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.
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
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.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!
It seems less than fair for Armstrong to be copping such utter condemnation with barely a mention of any involvement of others.
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 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 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?
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
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.
Possession and use of EPO and steroids is a criminal offence in France.
I stand corrected then
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.
I still think to go from being almost dead to winning the toughest event in the world seven times is an achievement.
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.
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.
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