Lance Armstrong ends fight against doping allegations

[knapplc]

It's a bizarre end to Armstrong's years-long fight against these accusations. Basically he pleaded No Contest to the charges against him. If he hadn't thrown in the towel the USADA was going to hold a hearing where more than a dozen doctors, former teammates and other experts were going to testify that they saw him dope, he helped them dope, or that (in the case of medical experts) they had evidence from his samples that he doped.

 

Official: U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to slap Armstrong with lifetime ban, loss of titles

 

(CNN) -- The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said early Friday it will strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and impose a lifetime ban, a move that came just hours after the cyclist announced he would no longer fight charges of illegal doping.

 

A formal announcement by the USADA is expected later in the day, "but his choosing not to contest the charges means that there will be a lifetime ban and a loss of all results beginning from August 1, 1998," agency spokeswoman Annie Skinner told CNN in an emailed statement.

 

Even so, there is a question about whether the USADA -- a quasi-government agency recognized as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sports in the United States -- has the authority to take action against Armstrong.

 

The International Cycling Federation, whom Armstrong has said should be the arbiter in his case, has opposed the American agency's actions by claiming it has jurisdiction. That position has been recently backed by USA Cycling, the official cycling organization recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

 

They may not be able to strip his titles, though:

 

 

Armstrong facing loss of 7 Tour de France titles after giving up fight

 

USADA treated Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, hanging the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research. Armstrong could lose other awards, event titles and cash earnings, and the International Olympic Committee might look at the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Games.

 

"It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and athletes," Tygart said. "It's a heartbreaking example of win-at-all-costs overtaking the fair and safe option. There's no success in cheating to win."

Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong's longtime coach, said the Texan is a victim of a legal process run amok.

 

"Lance has never withdrawn from a fair fight in his life so his decision today underlines what an unjust process this has been," Bruyneel wrote on his personal website on Friday.

 

While Tygart said the agency can strip the Tour titles, Armstrong disputed that, insisting his decision is not an admission of guilt but a refusal to enter an arbitration process he believes is unfair.

 

Seems like there's a lot more drama to be played out before this is done.

 

What annoys me is that, while the evidence provided seems to be sufficient to say Armstrong used PEDs, the sport was rife with it. I have family in France, and every time I've gone over there, everyone "knows" that every rider dopes. Only the stupid ones get caught, they say.

 

The point of the ADA and other agencies like it is to keep the playing field level. If everyone dopes, isn't the field level?

 

 

It's a disgusting and disheartening situation. Cheating isn't OK, and the "everyone else is doing it" explanation is weak sauce. I am very much torn by this.

[ShawnWatson]

The man took and passed over 500 random drug tests which now don't count?

[knapplc]

The man took and passed over 500 random drug tests which now don't count?

 

The only thing is, what if his method of cheating surpassed those tests, and newer tests can see through that?

 

Who knows. He's said many times, and I believe him, that he's the most tested athlete in the world. And there aren't any failed tests that I'm aware of.

 

In my opinion, without any better proof than what I've seen, he's still the seven-time champ of Le Tour. The USADA can suck it.

[GSG]

All Seven Of Lance Armstrong’s Tour De France Wins Would Now Go To Cyclists With Doping Scandals Of Their Own

 

 

1999: Alex Zülle (confessed to EPO use)

2000: Jan Ullrich (suspended from 2006 Tour; banned this year and stripped of all results from 2005 on)

2001: Jan Ullrich

2002: Joseba Beloki (kept out of 2006 Tour while under doping investigation, later cleared)

2003: Jan Ullrich

2004: Andreas Klöden (accused of illegal blood transfusion in the 2006 Tour)

2005: Ivan Basso (confessed to attempted doping, suspended)

[EbylHusker]

I find it hilarious that a US agency can attempt to strip titles from an international race run in France. It's also a rather sad statement when the official statement from this agency is, "His withdrawl is proof he's guilty." No, it really isn't.

 

My personal opinion is that Lance probably doped, just like every other rider most likely did. However, I'm 100% against a US agency being able to strip titles from an international race. Or them presenting things like, "He withdrew, it proves he's a cheater." How about being able to vacate such titles from someone without even providing a shred of evidence? I want to see the evidence - I think everyone deserves to see the evidence on this if they're going to vacate his achievements.

[NUance]

I find it hilarious that a US agency can attempt to strip titles from an international race run in France. It's also a rather sad statement when the official statement from this agency is, "His withdrawl is proof he's guilty." No, it really isn't.

 

My personal opinion is that Lance probably doped, just like every other rider most likely did. However, I'm 100% against a US agency being able to strip titles from an international race. Or them presenting things like, "He withdrew, it proves he's a cheater." How about being able to vacate such titles from someone without even providing a shred of evidence? I want to see the evidence - I think everyone deserves to see the evidence on this if they're going to vacate his achievements.

