Lance Armstrong

[Dr. Mark]

I am so angry about this, I can barely type.

 

Lance Armstrong finally gave up his fight against the USADA's allegations that he doped in the course of all 7 of his Tour De France wins.

He has passed over 500 drug tests.

The man has never failed a drug test in his career.

The US Department of Justice found no evidence to pursue a trial, the same people that prosecuted Bonds and Clemens.

Even the U.S district judge that dismissed his lawsuit against the USADA said this week that in his opinion it appears to be a with hunt by USADA. ("U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks noted, though, that the USADA's "conduct raises serious questions about whether its real interest in charging Armstrong is to combat doping, or if it is acting according to less noble motives.” )

Their case is reportedly based solely on the testimony of anonymous witnesses.

 

With the dismissal of his lawsuit, his only remaining option was to go to an arbitration process...controlled by the USADA.

How fair. How impartial.

 

The USADA is a taxpayer funded organization, whose job is...you guessed it...to find athletes who are using PEDs.

In order to justify their continued existence, they have to find targets. Otherwise, we, the taxpayers, may do away with their phoney-baloney jobs.

 

Armstrong says he was emotionally exhausted. He has been fighting this for thirteen years.

I can understand that. I know exactly how he feels. I have had a legal fight with the U.S. Government.

They have unlimited resources, unlimited time, they are incredibly arrogant, and they are never wrong (in their eyes).

When they lose, they just reload and come back again.

 

I have no idea if he doped or not. Frankly, I don't care.

Cycling at that level is an incredibly dirty sport, and yes, a lot of cyclists dope.

If you look back at the records, almost every one who placed in the top ten at the Tour has either been caught, or has been under suspicion of using PEDS..and that's for the last decade or two.

 

What I do know is this:

The man overcame testicular cancer that had metastasized to multiple spots throughout his body.

He became a beacon to people all over the world who were involved in their own fights with cancer, including my late nephew Reed, who thought he was a hero.

He gave them...and Reed...the courage and endurance to fight on, in the face of incredibly awful odds.

He gave them hope.

He raised over $600 million dollars for cancer research.

So who fucking cares if he used PEDs, in a sport riddled with them.

 

Compared to him, Travis Tygart, the attorney who heads the USADA, is a pimple on the ass of humanity.

 

Here endeth the rant.

 

[IndianTrue]

From what I read, they had 10 of his teammates that were ready to be witnesses against Lance, so I'm not sure what to think at this point.

[darkrider]

I dant believe how barry bonds and mark mcquire havent been stripped of their home run records.

pure bs

[Last Resort]

I don't give a shit what "they" say ... he has passed so many tests ... WTF?

Hell, it's passed the statute of limitations anyway ... but since when does a governmental ASSHOLE go by the rules THEY setup anyway ...

 

Government should stay the fuck outta PRO sports PERIOD!

I don't give a shit about PED at that level of any "game"

 

But after all the tests they are gunna rely on some teammates word? WTF ... stupid at best

 

By the way, I do not even like Lance, I think he's a prick. But he is getting screwd here by some asshole who should STFU as agreed upon by several US and international agencies that know WAY more about the situation than any other persons out there

[badndn]

Not so sure if he were innocent he would give up. It's not like he fights the battle alone. For the most part, it's lawyers. I think he is probably guilty. Are they all? Probably most. I think he probably know the shit will hit the fan sonner rather than later, so he is bailing...claiming mental exhaustion. Being able to stay one step of doping tests should not be the goal. If he's innocent, he needs to stay the course and prove it. If he's guilty, shut the fuck up about being targeted. Man up. Don't be Barry Bonds. Maybe if he would expose the doping world and the tricks they pull he could actually improve his legacy.

[Micmac]

I dant believe how barry bonds and mark mcquire havent been stripped of their home run records.

pure bs

And any motherfucker who put the pinstripes on, Yankees suck!

[Sam Hayne]

1st I could care less if pro athletes take steroids or human growth hormone. Anyone who believs they don't is living under a rock.

