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

[Special K]

Really? The fact that someone was let off with leniency doesn't call into question the integrity of their testimony? Really?

USADA: "Right now you [rider x] are looking at a lifetime ban from cycling, however if you agree to testify against Lance Armstrong we will agree to lighten your punishment."
Rider X: "Oh....well, sure I'll testify then."
Lance Haters: "See there are 10 witnesses lined up to testify against Lance!"
The rest of the world:

---------- Post added August-24th-2012 at 04:34 PM ----------



Ego is not a crime.

I'll bank on the fact that USADA has a lot more evidence than Lance Innocence Project supporters think...or are willing to believe about their hero. I'd suggest you wait for USADA to release it's investigation conclusions prior to denouncing the organization as witch hunters. Just saying.

[GoSkins0721]

Tell me when I'm supposed to care about this...Because I don't.

Wait, many years later: I still don't care about this. Dude cheated. End of story (again)

[Burgold]

I find this play of events sad. I don't know if he did or didn't though if the guy passed 500 drug tests, never failed one, and new evidence hasn't really been presented (other than hearsay) it seems rather violent to do this. Perhaps, he did dope. Perhaps, everyone knew it like they did with McGuire and Bonds in baseball, but it still seems to me to be a sad story.

What bothers me most is that his was such a triumphant and cool story... from overcoming cancer and chemo to all he went through to regain his champion form. It should have been one of those great inspirational stories... a real life little engine that could you tell your kids about. What Armstrong did was amazing. The stuff of Tall Tales. A real life hero (in the world of sports)

There has been too great an effort to deconstruct his myth. That saddens me a bit. I also worry that the international agencies seem to disagree with the U.S. cycling one about this case. There is something that smells personal about this. Do I really need to know that Ben Franklin was a womanizer or that Babe Ruth drank? If he was a cheater, he should be caught and tossed as he was, but this case has been pursued for so many years and from so many angles without an answer. Seems to me that unless you know absolutely, this was one to let go and let the story resonate. It was too good a story.

I don't like that it ended with a "no mas" I would rather have had a clear cut verdict and answer. The reality is now we will never know... though I suspect even if we had a trial we still might not have known.

Does it matter? Ultimately, probably not. He was an athlete in a niche sport that we rarely care about. Still, we've just killed a man's legacy and a legend that could have been inspiring and was inspiring to many cancer patients. There's a big shame in that.

[Elessar78]

That's America and the world in a nut shell these days, Burg.

[Kosher Ham]

I wonder if most people will get the "No Mas" reference Burg.

But, I agree. I don't watch cycling. But the story and legend that was...I just never expected it to go down like this...

Oh, well. Life goes on, and that's why sports figures are not supposed to be heroes, or idolized.

[shk75]

So then what exactly is the point of drug testing if you can pass all the tests but still be found guilty? Why do we even have drug testing then? Why not just ask people if they saw someone dope and then there you go guilty.

[FrFan]

So then what exactly is the point of drug testing if you can pass all the tests but still be found guilty? Why do we even have drug testing then? Why not just ask people if they saw someone dope and then there you go guilty.

Not much since the labs and MD's will always be a step ahead of the doping tests with other PEDs.
"Lance Armstrong was warned before all controls" (Google translated)

[ixcuincle]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...162605579.html

Last week, after iconic American cyclist Lance Armstrong said he would no longer fight the charges brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, many wondered if Livestrong--the foundation for cancer survivors founded by the seven-time Tour de France winner and testicular cancer survivor--would suffer as a result.
It doesn't look like it.

On Friday, Armstrong said that donations to Livestrong were up 25 times over the day before. "Thank you thank you thank you!" he wrote on Twitter.

Doug Ulman, Livestrong's chief executive, told ESPN that the foundation had received $78,000 in unsolicited donations in the 24 hours following the announcement of Armstrong's decision. Compare that to Thursday, when Livestrong received just $3,200.

"It's been really tricky for the organization to be able to deal with all of these challenges to Lance's image," Stacey Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, told NPR, "but one of the things that's so interesting is that they've managed to increase their fundraising and demonstrate that they're much beyond what his role is."

[Corcaigh]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/repo...strong-samples

[jnhay]

Do they keep these cyclists' blood in a guarded room for 20 years after their last race? What a losing battle.

[Corcaigh]

http://downthebackstretch.blogspot.c...out-blood.html

Another smoking gun.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

http://downthebackstretch.blogspot.c...out-blood.html

Another smoking gun.

his supporters will still bury their heads and scream witch hunt.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

so the USADA released the documents today.

Found this passage interesting

As set forth in his affidavit, after Mr. Leipheimer was subpoenaed and testified truthfullyto a federal grand jury in a case involving Mr. Armstrong, in the course of a dinner at which Mr.Armstrong was seated next to Mr. Leipheimer, Mr. Armstrong sent a text message to Mr.Leipheimer’s wife stating, “run don’t walk.”

As Mr. Armstrong had not communicated with Mr. Leipheimer’s wife in several years, this message felt threatening to her.Thereafter, Mr. Leipheimer returned to the RadioShack cycling team, which Mr.Armstrong had participated in founding, in order to compete during the 2011 season as Mr.Leipheimer was under contract with the RadioShack team for that season. During the course of the 2011 cycling season Mr. Leipheimer experienced a number of threatening and intimidating actions from one or more team employees, including comments such as, “I never forget. One day I will pay back.”

Mr. Leipheimer also received information that the Team Director JohanBruyneel had stated that Mr. Leipheimer would not be re-signed by the RadioShack team because Mr. Leipheimer “had testified to the grand jury in the Lance Armstrong investigation.”

During the 2012 Tour de France, and shortly after Mr. Leipheimer was interviewed by USADA’s General Counsel in connection with this proceeding, Mr. Leipheimer’s wife received another text from Mr. Armstrong asking, “Are you in CA?” Due to the timing of the message,the fact that Mr. Armstrong was well aware that Mr. Leipheimer was out of the country and competing in the Tour de France, and as Mr. Leipheimer’s wife had not received a text from Mr.Armstrong since the time of the prior intimidating text, Mr. Leipheimer’s wife found the communication to be disturbing and concerning

what a bully

[Predicto]

He's so freaking guilty. I don't care how much you admire him or how much good he has done for charity. He still did it.

[mistertim]

But Predicto...were you IN the room when he was doping? Did you SEE him do it with your own eyes? Unless you have that then he is......nevermind. Dude is guilty as hell. I'm glad that he has done a lot for people and helped raise awareness and money for cancer. That doesn't change that he is a world class cheat.