FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[What's Burning?]

didn't feel like starting a new thread, but given the news today about Lance Armstrong deciding not to go into arbitration about the most recent of charges against him. I posted this on another forum.

“As a cycling fan, I've always been a fan of Lance. Simply because he brought one of the worlds most popular sports into the limelight in America where previously the sport really didn't have a following outside a core group of fans. There were good American cyclists before Lance. Eric Heiden, Greg LeMonde, but they didn't have the support around them to bring the sport into the limelight.

I say all this because it always was clear to me that Armstrong was using performance enhancing drugs. Why? Because everyone around Lance was using them. ALL of the major General Classification riders that Lance raced against were caught at one time or another doping. Basso, Pantani, Vinokurov, Ullrich, and Americans Landis and Hamilton... all banned at some point. So in a sport where all of the riders in a tour, from the best to the worst, are within a couple of percentage points of each other in their abilities. Drugs, even a .5% gain in your ability to process oxygen and deliver that oxygen to your muscles is a huge advantage!

This comes as no surprise, the sport should continue the relentless chase of athletes that use performance enhancing drugs. It wasn't always the case, there was a business, an industry built around beating the system. WADA began prosecuting doctors, coaches, people in the sport that were enabling the athletes to cheat, and have now taken a hard stance against the athletes themselves.

I'm glad this is over with. Perhaps now the sport I love can move forward.”

[LRW]

What I don't understand is, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have now said they have stripped him of his 7 TdF titles ......

..... under what jurisdiction???

I'm not being sarcastic or funny - I truly don't understand how....?

[darwin dali]

Professional cycling events should be banned - this so-called 'sport' has been a disgrace for decades. I've been disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted for a long time now - enough is enough!

[Hammer278]

It's a disaster for what they did to Armstrong. Really it is. Why put him under the tests and then strip him off his achievements when he PASSED all their tests? Simply renders their tests either insignificant/obsolete...what a shame.

It's just a sad day for this sport, no one can justify stripping an athlete's achievements over a span of a decade when he has done (proven to date) nothing wrong.

[andrew]

Professional cycling events should be banned - this so-called 'sport' has been a disgrace for decades. I've been disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted for a long time now - enough is enough!

Nit of an extreme decision there DD.

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

[scotty]

He hasn't been stripped yet and there is no indication that the UCI will follow the lead of USADA (UCI actually challenged their jurisdiction on this). USADA categorically do not have the authority to change the records.

This all smacks of a witch hunt. There is no actual proof he did anything wrong, i thought it was innocent til proven guilty?

[Nin-Chin]

Wow USA dont care about tour de france and their man pathetic really I want to kick the out of them I really liked Lance I hate USA for this piece of

[LRW]

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

Has he? Where's that then?

[LRW]

He hasn't been stripped yet and there is no indication that the UCI will follow the lead of USADA (UCI actually challenged their jurisdiction on this). USADA categorically do not have the authority to change the records.

This all smacks of a witch hunt. There is no actual proof he did anything wrong, i thought it was innocent til proven guilty?

But that's my confusion, the BBC are quoting USADA as saying they have stripped him of his titles and given him a lifetime ban. But the UCI are witholding judgement for now.

So what gives USADA the right to state his titles are gone?

Innocent until proven guilty I say.

[andrew]

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

Has he? Where's that then?

He's not protesting his innocence is he? He's dropped his defence. If he was innocent then surely he would protest his innocence to his dying days?

[LRW]

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

Has he? Where's that then?

He's not protesting his innocence is he? He's dropped his defence. If he was innocent then surely he would protest his innocence to his dying days?

You obviously haven't read the article's have you.

[darwin dali]

Professional cycling events should be banned - this so-called 'sport' has been a disgrace for decades. I've been disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted for a long time now - enough is enough!

Nit of an extreme decision there DD.

I don't think so at all. If this so-called 'sport' can't get their shîte together (for how long now?) and constantly gets riddled with doping scandals, then it loses its legitimacy and becomes a futile exercise in illegal pedaling, where the best cheaters get rewarded, simple as that.

[andrew]

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

Has he? Where's that then?

He's not protesting his innocence is he? He's dropped his defence. If he was innocent then surely he would protest his innocence to his dying days?

You obviously haven't read the article's have you.

I have so explain why an innocent person wouldn't defend themselves?

I don't think so at all. If this so-called 'sport' can't get their shîte together (for how long now?) and constantly gets riddled with doping scandals, then it loses its legitimacy and becomes a futile exercise in illegal pedaling, where the best cheaters get rewarded, simple as that.

You could say the same about a few sports - the best cheaters get rewarded.

[darwin dali]

I don't think so at all. If this so-called 'sport' can't get their shîte together (for how long now?) and constantly gets riddled with doping scandals, then it loses its legitimacy and becomes a futile exercise in illegal pedaling, where the best cheaters get rewarded, simple as that.

You could say the same about a few sports - the best cheaters get rewarded.

Correct!
With cycling being one of the most if not THE most egregious offenders though.

[LRW]

He cheated, plain and simple. Of course he should be stripped of his titles! He's pretty much admitted his guilt.

Has he? Where's that then?

He's not protesting his innocence is he? He's dropped his defence. If he was innocent then surely he would protest his innocence to his dying days?

You obviously haven't read the article's have you.

I have so explain why an innocent person wouldn't defend themselves?

I dont need to, as he has already explained himself, so I don't need to.