Armstrong confirms comeback

[justjohn]

36 year old Lance Armstrong has confirmed that he intends to compete in next years Tour De France .Armstrong will ride for the Astana team which is lead by his old team director Johann Bruyneel,2007 tour winner Alberto Contador also rides for Astana.

 

[DB008]

36 year old Lance Armstrong has confirmed that he intends to compete in next years Tour De France .Armstrong will ride for the Astana team which is lead by his old team director Johann Bruyneel,2007 tour winner Alberto Contador also rides for Astana.

Alberto Contador - convicted drug cheat

and now....

Lance Armstrong, all 7 medals stripped...


**CONFIRMED** - About time!

Armstrong Stripped of Tour de France Titles by Cycling’s UCI

Cycling’s ruling body endorsed a decision by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles.
“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling,” Pat McQuaid, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale, said at a news conference in Geneva. “He deserves to be forgotten in cycling.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-22/armstrong-stripped-of-tour-de-france-titles-by-governing-body.html

 

[Miss Hale]

It's amazing isn't it! The whole thing just gets worse and worse for Armstrong and yet he still denies he ever used drugs I'll admit I only take a passing interest in cycling (basically watch the Tour de France for the scenery) but I have never warmed to Armstrong despite his great success, recovery from cancer and all his charity work. Something about him just never rang true with me, now I know why, he's a complete fraud!

 

[wombat40]

Not a complete fraud..His charity work is real..and has the money to back it up.If 1 of his foundations or charities finds a cure for cancer, he will be a hero....Many take drugs..hes not the first and wont be the last...lay off him!

 

[Julia]

Not a complete fraud..His charity work is real..and has the money to back it up.If 1 of his foundations or charities finds a cure for cancer, he will be a hero....Many take drugs..hes not the first and wont be the last...lay off him!

I have no interest in cycling, but rather agree with the above. It seems that the whole culture of elite cycling has been riddled with doping for many years, known to (possibly organised by) cycling management. It seems less than fair for Armstrong to be copping such utter condemnation with barely a mention of any involvement of others.

He has apparently done a huge amount for his cancer foundation, yet all that seems to be totally disregarded.

Hard to see how anyone will ever take elite cycling seriously again.

 

[Boggo]

It seems less than fair for Armstrong to be copping such utter condemnation with barely a mention of any involvement of others.

That is a very important point Julia, the yanks knew that the only way they could ever hope to compete with the Europeans was to follow the same path.
One of the reasons why Lance was singled out was that he beat them at their own game, not just once but seven times.
Two wrongs never make a right but that is just how it was then, and more recently too perhaps... http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/alberto-contador-returns-after-doping-ban-20120817-24cfq.html

 

[ROE]

I have no interest in cycling, but rather agree with the above. It seems that the whole culture of elite cycling has been riddled with doping for many years, known to (possibly organised by) cycling management. It seems less than fair for Armstrong to be copping such utter condemnation with barely a mention of any involvement of others.

He has apparently done a huge amount for his cancer foundation, yet all that seems to be totally disregarded.

Hard to see how anyone will ever take elite cycling seriously again.

Sorry disagree, you do nice things in order for you to cheat..
put on the charade so you can commit your crime..nice!

What he been accused is pretty damming, he run the doping syndicate, very elaborate, he know exactly what he is doing and determined to beat the system....he is no different from any other crooks but this crooks get paid
much more in sponsorship ....

Clever and manipulative crooks do that they put on charade to cover their bad deed
just like Jimmy Savile of BBC

 

[young-gun]

I have no interest in cycling, but rather agree with the above. It seems that the whole culture of elite cycling has been riddled with doping for many years, known to (possibly organised by) cycling management. It seems less than fair for Armstrong to be copping such utter condemnation with barely a mention of any involvement of others.

He has apparently done a huge amount for his cancer foundation, yet all that seems to be totally disregarded.

Hard to see how anyone will ever take elite cycling seriously again.

