USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of 7 Tour titles

Associated Press ^ | August. 23, 2012 | JIM VERTUNO

[Free ThinkerNY]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday.

[FoxInSocks]

But the cyclist has said he believes most people have already made up their minds about whether he's a fraud or a persecuted hero.

As evidenced by reading any Internet thread or listening to any conversation about Lance Armstrong over the past five or ten years.

[WILLIALAL]

“Good!! It is my opinion he is a liar and a big steroid freak, I hear he is an egocentric jurk. Adios . You are a disgrace to real sport sir!!”

I tend to agree, just too many people coming out and saying he did it.

[WILLIALAL]

“It’s hard to prepare cross-examination and rebuttal experts when the prosecution won’t disclose their evidence and witnesses”

They didn’t say Armstrong didn’t have that list, just that the public didn’t.

[FoxInSocks]

I reread it, and I’ll agree it’s not specific. In this context, however, I still have the impression they haven’t revealed the information to anyone at all, but you may be right.

[going hot]

Richard Wad, or the female equivalent.

[RichardW]

The great irony of this is that the stripped titles will almost certainly be awarded to other dopers. During that time it was standard procedure.

I fail to see what has been accomplished here.

[zeestephen]

According to Fox Sports, USADA is claiming that samples Armstrong gave in 2009 and 2010 are positive for masking agents.

Of course, that’s years after his last Tour win.

I’ve always accepted Armstrong at his word.

But the growing list of team mates who have testified against him has cracked my confidence in the guy.

[Amberdawn]

Exactly. If what they say is true, this agency will be stripping titles from one doper and giving them to another.

[count-your-change]

The losers claiming the winner just had to be cheating...just had to be...else how could he have possibly won.

Old story...tired old story but the losers are still losers.

[DustyMoment]

And, 200 or 300 yeats from now, archeologists who will already be laughing at the fools we will appear to be with Global Warming and Obama, will re-examine the whole Lance Armstrong issue and discover that it truly WAS a witch hunt!!

But, how will Lance and his family regain their honor, his medals and his accomplishments???

It’s heartbreaking that America alwaus has to be the ones that go after the folks on top. Doubtless, there are dirty politics at work, here.

Disgusting!

[GVnana]

"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," such as politics or publicity, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks wrote.

Who the hell do these people think they are?

[Visceral]

They have already removed Lance’s data from Wikipedia. What a shame.

[a fool in paradise]

US Americans with Disabilities Act?

Screw them.

[a fool in paradise]

If doping is a crime, then toss Barack Hussein Obama out on his RAT ASS.

[dixiechick2000]

If there’s lots of info out there, I surely would appreciate a link or three from sources who are beyond reproach.

This is sad...don’t know if it’s true or not, though.

[newzjunkey]

The alleged / rumored "positive" results come from his last years, out of prior retirement, when he didn't even win. Unknown to me if these are real test results.

In a case like this the only evidence that really matters is the scientific evidence. It's either there or it isn't. If it was there how did he "get away with it" for SEVEN wins, the last of which is some six years ago now?

Seems a bit ridiculous. He's fully retired now so who cares if he's "banned for life?" He won; it happened. Never a fan of the sport, I'm as sick of hearing about him as ever.

Let's return to our regularly scheduled Todd Akin topic. /s

[Ken H]

Have followed and partissipated in endurance sport for more than sixty years, and I have been pretty sure that Armstrong used some type of tetesteron doping in the late 1990s and he tested positive in two tests in 2009 and 2010, but he managed to bribe some officials, donating over 100 000 $ and they hid the tests and didn’t release the resaults, but as always, somebody found out, in this case, a french news paper, anyway, lots of info on this out there

What is your source for that?

[Southack]

USADA doesn’t seem to have any jurisdiction. The official Tour de France website lists Armstrong as a 7-time winner still: http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/history/

[Paradox]

one n the big time cycling game will tell you that all the top guys are on drugs. That’s why no cyclist ever condems another current cyclist. The achievement still stands to those in the game.

[Flavius]

Time for all the roided folks ) , to organize their own leagues.

” roids unlimited sports “ RUS

Then they can run swim woddle, as fast as Chinese synthesized enhancement would push their little hearts.