Okay, that's it! If the rationale is 'everyone is doing it' then shut it down. See who really notices or cares. My kid rides a bike, I'd rather watch him....(Plan A)....or....
(Plan B) Create The Pharm Tour, sponsored by international drug companies (logos abound) who themselves will be awarded huge cash rewards for the Tour Championship and can write it off as research. Win-win, and no whining.
emenot - 13 years ago
C'mon people, all sports are dirty! The cleanest is at the playground and you let the news con you like this, America you are so stupid !
emenot - 13 years ago
WHAT'S THE FRACKING POINT?
Jerry Payne - 13 years ago
Given cycling is acknowledged to be the dirtest sport in the world, any winner must be suspected of doping as well. Case closed.
Bonzo - 13 years ago
Sure he did. They all do. Beating the tests doesn't take a banker.
So, they all competed doped and Armstrong won. Just a lot of
sour grapes by a group of international primadonnas. Boys will
be boys...
Gaucho420 - 13 years ago
He's guilty, as are all cyclists. Those who don't beleive he cheated are blinded by Patriotism. Spain doesnt' beleive its cylcists cheats, Germany the same, Belgium the same...no one ever beleive their athletes do wrong, especially so called legends.
Science also has a lot to say about a man supposedly on a deathrow with cancer...only to come back and break the world's toughest sporting event records multiple times. Science calls that fishy and highly unbeleiveable. Talk to a doctor.
If you truly follow cylcing, you know that to be true and people in the US who still support this cheater are just blind.
John - 13 years ago
I agree with the below statement in full!
Having been tested over 800 times in the past nine years by various governing bodies with no positve results brings me to the following conclusions.
1.No performance enhancing drugs were present.
2.Administators of these tests were ALL incompetent !
3.Not only was Mr. Armstrong the best cyclist of all times, but also the best cheater.
If you repeat a story enough times it becomes true.
Saying he must have been doping because he was better than those who admitted they were doping is far from proof.
Douglas - 13 years ago
Having been tested over 800 times in the past nine years by various governing bodies with no positve results brings me to the following conclusions.
1.No performance enhancing drugs were present.
2.Administators of these tests were ALL incompetent !
3.Not only was Mr. Armstrong the best cyclist of all times, but also the best cheater.
If you repeat a story enough times it becomes true.
Saying he must have been doping because he was better than those who admitted they were doping is far from proof.
Dr. Osbourne you are welcome to drug test me for another negative result.
Sarah - 13 years ago
(a) I wish he hadn't done it and (b) I understand why he did. Let's just say that all the top racers were doping - and it certainly sounds like they were. So cyclists had a choice: take PEDs and ride with the big boys, or hang with the wannabes. From that perspective, I can more easily understand why they did it. It is morally very different to dope to keep up, than it is to dope so you can unfairly beat clean riders. Would it have been better if Lance had said no to doping and other juiced riders had won instead? It's certainly disappointing that he failed to stand up to the pressure, but just be realistic about how big that pressure was. It sounds like the riders need a union to better protect them from the pressure to dope, and enforcement needs to get serious so it's actually possible for clean riders to win the big races.
Dr. Osbourne - 13 years ago
Anyone who thinks Lance didn't use drugs to enhance is performance is on drugs - of a different nature - himself or herself.
Dr. Ray - 13 years ago
The Federal government does not go after the Wall Street Banksters who nearly brought the U.S. and global economy down but they are obsessed with getting Lance Armstrong, one of our true heroes of this generation. We have the head of the IMF accused of sexual assault, a former President of the World Bank who gave a great job to his mistress, and public official galore involved in one kind of scandal or another. The world is just a little bit crazy.
Dr. Hersh - 13 years ago
Of course he cheated. Every other cyclist who placed in the years Lance won has been proven a fraud. Lance may have been the best of the cheaters but that does not matter. As far as letting him off because he provides money for cancer research, that is a poor argument. Most mob bosses are loved by their communities as well because they donate money. Lance's foundations, while honorable, never would have taken off if it wasn't for his accomplishments. In my opinion he is the biggest fraud in all of sports history (move over Barry Bonds). Can we finally stop wearing the yellow bracelets.....cheatstrong?