I couldn't disagree more with the above, and wombat.

Armstrong is a thief on every level. What he has done for cancer research is irrelevant. It's the equivalent of myself starting up a hacking organisation that steals money from peoples accounts, and then I skim a bit for myself(enough to live a lavish life-style) and then give the rest to charity, and then expect my actions to be warranted because of the good deed.

People may argue he hasn't stolen from anyone, but he has. He has stolen millions of dollars off legitimate drug-free riders in winnings and sponsorships. Riders who may have also donated to other charities just as worthy. He's robbed hundreds of thousands if not millions from fans that have bought his merchandise, and following him religiously because of his freakish achievements. He has stolen hope from people who saw him as a role model, a symbol of greatness.

If the industry is rife with drug abuse, then you gather the proof, out the wrong-doers, and clean up the sport. Taking drugs to compete with drugs is the easy way out, and by no means is symbolic of a champion. From what I have read he always commanded respect, and was quite arrogant at times. Quite undeservedly it would appear.

Although it's great that he has helped a charity, he's an absolute tosser, deserves nothing and has probably robbed a a sport of ever increasing popularity of it's integrity for many years to come. If it ever had any given the doping has been going on for who knows how long.

Agree with you that he shouldn't be singled out, everyone doping should be taken down.

 

[prawn_86]

I have to say im with Wombat and Julia on this one. While i do agree that the prize money he won etc is stealing and should probably be paid back, the vast majority of funds his charity raised has from donations.

If you said to me:
"You can create a charity and have 500m (thats HALF A BILLION DOLLARS) donated to it across the decade, and all you have to do is become the biggest know fraud in X, and not do anything considered illegal by the police" - I would probably do it.

The amount that some corporate execs, etc earn for doing dodgy deals that lose other peoples money and get away with it is no different, except that they don't raise anywhere near that much money for charity and cancer research.

 

[young-gun]

I have to say im with Wombat and Julia on this one. While i do agree that the prize money he won etc is stealing and should probably be paid back, the vast majority of funds his charity raised has from donations.

If you said to me:
"You can create a charity and have 500m (thats HALF A BILLION DOLLARS) donated to it across the decade, and all you have to do is become the biggest know fraud in X, and not do anything considered illegal by the police" - I would probably do it.

The amount that some corporate execs, etc earn for doing dodgy deals that lose other peoples money and get away with it is no different, except that they don't raise anywhere near that much money for charity and cancer research.

In which case he has stolen from the people donating. how many peiople do you think would have donated to a drug cheats cause?

 

[prawn_86]

In which case he has stolen from the people donating. how many peiople do you think would have donated to a drug cheats cause?

I would argue mislead, over stolen, but thats a technicality. As per my comments above, if i was asked to mislead people in order to get half a billion dollars for a charity then i would strongly consider it.

He hasnt done anything illegal (according to the law, not the sport of cycling) that i am aware of, and when it comes down to it, it's just sport. If his foundation has saved lives, or helped families who are suffering then it is worth it imo

 

[McLovin]

He hasnt done anything illegal (according to the law, not the sport of cycling) that i am aware of, and when it comes down to it, it's just sport. If his foundation has saved lives, or helped families who are suffering then it is worth it imo

Possession and use of EPO and steroids is a criminal offence in France.

 

[Julia]

I can totally see the point of those saying he's 100% bad and deserves all that's coming to him.
It just seems to me that almost the entire focus has been on him, whereas I've read accounts from other cyclists, much less well known, who said that when starting their elite training, they were handed by the team doctor, a program of drugs with instructions of what to take/inject when, and an assurance that to do this was 'normal'.

I would simply like to see everyone associated with the sport, the administration, the coaches, the medical advisers etc, also held to account. Imo they have no compensating factor for their cheating.

Armstrong at least, as Prawn has pointed out, has done much good for many people.

