Lance Armstrong

[KantoSooner]

Well, they finally got him. After more than a decade of trying and without any significant evidence, or due process. After multiple attempts failed, and were succeeded by retrial after retrial, the anti-doping nazis got what they wanted and ran a good man out of his sport.

I wish upon them the same fate they visited upon Armstrong: to be hounded by relentless, faceless little bureaucratic drones with no duty to honesty or decency.

**** USADA.

[MamaMia]

Well, I haven't been reading up on these hearings, so I don't know know anything about that. :O What happened?

I do know that Lance Armstrong seems like a really great person and that he has an amazing kitchen!

[badger]

Cycling is a vicious cycle. You either dope to succeed, or you are accused of doping due to success.

We have a little biking thing in Tulsa now and it's tons of fun, so I hope that all of these accusations and sh!t don't sway people from the sport.

[jkjsooner]

I heard on the radio they had a bunch of people lined up to say that they had knowledge of Armstrong using PEDs. Supposedly there is at least one blood sample that proves it.

Armstrong did this so that the issue would go away before the lineup of witnesses started talking.

[jk the sooner fan]

my level of care on this topic is pretty low - he's a horn after all

the guys on the radio were discussing it - and said that in every TdF he won - the 2d place finisher was later found to have doped - so i question how a man - in such a grueling and physically demanding sport - is able to dominate the entire field for 7 years - of whom many are doping - and yet, we're to believe Lance was the only one not doping, and owned the sport

and while i get the whole "giving up" for the reasons he stated - i also get "if you're innocent - you NEVER concede - ever"

[badger]

I agree that he is guilty of being a whorn. Hook em

The story is still an inspiration. The (likely) doper had cancer and yet he was able to beat all the other dopers who didn't have cancer.

[KantoSooner]

People can believe what they want, and maybe he did dope. But they never caught him at it and the only 'evidence' they have now are some bent witnesses whose careers hang on cooperating with the authorities and a decade old **** sample with a questionable chain of custody for verification.
It is a travesty that the morons at USADA continued this jihad years after the guy's career had ended.
I hope he had the forsight to forge copies of all his medals so that he can give the phonies 'back' and simply say, 'Well, that's what you gave me. I guess all your medals are fakes.'

[jk the sooner fan]

what i dont understand is how this organization can take away a medal/trophy they didnt award

the Tour De France gave him those trophies......right???

either way - i dont much care

[badger]

what i dont understand is how this organization can take away a medal/trophy they didnt award

the Tour De France gave him those trophies......right???

either way - i dont much care

What the hell is that thing, anyway?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/news_impact/2008/10/lance.jpg

It's like a Holy Grail that will turn you to mush if you drink from it.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eE6wZmdKmxo/TT-Ikua1TpI/AAAAAAAAACo/MTzU_63zcBY/s1600/Crusade.jpg

[MamaMia]

Here is a link on the story...

http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-banned-life-career-vacated-170242581--spt.html

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency erased 14 years of Lance Armstrong's career Friday — including his record seven Tour de France titles — and banned him for life from the sport that made him a hero to millions of cancer survivors after concluding he used banned substances.

USADA said it expected cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation on why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005.

The Amaury Sport Organization that runs the world's most prestigious cycling race said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA, which contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports.

Armstrong, who retired a year ago, said Thursday that he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last optoption by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without a shred of physical evidence.

He is now officially a drug cheat in the eyes of his nation's doping agency.

"Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is to initiate the case through the process and see it to conclusion as was done in this case," said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart, who couched the investigation as a battle against a "win-at-all-cost culture."

Tygart said the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."

"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.

The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI event backed Armstrong's failed legal challenge to USADA's authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the American agency.

"As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision" explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It
said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases "where no hearing occurs."

The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but the lost titles that now dominate his legacy.

Every one of Armstrong's competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, has been vacated by USADA, established in 2000 as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Since Armstrong raced in UCI-sanctioned events, he was subject to international drug rules enforced in the U.S. by USADA. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed.

USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their firsthand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team.

The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had "used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone" from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods — and even used "blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions" during his 2009 comeback race on
the Tour.

In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Included in the case were emails sent by Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, describing an elaborate doping program on Armstrong's Postal Service teams, and Tyler Hamilton's interview with "60 Minutes" claiming had personal knowledge of Armstrong doping.

Had Armstrong chosen to pursue arbitration, USADA said, all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge.

"He chose not to do this knowing these sanctions would immediately be put into place," the statement said.

The decision surprised riders around the world.

