Lance Armstrong Banned and Stripped of TDF Titles

[DirtyFrank]

Let me start by saying that I am not a LA fanboy in the purest sense but I do think he is undoubtedly one of the greatest cyclists ever. Did he use some chemical help? absolutely. Is he lieing about it ? sure. But they all did, at that level ! You don`t get to that height without exploiting every conceivable method at you disposal that you can get away with, be that trainers, equipment, diets, team support, meditation.....whatever gets the job done providing you can get away with it within the application of the rules! Was he caught out at the time, possibly, but no allegations stuck. For many of the others that were caught, tough luck. Point is they were caught red handed within a reasonable timeframe, not years after the fact and largely based on the bleating of some major sinners with a sudden attack of conscience. He did not get to the levels of achievement through EPO and testosterone alone contrary to some of the haters and whingers posts. He`s easy to hate, no doubt, arrogant, bullying, ambitious....but equally easy to admire, tough, focussed, intelligent, brilliant rider ( the Beloki shortcut incident springs to mind!) I don`t believe that any of the past winners were clean , and i don`t care, it`s high level sport and they wanted to win, they all played by the same unspoken rule( don`t get caught!) Do we now strip all the past winners of their titles and hand the yellow jerseys to the also rans? You`d have to believe in fairy tales if you think top level sport is totally drug free!

I think the USDA with their rabid and typical hypocrictical Yank attitude have done the the sport so much harm with the irony that Armstrong as one of their own did a lot of good for the sport etc.( I can feel those flamethrowers lighting up !) The UCI have joined the crusade to try and save face but the truth is they are directly implicated in that they knew what was going on all along but ignored it in the interest of BIG business. Heads must roll there too if the sport is to regain some cred.

A lot of speculation is going on now regarding possible law suits against Armstrong by sponsors etc. but that would be absurd i.m.o. as they all got their moneys worth from Armstrongs success, If they now go and claim their money back they`d better be willing to pay it all back to the suckers who bought their Jawbones and vitamins in the first place.That is unlikely to happen but you can bet that a lot of lawyers are nursing their hard ons as we speak!

All of the above has been said before and none of it will change anything. I will only loose major respect for Lance if he rolls over under this pressure and blubbers a confession as per the other soft c*cks. Untill then he will always be one of the greatest in my eyes chemicals or not, I am not naive enough to believe in fairy tales!

Edited October 25, 2012 by DirtyFrank

[nickc]

http://www.toonpool.com/user/5624/files/lance_armstrong_jerseys_1819545.jpg

[SwissVan]

On a different matter..........so how do we fix this?

 

Can't they plant some sort of chip into the tour riders body for the four weeks monitoring blood volumes and "dead" redcells? When transfusing there is always a number of dead cells...

 

Or each team leader needs an permanent escort from a doping agency. A guy that basically follows him around everywhere... almost like a bodyguard....?

 

Or they need to test every bloody riders Hematocrit level for everysingle day of the TDF.....

 

An electric shock like used in abbatoirs disguised as a camera would work well, it could be applied shortly after the rider has crossed the finish line and slows down looking for his team, or disguised as a bunch of flowers if it is a podium rider...

 

That will be a good deterrent and probably only need to be applied a few times before they get the idea?

[Garfield2010]

An electric shock like used in abbatoirs disguised as a camera would work well, it could be applied shortly after the rider has crossed the finish line and slows down looking for his team, or disguised as a bunch of flowers if it is a podium rider...

 

That will be a good deterrent and probably only need to be applied a few times before they get the idea?

 

40 houe met `n stomp byl op jou voorvel

[Bonus]

Just browsing through this thread from time to time - can't read everything, everywhere - it's too damn depressing.

 

I've been to the T de F many times, usually for a week or ten days, and I've watched the final stage on the CE twice.

 

I can't tell you how dissapointed I am in the whole thing :-(

 

But, there was something that made me smile . . . . .

