Lance Armstrong

[Declan]

Thank God that's all over then

[maddog]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/usada-strip-lance-armstrong-7-tour-titles-031949504--spt.html

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

And give them to who ?

[seafoid]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/usada-strip-lance-armstrong-7-tour-titles-031949504--spt.html

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

And give them to who ?

Cha and Mia never took drugs

[Tony Baloney]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/usada-strip-lance-armstrong-7-tour-titles-031949504--spt.html

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

Surely the USADA are a federal body in the US and therefore have no jurisdiction over the UCI whom I assume are ultimately the only body that can take his titles?

[Tony Baloney]

Just read the article. The guy was famous for his tenacity, whether fighting cancer or in the saddle, so giving up like this looks like a tacit admission of guilt imo.

[nrico2006]

As mentioned, the USADA have no powers to strip his titles of him.  Also, is it not a bit redundant with them saying they are going to ban him from cycling when he is already retired?

Without knowing a lot about the whole thing, surely the fact that he has been tested so many hundreds of times in his career is testament enough to his innocence, he couldn't have been that good at hiding the substances supposedly in his body.  What exactly have they got, a bunch of known drug cheats claiming that he was one too.  How would that stand up in court, if say for example you were charged with being a drug dealer yet there was no evidence except for 10 convicted drug dealers saying that you were one.

[deiseach]

I'm ambivalent about this. Nothing he could have said or done would have convinced me he was clean. On the other hand, the only evidence that would have been presented against him would be that of fellow dopers. Either way, it's not satisfactory.

[Capt Pat]

As mentioned, the USADA have no powers to strip his titles of him.  Also, is it not a bit redundant with them saying they are going to ban him from cycling when he is already retired?

Without knowing a lot about the whole thing, surely the fact that he has been tested so many hundreds of times in his career is testament enough to his innocence, he couldn't have been that good at hiding the substances supposedly in his body.  What exactly have they got, a bunch of known drug cheats claiming that he was one too.  How would that stand up in court, if say for example you were charged with being a drug dealer yet there was no evidence except for 10 convicted drug dealers saying that you were one.

The reason he has been stripped of his titles by the USADA say that again the USADA notice the first two letters there US, you know" USA USA USA" not the stazi or the gestapo or the kgb but the USADA is because the sport of cycling was awash with drugs. EPO and human growth hormone make good athletes unbeatable. It was not possible for Armstrong to win all those tours without cheating against all the other cheats. This is simple really

Once again the US drag authorities do not deliberately target the US hero Lance Armstrong out of spite. Maybe they might target the Chinese or Russian hero out of spite but not the US hero. When you are accused in the wrong you do not give up because the process is unfair you keep on going. Armstrong has just shot down the expected and natural process of an open arbitration process with all the evidence being presented openly because he is guilty not because he is innocent.  His stance does not make any sense.

It was not drug  pushers who testified against him but everybody from team mates to team officalls and medical staff etc. Journalists as well. Conventional heroin and cocaine dealers are a completely different animal to the people who would testify against Lance Armstrong.

He is a rotten cheat and good riddance.

[Lecale2]

Lance Armstrong has denied ever using drugs, but he has admitted to pedalling.

[Capt Pat]

I'm ambivalent about this. Nothing he could have said or done would have convinced me he was clean. On the other hand, the only evidence that would have been presented against him would be that of fellow dopers. Either way, it's not satisfactory.

Yes it is very satisfactory. Get your heads out of the sands it is hardly a BOLT from the blue that Lance Armstrong is a drug cheat. Bolt as in Usain Bolt of course. You can't watch top class international athletic pro sports being dominated by individuals or teams without watching drug cheats.

[AbbeySider]

As mentioned, the USADA have no powers to strip his titles of him.  Also, is it not a bit redundant with them saying they are going to ban him from cycling when he is already retired?

Without knowing a lot about the whole thing, surely the fact that he has been tested so many hundreds of times in his career is testament enough to his innocence, he couldn't have been that good at hiding the substances supposedly in his body.  What exactly have they got, a bunch of known drug cheats claiming that he was one too.  How would that stand up in court, if say for example you were charged with being a drug dealer yet there was no evidence except for 10 convicted drug dealers saying that you were one.

The reason he has been stripped of his titles by the USADA say that again the USADA notice the first two letters there US, you know" USA USA USA" not the stazi or the gestapo or the kgb but the USADA is because the sport of cycling was awash with drugs. EPO and human growth hormone make good athletes unbeatable. It was not possible for Armstrong to win all those tours without cheating against all the other cheats. This is simple really

Once again the US drag authorities do not deliberately target the US hero Lance Armstrong out of spite. Maybe they might target the Chinese or Russian hero out of spite but not the US hero. When you are accused in the wrong you do not give up because the process is unfair you keep on going. Armstrong has just shot down the expected and natural process of an open arbitration process with all the evidence being presented openly because he is guilty not because he is innocent.  His stance does not make any sense.

He is a rotten cheat and good riddance.

+1

The only reason he was never caught with all the blood tests was because of all the blood transfusion he had after doping!! 

Cheating drug dealing pr!ck that played on everyone's emotions.

[AbbeySider]

I'm ambivalent about this. Nothing he could have said or done would have convinced me he was clean. On the other hand, the only evidence that would have been presented against him would be that of fellow dopers. Either way, it's not satisfactory.

Yes it is very satisfactory. Get your heads out of the sands it is hardly a BOLT from the blue that Lance Armstrong is a drug cheat. Bolt as in Usain Bolt of course. You can't watch top class international athletic pro sports being dominated by individuals or teams without watching drug cheats.

These seems to be an issue when an country like Jamica can dominate a events so much, never mind an individual.
It is a bit unsettling

[deiseach]

Yes it is very satisfactory. Get your heads out of the sands it is hardly a BOLT from the blue that Lance Armstrong is a drug cheat. Bolt as in Usain Bolt of course. You can't watch top class international athletic pro sports being dominated by individuals or teams without watching drug cheats.

Subtle, real subtle

[seafoid]

What was Jimmy Magee's stance on Lance? 

[maddog]

As mentioned, the USADA have no powers to strip his titles of him.  Also, is it not a bit redundant with them saying they are going to ban him from cycling when he is already retired?

Without knowing a lot about the whole thing, surely the fact that he has been tested so many hundreds of times in his career is testament enough to his innocence, he couldn't have been that good at hiding the substances supposedly in his body.  What exactly have they got, a bunch of known drug cheats claiming that he was one too.  How would that stand up in court, if say for example you were charged with being a drug dealer yet there was no evidence except for 10 convicted drug dealers saying that you were one.

because the sport of cycling was awash with drugs. EPO and human growth hormone make good athletes unbeatable. It was not possible for Armstrong to win all those tours without cheating against all the other cheats. This is simple really

So are you saying that by extension, Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Greg Lemond, Eddy Merckx and other multiple tour winners were cheats and should be stripped of their titles ? Are you saying by extention that because some doping was found on this years tour that Wiggins had to be doping to win it ?