The evidence seems to be stacking up against the former champion cyclist, as a cheat and a serial doper, although anything Tyler Hamilton said I would dismiss as coming from the mouth of a real slime ball.
I suppose one has to view it in context, and many of the teams were doping or turned a blind eye to it; and if you wanted to beat the dopers, you had to dope too, because no one in authority would listen. It's no excuse, it's still cheating and should have no place in sport.
As a fan of cycling and a cyclist, albeit of very limited talent, I'm upset that such giants as Armstrong and Hincappie are shown to be less than honest or worse, very dishonest, especially big George, who was respected worldwide as a nice bloke and a hard working team member. Armstrong, with an ego the size of Texas, was far less likeable.
Hopefully, cycling is now moving on beyond the time of the chemical cheats. It might never be as exciting as the time of the apparent super-heroes - who can forget Armstrong chasing down Ulrich(another doper) on the mountain stage - Wiggo, will never achieve feats such as that primarily because he races clean, as far as we know, but unaided effort isn't as spectacular to watch.
I look forward to a time when we can anticipate a sport which isn't populated by cheats, but we have a while to go, one was caught recently in a French team, and although the times won't be as good (already 10% down on previous years)the winner will be the one who shows either the greater fitness, strength or preparation over his opponents.
Curiously, track cycling seems to be getting faster and faster, yet so far doping here is relatively low as far as we know and is down to better training, marginal improvements and application of science.
It's sad that while cycling is enjoying a renaissance in the UK led by the dominance of Team GB in much of the sport, the exposure and downfall of a previous icon of the sport could damage people's perceptions and enthusiasm for it. I sincerely hope not.
Comments
Maybe Lance is a cheat, but .....
.... where the hell do the USADA get the unsufferable arrogance to strip him of titles over which they have no jurisdiction? It is about time that some of these US Officials actually grasped the fact that THEY are not world leaders. SKY sports in the UK are no better....they are reporting (every hour) that he has been stripped of his titles. Yes, that may well happen, but it has NOT HAPPENED YET.
Looks like Armstrong is worse than we thought.
Hopefully they will read the Gab stories for a look at true cyclists.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Lance A
Guilty and not one drug test failed???? The thing I don't understand, why were no charges ever file against him????? Especially with all the so-called fraud that they say they uncovered????? He was here in San Diego a week ago on a non-saction Bike Ride and everybody welcome him.
Richard
Cycling has a history of doping going back to it's earliest days
Sad to say but in any sport were gambling on the outcome is common -- and racing is among the most at risk for it -- doping becomes almost inevitable.
Hell, cyclists used to take small doses of strychnine as in small doses it was much like the later amphetamines. Not only was it a cheat but a dangerous one. A modest overdoes tended to kill you.
Same problem with long distance runners.
Sad.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. Where were these *good citizens* years ago when the doping supposedly occurred? Probably doping themselves or helping others dope. And it may well go both ways. Dope to give you an edge, drug a competitor so they fail a test or their performance is reduced.
John in Wauwatosa
The ones that claimed Armstrong
Was doping, are just as guilty then. So the punishment should be the same for all.
Hugs, Fran
"Sport"
Perhaps I'm contrarian, but I tend to think that, if sport is spectacle -- with millions in endorsements and payments riding on the outcomes -- rather than merely competition between amateurs for "fun," who the heck cares whether they're "doping" or cybernetically-enhanced with "Transformers-style" exoskeletons, as long as people enjoy watching them?
Many people appear to like "Pro Wrestling," and I seriously doubt that many people believe that the outcomes aren't at least partially choreographed for effect, and the perennial popularity of the X-Men, Avengers, Batman, Spiderman, and other franchises seems to say that people don't particularly care whether their heroes are bitten by radioactive spiders or visited by extraterrestrials who give them magic rings, much less have hypodermic needles plunged into their gluteus maximi.
As I understood it (and I don't follow any sport more strenuous that professional page turning and championship scribbling), at least part of Armstrong's supposed doping was due to his necessary hormone replacement therapy after losing his testicles to cancer. Hey, if that's what it takes, I doubt that there will be many men -- at least -- lining up for "legal" shots.
