Lance Armstrong

[harro1 256]

Cant remember where I saw it or read it. But it went something like this.

 

Reporter: Lance, what are you on?

Lance: I'm on my bike 8 hours a day. That's what I'm on.

[wacmedia 277]

I have never seen the point of cheating by taking drugs in sport.

 

Hi,

 

Money. Lots of it in sport nowadays.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Well, Lance has decided not to fight the USADA ...

 

Somehow, I don't think we've heard the end of the saga ... from AP ...

 

Armstrong facing loss of 7 Tour de France titles

By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Never one to back away from a fight, Lance Armstrong is finally giving in and the cost of quitting is steep: His seven Tour de France titles could be gone as soon as Friday.

The superstar cyclist, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled.

Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, left no doubt that was the next step. He said Armstrong would lose the titles as soon as Friday and be hit with a lifetime ban, even though he is retired and turning 41 next month.

Still to be heard from was the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union, which had backed Armstrong's legal challenge to USADA's authority. Tygart said the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it" as a signer of the World Anti-Doping Code.

"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.

Armstrong clearly knew his legacy would be blemished by his decision. He said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly never-ending fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone ever. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles from 1999 to 2005.

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said Thursday night, hours before the deadline to enter arbitration. He called the USADA investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said. "The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today — finished with this nonsense."

[kaiser71 30]

Sad.

[The Mook 105]

If I were Lance I would have thrown in the towel after all legal options were played.

The guilty verdict was more likely in this case than a murder trial in China.

L. A. never tested positive, but convicted dopers say he did it.

It's like trusting incarcerated hitmen in a Mafia trial.

[midlifecrisis 3,995]

He can laugh all the way to the bank.

[lovedog100 1,372]

Lance Armstrong Banned from Cycling for Life

 

http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-banned-cycling-life-033649969.html

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life by the USADA on Thursday night, but not because of new incriminating evidence, or a scandalous confession. He was banned because he's retired and wants to stop fighting their charges.

RELATED: Lance Armstrong Still Might Lose His Tour de France Titles

 

Armstrong gave a statement to the Associated Press on Thursday night explaining how he was going to stop fighting charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance enhancing drugs. Armstrong was on a deadline Thursday evening. It was the last night he could decide between further arbitration, or accepting sanctions from the USADA. His whole statement was posted to his website. Armstrong didn't admit to doping, but he said he was tired of going through the process. Armstrong described the investigation as an "unconstitutional witch hunt." He already beat a Department of Justice investigation earlier this year. But after his lawsuit against the USADA got thrown out, he had enough:

RELATED: Lance Armstrong Has Limited Options After Judge Tosses Suit

 

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.

The AP speculated when the story first broke that the USADA "will almost certainly treat Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, and hang the label of drug cheat on," Armstrong. It didn't take long the USADA to prove them right. About an hour after the story broke, the AP reported the USADA stripped Armstrong of his titles and banned him from cycling for life. There's no new evidence against Armstrong. He's just retired, and doesn't want to jump through their hoops anymore. A ban for life stops a cancer-surviving 40-year-old man from returning to a hyper-athletic sport. The USADA essentially played into his hand. How this affects his legacy depends on whether you believe he doped before. If you do believe he was dirty, then congratulations, I guess. If you believe he was always clean, then you'll probably continue acknowledging him as a seven-time Tour de France champion, the USADA be damned.

Edited August 25, 2012 by lovedog100

[bigdelta 46]

He never failed a drug test.

[Idefix 2,275]

He never failed a drug test.

Right, as many never failed an EPO test... until a laboratory find a new way to detect it.

We will never know, just a big doubt because so many times some many suspicions about him or his team.

 

BTW I think there should have a kind a period limitation after which no more investigation can be made. Let's say 3 years max for the science to find a new way to detect new illegal drug usages and after that it's done. Changing a race result 10 years later is ridiculous and very bad for sport and sportmen.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

He never failed a drug test.

 

Neither did Marion Jones. As it is, he wasn't accused by USADA of failing a drug test (just as Jones wasn't accused of failing a test) - the rule violations alleged by USADA that he chose not to contest were:

 

 

"(1)Use and/or attempted use of prohibited substances and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.

(2)Possession of prohibited substances and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions and related equipment (such as needles, blood bags, storage containers and other transfusion equipment and blood parameters measuring devices), testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.

(3)Trafficking of EPO, testosterone, and corticosteroids.

(4)Administration and/or attempted administration to others of EPO, testosterone, and cortisone.

(5)Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up and other complicity involving one or more anti-doping rule violations and/or attempted anti-doping rule violations."

 

I'm sure a bigger picture will emerge over the coming days/weeks/months/years (Bruyneel has opted to go to arbitration and Hamilton has a book due out in the next couple of weeks). It'll be interesting to see the UCI's formal reaction - it would be for them (and the TdF organisers/IOC) to actually rewrite the record books. Obviously giving anything to Ullrich (who was also never accused of failing a drug test but still copped a ban and had his 3rd place in the 2005 TdF removed from the record books) would open up a whole new can of worms.

Edited August 25, 2012 by CheshireTom

[jacko 8,578]

 

 

BTW I think there should have a kind a period limitation after which no more investigation can be made. Let's say 3 years max for the science to find a new way to detect new illegal drug usages and after that it's done. Changing a race result 10 years later is ridiculous and very bad for sport and sportmen.

Not sure about that. New drugs come along now and again and detection is always playing catch-up. I think the deterrent that a drug taker can be uncovered retroactively justifies it.

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

I feel sorry for the people who were riding clean. There is a massive cover up in cycling involved.

