USADA says it will strip Armstrong of 7 Tour de France titles

[symple19]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/usada-says-it-will-strip-armstrong-of-7-tour-de-france-titles-ban-him-from-cycling-for-life/2012/08/23/d694f218-ed95-11e1-866f-60a00f604425_story.html?hpid=z1

Live Strong!

[Reck]

Why are they doing this?

This will destroy the sport.

[baseline bum]

Why are they doing this?

This will destroy the sport.

:cry Oh noes, we won't give a shit any more about a sport most of us gave up at 12 :cry

[symple19]

Why are they doing this?

This will destroy the sport.

Because the mofo was just another dirty athlete in the world's dirtiest sport

additionally, :lol cycling

[baseline bum]

Because the mofo was just another dirty athlete in the world's dirtiest sport

additionally, :lol cycling

:lol America all of a sudden giving a shit about a sport no one in this country cared about for 100 years just because someone from here won it. LOL national pride.

[Avante]

What's really sad when these athletes gets popped is that in most cases they still would have starred/won straight as a ruler.

[baseline bum]

Fuck Lance, Tupac is still the greatest one-ball American of all time.

[Fpoonsie]

What's really sad when these athletes gets popped is that in most cases they still would have starred/won straight as a ruler.

Not if the American cyclist was incapable of fully "nutting up."

Zing.

[symple19]

:lol America all of a sudden giving a shit about a sport no one in this country cared about for 100 years just because someone from here won it. LOL national pride.

Pretty much

Gotta love all the deniers who are gonna be crushed by this. No way that guy wins all those TDF's clean while the sport was literally awash with PED's

Reminds me of idiot (fellow) Giants fans who denied that Barry Bonds was roiding when his head was large enough to serve as a landing pad for helicopters

[Reck]

:cry Oh noes, we won't give a shit any more about a sport most of us gave up at 12 :cry

Dude, I dont give a fuck about Cycling or Armstrong for that matter.


Because the mofo was just another dirty athlete in the world's dirtiest sport

additionally, :lol cycling

Exactly my point.

This sport is like the depository for doping, why taint it more than it already is.

Cycling may not be big here in the US but it is internationally. I'm sure this is like a punch in the guts to people that really are into it.

[symple19]

But he never failed a test!!!!!!! :lmao

[baseline bum]

Pretty much

Gotta love all the deniers who are gonna be crushed by this. No way that guy wins all those TDF's clean while the sport was literally awash with PED's

Reminds me of idiot (fellow) Giants fans who denied that Barry Bonds was roiding when his head was large enough to serve as a landing pad for helicopters

That shit's why I hate the Olympics. No one gave a fuck about short-track speed skating when the chinks were winning the gold every Olympics, then Apolo Ohno starts getting good and the shit's on prime-time every night last winter olympics.

[jack sommerset]

I can't believe they don't have one test that has drugs in it and they are still going after him. That just doesn't make sense to me. I need more than my gut and few people telling me he did it in order to strip him of those victories. The dude did take 100s of test. Im not saying he didnt im just saying guilty until innocent isn't the way. God bless

[Avante]

Not if the American cyclist was incapable of fully "nutting up."

Zing.

Whatever the situation Lance Armstrong was the best in his era. Everyone knows it.

[symple19]

Cycling may not be big here in the US but it is internationally. I'm sure this is like a punch in the guts to people that really are into it.

Cycling is actually a big deal in No-Cali, at least it was when I lived there.

You couldn't drive ten feet without seeing some D-bag in a skin-tight leotard with logos all over it peddling away like his/her life depended on it. I could never shake the compulsion to weld metal spikes onto my car and run them all over

[redzero]

I don't really have a problem with roids or whatever, but if they are banned, the athletes only have themselves to blame for using them and getting caught.

[symple19]

That shit's why I hate the Olympics. No one gave a fuck about short-track speed skating when the chinks were winning the gold every Olympics, then Apolo Ohno starts getting good and the shit's on prime-time every night last winter olympics.

Fucking Ohno is another grade-A example of a douchebag.

[CuckingFunt]

That shit's why I hate the Olympics. No one gave a fuck about short-track speed skating when the chinks were winning the gold every Olympics, then Apolo Ohno starts getting good and the shit's on prime-time every night last winter olympics.

But short-track is awesome.

[CuckingFunt]

Fucking Ohno is another grade-A example of a douchebag.

Why?

Not disagreeing, just curious. It's not like he does much of anything other than win some races every four years and sell Subway.

