Lance Armstrong folds

[riverc0il]

VeloNews is pushing out content on this like crazy. I urge anyone with an opinion/interest on the matter to read through the USADA release which is available to public in its entirety. Many riders have been suspended (reduced sentence for cooperation) and had titles removed including George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer who both actively raced right through the last season and unlike Landis and Hamilton were not in a "nothing to lose and publicity money to gain" situation.

I think the documentation sometimes strays into too much circumstantial rather than just focusing in on the fact that guys, many well respected especially GeorgeH, that were never caught doping are on record saying they saw LA dope or heard him discuss his doping or received dope from Lance. But when you read and digest it all, it is pretty wild.

I found the intimidation part of the release the most interesting. Specifically the case in which LA chased down a break away in a Tour (not something a GC contender ever does) to pull back someone dishing on doping to the media and gaving him a "zip it" visual captured by the media. It doesn't seem like a huge to do was made out of it back then, but in hind sight, that is pretty telling.

[JimG.]

No more defense of LA.

I watched that 30-30 series on ESPN last night, the one about Ben Johnson, the 100 meter champ who set a world record of 9.79 in the Olympics then was busted for doping a day later. What an eye opener! I used to think Johnson was a maverick, a cheater, and a bad guy in general. How naive I was. Turns out he was just doing what everyone else did and had the audacity to beat Carl Lewis regularly. So Lewis made it his mission to get the guy busted. Turns out old Carl was a doper too.

What a jerk...Lewis was never a likeable athlete.

[wa-loaf]

Stepping down from Livestrong and Nike is cancelling his contract.

[wa-loaf]

I wonder if he'll ever just come out and admit it?

[Nick]

i doubt it

[Scotty]

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

Drugs are bad.

[riverc0il]

I wonder if he'll ever just come out and admit it?

I don't think he ever will. Even if he wants to, he has too much money tied up in everything. There would be massive law suits against him. Perhaps criminal penalties as well for perjury for lying in the civil suit brought against him. I don't know if the Federal investigation can be reopened or not? That carried some pretty hefty issues regarding defrauding the government.

[bigbog]

Stepping down from Livestrong and Nike is cancelling his contract.

Yeah, that's what hits home......

[SKIQUATTRO]

i'm defending lance at all, but you have to assume that the majority of the Tour riders dope/doped when Lance was winning and crushing everyone...so, in theory, it was a level playing field

that sport is a mess

[riverc0il]

i'm defending lance at all, but you have to assume that the majority of the Tour riders dope/doped when Lance was winning and crushing everyone...so, in theory, it was a level playing field

In so much as the top riders capable of winning were all doped, yes. One thought about doping is that is that different people's various physiology interact differently with the PEDs. So it might not be that the best of the dopers won but rather the best of the dopers that had the best physiological comparability with the drugs. Kinda a moot point any way, certain people will never be able to get their bodies into tour shape (i.e. the taller you are, the more bone you have, the less likely chance you have of loosing enough weight to be competitive).



But I agree with your point in that Armstrong probably was the best of the dopers and he didn't pip anyone else that wasn't doping at the top of the sport.

From what I have read, it does seem like more riders were clean than I originally thought. I've read Hamilton's book and the affidavits. It seems like you needed to put out good results and be trust worthy to get on the team doping programs. But those guys probably weren't good enough to compete at the top of the peloton even doped if they weren't been sought out to take PEDs to support the team.