Wednesday's EuroFile: Vermaut dies; Tour riders face new dope tests
By VeloNews Interactive
With wire services
This report filed June 30, 2004


The first line of this article begins siteing Vermaut as a former US Postal rider when he has been riding for Lotto since 2001. He spent one season with USPS prior to that. Why make the link in the first line other than to be sensational, to capitalize on the new anti Lance book. Story should have started with "Lotto rider dies..." It is cheap journalism, but what I have come to expect. It's just a shame that the journalists of the sport would do something so wreckless and to add to the speculation and innuendo surrounding LA. Report the facts and let the conspiracy theorists make the connection. I suggest a new title for the Velo News, The National Inquirer, or is that one already taken.

He IS a former Postal rider, so the ARE reporting the facts.

I see your point but I don't think this has any connection to the controversy surrounding LA. The American media (especially sports media) always gives a nationalist view of everything. The lead paragraph sited Postal probably because it's an American team and the one that most readers would identify with. They probably would have done the same had be been a mechanic for Postal and actually rode pro for several other teams. Note: the photo used had him in a Lotto jersey. You see it in the Olympics a lot as well. "Let's review the current medal count of these Olympic games... Americans have won 7 of the 218 gold medals awarded thus far, along with 23 silvers and 17 bronze." Sometimes it seems like American athletes are they only ones that matter to American journalists (with cycling being the only semi-exception). I think it's incredible what Lance is trying to accomplish but I'm getting awfully sick of seeing his face everywhere I turn. I'm sure the other five time winners were national heroes as well but this is just ridiculous. Just my opinion...

Wednesday's EuroFile: Vermaut dies; Tour riders face new dope tests
By VeloNews Interactive
With wire services
This report filed June 30, 2004


The first line of this article begins siteing Vermaut as a former US Postal rider when he has been riding for Lotto since 2001. He spent one season with USPS prior to that. Why make the link in the first line other than to be sensational, to capitalize on the new anti Lance book. Story should have started with "Lotto rider dies..." It is cheap journalism, but what I have come to expect. It's just a shame that the journalists of the sport would do something so wreckless and to add to the speculation and innuendo surrounding LA. Report the facts and let the conspiracy theorists make the connection. I suggest a new title for the Velo News, The National Inquirer, or is that one already taken.




Seeing as how Vermaut's heart attack was the result of congenital heart failure, and the article didn't mention doping at all, i hardly see this as sensationalism. Your post on the other hand...

Seeing as how Vermaut's heart attack was the result of congenital heart failure, and the article didn't mention doping at all, i hardly see this as sensationalism. Your post on the other hand...

I read the headline and connected two stories into one. My bad

I read the headline and connected two stories into one. My bad


Also he rode for Lotto for just a year as well, just as longs as his time at USPS.

"Vermaut suffered from a congenital heart defect, first detected in 2001. He began his career in 1998 with the Vlaanderen 2002 team, moved to U.S. Postal for one season in 2000, before joining Lotto-Domo in 2001.

Lotto, however, opted to cancel his contract as evidence of the severity of his heart condition emerged. Vermaut tried to continue his career the following season and signed a contract with Palmans-Collstrop in 2002 before deciding to retire permanently. His one professional victory came in 1999 in a stage at the Circuit des Mine. "

dead at 28. poor guy. rip.

Indeed - sensationalist reading!!

yea putting USPS in the Headline instead of "Former Pro" is definitely IMHO a bit of a Troll.