[symple19]

I can't believe they don't have one test that has drugs in it and they are still going after him. That just doesn't make sense to me. I need more than my gut and few people telling me he did it in order to strip him of those victories. The dude did take 100s of test. Im not saying he didnt im just saying guilty until innocent isn't the way. God bless

PEDs are not always easy to detect. Many are out of your system in a very short period of time. They are also ever-changing the formulas in order to defeat tests

What the various doping agencies are now doing is keeping blood samples for up to ten years to allow for the tests to catch up with the drugs. A great idea that will hopefully make athletes think twice about cheating.

Even though you don't get caught on one test, that same blood may be tested years later and found to be dirty once the testing technology improves

Wish they would apply that same testing to our major sports, especially baseball and football

[Reck]

Fucking Ohno is another grade-A example of a douchebag.

lol Ice skating
lol Winter Olympics

[symple19]

Why?

Not disagreeing, just curious. It's not like he does much of anything other than win some races every four years and sell Subway.

Dancing with the stars

Chin fungus (douchey facial hair)

Overly tight outfits with garish colors

An obvious burning desire to be on TV as much as possible

Arrogant as hell

crying about judges

on and on....

[Avante]

I wish they'd just say...fuck it!...leave the drug thing alone at the pro level. Worry about at the NCAA/HS level.

[symple19]

just look at the fucking picture on his twitter page...jesus christ, not to mention the tweets :lmao

https://twitter.com/ApoloOhno

[symple19]

Apolo Anton Ohno ‏@ApoloOhno

About to crank a ridiculous meal....J-bbq.. Bring it.

:lmao

[CuckingFunt]

Dancing with the stars

Chin fungus (douchey facial hair)

Overly tight outfits with garish colors

An obvious burning desire to be on TV as much as possible

Arrogant as hell

crying about judges

on and on....

Ah. Okay. I don't pay attention to any of that shit.

[howbouthemspurs]

So he tested negative on all test? WTF is the problem then? FUCK USADA!

[symple19]

Ah. Okay. I don't pay attention to any of that shit.

you can't miss it if you watch the Olympics

I just went to his twitter page for additional evidence, and it was as expected

[TDMVPDPOY]

whats the point of taking away his wins

he still benefits from keeping his $$$ winnings and endorsements...

[Wild Cobra]

I am unaware of any proper evidence they have. Maybe he dropped his defense because he can't afford to fight it.

[symple19]

So he tested negative on all test? WTF is the problem then? FUCK USADA!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/24/us-cycling-armstrong-doping-idUSBRE87N03N20120824


The USADA, a quasi-governmental agency created by the U.S. Congress in 2000, formally charged Armstrong in June with doping and taking part in a conspiracy with members of his championship teams. Five other cyclists have been accused of conspiring with Armstrong over the course of 14 years to hide doping activity.

The agency said in a letter to Armstrong that it has blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that are "fully consistent" with doping.

In the letter, which was published in the Washington Post, the agency said it also has at least 10 former teammates and colleagues of Armstrong who will testify he used doping drugs during races from 1999 to 2005.

[CuckingFunt]

you can't miss it if you watch the Olympics

I just went to his twitter page for additional evidence, and it was as expected

The most recent games were the first I watched in years without DVR. It's pretty easy to miss with a fast forward option.

[BRHornet45]

sons LOL at cycling aka another "sport" to help non-black athletes compete. cycling is one step above this pathetic walking shit we just saw in the Olympics ...


Look at em go sons!


http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web05/2012/8/4/13/anigif_enhanced-buzz-19916-1344100061-8.gif

http://21.imagebam.com/download/_d1LR5VryQOjFmkfILFPgA/20465/204643741/lol%20stupid%20walking.gif


OH SHIT TOO INTENSE!!!

http://51.imagebam.com/download/FokXgRZUuJ3VxQ7fgQqKTQ/20465/204643765/lol%20stupid%20walker%20falls.gif

[symple19]

The most recent games were the first I watched in years without DVR. It's pretty easy to miss with a fast forward option.

gotcha

NBC is prone to running nausea inducing "human interest" segments when they should instead be showing the events. That's how I learned of his douchey proclivities

[symple19]

whats the point of taking away his wins

he still benefits from keeping his $$$ winnings and endorsements...

he keeps that shit, true, but the shame and the knowledge that doping agencies will hunt you down no matter the cost nor amount of time it may take could deter others from making the same bad decisions that Lance did

[Koolaid_Man]

Because the mofo was just another dirty athlete in the world's dirtiest sport

additionally, :lol cycling


You guys are just seething with ignorance and extremely immature...Armstrong won those titles fair and outright...the witch hunt being carried out is the shameful act. If you beleive Lance cheated then you should really beleive that Manny Paquito is cheating in boxing...I highly doubt the IOC will agree with the USADA it's nothing but an exercise in frivolity..