Steve - 13 years ago
Hey if your going let Lance off then let everybody off- Bernie Madoff, Angelo Mozillo, Scooter Libby. It's clear that he doped,and forget the smoking gun, those never happen- it's the ton of circumstantial evidence that wins this case.
pete - 13 years ago
I agree with Ron to a point. Instead of using the money to clean up the sport or go after cyclists, use it to go after the crooks in Wall Street. Better bang for the buck.
Mark G - 13 years ago
You'd have to be an imbecile to even contemplate the possibility that Armstrong wasn't a doper.
rich - 13 years ago
Its all going to come out alot worse than this. When they start to talk about possible charges such as fraud,systematic doping and conspiracy while being sponsored by the USPS you can bet federal investigators aren't just going to blow this off. Lance should be worried even if he passed all his tests but he will have crooked lawyers for his defense.
Ron - 13 years ago
Who cares that he doped, its obvious that a lot of them had, and most importantly the better cyclists were doping as evidenced by all of them getting caught, especially in the past 6 or 7 years. If Lance and the other postal (american) teammates did not use peds they wouldn't have even made it to the tour, God bless"em, they finally did what the others were doing, but did it better, much better. Instead of wasting mine and all the other taxpayers money on Lance, spend it to actually help try and clean up the sport the right way, so that there is transparency amongst all involved. There should be nothing to hide. And if we go after Lance, why don't we go after Eddy Merckx, and all the other greats who we know have done what was necessary in their time to win and dominate in the sport. If Lance was in front of a grand jury and I was one of the jurors...NOT GUILTY! GO LANCE!!!
Scott - 13 years ago
I've always felt if he did not dope how did he repeatedly beat dopers(7x) in a sport notorious for cheating? There may be no direct proof but the indirect proof abounds. That said I don't know what good it does to go after him. I doubt we will ever hear Lance say "I used performance enhancing drugs". For a DA to go after him for cheating by threatening his x team mates with jail or God knows what seems more than a bit hypocritical. The idea of spending tax dollars prosecuting an American hero of cheating is sickening. It may not be a popular opinion but I think whomever is pushing this case has a lot more explaining to do than Lance Armstrong.
Rich - 13 years ago
There is no proof as of yet and I hope there never will be. He is too much of a good influence on a lot of people and I dont think proving this guy a fraud will do anyone, except for the media for a couple days, any good.
Okay, that's it! If the rationale is 'everyone is doing it' then shut it down. See who really notices or cares. My kid rides a bike, I'd rather watch him....(Plan A)....or....
(Plan B) Create The Pharm Tour, sponsored by international drug companies (logos abound) who themselves will be awarded huge cash rewards for the Tour Championship and can write it off as research. Win-win, and no whining.
C'mon people, all sports are dirty! The cleanest is at the playground and you let the news con you like this, America you are so stupid !
WHAT'S THE FRACKING POINT?
Given cycling is acknowledged to be the dirtest sport in the world, any winner must be suspected of doping as well. Case closed.
Sure he did. They all do. Beating the tests doesn't take a banker.
So, they all competed doped and Armstrong won. Just a lot of
sour grapes by a group of international primadonnas. Boys will
be boys...
He's guilty, as are all cyclists. Those who don't beleive he cheated are blinded by Patriotism. Spain doesnt' beleive its cylcists cheats, Germany the same, Belgium the same...no one ever beleive their athletes do wrong, especially so called legends.
Science also has a lot to say about a man supposedly on a deathrow with cancer...only to come back and break the world's toughest sporting event records multiple times. Science calls that fishy and highly unbeleiveable. Talk to a doctor.
If you truly follow cylcing, you know that to be true and people in the US who still support this cheater are just blind.
I agree with the below statement in full!
Having been tested over 800 times in the past nine years by various governing bodies with no positve results brings me to the following conclusions.
1.No performance enhancing drugs were present.
2.Administators of these tests were ALL incompetent !
3.Not only was Mr. Armstrong the best cyclist of all times, but also the best cheater.
If you repeat a story enough times it becomes true.
Saying he must have been doping because he was better than those who admitted they were doping is far from proof.