 

 

Doc, the head of the USADA was on the Dan Patrick show. Needless to say, Armstrong took drugs & alot of other things as did the entire US Postal Service team & probably 90% of the racers then. It's fact. The guy went into detail all the stuff they did & what they did to pass tests which went as far as blood transfusions to not only mask some of the drugs, but they also did it for certain courses of the races so they had more red blood cells.....they also used saline to thin out or spread the cells to again mask what they were using.

 

He said blood transfusions are VERY ILLEGAL for bike racing, but they do not have a reliable test to detect blood transfusions.

 

Bottom line, he said what these guys did will become public knowledge, but at least this way Armstrong doesn't have to take the stand & have all the evidence they have on him.

 

Like Dan Patrick said, the fact he passed 500 tests says more about how far behind the tests are to the drugs & the masking agents then it does with the athletes.

 

Sorry, but drugs have been around for centuries. When you throw in millions of dollars to play sports, there are always going to be people willing to take something to get ahead.

 

I dunno, I just remember the Ultimate Warrior talking about this once & he said taking PEDs are 1 of the SACRIFICES an athlete must decide if he has to make to compete at a pro level.

 

Sorry, I don't see it as cheating. I just think the ones that fail the tests are just stupid because I am one of those who believe, especially with the NFL, more players then most will ever want to admit are using something.

[badndn]

Why does everything have to decend to the lowest common denominator? Why is cheating ok? Why is lying under oath ok? Why is it if something happens often enough society accepts it? Sure, it's cheating. Sure it happens. Doesn't make it ok. Lance needs to use his high profile and expose the shit.

[hasbin]

I believe, if he passed all the tests leave him alone, I also believe that it's bullshit storing a urine sample for 10 years (olympics) & then testing with a "new" & improved test.

 

I am not a Lance fan & despise the mother fukn snitches that rolled over, I do HATE A RAT..

 

"fukem & feedem beanz for breakfast"

[injun46]

I believe, if he passed all the tests leave him alone, I also believe that it's bullshit storing a urine sample for 10 years (olympics) & then testing with a "new" & improved test.

 

I am not a Lance fan & despise the mother fukn snitches that rolled over, I do HATE A RAT..

 

"fukem & feedem beanz for breakfast"

Anudder branch of guvmint tryin' to justify their existence.

[lschultz]

The power to be or whatever you call them lower than dirt aholes want him out and they will do whatever it takes to do it. We got dirty pollicking, sports, lawyers, goverment you name it. Whats next? It gets worse ever year. The dam worthless tv shows they got now get a life people. Only in America.

[Bomber Rydr]

What pisses me off is that the USADA has NO AUTHORITY over the sanctioning bodies that awarded his medals so why dont they take away his birthday while they're at it............just your tax dollars hard at work. When they run out, we just send more!

Edited August 25, 2012 by Bomber Rydr

[Dr. Mark]

Just read that the donations to his cancer research foundation went up 2500% overnight.

 

Awesome.

[Last Resort]

Just read that the donations to his cancer research foundation went up 2500% overnight.

 

Awesome.

 

At least there is some lemonade

[Sam Hayne]

Why does everything have to decend to the lowest common denominator? Why is cheating ok? Why is lying under oath ok? Why is it if something happens often enough society accepts it? Sure, it's cheating. Sure it happens. Doesn't make it ok. Lance needs to use his high profile and expose the shit.

 

If you can provide proof that guys didn't take things way back when then ok it's cheating the way so many get mad about. However it's not like steroids just came out in the 1990's....More like the 1930's or before. It's not like Arnold Schwartznegger was natural.

 

Whether it's speed, coke or HGH people have always taken something to get an edge.

 

Does it make it right? No

 

It is reality though & for people to get so bent out of shape about it is ridiculous.

 

Let's see, MLB was in the crapper. No one gave a rat's ass. So they let juiced up McGuire & Sosa have their little home run derby & it did what they wanted, it saved baseball. Now everyone is all, oh they were dirty, ban them, take away their records, don't let them in the HOF....You can't have this stuff both ways.

