Tour de Lance 2012

Recreation Cycling
1

Now that the hors d’oeuvre of the Tour itself has been served up, here’s the main course. It’s prime Texas beef, and the steaks are high.

For those who don’t know, the USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) now appears to have strong evidence of doping, trafficking etc that took place in the US Postal team years (when Lance Armstrong was winning his 7 tours). Though they have no proof per se of failed drugs tests, it’s presumed they have a number of key statements from Postal riders who previously observed the omerta (Hincapie, Leipheimer, CVV etc.). The USADA have charged Armstrong to appear before them for arbitration. Lance just doesn’t want to be there - he’s now thrown his legal team at them, trying to get proceedings stopped.

The USADA have just filed a counter claim to have Armstrong’s motion dismissed. Their exhibit A of the counter claim is here, rebutting all the Armstrong legal claims.
http://a.espncdn.com/pdf/2012/0720/armstrong_exhibit_1.pdf

Point 19 is interesting - back in 2004, when a firm tried to avoid paying a $5m bonus to Armstrong due to the rumours surrounding his doping, LA took them to court, insisting that he was fully bound by USADA as a US rider. He won his 5 mill. Now he is trying to argue the opposite.

Ruling is due on Aug 10th, although the USADA counter-claim may succeed before then… :popcorn:

2

I’ll continue… gets even better, with UCI now asking (nay, demanding) to take over the investigation.
USADA refuses, claiming it would be like “the fox guarding the henhouse”. :roflmao:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-claims-usada-has-no-jurisdiction-in-armstrong-case

3


WOW!!! THAT’S IT! IT’S OVER!!!
 :astonished:

[quote]Armstrong Drops Fight Against Doping Charges

After more than a decade of outrunning accusations that he had doped during his celebrated cycling career, Lance Armstrong, one of the best known and most accomplished athletes in recent history, surrendered on Thursday, etching a dark mark on his legacy by ending his fight against charges that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

Armstrong, who won the Tour de France an unprecedented seven straight times, said on Thursday night that he would not continue to contest the charges levied against him by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which claimed that he doped and was one of the ringleaders of systematic doping on his Tour-winning teams.

He continued to deny ever doping, calling the antidoping agency’s case against him “an unconstitutional witch hunt” and saying the process it followed to deal with his matter was “one-sided and unfair.”

“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.”

Armstrong, who turns 41 next month, said he would not contest the charges because it had taken too much of toll on his family and his work for his cancer foundation, saying he was “finished with this nonsense.”

Armstrong’s decision, according to the World Anti-Doping Code, means [color=#FF0000]
he will be stripped of his seven Tour titles, the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics and all other titles, awards and money he won from August 1998 forward. It also means he will be barred for life from competing, coaching or having any official role with any Olympic sport or other sport that follows the World Anti-Doping Code
[/color]. . . .[/quote]

nytimes.com/2012/08/24/sport … ss&src=igw

4

Some interesting articles;

This one from Outside Magazine
outsideonline.com/outdoor-ad … tml?page=1

This is straight from Lance
lancearmstrong.com/news-events/l … st-23-2012

The blogs are in overdrive, here is one example
cozybeehive.blogspot.tw/

personally I care very little, taking drugs to perform is inherent in sports since the dawn of the olympics – it’s just part of the story – it won’t stop.

5

  1. I wonder how much money he has to repay. Aside from the intense shame and humiliation of it all, that may be a real pain in the ass.

  2. Sure, he probably cheated, and blatantly lied about it for years, and acted a bully to intimidate his accusers, but still. . . what an incredibly harsh punishment. No mercy at all. Everything goes. The fame, the glory, the records, the money, even the future career possibilities. DAmn! Back to square one. As if his whole long stellar amateur and professional careers, the countless hours and years of hard work and sweat and pain never existed. Yes, doping is wrong, but what an incredible punishment.