 

When any rider wins Le Tour, it is customary for him to share the total winnings between the whole team. The theory being that he will make enough money from appearences and sponsorship not to need it. So . . . . if Le Tour wants to claim back the prize money it will have to go to the team mates to do so . . . . those same team mates that are currently being given get out of jail free cards for what they are doing :-)

[fandacious]

What Lance should say

 

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/sports/blog.html?b=sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/23/the-apology-lance-armstrong-will-never-give

[HappyMartin]

The longer this goes on the more I find myself changing my mind about things and the more sympathy I feel for the man.

 

He's down. Lets stop the kicking now.

[Tumbleweed]

This may cause some grumbles, but here's:

 

Open Letter to Pat McQuaid from Greg LeMond

 

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 2:31am by

Andy Shen

 

Greg LeMond posted this to his Facebook timeline this evening. Please pass it around. If you have a blog or a site take the copy and post it.

Can anyone help me out? I know this sounds kind of lame but I am not well versed in social marketing. I would like to send a message to everyone that really loves cycling. I do not use twitter and do not have an organized way of getting some of my own "rage" out. I want to tell the world of cycling to please join me in telling Pat McQuaid to f##k off and resign. I have never seen such an abuse of power in cycling's history- resign Pat if you love cycling. Resign even if you hate the sport.

Pat McQuaid, you know damn well what has been going on in cycling, and if you want to deny it, then even more reasons why those who love cycling need to demand that you resign.

I have a file with what I believe is well documented proof that will exonerate Paul.

Pat in my opinion you and Hein are the corrupt part of the sport. I do not want to include everyone at the UCI because I believe that there are many, maybe most that work at the UCI that are dedicated to cycling, they do it out of the love of the sport, but you and your buddy Hein have destroyed the sport.

Pat, I thought you loved cycling? At one time you did and if you did love cycling please dig deep inside and remember that part of your life- allow cycling to grow and flourish- please! It is time to walk away. Walk away if you love cycling.

As a reminder I just want to point out that recently you accused me of being the cause of USADA's investigation against Lance Armstrong. Why would you be inclined to go straight to me as the "cause"? Why shoot the messenger every time?

Every time you do this I get more and more entrenched. I was in your country over the last two weeks and I asked someone that knows you if you were someone that could be rehabilitated. His answer was very quick and it was not good for you. No was the answer, no, no , no!

The problem for sport is not drugs but corruption. You are the epitome of the word corruption.

You can read all about Webster's definition of corruption. If you want I can re-post my attorney's response to your letter where you threaten to sue me for calling the UCI corrupt. FYI I want to officially reiterate to you and Hein that in my opinion the two of your represent the essence of corruption.

I would encourage anyone that loves cycling to donate and support Paul in his fight against the Pat and Hein and the UCI. Skip lunch and donate the amount that you would have spent towards that Sunday buffet towards changing the sport of cycling.

I donated money for Paul's defense, and I am willing to donate a lot more, but I would like to use it to lobby for dramatic change in cycling. The sport does not need Pat McQuaid or Hein Verbruggen- if this sport is going to change it is now. Not next year, not down the road, now! Now or never!

People that really care about cycling have the power to change cycling- change it now by voicing your thought and donating money towards Paul Kimmage's defense, (Paul, I want to encourage you to not spend the money that has been donated to your defense fund on defending yourself in Switzerland. In my case, a USA citizen, I could care less if I lost the UCI's bogus lawsuit. Use the money to lobby for real change).

If people really want to clean the sport of cycling up all you have to do is put your money where your mouth is.

Don't buy a USA Cycling license. Give up racing for a year, just long enough to put the UCI and USA cycling out of business. We can then start from scratch and let the real lovers in cycling direct where and how the sport of cycling will go.

Please make a difference.

Greg

[Wyatt Earp]

Greg Le Mond.

The biggest d@@s of them all.