I stand with Lance...if he didn't cheat to beat the Cancer which is way harder to defeat... then I'm left with the belief that he certainly didn't cheat to beat the Tour De France. :toast

[Koolaid_Man]

hundreds upon hundreds of passed drug tests they're's no arguing that...you can even move to strip him based on the disgruntled words of a few men...who have financial incentives to turn their back on Lance...if they were all facing jail time instead of secret checks being given them to testify against Lance their stories would chance in an instance..lol

[Slomo]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).

[johnsmith]

What's everyone gonna do with those cool yellow bracelets?

[DMC]

Fuck Lance, Tupac is still the greatest one-ball American of all time.
Yeah and he took a shot first.

[jag]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).

Slo with the informative goods

[DMC]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).

I wouldn't think the USADA has the jurisdiction to remove a title won in France when the agencies having jurisdiction in that race side with Lance.

I disagree with the concept of removing past titles. It means so little to do that, since everyone will still consider Lance a 7 time winner of the TDF, and without his admission of guilt it's just accusations.

They didn't remove Bonds' records. They didn't remove McGwire's record (at the time) and AFAIK, Canseco still gets his 472 or so HRs.

I don't think it's necessarily trivial, but if the USADA wants to go after anyone, they should go after the agencies that couldn't detect doping in the 7 years Lance was winning.

It's really a witch hunt. There are some big players pushing for this.

[lefty]

Buahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha



I've never liked that SOB :lmao



Fucking cheater :lmao

[lefty]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).


"Ass whooping" :lmao


Because he was cheating :lmao

[Darth_Pelican]

http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1345780501428_8174429.png

[leemajors]

All 7 of his titles would go to people who are also involved in doping scandals :lmao


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)

http://deadspin.com/5937591/all-seven-of-lance-armstrongs-tour-de-france-wins-would-now-go-to-cyclists-with-doping-scandals-of-their-own

[ploto]

Everyone knows he cheated (or so I thought). The testing finally caught up.

[Brazil]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).

some random thoughts

Lance was very unpopular also because he acted like an ass during his reign.

Cyclism doping is an issue since almost forever, in the 70's cyclists already used drugs to improve their performance. Mercks was known to be one of the most knowledgeable guy in terms of doping. The famous pot belge (mixture of drugs, variously constituted from cocaine, heroin, caffeine, amphetamines, and other analgesics) appeared in the late 80's.

I'm not sure about a drop of road races performance tbh. The overall performance of Bradley Wiggins has been damn impressive everywhere and I wouldn't be surprised if he was loaded like hell during this tour. Dude has made all his career in pursuit and his progress in mountains in the last 3 or 4 years has been gigantic. One can wonder how.

If somebody thinks that he was clean, he is a fool.

[mrsmaalox]

I'm not a fan of Armstrong or cycling and I don't have a good understanding of it all, but....how can the USADA strip Armstrong of the titles? Wouldn't that be up to the Tour de France to decide, based on information from the USADA?

[leemajors]

Oh, there is no doubt Lance is a total douche. Several of my friends have waited on him, or served him drinks around town. Bad tipper and just a dick.

[Slomo]

...

It's really a witch hunt. There are some big players pushing for this.

It is.


"Ass whooping" :lmao


Because he was cheating :lmao

Sure he was, but as the tests at the time proved, not more than the others.


All 7 of his titles would go to people who are also involved in doping scandals :lmao



http://deadspin.com/5937591/all-seven-of-lance-armstrongs-tour-de-france-wins-would-now-go-to-cyclists-with-doping-scandals-of-their-own

:lol nice find.


Everyone knows he cheated (or so I thought). The testing finally caught up.

Sure he did, but so did the others. It doesn't make it right, but if we're going down that road let's strip the titles of at least two decades of TDF and let's not give it to the runner ups, who are guilty of the exact same thing (and don't get me started on the UCI officials).

I never liked Armstrong as a person or as an athlete, but let's start the clean up a little bit higher.

I'll say it again the best thing to come out of all these controversies was that doping is now being addressed in a serious fashion by the UCI.

[Slomo]

some random thoughts

Lance was very unpopular also because he acted like an ass during his reign.

Cyclism doping is an issue since almost forever, in the 70's cyclists already used drugs to improve their performance. Mercks was known to be one of the most knowledgeable guy in terms of doping. The famous pot belge (mixture of drugs, variously constituted from cocaine, heroin, caffeine, amphetamines, and other analgesics) appeared in the late 80's.