At the Spanish Vuelta, riders including former rival and teammate Alberto Contador joined ex-Armstrong coach Johan Bruyneel in offering support. Another former rival, Filippo Simeoni, wondered why Armstrong dropped his fight..

"It leaves me a bit perplexed, because someone like him, with all the fame and popularity and millions of dollars he has, should fight to the end if he's innocent," Simeoni said. "But I guess he realized it was a useless fight and the evidence USADA had was too great."

At the USA Pro Challenge in Breckenridge, Colo., longtime friend Jim Ochowicz said he supported Armstrong's decision.

"He has done so much for our sport over the years and I amsad at what has transpired," he said. "I think he has earned every victory he's had."

Bruyneel said Armstrong was the victim of an "unjust" legal case.

"Lance has never withdrawn from a fair fight in his life so his decision today underlines what an unjust process this has been," Bruyneel wrote on his personal website. The Belgian, who manages the Radioshack Nissan-Trek team, has his own legal battle with USADA. He has opted for arbitration to fight charges that he led doping programs for Armstrong's teams.

Armstrong clearly knew his legacy would be blemished by his decision. But he said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly never-ending fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone ever. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles.

"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 Thursday night, hours before the deadline to enter arbitration.

"Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances," he said. "I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities."

Although he had already been crowned a world champion and won individual stages at the Tour de France, Armstrong was still relatively unknown in the U.S. until he won the epic race for the first timtime in 1999. It was the ultimate comeback tale: When diagnosed with cancer, doctors had given him less than a 50 percent chance of survival before surgery and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life.

Armstrong's riveting victories, his work for cancer awareness and his gossip-page romances with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and actress Kate Hudson made him a figure who transcended sports.

His dominance of the Tour de France elevated the sport's popularity in the U.S. to unprecedented levels. His story and success helped sell millions of the "Livestrong" plastic yellow wrist bracelets, and enabled him to enlist lawmakers and global policymakers to promote cancer awareness and research. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised nearly $500 million since its founding in 1997.

Foundation officials said they remained "proud" of Armstrong and had received hundreds of messages of support from donors, partners and supporters since his announcement. Among them was Nike Inc., which said it planned to continue supporting Armstrong and the foundation

"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position," the company said.

American Century Investments, another partner, said: "While the actions taken against Lance are unfortunate, we understand his decision to drop his challenge to the USADA charges. The USADA may sanction Lance and attempt to strip his titles, but no one can take away what he's done for the 28 million people around the world living with cancer."

Questions surfaced even as Armstrong was on his way to his first Tour victory. He was leading the 1999 race when a trace amount of a banned anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was found in his urine; cycling officials said he was authorized to use a small amount of a cream to treat saddle sores.

After Armstrong's second victory in 2000, French judicial officials investigated his Postal Service team for drug use. That investigation ended with no charges, but the allegations kept coming.

Others close to Armstrong were caught up in the investigations, too: Bruyneel, the coach of Armstrong's teams, and three members of the medical staff and a consultant were also charged. Bruyneel is taking his case to arbitration, while two medical team staffers and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari didn't formally contest the charges and were issued lifetime bans by USADA. Ferrari later said he was innocent.

Armstrong was criticized for his relationship with Ferrari, who was banned by Italian authorities over doping charges in 2002. Former personal and team assistants accused Armstrong of having steroids in an apartment in Spain and disposing of syringes that were used for injections.


In 2004, a Dallas-based promotions company initially refused to pay him a $5 million bonus for winning his sixth Tour de France because it wanted to investigate allegations raised by media in Europe. Testimony in that case included former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, saying Armstrong told doctors during his 1996 cancer treatments that he had taken a cornucopia of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.

Armstrong retired in 2005 and almost immediately considered a comeback before deciding to stay on the sidelines — in part because he didn't want to keep answering doping questions. Three years later, Armstrong was 36 and itching to ride again. He came back to finish third in the 2009 Tour de France.

Armstrong raced again in 2010 under the cloud of the federal investigation. Early last year, he quit for good, making a brief return as a triathlete until the USADA investigation shut him down.

"He had a right to contest the charges," WADA President John Fahey said. "He chose not to. The simple fact is that his refusal to examine the evidence means the charges had substance in them."

___

AP National Writer Eddie Pells, AP Sports Writers Graham Dunbar and Paul Logothetis and AP freelance writer James Raia contributed to this report

[8timechamps]

People can believe what they want, and maybe he did dope. But they never caught him at it and the only 'evidence' they have now are some bent witnesses whose careers hang on cooperating with the authorities and a decade old **** sample with a questionable chain of custody for verification.
It is a travesty that the morons at USADA continued this jihad years after the guy's career had ended.
I hope he had the forsight to forge copies of all his medals so that he can give the phonies 'back' and simply say, 'Well, that's what you gave me. I guess all your medals are fakes.'

