Lance Armstrong doped (update 2013 - lose ? add !)

[Crybaby Bunting]

He did acknowledge that the UCI had received money from Armstrong. “The UCI received $100,000 from Lance Armstrong in 2005, four years after this incident was supposed to have taken place.” McQuaid then explained: “The UCI would accept donations from anyone who’s prepared to give. We’re a non-profit-making organisation so we’re prepared to accept money from anyone who’s prepared to assist us in developing the sport.”

This is clearly the most important part of the entire incident, as now there is a HUGE motive for collusion between the testing agencies and Armstrong's team.

Either one of two things have happened:

1) The donation was just a goodwill gesture and, through Landis knowing about this, he managed to twist it into a corruption story to turn the attention away from him and potentially uncovering something huge in the process. Essentially its just throwing things about in the hope that something works and he gets hailed as a genius without knowing about it.

2) The agencies were bribed, but realise that flat out denying an incident occurred would be highly damaging considering how easy it would be to find out with government probing. I'm not sure how much money is pumped into Cycling, but I'm willing to bet that they won't be able to hire the lawyers that could get them out of this if they are guilty.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Two more interesting nuggets...

Both from Cycling News.

Greg LeMond has said that he supports Floyd Landis and believes “most of” his statements “regarding the systemic corruption in professional cycling.” The first US rider ever to win the Tour de France said that he hopes Landis' decision to reveal what he knows will be the chance to change the sport and help eliminate doping.

“I believe most of Floyd Landis’s statements regarding the systemic corruption in professional cycling,” LeMond wrote on his personal website. “I imagine from my own experiences that today he is paying a heavy price for his honesty and I support Floyd in his attempt to free himself from his past. I hope that others - fans, riders and sponsor’s embrace this as an opportunity to bring about positive change in the sport.”

LeMond said that "while Landis' own doping and subsequent lying have caused many to doubt him, my position, for which I have spoken long and loud, is to advocate for deep and systemic change in the sport to eliminate the scourge of dope."

“Too many lives have been lost, too many promising careers have been cut short and too many fans have been cheated. It isn’t about whether Rider X or Rider Y can be proven by physical evidence or otherwise to have doped. Floyd Landis is simply representative of many in the sport.”

Lemond concluded, “Clean racing makes for a much more exciting sport, and I encourage the fans to engage in the dialogue surrounding Floyd Landis’ comments and advocate with me here and elsewhere for positive 'pure' change.”

LeMond's show of support for Landis is surprising in light of the history between the two. During Landis' arbitration hearing before the US Anti-doping Agency, one of Landis' staff called LeMond and threatened to disclose that LeMond had been sexually abused as a child. LeMond himself disclosed both the phone call and the abuse at the hearing. He had been called as a witness against Landis.

At least two of the people Floyd Landis accused of doping have already been contacted by anti-doping officials, the New York Times has reported. The newspaper says the two do not want their names published as they are still deciding whether to step forward. The unnamed agency has allegedly asked them to co-operate in its investigation in exchange for leniency.

Landis himself had tried to get others to co-operate with him, said Andrew Messick, sports director of A.E.G, which runs the Amgen Tour of California: “He was trying to find other riders to come clean with him, but nobody would.” Messick suggested that Landis tell his story to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

In the New York Times, Messick said that he had a conversation with Landis in early April. He told me: ‘I’ve been living a lie. I can’t sleep at night. I have to ease my burden, so I’ve got to tell the truth about what I’ve done.

[Herr Matzat]

Hasn't it already been proven before that Armstrong used doping?

I think he always had somekind of cancer paper or bullshit that alowed him to use substances that were concidert doping.

[SeanDMan]

Certain types of steroids are perscribed to help aid the body recover after certain types of chemotherapy.

[Dan]

I don't know why they don't just let them all pump themselves with drugs, would make it a level-playing field.

[Herr Matzat]

I don't know why they don't just let them all pump themselves with drugs, would make it a level-playing field.

Cause it´s a little bit unhealthy.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Back in the day they'd cycle through the massive mountain stages out of their eyeballs on cocaine....

....Then one guy rode straight off the edge of the mountainside, falling thousands of feet to his death, and they banned it.

[Dan]

See, if they did that more, I'd watch it.

[LUKIE]

My uncle is considered the "top guy" in the over 50's category in cycling and triathlons here in Perth. He rarely doesn't come first in his divisions, and he is one absolutely fit as fuck 60 year old. He is also an incredibly humble guy. In fact, the last triathlon he participated in, he crashed out on the bicycle stage, regrouped himself, and still managed a third. And that was with 2 broken ribs. An amazing guy.

Anyway, leading into the cycling bit of the story. A few years back (I think 5), he went with a group over to the Tour de France and participated in the hill climb, the hardest stage said by many. He came back, and said his group was FIVE HOURS off the pace of the lead group, which is absolutely remarkable. The only thing he would ever say about his experience, was that the professionals on the tour are all doped up. He reckons it is impossible to be pulling out the times they are without aid.

As I said, he is a very humble guy, and that really stuck out with me from a few years back. He certaintly seems to have lost a lot of respect for the Tour since he made that trip.

[mikevandam]

F*** Armstrong i say. He was as doped as anyone else. The doped riders (Ulrich, Pantani and the like) couldn't keep up with him, when they were doped. Then how could he possibly pin them to the walls for 7 years straight? Doesn't make sense. Johan Bruyneel is an absolute scumbag either way. And i seriously doubt that he have clean hands.