This pretty much sums up the way I feel too. :

[knapplc]

I find it hilarious that a US agency can attempt to strip titles from an international race run in France. It's also a rather sad statement when the official statement from this agency is, "His withdrawl is proof he's guilty." No, it really isn't.

 

My personal opinion is that Lance probably doped, just like every other rider most likely did. However, I'm 100% against a US agency being able to strip titles from an international race. Or them presenting things like, "He withdrew, it proves he's a cheater." How about being able to vacate such titles from someone without even providing a shred of evidence? I want to see the evidence - I think everyone deserves to see the evidence on this if they're going to vacate his achievements.

This pretty much sums up the way I feel too. :

Me three.

 

 

 

 

Anyone else feel like the entity coming out of this looking the worst is the USADA? Again, I feel like Armstrong likely doped.... but it's over. And it's in a sport where everyone uses some form of PED.

 

And it's totally fitting that, if stripped of his titles, the "winners" would all also be people with allegations of PED use. What a crock.

[jsneb83]

The man took and passed over 500 random drug tests which now don't count?

 

The only thing is, what if his method of cheating surpassed those tests, and newer tests can see through that?

 

Who knows. He's said many times, and I believe him, that he's the most tested athlete in the world. And there aren't any failed tests that I'm aware of.

 

In my opinion, without any better proof than what I've seen, he's still the seven-time champ of Le Tour. The USADA can suck it.

It did. The drug that he was allegedly taking increases the amount of red blood cells in the body. And since they are human cells, there is no way to test to see if the drug is present. So what they do is test the amount of red blood cells in the body (the normal range is between 45-50%), so if anyone is above 51%, they are believed to have taken the EPO drug. Since red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, so obviously having more cells means you can carry more oxygen.

 

Lance has been accused of taking mini doses of this EPO so he was always within that normal range, so he was never caught.

[dutch91701]

Cycling is a sport that is notoriously dirty and filled with cheating. Its sad that one man has had to endure such scrutiny simply because he's won. Did Lance Armstrong cheat? Probably. Do I care? No. Everyone did it. Anyone who would've won those Tours de France would have been found to have been doping as well. Armstrong hasn't done anything relevant in cycling since finishing third in the Tour 3 years ago and hasn't won the Tour or done anything of international note since winning the Tour in 2005, prior to his initial retirement. I feel the same about this as I do about going after guys like Clemens and McGwire in baseball. It's sad to see sports organizations attack heros and try to turn them into villains after they retire. Just let the guys ride off into the sunset without trying to taint their record. All it does is hurt the image of the sport.

[GSG]

In all seriousness, F*CK the USADA. I hope the next time they get on a bike someone has removed the seat.

[Enhance]

I'm very torn on this as well.

 

Obviously, cycling has been rife with cheating for years, and everyone knows it. Therefore, athletes are pressured into taking some kind of PED, because they know if they don't there's little chance of them winning. However, I don't believe this to be an excuse, removing blame away from a cheating athlete. If you cheat, you cheat, and it should be understood that you cheated. Although Armstrong passed all of those tests, where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Some may not want to admit that, but honesty is better than lies.

 

All of that said, Lance Armstrong is what made cycling important in the United States, through his performance and his cancer recovery. I was listening to a talk show earlier and a listener came on air claiming young people don't know what they're talking about and Armstrong didn't set the stage for cycling interest in America - yes he did. There's no way he didn't. Sure there are other greats like Greg LeMond, but Armstrong is an icon and a role model for countless people, something unparalleled by anyone in his sport.

 

Furthermore, his Livestrong organization has raised $500 million towards cancer research - half of a billion dollars. That's totally unreal and one of the great things he's contributed to the world.

 

His Livestrong achievements are exclusive of what he did in cycling, but for me, it doesn't matter whether Armstrong cheated or not - he won the Tour de France a record seven times. They can strip it if they want, but I'll never forget. Are we really going to say Armstrong cheated better than everybody else? I just can't accept that as reality.

[MLB 51]

I think the sadest part is, his teammates seem to be siding against him. What do they have to gain from this? Nothing I can think of.

[NUance]

 

Here his is--doping. Caught red handed. End of controversy.

[Enhance]

 

Here his is--doping. Caught red handed. End of controversy.

To a normal viewer, they won't see it; but, to our trained eyes, it's laughably easy to see the PED injection headphones.

[dutch91701]

I think the sadest part is, his teammates seem to be siding against him. What do they have to gain from this? Nothing I can think of.

Except that they're mad about being his pace setters and not getting any of the wins for themselves...Typical sour grapes.