He is an attention seeking hypocrite.

[scotty]

The longer this goes on the more I find myself changing my mind about things and the more sympathy I feel for the man.

 

He's down. Lets stop the kicking now.

Still has 2 tour wins (de Luxembourg and and Du Point) , 2 TDF stage wins, 1993 US and world champion and a few 1 day event wins credited to him. Time for critics to start removing those.

[DJR]

Greg le Mond comes across as an emotional and angry man but his rant contains basically NO facts of any value. That is no way to fight the UCI.

[Lucky Luke.]

What Lance should say

 

http://www.nationalp...will-never-give

 

What a great read. Starts off in quite a realistic fashion, almost like a Cinéma vérité biopic, then descends into something of a fantasy when all the apologies start coming out. Cracking stuff all the same.

[GoLefty!!]

Yes there is. Do not recognise them. Do not support any UCI sanctioned event. Simple really. Are you strong enough to do that?

Event organisers, please stop seeking affiliation with these corrupt officials.

[E1A104]

The longer this goes on the more I find myself changing my mind about things and the more sympathy I feel for the man.

 

He's down. Lets stop the kicking now.

 

Why? He (la) was happy to kick and stomp people once he had dragged them down.

[E1A104]

Let me start by saying that I am not a LA fanboy in the purest sense but I do think he is undoubtedly on of the greatest cyclists ever. Did he use some chemical help? absolutely. Is he lieing about it ? sure. But they all did, at that level ! You don`t get to that height without exploiting every conceivable method at you disposal that you can get away with, be that trainers, equipment, diets, team support, meditation.....whatever gets the job done providing you can get away with it within the application of the rules! Was he caught out at the time, possibly, but no allegations stuck. For many of the others that were caught, tough luck. Point is they were caught red handed within a reasonable timeframe, not years after the fact and largely based on the bleating of some major sinners with a sudden attack of conscience. He did not get to the levels of achievement through EPO and testosterone alone contrary to some of the haters and whingers posts. He`s easy to hate, no doubt, arrogant, bullying, ambitious....but equally easy to admire, tough, focussed, intelligent, brilliant rider ( the Beloki shortcut incident springs to mind!) I don`t believe that any of the past winners were clean , and i don`t care, it`s high level sport and they wanted to win, they all played by the same unspoken rule( don`t get caught!) Do we now strip all the past winners of their titles and hand the yellow jerseys to the also rans? You`d have to believe in fairy tales if you think top level sport is totally drug free!

I think the USDA with their rabid and typical hypocrictical Yank attitude have done the the sport so much harm with the irony that Armstrong as one of their own did a lot of good for the sport etc.( I can feel those flamethrowers lighting up !) The UCI have joined the crusade to try and save face but the truth is they are directly implicated in that they knew what was going on all along but ignored it in the interest of BIG business. Heads must roll there too if the sport is to regain some cred.

A lot of speculation is going on now regarding possible law suits against Armstrong by sponsors etc. but that would be absurd i.m.o. as they all got their moneys worth from Armstrongs success, If they now go and claim their money back they`d better be willing to pay it all back to the suckers who bought their Jawbones and vitamins in the first place.That is unlikely to happen but you can bet that a lot of lawyers are nursing their hard ons as we speak!

All of the above has been said before and none of it will change anything. I will only loose major respect for Lance if he rolls over under this pressure and blubbers a confession as per the other soft c*cks. Untill then he will always be one of the greatest in my eyes chemicals or not, I am not naive enough to believe in fairy tales!

 

Greatest cyclest EVER? For what reason? 7(?) TdF wins and a few other odds and ends?

[Tumbleweed]

Greg le Mond comes across as an emotional and angry man but his rant contains basically NO facts of any value. That is no way to fight the UCI.

 

Interesting to read Fignon's book in which he raises concerns about the validity of at least one of LeMond's wins, claiming he was using "illegal" equipment.