Then too, many of these deathbed confessions seem to be prompted by the offer of "plea deals" with other parties, which is a very substantial bribe, whether the "bargainer" is guilty or innocent, since defending one's self against a criminal charge brought by a determined prosecutor is likely to cost a million dollars or more, and one can't bill the charges to the opposition if one wins. It's a crazy system that favours the people with the most money, who tend to be representatives of the government or other large organisations.
Then again, many of these charges appear to be "double jeopardy," since he's retired, and had "beaten the rap" on these or similar charges before.
We wouldn't let a murderer be so shabbily treated, why are athletes exempt from the usual protections of the law?
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
I think he only had to have ONE removed
And supposedly the body CAN adjust and do fine with one, particularly if it is post puberty.
Still this whole scandal is sad no matter how you look at it.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. He is YET to be convicted of ANYTHING. So far as I understand these are all accusations and nothing has been proven conclusively. In a way it is like a jail house informant and those people have NO incentive to lie... do they?
Remember the BIG case that triggered this was one dismissed a number a years ago. What made it explode was him saying he was not going to fight this anymore.
Guilty until proven innocent I guess. As I say no matter the *truth* here a black eye for the sport. Slime ball like so many or innocent he is ruined and the sport tarnished yet again.
John in Wauwatosa
Actually, from what I've
Actually, from what I've read, USADA basically told several of those that "testified" against him that if they did, they'd be let go with minimal (if any) penalties, whereas if they didn't cooperate, they'd suffer the same as Lance. That is the problem with the USADA witch hunt because it certainly seemed like it.
Samirah M. Johnstone
The USADA were clearly gunning.
For Lance in particular. Whatever vendetta they have for him, whatever spurred it, no matter whether Lance is actually a cheat or not, THAT ALONE puts a huge black mark on sports in general in the US.
Abigail Drew.
One vs two
When a man has both testicles removed, testosterone replacement therapy would be required, and in pretty heavy doses, too.
I had one testicle removed and need to have one shot per week at 1cc per shot. That keeps me barely at the normal range. Without the shot, my levels would decrease dramatically (and have, in reality). Yes, the body can adjust but doesn't go back to full functionality without that extra boost. That boost depends on your body type, shape and it's metabolism rate.
As to charges and convictions, it must be remembered how a prosecutor gets promoted here in the US. It all depends on their CONVICTION rate. It has nothing to do with justice being served. It has EVERYTHING to do with how many people you convicted of a crime. The plea bargain, as it is used here, is just a legalized form of blackmail. They have some petty crime they can hit you with but, if you help convict some other guy of a bigger crime, we'll let you go. That's when all the cockroaches come out of the wall with all kinds of unsubstantiated stories that do nothing but help keep the prosecutor's conviction rate as high as possible.
You need to look at who's making the accusations and how a conviction would benefit THEM.
Hugs,
Erica
And despite all of that he
And despite all of that he has done a lot of good with the cancer foundation the founded that continues on regardless. It has made a lot of money and helped a lot of people. What he has done or not done, because those USADA guys came across as slime to me as well, I think that is a much greater accomplishment. Sure his medals and such helped him get it started, but he can hopefully keep this thing going despite all of that.
I am not a fan of even the idea of using anything to enhance yourself for a sport that is not either a) utterly natural (such as herbs) or b) types of exercise/ breathing/ etc that can achieve different techniques. If this is all something that you can get from food, water, raw herbs and exercises or training techniques, I am all for it. Otherwise I am against it. So if he did use, which I am not sure of given how I have heard how the USADA has been gunning for him and that they never has a fair hearing (from what I have heard, I actually have clue none), then my respect for him as an athlete has gone down but my respect for him as a person remains pretty much the same.
Honestly people, I know you want to win but how can you cherish the win if it isn't honest?
Heather
We are the change that will save the world.
What I found interesting
is that according to the reports I've read (I haven't read them all) but Hincapie and Leipheimer never named Lance at all. Which makes me wonder a bit. I like George, he was always one of the class acts. So I am skeptical about a few things, though it doesn't look all that good for Lance.
Samirah M. Johnstone