In Armstrong's case it was both and he was given the benefit of the doubt by testers anytime the tests were close because of his cancer treatment. His rbc count and testosterone always tested high but within limits and excusable for someone recovering from cancer.
It's not that he was just another doper in the sport but that he was leading the charge and compelling his teammates to do so if they wanted to be on the team. And anyone competing against him had to resort to it as well.
And look at today. In light of all the evidence against him, his quiver is still full of deluded true believers. Think about how full his quiver was when he was still competing and winning and thus able to intimidate and threaten to the max.
Really? Sounds very strange. Anyway, I would be interested in blood data from LA from other time periods except 2009 - 2010. Do you have them available?