 

[DocK]

I can totally see the point of those saying he's 100% bad and deserves all that's coming to him.
It just seems to me that almost the entire focus has been on him, whereas I've read accounts from other cyclists, much less well known, who said that when starting their elite training, they were handed by the team doctor, a program of drugs with instructions of what to take/inject when, and an assurance that to do this was 'normal'.

I would simply like to see everyone associated with the sport, the administration, the coaches, the medical advisers etc, also held to account. Imo they have no compensating factor for their cheating.

Armstrong at least, as Prawn has pointed out, has done much good for many people.

Other, less well-known cyclists, have not benefitted from their cheating nearly so much as Armstrong has, nor have they vehemently and publicly denied their cheating for years. Yes, many do it, or have done it - yet for years Armstrong has publicly portrayed himself as being a beacon of honesty and decency in a sport well-known for its drug use. So many aspiring cyclists must feel so disenchanted, let alone the poor sods who constantly came in 3rd, 4th etc but did it purely through their own natural abilities.

As for the fund raising - nobody would deny that the charity work Armstrong has done will hopefully benefit many (although I suspect his primary motiviation was probably himself - at least initially). The unfortunate result of Armstrong being revealed as the cheat that he is may be that the level of cynicism the donating public feels will be reinforced and other charities may suffer as a result. The charity itself may have been above board, but its public face is now in disgrace and many who gave money will feel cheated themselves.

 

[prawn_86]

Possession and use of EPO and steroids is a criminal offence in France.

I stand corrected then

 

[McLovin]

I stand corrected then

He's still innocent at law. USADA's burden of proof appears to be the balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt. The evidence is all circumstantial "I saw him do it" and wouldn't hold up in a criminal trial.

I have no doubt in my mind that he did it. I still think to go from being almost dead to winning the toughest event in the world seven times is an achievement. He's a grade A ahole, not just for his cheating but also for running out on his wife and kids and from everything I've ever read about him he's just a narcissistic douche.

 

[prawn_86]

I have no doubt in my mind that he did it. I still think to go from being almost dead to winning the toughest event in the world seven times is an achievement. He's a grade A ahole, not just for his cheating but also for running out on his wife and kids and from everything I've ever read about him he's just a narcissistic douche.

Yep, agree on all points, especially what i have bolded.

And he raied a hell of a lot of coin for charity, so at the end of the day at least some good came out of it.

 

[Macquack]

I still think to go from being almost dead to winning the toughest event in the world seven times is an achievement.

I tend to disagree.

Winning a competition by being drug boosted is not really an achievement.

 

[Macquack]

As for the fund raising - nobody would deny that the charity work Armstrong has done will hopefully benefit many (although I suspect his primary motiviation was probably himself - at least initially). The unfortunate result of Armstrong being revealed as the cheat that he is may be that the level of cynicism the donating public feels will be reinforced and other charities may suffer as a result. The charity itself may have been above board, but its public face is now in disgrace and many who gave money will feel cheated themselves.

Good point.

I don't buy all the back slapping because of Armstrong's charity work. Show me a high profile athlete or actor that does not support a "charity". These days it is just part of the marketing "package" of a celebrity.

 

[DB008]

He's still innocent at law. USADA's burden of proof appears to be the balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt. The evidence is all circumstantial "I saw him do it" and wouldn't hold up in a criminal trial.

I have no doubt in my mind that he did it. I still think to go from being almost dead to winning the toughest event in the world seven times is an achievement. He's a grade A ahole, not just for his cheating but also for running out on his wife and kids and from everything I've ever read about him he's just a narcissistic douche.

2 of his urine tests did come back positive.

1) A frozen urine sample (from Lance Armstrong) did test positive for EPO, but years after the sample was taken as the technology to test for EPO was still being developed.
2) Another urine sample came back positive, he got a cortisone steroid script backdated to circumvent the result and said it was for 'saddle sores'.


I recommend watching this

4 Corners Documentary - The World According to Lance

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/10/11/3608613.htm