I'm not sure about a drop of road races performance tbh. The overall performance of Bradley Wiggins has been damn impressive everywhere and I wouldn't be surprised if he was loaded like hell during this tour. Dude has made all his career in pursuit and his progress in mountains in the last 3 or 4 years has been gigantic. One can wonder how.

If somebody thinks that he was clean, he is a fool.

I agree with all of the above, except that Wiggins dominated only in his specialty (time trials), while I blame a part of his progress in the mountain stages simply to the fact that the stages have been easier in the past few years. They are either easier or there are less of them in the classic multi stage road races. This year's TDF was by far the easiest (and most boring) as far as I can remember.

Wiggins also had the best supporting cast of this year's TDF.

To assume everything is fine an dandy in cyclism would be naive, but look at how the testing is done now and by whom and you have to admit that if they are still cheating it's not easier than in any other sport (of course just because I said that we'll find out tomorrow of a huge corruption scandal in the UCI test labs...)

[Mark in Austin]

If he was going to lose anyway, he should have gone to arbitration and looked everybody in the eye and stated his case. Folding now give the impression that he doesn't want the testimony out there. "No physical evidence in 140 tests" is pretty compelling. Even if he lost the case he could win the court of public opinion. And really, at this stage of his life, that's the trial that matters most.

Did he cheat? I don't know. But somehow all the euro investigations uncovered a lot of cheating from other riders. How come there was never a positive test for Armstrong? He has to be the most tested athlete in history.

[jag]

With all the cheating that was going on, I'm not sure how anyone could say he wasn't competing on a level playing field. He was killing people out there, and it was because he was better than everyone.

To those who say it wasn't "fair",and that his titles should be stripped, that'd be like removing Barry Bond's HR records because it wasn't fair to McGwire and Sosa.

[Bill_Brasky]

With all the cheating that was going on, I'm not sure how anyone could say he wasn't competing on a level playing field. He was killing people out there, and it was because he was better than everyone.

To those who say it wasn't "fair",and that his titles should be stripped, that'd be like removing Barry Bond's HR records because it wasn't fair to McGwire and Sosa.

Nail on the head. Everyone was doping, Lance was simply better than everyone else. The way he would take over on those uphill climbs was just incredible.

Anyone that can come back from testicular cancer and do that is a hero in my book.

[jag]

I'd like everyone to also take something else into consideration. Not only was he consistently that much better than everyone else at cycling, he was also that much better at cheating. After hundreds of tries, he still hasn't tested positive. Not only should his titles not be stripped, he should receive an extra award for being the smartest, wiliest sob to ever race the Tour.

[Koolaid_Man]

A few comments, because the level of stupidity in this thread is just too much.

If Lance Armstrong is stripped of his TDF titles, the only people crying about it will be Americans, Lance is very unpopular among European cyclist because of the absolute ass whooping he delivered during his years of dominance.

The allegation of doping against Lance started in Europe (France if I'm not mistaken) and spawned several serious investigations (by the UCI and local police). This caused a major reshuffle within the UCI to address doping issues. The sport has since then made enormous progress and is today as drug free as other major international competitions - and it is common knowledge that cyclism had a huge doping problem as little as 5 years ago. Even a casual observer can notice an overall drop in performance in road races.

The Spanish, Italian and French cyclist organizations absolutely hated how Lance came from almost nowhere and dominated the TDF for so long, so believe me they tried to prove he was using drugs very hard. It is ironic that their investigations disqualified a lot of their own cyclists (among them some really big names) and they eventually accepted Armstrong's victories.

The irony of it all is that Americans were crying foul during those European investigations and accused everybody involved of nationalism and borderline racism - and now it's an American institution that is trying to strip him of his titles (and based on shaky evidence at best).


All you had to say was "I agree with Kool" :lol

[Slomo]

All you had to say was "I agree with Kool" :lol

I'll never admit to that! :)

[Brazil]

I agree with all of the above, except that Wiggins dominated only in his specialty (time trials), while I blame a part of his progress in the mountain stages simply to the fact that the stages have been easier in the past few years. They are either easier or there are less of them in the classic multi stage road races. This year's TDF was by far the easiest (and most boring) as far as I can remember.

Wiggins also had the best supporting cast of this year's TDF.

To assume everything is fine an dandy in cyclism would be naive, but look at how the testing is done now and by whom and you have to admit that if they are still cheating it's not easier than in any other sport (of course just because I said that we'll find out tomorrow of a huge corruption scandal in the UCI test labs...)