6

When someone tells me that they really like competitive cycling, I just nod gently and smile. It’s basically the same reaction I give to people who wear Wrestle Mania T-shirts.

T

7

Not a valid comparison. Pro-wrestling is wholly fake competition. Pro cycling is very real competition and the participants are extremely talented and hard-working athletes who compete in one of the most grueling of all sports. Unfortunately many or most of them cheat to gain a tiny advantage, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they’re extraordinarily fit, talented and hard-working athletes (without doping they can still ride twice as far and fast on their worst days as you could on your best). It just means they cheated to gain advantage over other extraordinarily fit, talented and hard-working athletes (hence the loss of the victories).

8

I love cycling and that includes watching and following pro-cycling (mainly road). People taking drugs to try and enhance performance is just part of it. I’m not saying it’s ok, but I’m not saying it’s ultimately bad or evil. I don’t think Lance is evil, egotistical yes, but many people are regardless of ability (or the ability to cheat).

The drugs issue won’t ruin the sport for me, just adds excitement. Run the gauntlet if you dare and IF lance has, he has run the longest of them all. Impressive. If he hasn’t cheated, well that is impressive too.

I think steroid abuse is pretty ripe in Pro-wrestling? I don’t think there are many sports that are not!

9

still maybe he should be left with the “best cyclist on steroids” cuz steroids alone didnt win all those races for him.

sad legacy to have though.

banned for LIFE and all medals to be stripped. Just heard the same on local tv in the bay area.

10

I still think he’s fantastic, although far from my favourite riders. To be honest, I don’t really want to know about doping. You can’t ride the Tour de France on mineral water.

11

I bet Paul Kimmage is dancing in the streets of Dublin.

12

How many great cyclists DID NOT dope one way or another. Something tells me the number is quite low. How many great baseball players didn’t dope 10 years ago? Again, far and few between. Armstrong and Barry were the greatest their sport had to offer regardless if they’re guilty or not. Give 99% of the other guys steroids and they still won’t even show up on the radar of top competitors.

13

This is a great article about it: bicycling.com/news/pro-cycli … e?page=0,0

If you can’t be bothered to read it all at least read this bit;

14

dailymail.co.uk/news/article … itles.html

nice write up

15

It’s a message, you can dope yourself, you can be egoTesticle … but you don’t get away with it forever, we’ll hunt you down and catch you anyway we can … NO DOPE ALLOWED! :smiley:

16

Put a stick in him, he’s done.

What about delicious Belgian Waffles with cream and strawberries on top? Are they being made/sold at the moment? Hungry tummies want to know.

17

[quote=“Kea”]Put a stick in him, he’s done.

What about delicious Belgian Waffles with cream and strawberries on top? Are they being made/sold at the moment? Hungry tummies want to know.[/quote]

Working on that!

18

I read something about the “biological passport” slowing riders down in the Tour. Can’t remember the specifics, but something about riders taking more time to ascend mountains than previously. Anyway, seems like an interesting development.

19

I was interested to see your take on this for a number of reasons. I recall that you were a big fan of this guy.

I’m wondering what do you think of the fact that more honest riders may have been cheated out of the yellow jersey? Surely you must be disappointed about this?

I also find it curious that you seem to think it’s fair in this case because ‘everybody is doing it’ but when we were talking about paying back loans it was all black and white and about doing the right thing and paying everything back?

Lance Armstrong is a real schmuck because he has never admitted his illegal activities got him where he is today, a liar and a conman. If he put his hands up and said Mea Culpa it would be a different story. It’s yet another case of professional sportsman with no integrity.

I know this case is only part of the wider debate in cycling but it still does not excuse his personal failings which is his extreme dishonesty.

EDIT- I just read his statement and it made me sick. It’s all about ‘no physical evidence’ and ‘changing the rules’. What a tosser.

20

I was shocked and even sickened. What destruction of an idol and an icon! But I am glad: root out cheating from big sports. Make a f***ing point to all the cheaters!