idk... it is like anything else...

CNN have just reported that Armstrong has decided not to proceed with his defense against doping allegations brought by the US Anti-Doping Agency. All his Tour de France wins will now be negated as well as other wins in his cycling career.

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said in a written statement.

You wonder how many other guilty parties are going to have a tough time sleeping with their lies after this cycling bomb shell sets in.

But the negated wins are according to the US ADA, not sure what authority they have to do so? Anyways, I think the whole sport is dirty, I don't believe that anyone is perfectly clean...I had hoped in the past that Lance was clean, but never really believed it.

He still accomplished an amazing feat and has done a lot in the world of fundraising for cancer research. He was amazing to watch back then.

I have never really believed he was 100% clean, but AFAIK he never failed a single test in more than 1,000. I think the USADA is just posturing and trying to look important. I also wonder what authority they have to pull every win from him, and if it even means anything. All the articles about him won't be re-written, none of the magazine covers taken back, etc.

And let's face it: he still had to race the race and beat out all the other guys for the win, many of whom failed drug tests and were proven dopers.

Yes, I was wondering about the US's ability to strip him of his Tour de France titles. I would have thought that would be up to the organisers/cycling authorities of France, not the US. And I still haven't heard what definite proof they have, apart from 10 people prepared to testify against him.

I think the way they have hounded one man over all this is disgusting. I can't work out if it's because he was so dominant and American that got everyone's back up or what. I can guarantee one thing though, they won't be putting the samples from the "new" winners of the Tour to the same scrutiny. They'll just change the records and that will be it.

"NEVER QUIT" - Lance Armstrong

Guilty as charged. Next.....

By not challenging the charge, he is accepting the charge and therefore is admitting guilt. Now that he has admitted guilt, whoever that governs the Tour de France cannot then simply let it be...

Warped...

really? that is your assessment? did it ever occur to you that he may just be exhausted by the denials he gets from the courts to stop the process?

Do you know who governs the TDF? Do you follow cycling? Not attacking, just curious as to your background knowledge regarding the issue

I believe if he is guilty, it is literally no more than every single racer in the field. Sure, there are some who claim today and raced this year saying they were 100% clean, but you want to know what, that story is as old as I am (28) and always a couple of years later a new test comes out that finds things that were hidden before

EDIT: Btw.. I have been wrong many times... I supported Greg Lemond for years post racing about how great he is. Met him once at a race, great guy... then he turned into a complete moron, angry at everyone who didn't bow in front of him.

Really miss the Grewal brothers!! No one ever bothered to question them about anything... Rishi had written on his helmet on the inside "Let them hate, so long as they fear"...

I said it was warped. Which part of that you didn't get?

So all his titles will now be passed on to the second best doper, right?

Not for a second. This is a guy who trained every day for 15-20 years to become the greatest cyclist the world has ever seen - through physical pain, mental torture, plus his fight against cancer.

You really think that he walked away from this because he is exhausted by the process?? Really??

You don't know for a fact what happened. Neither do I. We never will. But I suspect that he felt that the net was closing and this is the only way he could walk away with his (probably fairly lucrative) charity/career still intact. This is the advice of smart lawyers and PR people who DO know the truth

i got that... I just didn't get it

I don't disagree about the facts of his case, neither of us know... As I mentioned a long while back, when I was racing, doping was common for every pro racer. And, I can tell you, every pro racer denied it. Also, having raced for my university at the same time, the testing was no different and just as easy to pass...

There is no doubt in my mind he did something, but, my problem has always been the same, it is a witch hunt because certain countries and organizers hated the idea of him beating the entire field so bad. THAT, in my humble opinion, was based on an equal playing field (as I do believe everyone doped and dopes) so they need to free him from this torture

Makes sense - but don't you think that it is the responsibility of the anti-doping authorities to go after the poster boys and girls to force home the point? This idea that it is jealousy which is motivating the action seems unlikely to me. Plus - if it IS true that he doped - then he maybe should have walked quietly into the sunset rather than positioning himself as a health and wellbeing guru where he was only asking for trouble.

Anyway, I think that it is very weak and very telling for him to walk away from the fight. There is much more behind this announcement that we will never know about

Two questions then: Did you personally know people who doped and did you do it too?

I heard that in the 1980s and 90s, heroin was used to offset hunger pangs during pro cycling races. Can you shed any light on that?

Not necessarily. Bjarne riis has admitted to doping and still has a TdF title.
Most of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th place etc also have doping violations (though not necessarily in the TdF, so it'll be a right shower trying to sort out who should get the win.

The infographic (not sure if you've seen it previously) shows in black those who have doping cases against them.



Infographic courtesy of bicycling.com and linked to from cyclingtips.com.au.

I think after Vaughters came 'clean' in the NYT the other week, Armstrong was finished.

This is very interdasting.

I remember reading an interview a long while back from Der Spiegel (around Beijing 2008) in which a supplier discussed how pervasive PEDs are in high level athletics. It makes sense to me that all these high level athletes are doped, considering the sums of money that are involved and the fact that it is their livelihood.

Did the stress of the questioning force Sashimo to quit?

Cycling without drugs is like rowing without water.

I used to live with John Graham - who raced on the Scottish national team - I also knew Morgan Fox for a bunch of years - who turned pro and competed naturally (I believe) for one season - then collapsed with glandular fever as his drug free body could not possibly cope with the stress.

Cycling is a jokeshop as is athletics and almost all professional sport. The big countries have the best doping programs and therefore the odds are heavily stacked.