Having been tested over 800 times in the past nine years by various governing bodies with no positve results brings me to the following conclusions.
1.No performance enhancing drugs were present.
2.Administators of these tests were ALL incompetent !
3.Not only was Mr. Armstrong the best cyclist of all times, but also the best cheater.
If you repeat a story enough times it becomes true.
Saying he must have been doping because he was better than those who admitted they were doping is far from proof.
Dr. Osbourne you are welcome to drug test me for another negative result.
(a) I wish he hadn't done it and (b) I understand why he did. Let's just say that all the top racers were doping - and it certainly sounds like they were. So cyclists had a choice: take PEDs and ride with the big boys, or hang with the wannabes. From that perspective, I can more easily understand why they did it. It is morally very different to dope to keep up, than it is to dope so you can unfairly beat clean riders. Would it have been better if Lance had said no to doping and other juiced riders had won instead? It's certainly disappointing that he failed to stand up to the pressure, but just be realistic about how big that pressure was. It sounds like the riders need a union to better protect them from the pressure to dope, and enforcement needs to get serious so it's actually possible for clean riders to win the big races.
Anyone who thinks Lance didn't use drugs to enhance is performance is on drugs - of a different nature - himself or herself.
The Federal government does not go after the Wall Street Banksters who nearly brought the U.S. and global economy down but they are obsessed with getting Lance Armstrong, one of our true heroes of this generation. We have the head of the IMF accused of sexual assault, a former President of the World Bank who gave a great job to his mistress, and public official galore involved in one kind of scandal or another. The world is just a little bit crazy.
Of course he cheated. Every other cyclist who placed in the years Lance won has been proven a fraud. Lance may have been the best of the cheaters but that does not matter. As far as letting him off because he provides money for cancer research, that is a poor argument. Most mob bosses are loved by their communities as well because they donate money. Lance's foundations, while honorable, never would have taken off if it wasn't for his accomplishments. In my opinion he is the biggest fraud in all of sports history (move over Barry Bonds). Can we finally stop wearing the yellow bracelets.....cheatstrong?
Hey if your going let Lance off then let everybody off- Bernie Madoff, Angelo Mozillo, Scooter Libby. It's clear that he doped,and forget the smoking gun, those never happen- it's the ton of circumstantial evidence that wins this case.
I agree with Ron to a point. Instead of using the money to clean up the sport or go after cyclists, use it to go after the crooks in Wall Street. Better bang for the buck.
You'd have to be an imbecile to even contemplate the possibility that Armstrong wasn't a doper.
Its all going to come out alot worse than this. When they start to talk about possible charges such as fraud,systematic doping and conspiracy while being sponsored by the USPS you can bet federal investigators aren't just going to blow this off. Lance should be worried even if he passed all his tests but he will have crooked lawyers for his defense.
Who cares that he doped, its obvious that a lot of them had, and most importantly the better cyclists were doping as evidenced by all of them getting caught, especially in the past 6 or 7 years. If Lance and the other postal (american) teammates did not use peds they wouldn't have even made it to the tour, God bless"em, they finally did what the others were doing, but did it better, much better. Instead of wasting mine and all the other taxpayers money on Lance, spend it to actually help try and clean up the sport the right way, so that there is transparency amongst all involved. There should be nothing to hide. And if we go after Lance, why don't we go after Eddy Merckx, and all the other greats who we know have done what was necessary in their time to win and dominate in the sport. If Lance was in front of a grand jury and I was one of the jurors...NOT GUILTY! GO LANCE!!!
I've always felt if he did not dope how did he repeatedly beat dopers(7x) in a sport notorious for cheating? There may be no direct proof but the indirect proof abounds. That said I don't know what good it does to go after him. I doubt we will ever hear Lance say "I used performance enhancing drugs". For a DA to go after him for cheating by threatening his x team mates with jail or God knows what seems more than a bit hypocritical. The idea of spending tax dollars prosecuting an American hero of cheating is sickening. It may not be a popular opinion but I think whomever is pushing this case has a lot more explaining to do than Lance Armstrong.
There is no proof as of yet and I hope there never will be. He is too much of a good influence on a lot of people and I dont think proving this guy a fraud will do anyone, except for the media for a couple days, any good.