With that said i hope they bust Cuntador first though. He was involved in Puerto remember. And im still pissed of the way the 2007 tour ended

[hackerjack]

He did acknowledge that the UCI had received money from Armstrong. “The UCI received $100,000 from Lance Armstrong in 2005, four years after this incident was supposed to have taken place.” McQuaid then explained: “The UCI would accept donations from anyone who’s prepared to give. We’re a non-profit-making organisation so we’re prepared to accept money from anyone who’s prepared to assist us in developing the sport.”

This is clearly the most important part of the entire incident, as now there is a HUGE motive for collusion between the testing agencies and Armstrong's team.

Either one of two things have happened:

1) The donation was just a goodwill gesture and, through Landis knowing about this, he managed to twist it into a corruption story to turn the attention away from him and potentially uncovering something huge in the process. Essentially its just throwing things about in the hope that something works and he gets hailed as a genius without knowing about it.

2) The agencies were bribed, but realise that flat out denying an incident occurred would be highly damaging considering how easy it would be to find out with government probing. I'm not sure how much money is pumped into Cycling, but I'm willing to bet that they won't be able to hire the lawyers that could get them out of this if they are guilty.

The trouble is that $100,000 is next to nothing to a group like the UCI. Certainly not worth risking a scandal over.

[Liam]

I think doping in cycling is like fraud in horse racing. People try and make it look like it is just one or two 'bad eggs' so to speak, but in actuality, it probably seeps right through to the very core of the sport.

Or no smoke without fire, as they say.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I wouldn't be surprised if doping in the under 25s is practically unheard of, however I also feel that in the over 30s there's been plenty of it (at least in the past) that the UCI is now overlooking, preferring not to rock the boat too much.

[Lint]

Thougt I'd bring this up again

Lance Armstrong will admit to doping during his famed cycling career in an upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey, according to USA Today Sports.

The newspaper cites a source who says that while Armstrong will confess, it is unlikely he will go into specific details about his doping.

Armstrong


The interview will tape Monday, but won't air until Thursday.

According to Winfrey's website on Tuesday, this will be a "no-holds-barred interview" with Armstrong, who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles in October.

It will be the first interview with Armstrong since his cycling career crumbled under the weight of a massive report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The report detailed accusations of drug use by Armstrong and teammates on his U.S. Postal Service teams. It caused him to lose most of his personal corporate sponsors, and he recently stepped down from the board of Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity he founded in 1997.

The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported last week that Armstrong was considering a confession to help restore his athletic career in triathlons and running events at age 41. Armstrong has been banned for life from competing in sporting events governed by the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

David Howman, director general of WADA, said earlier this month that USADA, not WADA, would have the authority to decide whether to reopen Armstrong's case if Armstrong were to present new information.

"It's (USADA's) issue, although they could come to us to ask for guidance or advice," he said.

Speaking in general terms and not specifically about the Armstrong case, Howman said new information that might merit revisiting a case could pertain to the individual defendant or shed light on others involved in doping offenses. He said there is precedent for cases to be reopened and it would be "nonsensical" to close off that possibility.

The WADA code provides for reduced penalties in instances in which athletes provide "substantial assistance" in resolving other doping cases.

Howman did not want to speculate on the effect of a potential Armstrong confession.

"This is such a significant case with so many issues, and it has had a considerable effect not only on the sport of cycling but the world sports scene itself," Howman said.

Armstrong is facing other legal hurdles.

The U.S. Department of Justice is considering whether to join a federal whistle-blower lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis. A Dallas-based promotions company also has said it wants to recover several million dollars paid to Armstrong in bonuses for winning the Tour de France. The British newspaper, The Sunday Times, has sued Armstrong to recover $500,000 paid to him to settle a libel lawsuit.


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[OGpistolpete]

He doped, she doped, we all doped.

I for one, choose to blame society. Hmphf.

[Noah]

I hardly see Oprah doing a no-holds barred interview with Mr Armstrong. :/

Everything will be softened as much as possible and she'll get everyone to applaud him for his charity work.

[Colly]

He should've done Paxman. Or Geoff Shreeves.

[gunnar hendershow]

I hardly see Oprah doing a no-holds barred interview with Mr Armstrong. :/

Everything will be softened as much as possible and she'll get everyone to applaud him for his charity work.

Conversely it could be like her interview with James Frey.

[Lineker]

I think that we can lost the question mark from the thread title now

Oprah Winfrey says Lance Armstrong did not come clean in the way she had expected him to in her interview with the disgraced cyclist.

The Texan was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the International Cycling Union last year after the United States Anti-Doping Agency found he had been at the heart of "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

"I would say [Lance Armstrong] did not come clean in the manner I had expected. It was surprising to me," talk show host Winfrey tells the CBS This Morning programme. The first part of the Armstrong interview on the 'Oprah' show is due to be broadcast at 0200GMT on Friday.

Oprah Winfrey says she was "satisfied" with Lance Armstrong's answers during her interview, which will be aired over two nights because of its length.

She said she was "mesmerised and riveted" by some of his answers. Winfrey thought the entire interview was difficult for the Texan and said he was "emotional" during it, but she said Armstrong "certainly had prepared himself".

"I feel he answered the questions in a way that [suggested] he was ready," she says. The first part of the Armstrong interview on the 'Oprah' show is due to be broadcast at 0200GMT on Friday.

[Baddar]

'Sky Sources' have said he confessed in the interview.