Kimmage Unconvinced by ABRT January Volume Challenge Numbers

Paul Kimmage has spoken of his doubts regarding the dominance of the ABRT January Volume Challenge by a small number of ABRT riders. "I don’t know anyone who could say this was a fully convincing stage 1 result," he told the Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch.

The Irish journalist said that he saw many similarities with Lance Armstrong, who has recently been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, and with the recent Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky dominance of the 2012 TdF.

Kimmage was asked if riders were padding their daily riding hours for stage 1 on the Scorecard. "I don’t know." He told EDP. "If you apply the same standards to these riders as to Lance Armstrong, concerning inquiries and logic, there are similarities which are alarming."

Kimmage pointed in particular that those claiming to have ridden more hours were doing exactly what Armstrong was often quoted as doing, training harder.

The dominance of the few riders at the top of the leader board has also given Kimmage food for thought. "How could these guys have ridden so many hours the week of New Years Day. You think: is that logical? I don't know anyone who could say those hours are fully convincing. FIVE HOURS on New Year’s Day? C’mon!"

Kimmage was sued last year by the UCI for what they considered defamatory statements in articles which appeared in the Sunday Times concerning the UCI and doping. The suit was eventually dropped but Kimmage is now countersuing.