It is true that mountain stages have been lightened a lot in the last TDF and while it is more boring I think it is a good action to limit the doping. I mean this competition is crazy hard almost inhuman. To try to limit the doping they have to decrease the difficulty at some point.

Cheating in cycling especially TDF is much more complicated than in other sport. Cycling has been the scapegoat of the professional sport during a lot of years also because of the efforts to fight the doping, controls are still not 100% efficient but the police is involved and is investigating the docs, the family, the witnesses... Remember the Rumsas story ? they found in his car's wife big quantities of doping products. It's easier to attack cycling than football, the financial stakes are not at all the same. In football one would be very naive to think this sport is clean :lol creatin to explain Zidane's muscular development.

[Brazil]

Did he cheat? I don't know. But somehow all the euro investigations uncovered a lot of cheating from other riders. How come there was never a positive test for Armstrong? He has to be the most tested athlete in history.

If you are clever it is possible to cheat the controls. They were / are doing crazy stuff to cheat the controls, urine bags carried under their jersey, blood transfusion, blood cleaning... One of the measure to fight that is unannounced controls during the off season or the rider profile with a monitoring of the riders metabolic indicators all year long but I think France is the only country to have implemented it.

A lot of riders have been caught by indirect evidence, doping products in relative's cars, doping product in the trash, witnesses, doping product found at their home...

Once again you are a fool if you think he is clean. Don't get me wrong I do believe that probably the first 30 riders of the TDF of the last 10 - 15 years took product. Look at the first 10 riders of the years when Lance won, 90% have been involved in doping or caught by tests. Even if the UCI and TDF decide to confirm USADA decision, it would be impossible for them to give the win to another rider in a consistent way.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Does the USADA even have the authority to do anything?

They are a US nonprofit that is not officially sanctioned by a US authority.

TDF is a French thing. This just doesn't seem right.

[leemajors]

Does the USADA even have the authority to do anything?

They are a US nonprofit that is not officially sanctioned by a US authority.

TDF is a French thing. This just doesn't seem right.

I read they brought the pressure onto TDF for the Landis scandal and stripping of titles, so they may here as well. But you're right they have no power of their own to strip a TDF title

[Texas_Ranger]

lol cycling. This sport is just stupid cause everyone is on doping.

and it's just stupid that they can take all of his medals just cause some morons think he was on ''drugs'', with no real evidence.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I read they brought the pressure onto TDF for the Landis scandal and stripping of titles, so they may here as well. But you're right they have no power of their own to strip a TDF title

So then they are a lobbying group.

Lovely.

[redzero]

With all the cheating that was going on, I'm not sure how anyone could say he wasn't competing on a level playing field. He was killing people out there, and it was because he was better than everyone.

To those who say it wasn't "fair",and that his titles should be stripped, that'd be like removing Barry Bond's HR records because it wasn't fair to McGwire and Sosa.

Pretty much. It's a sham.

[Slomo]

It is true that mountain stages have been lightened a lot in the last TDF and while it is more boring I think it is a good action to limit the doping. I mean this competition is crazy hard almost inhuman. To try to limit the doping they have to decrease the difficulty at some point.

Cheating in cycling especially TDF is much more complicated than in other sport. Cycling has been the scapegoat of the professional sport during a lot of years also because of the efforts to fight the doping, controls are still not 100% efficient but the police is involved and is investigating the docs, the family, the witnesses... Remember the Rumsas story ? they found in his car's wife big quantities of doping products. It's easier to attack cycling than football, the financial stakes are not at all the same. In football one would be very naive to think this sport is clean :lol creatin to explain Zidane's muscular development.

Agree completely - especially first paragraph.

[symple19]

Well, now that this is over, hopefully both Lance Armstrong and the shitty, irrelevant sport he was the face of for so long will fade back away into obscurity... where they belong

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Let me get this straight, people here think Lance shouldn't lose his titles because everyone else was doing it as well, and Lance was better all things considered? :lmao

The reason why Lance SHOULD lose his titles isn't that he really wasn't better than the competition. He truly must have been tbh. The legitimate reason is that he cheated, and that in and of itself is enough, I don't give a shit if everyone and the pope was doing it as well.

That sort of bullshit rationalization is what corruption in politics for example, thrives on. "Oh I know the dude stole millions, but everyone does it, so why single him out?"

You single him out TO START WITH and then you go after every single cheating piece of shit that did it as well. Now, you can complain that they aren't doing that, and that would be fine. What you can't do, is bitch that they are starting with Lance simply because he's some kind of icon in the sport.

To put it simply, if they can prove that he cheated (which I think they must be able to or they wouldn't go to all this trouble) then FUCK HIM!. Anyone that doesn't agree with that has a pretty fucked up set of values let me tell you.