 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/david-walsh-on-armstrong-and-usadas-charges

 

 

“It’s just wrong that guys who were riding the race clean and never appeared in the top 20 were screwed by a corrupt system and in my view a system that couldn’t not have remained corrupt without the complicity of the people who run the sport, the race organisers, the sponsors, the cycling journalists. Too many people turned a blind eye to something that was obviously wrong and they did it for all the wrong reasons.”

 

“The history of the Tour de France, over the last 20 years, since EPO and blood boosting drugs were big, the history of the Tour de France has been bunkum. It’s hasn’t been a story of triumph and great achievement, it’s been a story of corruption and innocent people who rode the race clean being screwed. They were the people we always needed to stand up for. The spiritual leader of that peloton was Christophe Bassons and we all remember what happened to him in 1999.”

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Hi,

 

I feel sorry for the people who were riding clean. There is a massive cover up in cycling involved ...

 

 

The full transcript of David Walsh's 2009 interview makes for fascinating reading.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Game on. USADA has finalised its case and issued a press release .... all screen captures from The Guardian ...

 

Apparently, the whole thing wasn't a French/Euro conspiracy after all ...

 

 

 

Two riders, Big George Hincapie and Canadian Michael Barry have today admitted drug use. From Barry's blog ...

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Hincapie's comments are pretty damning ... he's probably the most tested rider in the peleton (he's ridden in 17 Tours and was Armstrong's most trusted lieutenant during all his 'winning' Tours) ...

 

 

[CheshireTom 1,377]

He never failed a drug test.

 

Neither did George.

[bigdelta 46]

Yes,Lance is history after reading the info in today's news."The most sophisticated sports doping regime in history".

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Yes,Lance is history after reading the info in today's news."The most sophisticated sports doping regime in history".

 

It's all very sad. I'm sure the world of sport will be pretty forgiving of both Barry and Hincapie (both outstanding cyclists in their own right). I guess the same could have been said of Lance ...

 

On a positive note, a lot of riders have indicated that cycling has moved on somewhat and that seems to be borne out by the times of the leading riders in this year's tour. Let's hope so.

 

The USADA "Reasoned Decision" can be found at Scribd. There's some heavy stuff in there ...

Edited October 10, 2012 by CheshireTom

[The Mook 105]

a link to the doping scandal on the TDF the past decade +

 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/24/sports/top-finishers-of-the-tour-de-france-tainted-by-doping.html?ref=cycling

 

the payments were damning...

[Gary 4,066]

I don't care one way or another, but even if he was/wasn't a doper, I don't blame him for giving up. Water under the bridge for sure.

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

Paul Kimmage is always worth listening to on this subject.

 

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/paul-kimmage-truth-comes-dropping-slow-3258595.html

 

Paul Kimmage: Truth comes dropping slow

 

 

It's taken a while for some but opinions on Lance Armstrong have altered greatly, writes Paul Kimmage

When it comes to the issue of doping and cycling, Sean Kelly has never been forward in looking backward. For 18 years now, since his last professional race, his attitude has always been easy to interpret: Don't ask me to condemn the sins of others.

Three months ago, in a lengthy interview with L'équipe during the most recent Tour de France, even those who know, and work with him closely, despaired when, despite a tidal wave of evidence, he expressed his continued belief in Lance Armstrong. But it was just Kelly being Kelly -- nothing if not consistent.

So it was astonishing to hear him break the habit of a lifetime last Thursday on Morning Ireland when he was rolled out behind Tyler Hamilton on the 8.35 sports bulletin. And even more astonishing that he had changed his tune on Lance: "Well, over the last number of months we were waiting for this and it was pretty much expected," he announced.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

When it comes to the issue of doping and cycling, Sean Kelly has never been forward in looking backward. For 18 years now, since his last professional race, his attitude has always been easy to interpret: Don't ask me to condemn the sins of others.

 

He (Kelly) done the commentary on Astro (Eurosports) for the TdF this year. While he was good at explaining the team tactics, he was always complaining that the race had become boring and harking back to the days of guys doing 200 km breakaways or sprinting up some of the toughest climbs on the Tour. The two Irish journalists, Kimmage and Walsh, should be commended for their tenacity.

Edited October 15, 2012 by CheshireTom

[wacmedia 277]

The two Irish journalists, Kimmage and Walsh, should be commended for their tenacity.

 

Hi,

 

On the other hand McQuaid and Kelly were 2 of Armstrong's biggest supporters. Link to Radio 5 programme.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...gs_Dirty_Truth/

Edited October 17, 2012 by wacmedia

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Hi,

 

On the other hand McQuaid and Kelly were 2 of Armstrong's biggest supporters. Link to Radio 5 programme.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...gs_Dirty_Truth/

 

Yes, I heard the start of the programme - got to listen to the rest later. Funnily enough, McQuaid has a lifetime ban from competing in the Olympics, but is now a member of the IOC.

 

A good programme on Australia's ABC - The World According to Lance

Edited October 17, 2012 by CheshireTom

[Montydog 135]

I see his sponsors are dropping him now, maybe he just took the “Just Do It” slogan to literally when first offered the go faster juice?

 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/9614878/Lance-Armstrong-dropped-by-sponsors-Nike-following-insurmountable-evidence-in-USADA-report-that-he-doped.html

Edited October 17, 2012 by Montydog

[CheshireTom 1,377]

I see his sponsors are dropping him now, maybe he just took the “Just Do It” slogan to literally when first offered the go faster juice?

 

You couldn't parody the Nike ad any better if you tried ...