 

Just look at the NFL....they can't get the union to agree to blood testing. It's the only way to have a chance to catch most of the drugs these guys use. HGH doesn't show up in urine, unless you do other dumb stuff like Brian Cushing did.

 

Then you have all the crap about things like Star Caps..nonsense. If me & you can go to GNC or Wal-Mart to buy some product, it shouldn't be banned for pro athletes.....Hell some cold medicine's make them test positive for all the crap they tried to ban.

 

People act like they want this stuff gone, but do you really want to see say NFL d-linemen go back to 250 or any of the guys who were around 300 were fat asses? No, people want to see monsters who are 6"4" 300 pounds of ripped muscle who can run 4.5 or faster. People want Ndamukong Suh not William "The Refrigerator" Perry. That is not possible naturally.

 

Lance Armstrong speaking out wouldn't stop it, especially when he will never admit to doing it, so why would he speak out?

[Brock]

yep that is correct he passed every drug and doping test given during his career...period. He has fought and fought and USADA is not even the governing body for Tour De France......but that does not stop them from stripping athletes even if there is no concrete evidence. They have stripped many in various fields of competition....and JUST BECAUSE he decided to quit fighting and not go through the board review.....they consider that Admission of Guilt.

 

Fucking assholes....

 

This reeks of a personal vendetta rather than a legitimate investigation bent on getting to the truth as shown by his years of drug tests...

[whadayawant]

Sure hope they don't take all my awards fer all th' drugs I took up til today. Oh wait, thats what I got th' awards fer anyway.

[darkrider]

I'm pretty sure she's doping too

 

 

[IndianTrue]

They usually are when the have the Wolf man flying out of their arse.

[CKelly]

And any motherfucker who put the pinstripes on, Yankees suck!

 

I'll go with that..........Now ,how about them O's

[Blu]

I am so angry about this, I can barely type.

 

Lance Armstrong finally gave up his fight against the USADA's allegations that he doped in the course of all 7 of his Tour De France wins.

He has passed over 500 drug tests.

The man has never failed a drug test in his career.

The US Department of Justice found no evidence to pursue a trial, the same people that prosecuted Bonds and Clemens.

Even the U.S district judge that dismissed his lawsuit against the USADA said this week that in his opinion it appears to be a with hunt by USADA. ("U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks noted, though, that the USADA's "conduct raises serious questions about whether its real interest in charging Armstrong is to combat doping, or if it is acting according to less noble motives.” )

Their case is reportedly based solely on the testimony of anonymous witnesses.

 

With the dismissal of his lawsuit, his only remaining option was to go to an arbitration process...controlled by the USADA.

How fair. How impartial.

 

The USADA is a taxpayer funded organization, whose job is...you guessed it...to find athletes who are using PEDs.

In order to justify their continued existence, they have to find targets. Otherwise, we, the taxpayers, may do away with their phoney-baloney jobs.

 

Armstrong says he was emotionally exhausted. He has been fighting this for thirteen years.

I can understand that. I know exactly how he feels. I have had a legal fight with the U.S. Government.

They have unlimited resources, unlimited time, they are incredibly arrogant, and they are never wrong (in their eyes).

When they lose, they just reload and come back again.

 

I have no idea if he doped or not. Frankly, I don't care.

Cycling at that level is an incredibly dirty sport, and yes, a lot of cyclists dope.

If you look back at the records, almost every one who placed in the top ten at the Tour has either been caught, or has been under suspicion of using PEDS..and that's for the last decade or two.

 

What I do know is this:

The man overcame testicular cancer that had metastasized to multiple spots throughout his body.

He became a beacon to people all over the world who were involved in their own fights with cancer, including my late nephew Reed, who thought he was a hero.

He gave them...and Reed...the courage and endurance to fight on, in the face of incredibly awful odds.

He gave them hope.

He raised over $600 million dollars for cancer research.

So who fucking cares if he used PEDs, in a sport riddled with them.