[symple19]

^That's a solid take

[Brazil]

Globally TDF and UCI were waiting USADA and Lance decision, in function of that they will decide to strip Armstrong of his titles but USADA has no authority to force TDF and UCI decision

[Brazil]

Let me get this straight, people here think Lance shouldn't lose his titles because everyone else was doing it as well, and Lance was better all things considered? :lmao

The reason why Lance SHOULD lose his titles isn't that he really wasn't better than the competition. He truly must have been tbh. The legitimate reason is that he cheated, and that in and of itself is enough, I don't give a shit if everyone and the pope was doing it as well.

That sort of bullshit rationalization is what corruption in politics for example, thrives on. "Oh I know the dude stole millions, but everyone does it, so why single him out?"

You single him out TO START WITH and then you go after every single cheating piece of shit that did it as well. Now, you can complain that they aren't doing that, and that would be fine. What you can't do, is bitch that they are starting with Lance simply because he's some kind of icon in the sport.

To put it simply, if they can prove that he cheated (which I think they must be able to or they wouldn't go to all this trouble) then FUCK HIM!. Anyone that doesn't agree with that has a pretty fucked up set of values let me tell you.

:tu

[Reck]

If they start taking titles away, then they should go full on and start taking the titles of people who took PEDs.

I am pretty damn sure they wont have a legitimate winner from this decade, hell they will probably have to go into the 70s to find someone who actually won a title 100% clean.

Who are they kidding? The Sport itself is not clean.

At this point its not even about Armstrong and doping, its about USADA trying to show they have power, specially when they dont have any to begin with.

[Slomo]

...

To put it simply, if they can prove that he cheated (which I think they must be able to or they wouldn't go to all this trouble) then FUCK HIM!. Anyone that doesn't agree with that has a pretty fucked up set of values let me tell you.

There are several points in this thread:

- The French investigated the shit out of Lance and if they could have they would have stripped him of the titles long ago. They even prosecuted some of the other big names in the process (they were convinced they would get Lance eventually).

- It doesn't change the fact that the sport as a whole was dirty and that it has been changing. Lance was a catalyst for these changes (an inadvertent one).

- Nobody is defending him - just pointing out the hypocrisy of singling him out for something that was common practice at the time.

- And personally I love the irony how Europeans were called nationalist and even racist for going after Lance. Now he is getting screwed by his own and on shaky evidence none the less (testimony of people who have a stake in the outcome).

And anybody who thinks cycling is not a difficult sport, should try it. I personally suggest to start with something easy: a downhill track in a MTB Park - I mean it's downhill all the way, how difficult can it be?

And finally I still don't like Armstrong (never have).

[Brazil]

lol cycling. This sport is just stupid cause everyone is on doping.


absolutely because we know MLB, NFL, football... are clean and nobody is on doping

[The Gemini Method]

:lol at a sport that makes the WWE look clean

[Reck]

absolutely because we know MLB, NFL, football... are clean and nobody is on doping

This is the same thought process all the idiots have on the subject.

They think only the sports they are into are the ones that matter.

Ignorance is bliss.

[Brazil]

There are several points in this thread:

- The French investigated the shit out of Lance and if they could have they would have stripped him of the titles long ago. They even prosecuted some of the other big names in the process (they were convinced they would get Lance eventually).

- It doesn't change the fact that the sport as a whole was dirty and that it has been changing. Lance was a catalyst for these changes (an inadvertent one).

- Nobody is defending him - just pointing out the hypocrisy of singling him out for something that was common practice at the time.

- And personally I love the irony how Europeans were called nationalist and even racist for going after Lance. Now he is getting screwed by his own and on shaky evidence none the less (testimony of people who have a stake in the outcome).

And anybody who thinks cycling is not a difficult sport, should try it. I personally suggest to start with something easy: a downhill track in a MTB Park - I mean it's downhill all the way, how difficult can it be?

And finally I still don't like Armstrong (never have).

I practiced a bit not at a very high level but still I can tell Cyclism is one of the toughest sport that exists and the TDF is probably the most difficult popular event in the world and by far.

and I still dislike Armstrong

[MaNuMaNiAc]

- The French investigated the shit out of Lance and if they could have they would have stripped him of the titles long ago. They even prosecuted some of the other big names in the process (they were convinced they would get Lance eventually).Hence why my whole point is based on the premise that the USADA isn't on some bullshit stunt to convince everyone its not completely useless.


