Lance Armstrong

[Sandino]

He would never have managed to bag Sheryl Crow if he hadn't been doping.
I wonder could she sue him?

I have heard that she too is going to testify against him under oath and also his wife. So this really is the end game.

[orangeman]

He would never have managed to bag Sheryl Crow if he hadn't been doping.
I wonder could she sue him?

I have heard that she too is going to testify against him under oath and also his wife. So this really is the end game.

There's nothing worse than a woman or two in this case scorned.

[haranguerer]

So what did they do then? Inject new blood just to have more blood? I thought they were taking out the dirty (doped) petrol, and injecting clean stuff.

Nah.  Generally blood doping is the removal of a pint or so of blood, usaully after extensive altitude training.  The blood is then stored, and injected back into the body after a few months when your blood supply has regenerated.  Therefore you have an extra pint of  blood with a much greater affinity for oxyge  pumping round your body.  Massive benfits to this and hard to detect,  The flip side is the pressure that extra pint puts on your heart is dangerous.Before the advances in sports science and that the chinese blood doped using the blood from pregnant women their blood had similar properties to that of blood enhanced through altitude training.  Ie a greater affinity for oxygen.

I meant to ask this sooner, just remembered. Controversial as this may be, if this is the case, the presumably there will be cases where this has been demonstrated?

[barelegs]

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13034/Armstrong-case-USADA-confirms-reasoned-decision-sent-to-UCI-and-WADA-over-1000-pages-of-evidence.aspx

D-Day for Lance

USADA has delivered over 1000 pages of evidence to WADA and the UCI today.  To quote from the USADA statement.

The evidence of the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team-run scheme is overwhelming and is in excess of 1000 pages, and includes sworn testimony from 26 people, including 15 riders with knowledge of the US Postal Service Team (USPS Team) and its participants' doping activities. The evidence also includes direct documentary evidence including financial payments, emails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong and confirm the disappointing truth about the deceptive activities of the USPS Team, a team that received tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars in funding.

Together these different categories of eyewitness, documentary, first-hand, scientific, direct and circumstantial evidence reveal conclusive and undeniable proof that brings to the light of day for the first time this systemic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy. All of the material will be made available later this afternoon on the USADA website at www.usada.org.

And

These eleven teammates of Lance Armstrong, in alphabetical order, are Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Levi Leiphimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.

[yellowcard]

Will we see Lance make a full confession. Or will he come out fighting again trying to discredit USADA? It seems that since the roof is falling in round him now and the extent of the organised doping is becoming public knowledge he will now be remembered as the greatest sporting fraud steer in history. Witness intimidation won't work now cos so many have testified and revealed the scale of the deceit. Hopefully for the good of the sport the UCI will get revamped and independent body be set up to monitor doping in cycling.

[heganboy]

HOLY CRAP!

just had a look on the USADA website- they have the money traced, the evidence, pretty much everything except the confession. 15 team mates, and 26 witnesses all in all. That's a damn sight more than circumstantial evidence...
As one of the guys in my office said, "Its Milli Vanilli all over again" he soooo wanted Lance to not be guilty but there it is for all to see.
Busted...

[Franko]

Some of his cheerleaders will have the tail firmly between the legs tonight...

[yellowcard]

UCI will be running scared now too. They were asked to release the result of a test during Tour de Suise in 2001 for retesting but asked for Lances permission first and of course he refused!! They were complicit in the protection of Lance Armstrong. This will run and run and could lead to more confessions. Will Lance confess, I still can't see it as he has most to lose and could end up financially ruined.

[Declan]

Will Lance confess,

To quote Mr Bailey will he f**k.

Fairly staggering stuff alright. 

[AQMP]

Most cycling fans were aware that drug use was/is a major issue in the sport but this appears to be on a fecking industrial scale.  Makes Ben Johnson look like a paragon of virtue.  Over to Pat McQuaid...

[Minder]

Lance Armstrong has flown into New York to deny doping claims. Be more convincing if he'd used a plane.

[nrico2006]

Would it be accepted that every cyclist in the Tour De France etc during the 80's and 90's was taking performance enhancing drugs?  This seems to be the case and anybody who hasn't been caught were simply lucky to get away with it.  But at the end of the day, Armstrong (if guilty) simply put himself on an even playing field and beat the rest.  I imagine that it would have been pretty disheartening trying to participate in top level cycling without any drugs as you would have came nowhere.  Of the 11 former team-mates, how many of these have been caught cheating?  Are there any names here that are really damning, i.e. names of people who would be close to Armstrong and would be seen as a friend?  In optherwords, are there any names that have a bit of credibility because lets face it, how credible are any of these guys testimonies given that they are potentially all convicted cheaters who all hate Armstrong in the first place. 

[deiseach]

Would it be accepted that every cyclist in the Tour De France etc during the 80's and 90's was taking performance enhancing drugs?  This seems to be the case and anybody who hasn't been caught were simply lucky to get away with it.  But at the end of the day, Armstrong (if guilty) simply put himself on an even playing field and beat the rest.  I imagine that it would have been pretty disheartening trying to participate in top level cycling without any drugs as you would have came nowhere.  Of the 11 former team-mates, how many of these have been caught cheating?  Are there any names here that are really damning, i.e. names of people who would be close to Armstrong and would be seen as a friend?  In optherwords, are there any names that have a bit of credibility because lets face it, how credible are any of these guys testimonies given that they are potentially all convicted cheaters who all hate Armstrong in the first place.

George Hincapie is as close to unimpeachable as you are going to get. He never failed a drugs test, so why would he volunteer to smear himself? He also claims to be Armstrong's 'best bro' although no doubt he will need to be vilified as bitter or jealous or publicity-seeking or all of the above..

[gallsman]

Would it be accepted that every cyclist in the Tour De France etc during the 80's and 90's was taking performance enhancing drugs?  This seems to be the case and anybody who hasn't been caught were simply lucky to get away with it.  But at the end of the day, Armstrong (if guilty) simply put himself on an even playing field and beat the rest.  I imagine that it would have been pretty disheartening trying to participate in top level cycling without any drugs as you would have came nowhere.  Of the 11 former team-mates, how many of these have been caught cheating?  Are there any names here that are really damning, i.e. names of people who would be close to Armstrong and would be seen as a friend?  In optherwords, are there any names that have a bit of credibility because lets face it, how credible are any of these guys testimonies given that they are potentially all convicted cheaters who all hate Armstrong in the first place.

That almost appears to be a defence of the guy. The testimony of Hincapie, Leipheimer and Vandevelde is damning. As far as I'm aware, none of them had ever failed a test and all three were elite cyclists. Hincapie rode 17-odd tours never testing positive and was regarded as one of the foremost leaders among the peloton. He had absolutely nothing to gain by coming clean, so no, it's not really an issue of sour grapes at all.

[Bingo]

Some of his cheerleaders will have the tail firmly between the legs tonight...

That is a bit harsh on some of his "cheerleaders", despite this shit storm that has now hit home and showed him up for what he was doing at the time, he has had a massive positive influence on thousands of people over time.

A good friend of mine would have taken on cancer in the early noughties and he took huge comfort from Armstrong and his book when he was fighting his cancer, he would still support Armstrong now. Basically he took more from him than he can see wrong in what he did - he could see someone defeating cancer and going back to what he did before he was struck down with it. This friend had some dark days but fought back and played intercounty again and in his own way has inspired others as armstrong inspired him.

That inspiration for many or new sufferers is now gone. And thats nothing to celebrate.