AP: Armstrong won't challenge doping allegations; loses Tour titles (Lance to confess)

[MattFancy]

So am I unamerican for not giving a **** about cycling?
I never gave a damn about it before Lance OneNut, and I couldn't care less about it now.

He cheated to ride a bike up a mountain. I think it's pretty obvious. The smoke is non-stop, and that usually means fire.
But, that said, I'm still having a very difficult time giving a ****.

~Bang

I feel the same way. 1) Because it happened awhile ago now 2) He never tested positive during the races 3) Not that it makes it right, but who isn't cheating in cycling?

[ZoEd]

So far the only eyewitnesses that have spoken out happen to be speaking out when they have a book about to come out. Hincapie's article doesn't actually quote him


His testimony would. I wonder why he didn't say anything when asked about his testimony?

I think Armstrong used PEDs. If for no other reason than he beat a bunch of others that were using PEDs. I guess if all the elites are using these drugs(and it certainly seems they are) then the playing field is level....even if dishonest. Like the steroid enhanced hitter knocking a homer off the steroid enhanced pitcher. Or Arnold Schwarzenegger dominating other drug enhanced body builders. Without something I doubt Armstrong would have won. I doubt any clean cyclist, if there is such a thing, would win. I still think winning 7 is pretty impressive

I agree 100% with everything you said, especially the second part about baseball. Sure Barry used HGH, and I'm sure that many of the pitchers he faced did also. With the amount of money that is thrown at these athletes either through salary or endorsements, you're going to have cheaters.

[Redskins Diehard]

He had bad tests.

Why would his teammate, with nothing to gain, lie under oath in front of a grand jury?

500 bad tests?

The only team mates that have made public statements are absolutely ones with something to gain. The one with nothing to gain did not make a public statement even after the anonymous source claimed that it was in his testimony.

[Bang]

One wonders how world history would have changed had the French suspected the Germans of doping.
It seems to be the only thing they've been willing to stand up against.

~Bang

[Kosher Ham]

I heard this morning that our government spent $60 Mil to get that weak conviction of Bonds.

What a waste of time, money, and resources.

Pathetic. I don't care if any of those guys doped.

I did hear a possible reason for Armstrong being able to pass so many test without issues. Also that he had ONE failed test many, many years ago that had no bearing on anything else, nor do they feel they still have the evidence.

[Destino]

Here is what bothers me about the performance enhancing prosecutions. Generally the way the war on drugs is fought is as such:

user -> caught flipped -> dealer -> caught flipped -> supplier.

This is because making it extremely risky to distribute is generally thought to put a bigger dent on the overall logistical chain of illegal drugs. This has failed largely because the money is so incredibly large that the risk is deemed by many to be worth the potential reward. As such there are always more suppliers and dealers ready to get product to users.

In sports however the government seems to be more interested in the splashy conviction than they are in actually stopping illegal drug use. The athletes are the users and yet the government is flipping doctors and suppliers to prosecute the athletes. This is like catching a Mexican drug cartel lieutenant and granting him a reduced sentence in exchange for his testimony against a pot smoking Hollywood celebrity. Most people would realize that on it's face such a move is ridiculous.

Through the entire baseball steroids debacle I was furious that the teams, the trainers, and the doctors that were distributing illegal drugs for profit and corrupting the entire league were pretty much exempt from scorn. Athletes don't know **** about designer drugs... until someone whispers in their ear "what if I told you I had a pill that would make you better and no one can detect?" People seem to think the athletes just hire guys to do all this for them and I think that such a situation makes no logical sense. Someone is getting a moment of their time and pitching performance enhancement procedures and drugs and they are doing it for the same reason the Mexican cartels do it... for cash money.

Part of Hamilton's statements included that before he doped at all he was approached by a team doctor and told that he could make the Tour de France if he used EPO. Why isn't THAT GUY a higher value target than Lance Armstrong and the rest of the athletes? I think it's because prosecutors, much like they did with Sean Taylor, are more interested in nailing a big name athlete and making a name for themselves than they are doing the right thing.

[pointyfootball]

I actually love watching TDF, but maybe that's because I like to ride. To me the TDF is a neat tradition, that takes place in some beautiful country in Europe and, outside of LA, we don't dominate the event.

[Elessar78]

anyone see Tyler Hamilton's 60 minutes interview? He looks sketchy as hell. Can't even just come out and say Armstrong did it. I don't know if that's hesitation because of feelings of loyatly towards LA or because he's making up a patent lie.

[MattFancy]

Great point Destino.I honestly can't answer that question other than saying that, the bigger fish in these cases seem to be the athletes and not the dealers.

[Chachie]

Next up- Sheryl Crow.

[Rocky21]

anyone see Tyler Hamilton's 60 minutes interview? He looks sketchy as hell. Can't even just come out and say Armstrong did it. I don't know if that's hesitation because of feelings of loyatly towards LA or because he's making up a patent lie.

I think you're hearing what you want to hear.

(Pelley - voiceover) Hamilton told us that Armstrong was doping the very first time he won the Tour. One of the drugs was called EPO, which boosts production of red blood cells to enhance endurance.
(Pelley - asking Hamilton) He was using EPO in the Tour de France in 1999?
(Hamilton) Correct. I saw it in his refrigerator, you know. I saw him inject it more than one time.

(Pelley) You saw Lance Armstrong inject EPO?
(Hamilton) Yeah. Like we all did - like I did many, many times."

[Thiebear]

So when did the EPO become illegal in racing?
When did lance do it.

Thats all you need to know.

[Rocky21]

So when did the EPO become illegal in racing?
When did lance do it.

Thats all you need to know.

Do tell.

[BeachSkin]

USADA charges Lance Armstrong with doping:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/478036...ports-cycling/

[FrFan]

Many cyclists were tainted and it's hard to believe anyone was clean. As much as I want to believe that Armstrong was legit, everything is collapsing right now. It's not just the French anymore. It's his own team. His own country's teammates.

Another thing that the French were to be blamed for.
I think USADA really wants to put him down for good. I think they're getting mad at him since they know he used drugs but he always passed the doping tests, just like Marion Jones.
Cyclism is the most corrupted sport in terms of PEDs from quite a long time ago. People started realizing that in 1967 when Tom Simpson died during a stage of the tour de France. They are all on PEDs, no matter where they come from, the only difference between them is what kind of drugs and doctors they can afford. Now they have AICAR instead of EPO, it's $120 per gram (0.035oz) and is costing around $500000/year. Labs will always be one or many steps ahead of the tests. You can't ride the tour de France only on spring water.
I hope someone will put an end to this never ending story.