How many Australians will be caught up in the 'Lance Armstrong Affair'

The Australia media was running hot two days ago with the story that Matt White was mentioned in the USADA 'reasoned decision' that led to the disqualification of Lance Armstrong and the potential for all his Tour de France victories to be stripped from the record books.  White has since admitted to doping while riding with the US Postal Team and he resigned from his positions from Cycling Australia and Orica GreenEdge.

Cycling Australia has come out today and admitted that more Australian may actually be involved in the doping affair.  They are talking about an amnestry.  [Now that is just sweeping the problem under the carpet].

Tyler Hamilton dropped a bucket on Lance Armstrong in 2011 with his accusation that Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs when he won his Tour de France titles.  We now know for USADA's 'reasoned decision' that a large number of Armstrong's team mates at US Postal Team used performance enhancing drugs, including Hincapie, Hamilton, Landis, White,  Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Vaughters and Zabriskie. Other also testified against Armstrong.  The common factor here is all these riders rode for US Postal Team.  That is not denied.

The story ran hot in the world media.  In Australia, AM, one of premier current affairs programs on the ABC, picked up the story.  It interviewed Patrick Jonker, who rode for the US Postal Team in 2000.  I will note that he only rode for the team for one year.  He did not ride for the team in the Tour de France.

In the interview with AM, Jonker said

PATRICK JONKER: My time at US Postal I didn't see anything that indicated any sort of cheating that Tyler alleges. Now he's making these allegations and he's also going to bring his autobiography out and you sort of, you wonder sometimes the motives of what they're saying and why they're doing it.

ANNA HIPSLEY: So you don't believe Tyler Hamilton's telling the truth?

PATRICK JONKER: No, no, my only statement is that with my time at US Postal I saw nothing and also he didn't give any indication, like I was rooming with Tyler Hamilton for quite a time actually.

ANNA HIPSLEY: You never saw any pills in his fridge or never saw him injecting anything?

PATRICK JONKER: So that's my statement from an ex-teammate at that period.

See full interview at: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3223109.htm

It is now clear from the USADA dossier that doping was rife in US Postal at the time that Jonker was at the team.  Jonker's assertions could not be any further from the truth. Doping was happening all around him and it seemed that most of the team was participating in these activities. Jonker has not been mentioned in the USADA Report and there have been no indications that he has been involved in dubious activities. 

I do however ask why Jonker was being very clear in relation to the team's doping activities given the evidence that has been provided over the last week.  Given the events of the past week, it would be been advisable for Jonker not to make any comments.  Defending a friend and past team mate can be problematic. 

Past riders should not be asked to partake in these type of interviews.  Silence would be best as people will go back after the event and question their statements.