 

Compared to him, Travis Tygart, the attorney who heads the USADA, is a pimple on the ass of humanity.

 

Here endeth the rant.

 

 

Doc,

 

I agree with you 100%, but one correction. The Lance Armstrong foundation does not support cancer research in any substantive way, a common misconseption. It does however support those with cancer in too many ways to mention. A different but very worthwhile approach. I have done several of his fundrasing rides and will do more if I have the opportunity.

[badndn]

Rules is rules. Laws is laws. If MOST (majority) people don't like the rules and laws they can be changed by our system. You can either run or get appointed to a position of power OR you can campaign and vote for another person who shares the same beliefs you do. That is how a republic works. You don't condone practices outside the law or rules just because someone is cool, someone didn't get caught or "everybody is doing it." While in the big scheme of things shooting babboon jizz in your arm isn't a capital crime, it is against the rules and illegal. If MOST people disagree with the laws and rules, we can CHANGE them. Until then, support any entity that YOU (by proxy) empowered and is carrying out your beliefs. (as a whole) Even if I disagree with a law or rule, I respect them. If I choose to break one of these laws or rules, I will shoulder the responsibilty of my actions, not try to blame the people who are enforcing the rules I ageed to live by.

[maninbox]

I agree with Brock on this one. Sounds like a personal vendetta to me.

Facts in Armstrong's favor:

1. Never failed one drug test out of 500 plus. These tests can be administered anytime - before, during or after any event - anytime

2. No hard evidence of any kind that I have heard about. Just personal accounts from eyewitnesses whose motives could be considered suspect. If Lance loses his titles, others will get them. Some witnesses may be guilty of doping themselves.

3. Never had a noticible spike in performance as a top endurance athlete. He was a superior aerobic performer throughout his career. Where is the big performance boost like was seen with Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire or many others? Not there.

 

Facts against Armstrong:

We don't know them. Do we? What is the evidence? Who are the witnesses? Why is this a secret? Where is the proof?

Edited August 27, 2012 by maninbox

[maninbox]

From what I have heard, the suspicion is that Lance Armstrong is accused of using Epoetin Alpha (EPO) - a manmade drug which stimulates the body's production of hemoglobin (red blood cells). Epoetin is an injectable liquid used to treat anemia in chemotherapy patients and others with significantly low hemoglobin levels.

 

The body produces it's own stimulator of hemoglobin called erythropoietin. The drug epoetin (EPO) is designed to mimic the function of erythropoietin. I know about this because I have been using EPO for many years to treat my chronic blood chemistry problem (believed to be a side effect of dioxin poisining due to agent orange exposure). I'm no doctor but I have been involved with Oncologists for most of my adult life. They say that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing - they may be right. I'll leave that for the doctors to decide.

 

As a former cancer patient, Lance Armstrong has undergone extensive chemotherapy in his lifetime. As a professional endurance athlete, Armstrong's HGB levels have been pretty consistantly higher than most if not all of his competitors. This may be a side effect of chemotherapy or it may be that Armstrong has a slight genetic advantage over the average athlete or a combination of both. Or it could be because of illegal EPO use. It seems clear that the USADA believes that Armstrong used EPO illegally. However, having dealt with blood chemistry isues all of my adult life, I can easily believe that chemotherapy can produce lasting alterations in a survivors blood chemistry long after they become cancer free.

 

Of course, I don't know what they have against Armstrong because there have been no disclosures of the evidence. It is known that world class endurance athletes like Armstrong and many others do things like store their own blood for future use, receive transfusions of their own blood and recover from events in hyperbaric oxygen chambers, anything to increase their performance potential. All of this is legal and acceptable. To me, it's amazing that if Armstrong was doing anything illegal, he was never caught even once in all those years. It's a strange world.

[badndn]

I sometimes wonder if some of cancers that these seemingly specimens of health get are caused by the crap they put in their body. Arnold...Lance...the list is very long. Many have died. Since most lie about what they actually have done, it would be impossible to tell if they fall outside the bellshaped curve as far as rate of occurence.