Whether he doped or not, everyone knows who won those races. Someone was on the local radio today (that was plugged-in to the whole cycling community), and he said that if you took the 2-10 top finishers from the tour's Lance won, it adds up to 20 or so different people. And of those 20 or so folks, 18 or 19 of them had either been caught doping or rumored to have doped. So it sounded like everyone was doing it then, which would pretty much even out the field in my mind.

If he gets stripped of the titles (and I'm sure that's the end game), it'll be much like USC getting stripped of the national title. Everyone that cares to know, still knows who won (and in the case of the football national title, some of us would like to forget, and can't).

[olevetonahill]

Riding a Bicycle may be fun But Kinda like Poker It AINT A SPORT :pirate:

[tulsaoilerfan]

Don't understand why he would give in if he was not quilty of it

[olevetonahill]

Don't understand why he would give in if he was not quilty of it


Could be after 10 years of fightin em he just said **** it

[nighttrain12]

According to the dictionary, it appears to fit the definition of a sport quite clearly.


Riding a Bicycle may be fun But Kinda like Poker It AINT A SPORT :pirate:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport?s=t

sport
   [spawrt, spohrt]
noun
1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

2. a particular form of this, especially in the out of doors.

[C&CDean]

Armstrong and Roger Clemens. Both whorns, both dopes. Who'd a thunk it?

[nighttrain12]

Armstrong and Roger Clemens. Both whorns, both dopes. Who'd a thunk it?


Brian (cough, cough) Boz- (cough, cough) Worth (cough)

[marfacowboy]

This thing is all about egos and power. I'm not a big fan of his, but I know a powerplay when I see one. All of this endorsement deals are intact. His non-profit for cancer is intact.
He's got a place, btw, over in Marfa, Texas. Right on the square, as I recall, and used to train quite a bit over in the Big Bend area. That sport is so overcome with drug use they should just give up and say, "Go for it. Shoot up all you want." The teevee ratings will go up.

[badger]

Don't understand why he would give in if he was not quilty of it

Floyd Landis lost everything by trying to fight doping accusations. If you can live with yourself, why go bankrupt?

[Breadburner]

He was guilty as hell and an *******....

[nighttrain12]

Floyd Landis lost everything by trying to fight doping accusations. If you can live with yourself, why go bankrupt?

Floyd had a fair and square dirty test shortly after his Tour de France victory. Something about his testosterone being highly elevated just before a critical part of the race when his time for that stage was extraordinary. Armstrong never tested dirty at any level of a Tour de France.

[yermom]

Lance had better doctors?

[BajaOklahoma]

The LA Foundation is fantastic. It has expanded beyond its original goal of being a source of information on cancer and now includes general health. It is also in financially good shape, with a great track record of spending where it should.

[Soonerfan88]

He's guilty as hell. Marion Jones and Barry Bonds never tested positive either.

[SoonerAtKU]

The LA Foundation is fantastic. It has expanded beyond its original goal of being a source of information on cancer and now includes general health. It is also in financially good shape, with a great track record of spending where it should.

Nobody said he cheated on his taxes, just in all those bicycle races.

For what it's worth, I am 100% in the camp that believes he cheated and just cheated more efficiently than anyone else. I have no idea why cycling is allowed to continue. It's as dirty as boxing ever was at any level.

[badger]

The LA Foundation is fantastic. It has expanded beyond its original goal of being a source of information on cancer and now includes general health. It is also in financially good shape, with a great track record of spending where it should.

I've used the livestrong website as a resource for health info, and (knock on wood) I've been cancer-free my entire life.

Even if he loses his Tour de Dope titles, his cancer surviving arse beat the competition and now, he's helping tons of people live... strong? Heh.

[diverdog]

Nobody said he cheated on his taxes, just in all those bicycle races.

For what it's worth, I am 100% in the camp that believes he cheated and just cheated more efficiently than anyone else. I have no idea why cycling is allowed to continue. It's as dirty as boxing ever was at any level.

Cycling has always been that way. When I raced the drug of choice was amphetamines.

What people do not understand is that at the very elite level cycling is the hardest sport in the world. If you do not believe me go out on your bike and then ride at 30 mph. Try to keep that pace for five minutes. I doubt anyone on this board could do it. That is below the average chase pace in the peleton. Riders will do that speed for a couple of hours. Four riders have died in the Tour. Countless others sustain major crash injuries. As fans we expect to much of them. Professional cycling is a brutal sport.

Here is a list of all who have died racing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_professional_cyclists_who_died_during_a_ra ce