Character Assassin".

This is your final legacy, Greg.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

>Anyone remember last year, when Greg >Lemond claimed that Lance Armstrong >called his home and threatened his wife's >life? He's rather hard to believe, for >me, at this point, after his erratic >behavior for the last few years. Now he >claims that more people are threatening >him.

you guys never cease to amaze me, why wouldnt these people threaten others who might expose them, it happens all the time, and doping in cycling does have its mafia type intimidation, there is no doubt about that. The Covatilla Gang of whom Floyd was close to (perdi) are well known for this type of behaviour, why not Lance or Floyd?