Lance Armstrong folds

[drjeff]

drjeff, your thoughts assume the testing remained the same. Testing wasn't as tough in the LA days and they got Contador very recently and on some non-typical stuff. From what I understand, there were systematic ways to beat the tests in the US Postal days. Studies show pro riders are significantly slower up the major tour climbs now compared to back then. You gotta compare apples to apples if you are going to compare testing. Can't wait to get Hamilton's new book, seems like he is going to speak to the exact methods the team used to beat the tests.

The thing is is that many of the blood samples taken from LA from back during his early tour wins (and later tour wins) we're retested (they had his excess blood from the samples frozen purposely for new testing at a later date) did pass not only the tests given at the time they were taken, but also the newer, more advanced and stringent tests years later. Blood doping testing wise, LA has passed over 500 tests over his career and never failed one.

 

[madman]

The French have been scheming for years to get rid of Lance. It galls them that he dominated their stupid little bike race for years.

I don't blame him for giving up...who cares if he doped up in a sport known for doping? And do any of these French idiots care that he had to come back from almost certain death from testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs? The guy was as good as dead and his doctors admitted as much. It's a true miracle he survived leave alone came back to dominate his sport.

I'm getting a little sick of sports in general, especially after Skip Bayless accused Derek Jeter of doping the other day.

Wow! The French? This is a witch hunt by the USADA. Lance Armstrong has never failed a Drug Test PERIOD. This is like your boss coming to you and telling you your fired because someone said they saw you smoke Pot 12 yrs. ago. Oh and by the way we want our profit sharing back. The French? Wow!

 

[andyzee]

OK, here's the thing. LA never tested positive, correct? If that is the case, what is there for him to defend? Hearsay? He's getting on with his life, everyone else should do the same

 

[riverc0il]

Blood doping testing wise, LA has passed over 500 tests over his career and never failed one.

Yea, he loves to say that line. The thing is... just because you pass a test doesn't make you clean. Look at how many guys that were doping kept passing tests but only one fail took them down. Testing wasn't as good either in LA's day. The Bio Passport program wasn't installed by the UCI until 2008 (all of Lance's TdF's came before this program). That program is much better than individual testing since it will account for variances over a period of time rather than isolating individual spikes against a broad and known standard. It was easier to "beat" tests pre-passport because you could control how much dope was introduced against a standard. Saying Lance never tested positive is akin to saying Lance always kept is doping just below the threshold of testing positive. Not testing positive does not mean a rider is not doping, it means that the rider may or may not be doping and if they are doping, they are good at not using an excessive amount. The problem with the old tests is that they measure against a standard high value. But since every person has different biology, the standard needs to be high to account for all non-doped riders. The Bio Passport makes more sense since it measures the individual against themselves over time.

 

[Puck it]

Who F$&@ing cares! We are wasting a lot of money on this crap. Let them dope and pay the consequences especially when they are pros. The government wasted so much money and time with the baseball doping. Why were they even involved?

 

[JimG.]

Wow! The French? This is a witch hunt by the USADA. Lance Armstrong has never failed a Drug Test PERIOD. This is like your boss coming to you and telling you your fired because someone said they saw you smoke Pot 12 yrs. ago. Oh and by the way we want our profit sharing back. The French? Wow!

Well, it kind of stirred things up a little.

You have to admit they've been pretty gung ho about proving he was doping ever since his 3rd or 4th win. I don't fathom who they are going to declare the winners of those vacated wins. Seems pointless to me.

 

[RootDKJ]

He still beat cancer, and nobody can ever take that win away from him.

 

[andyzee]

Anyone care about the other Armstrong in the news? http://www.space.com/17305-neil-armstrong-dies-astronauts-mourn-twitter.html

 

[Warp Daddy]

Really !

 

[Nick]

Anyone care about the other Armstrong in the news? http://www.space.com/17305-neil-armstrong-dies-astronauts-mourn-twitter.html

Neil Young?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[crank]

EPO is the cyclists doping drug of choice. It allows the blood to carry more oxygen and, my understanding is it does not show up in drug tests. The testing for EPO is based on hematocrit levels of red blood cells...so cyclists and their doctors take blood and dope it to the top edge of acceptable levels of red blood cells and then transfuse it back into their bodies. I believe a cyclist died from his blood basically being too thick for his heart to pump.

Lance, IMO changed cycling for the worst because he concentrated so completely on the TDF. It really changed the way other cyclists and teams looked at their season and hurt many other races, most notably the Giro D'Italia

I am not a big fan of LA and am glad he has admitted doping. I do agree that government should not be wasting time and money in these investigations and feel the exact same way about congress looking into doping in baseball.

 

[andyzee]

I am not a big fan of LA and am glad he has admitted doping.

When did he admit doping.

 

[crank]

lol. Technically I guess he did not but by not fighting it and the amount of former team mates and associates they had lined up to testify against him this is as much of an admission of guilt as he is likely to spit out, “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Armstrong said in a statement. “For me, that time is now.”

 

[andyzee]

lol. Technically I guess he did not but by not fighting it and the amount of former team mates and associates they had lined up to testify against him this is as much of an admission of guilt as he is likely to spit out, “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Armstrong said in a statement. “For me, that time is now.”

Why do you feel he needs to fight it? Why do you think it really matters to him to the point where he has to fight constant unproven allegations? He know what he did, he know what he has or hasn't accomplished, in my book, that's all that matters.

 

[crank]

Why do you feel he needs to fight it? Why do you think it really matters to him to the point where he has to fight constant unproven allegations? He know what he did, he know what he has or hasn't accomplished, in my book, that's all that matters.

I don't feel he needs to fight it. I think that he is being a realist. I think that he is guilty. I think that his decision to not fight it is a defacto admission of guilt...a sort of nolo contender plea. If you feel otherwise I am fine with that. It sounds to me like you are saying the end justifies the means though and I do not agree with that.

 

[andyzee]

No, I'm not saying the ends justifies the means, far from it. I'm just saying I see no reason for him to constantly fight something that at this point, doesn't warrant the fight. With regards to you believing he was doping, what do you think his competitors were doing?

 

[riverc0il]

Lance, IMO changed cycling for the worst because he concentrated so completely on the TDF. It really changed the way other cyclists and teams looked at their season and hurt many other races, most notably the Giro D'Italia

Interestingly enough, the TdF was a snooze this year and worst of the tours. Giro was good. But the Vuelta is epic right now. I didn't follow cycling back in the Lance days, but give Sky a few more years and I think we might see the Giro and Vuelta get better and better.

 

[crank]

No, I'm not saying the ends justifies the means, far from it. I'm just saying I see no reason for him to constantly fight something that at this point, doesn't warrant the fight. With regards to you believing he was doping, what do you think his competitors were doing?

\
Doping of course:sad:

 

[crank]

Interestingly enough, the TdF was a snooze this year and worst of the tours. Giro was good. But the Vuelta is epic right now. I didn't follow cycling back in the Lance days, but give Sky a few more years and I think we might see the Giro and Vuelta get better and better.

I used to follow cycling pre LA and during his reign and he started a trend of top riders skipping the Giro to train exclusively for TDF. Before that the Giro was more of a tune up race and training /testing ground for TDF. Glad to hear they are both coming back. Vuelta is a grueling race...but they all are aren't they?

 

[mattm59]

I love how innocent 'til proven guilty has changed to guilty due to heresy. Still trying to figure out what barbiturates the usada must be on to be so late to the guillotine.
Can't stand watching the sport anymore. Screw the committees and their witch hunts, let them race. Lance was smart to drop it. You can't beat intellect into a...umm...mentally challenged...group of bitter dipshits.