- It doesn't change the fact that the sport as a whole was dirty and that it has been changing. Lance was a catalyst for these changes (an inadvertent one).That might or might not be true I don't know tbh. Still think this is a case by case judgment and not something to be considered in context. There is no context which would validate him cheating. Not even if every single cyclist was doing it. In which case there would be grounds for considering scrapping the whole governing committees for gross incompetence AND still strip Lance of all his titles.


- Nobody is defending him - just pointing out the hypocrisy of singling him out for something that was common practice at the time.I disagree, Shadow over there can't seem to stop himself trying to argue that Lance should keep his titles one way or the other. I think his take borders on "just because"...

Hypocrisy or not, they have to start somewhere and Lance should do just fine. (If he actually cheated that is)


- And personally I love the irony how Europeans were called nationalist and even racist for going after Lance. Now he is getting screwed by his own and on shaky evidence none the less (testimony of people who have a stake in the outcome).
Its nothing new really. People tend to protect their idols.




And finally I still don't like Armstrong (never have).I don't much care one way or the other about Armstrong tbh, I just thoroughly dislike dishonest pieces of shit. I think that's something we can all get behind really :lol

[JoeChalupa]

Meh, he has been tested many, many times and as far as I know he has not failed a test.

[Reck]

Reading comprehension befalls Manumaniac it appears.

I'm not defending him at all.

I'm just stating the obvious.

Whether he loses his titles or not I do not give a shit.

But if you're going to do so, you better do it to everyone else that was caught cheating.

Like I said, they would have to strip the majority of the riders of their prize.

They cant start with Armstrong and end with him.

Simply put, athletes have been doping long before Armstrong was even in the sport.

Your logic simply does not compute.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I'm not defending him at all.

I'm just stating the obvious.

Whether he loses his titles or not I do not give a shit.

But if you're going to do so, you better do it to everyone else that was caught cheating.



Like I said, they would have to strip the majority of the riders of their prize.

They cant start with Armstrong and end with him.

Simply put, athletes have been doping long before Armstrong was even in the sport.



My bad, I must have been confused by your incredibly vague posts whining about the USADA going after an icon and how that would destroy the sport and be "like and punch in the guts to people who are really into it"...


Why are they doing this?

This will destroy the sport.


Dude, I dont give a fuck about Cycling or Armstrong for that matter.



Exactly my point.

This sport is like the depository for doping, why taint it more than it already is.

Cycling may not be big here in the US but it is internationally. I'm sure this is like a punch in the guts to people that really are into it.

Whether you give a fuck about Armstrong or not is irrelevant. The notion that USADA should do nothing because it could further taint the sport and disappoint the audiences is ridiculous.

Now you have since backpedaled a bit and have landed on a point we can all agree on. If the go after Armstrong, they should go after everyone else. In the meantime GO AFTER ARMSTRONG!

[Reck]

I dont think I'm back pedalling at all.

I stand by what I had said here.

Stripping anyone of more than one title based on a hunch is pretty much inconceivable. Again, I have a problem with USADA trying step in and act all rightous. Specially at this point.

If this was conducted by someone of authority and they had concrete proof then I would have no problem with the fact said guy would lose his titles but since its not therein lies the issue.

And I would suspect this would hurt the Sport and how its fans look upon it.

Doping aside, taking away big accomplishments never goes down easy regardless of why.

[Koolaid_Man]

There are several points in this thread:

- The French investigated the shit out of Lance and if they could have they would have stripped him of the titles long ago. They even prosecuted some of the other big names in the process (they were convinced they would get Lance eventually).

- It doesn't change the fact that the sport as a whole was dirty and that it has been changing. Lance was a catalyst for these changes (an inadvertent one).

- Nobody is defending him - just pointing out the hypocrisy of singling him out for something that was common practice at the time.

- And personally I love the irony how Europeans were called nationalist and even racist for going after Lance. Now he is getting screwed by his own and on shaky evidence none the less (testimony of people who have a stake in the outcome).

And anybody who thinks cycling is not a difficult sport, should try it. I personally suggest to start with something easy: a downhill track in a MTB Park - I mean it's downhill all the way, how difficult can it be?

And finally I still don't like Armstrong (never have).

I'm a simple man...its not very complicated...well over 500 tests..random too..at any time of the day or night...and yet no positve drug test...they still have his blood and testing it as we speak and yet no positve results not even using 2012 Science...all they have is the word disgruntled ex teammates who didn't get the Nike sponsership. :lol

I don't think he can cheat that well...give it up he's innocent is my call...if anyone believes otherwise they're morons...

[ploto]

The US anti-doping agency has outlined its reasons for handing Lance Armstrong a life ban, saying the American used and administered to team-mates EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone during his seven Tour de France wins...

USADA said it also had blood tests taken from 2009-2010, when Armstrong briefly came out of retirement to compete internationally again, that were "fully consistent" with blood doping.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-25/usada-confirms-armstrong-life-ban/4222288

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I'm a simple man...its not very complicated...well over 500 tests..random too..at any time of the day or night...and yet no positve drug test...they still have his blood and testing it as we speak and yet no positve results not even using 2012 Science...all they have is the word disgruntled ex teammates who didn't get the Nike sponsership. :lol

I don't think he can cheat that well...give it up he's innocent is my call...if anyone believes otherwise they're morons...

Kool, you accusing anyone of being a moron is truly, truly hilarious :lol

[Sportcamper]

Over 140 tests & passed everyone...France & their whine...

[Proxy]

Whether you give a fuck about Armstrong or not is irrelevant. The notion that USADA should do nothing because it could further taint the sport and disappoint the audiences is ridiculous.


It isn't ridiculous at all from a business standpoint.

Armstrong made the sport relevant, but more importantly provided a great cancer story. The fact that tons of cancer patients all over the world see this as a possible loss of hope is the saddest thing.

Should they be allowed to remove his titles without evidence of a positive test? That wouldn't make sense. USADA needs to produce a positive test, or they need to shut the fuck up.

[TheSanityAnnex]

You guys are just seething with ignorance and extremely immature...Armstrong won those titles fair and outright...the witch hunt being carried out is the shameful act. If you beleive Lance cheated then you should really beleive that Manny Paquito is cheating in boxing...I highly doubt the IOC will agree with the USADA it's nothing but an exercise in frivolity..

I beleive this is not a typo.

[DMC]

I beleive this is not a typo.
It's not. It's intentionally being done to disguise the genius known as Koolaid_Man. Ain't that right Extra Stout?

[DMC]

So they want to take all 7? How about someone strip them of their authority since they have pretty much nullified the entire TDF since LeMonde (the faggot who started all this actually)?

If they passed the doping tests, that's that. I don't know of any other sport where people come back 5 years later to say you failed a test. It really means the winner of the TDF is TBD in about 10 years or so, depending on the politics and which country he's from.

We all knew Floyd Landis was doping after he hit a wall and fell way back then the following day smoked everyone.

Interesting, lol the whole thing is a doping fest top to bottom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_at_the_Tour_de_France

[jag]

I agree with Manumaniac, in theory. But this isn't politics or some wall street business scandal; it's cycling. It's grown men riding bicycles around in France. They can all shoot heroine before they race for all I care. All I know is the entire sport was dirty. So to go after Armstrong and call his titles illegitimate, while continuing to recognize the rest of the titles these past two decades, is nothing but hypocrisy.

They don't care about going after the other names because the other names aren't as big as Lance. Those other names won't make the irrelevant USADA seem like a legitimate governing body.

[DMC]

The other countries who try these "accusations" invariably find their own countrymen innocent over and over. The US eats it's own. Bunch of faggots trying to make a name.

It's never going to stop. If your choice is play straight and never see the podium because other countries are cheating, or cheat and hope you don't get caught at a legit shot at the podium, most are going to choose the latter since not making the podium, ever, on any leg of the race = not racing for long anyhow due to sponsorship. Landis got his moment and he knew it was going to happen. That was the price he paid for that moment that most cyclists only dream of and many would willfully retire if that was the price for winning one TDF.

[Koolaid_Man]

I beleive this is not a typo.


I'm like O' Dawg from Menace 2 Society - I just don't give a fuck :lol

beleave dat

[Koolaid_Man]

Kool, you accusing anyone of being a moron is truly, truly hilarious :lol

stop emo'ing if the shoe fits wear it!!!

Over 500 tests not 1 positive all they have is accusations...what's funny is I bet you're a Pacquio fan advocating that he not take the test...all you cucks are a bunch of phony hyprocrites :lol..talk about hilarious :lol

So you would have us beleive that Lance was taking the same shit as some of his teammates..their blood came back positive but his didn't...he was using some shit out there on the Market that only he knew about...whereas everyone else was getting busted but his shit is supposed to be so strong to help him win 7 straight yet they couldn't find not even a trace element...a former cancer patient who's blood has been through the ringer and yet he's able to use a drug that's virtually undetected - only in his veins but not that of his teammates...

you want me to actually beleive all of this shit and that he's guilty because a few former friends say so...News flash sucker...if Lance was part of A collective team effort to dope and conceal his blood would have been tainted along with the rest...too bad you have scrambled eggs between your ears instead of a fucking brain... you're such a loser :lol