Armstrong goes down...and down......and down....and.........

[Duke]

No longer a Tour De France winner.

Once a cheat, always a cheat.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

No longer a Tour De France winner.

Once a cheat, always a cheat.

He never tested positive for any substance that was banned or prohibited at the time of the testing. His detractors "witch hunt" has finally come to fruition and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency can claim they have done something positive.
In the long run I believe he has done much more good than bad through out his career and his foundation.

[Duke]

In the long run I believe he has done much more good than bad through out his career and his foundation.

I agree with you.

Cheaters always get caught though. I guess all of the fellow cyclist who have testified that they saw him dopeing were all mistaken.

[stuartinmn]

I wish I had the time to get all fired up about stuff like this.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

In the long run I believe he has done much more good than bad through out his career and his foundation.

I agree with you.

Cheaters always get caught though. I guess all of the fellow cyclist who have testified that they saw him dopeing were all mistaken.

Since they "outed" him for practices that were generally accepted (in the top ranks of professional cycling at the time) they should come forward publicly and take the credit shouldn't they? Or is it acceptable for them to hide behind the skirts of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency?

[davintosh]

No longer a Tour De France winner.

Once a cheat, always a cheat.

Whatever. The way I see it, his call is just a big middle finger aimed at the USADA. He's had enough and doesn't care what happens next...

While Tygart said the agency can strip the Tour titles, Armstrong disputed that, insisting his decision is not an admission of guilt but a refusal to enter an arbitration process he believes is unfair.

"USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles," he said. "I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours."

... And doesn't care what other people think of him.

It's a bit early to be dancing on his grave, dontcha think, Duke?

[oldskool]

I wish they'd devote half as much time and energy exposing the cheats on Wall St. Screw this noise.

[davintosh]

I wish they'd devote half as much time and energy exposing the cheats in Washington and the whole entitlement machine. Screw this noise.

There; FIFY.

[Duke]

I think he should have admitted to cheating on at least one of his wins. Had he done that, he would have lost that win and not them all like he has now.

[Xenocide]

I wish they'd devote half as much time and energy exposing the cheats on Wall St. Screw this noise.

No kidding. I don't know anything about the case against him but he seems to be a very good guy and it sure smells like a witch hunt to me. Particularly seeing the quote that davintosh posted.

[davintosh]

I think he should have admitted to cheating on at least one of his wins. Had he done that, he would have lost that win and not them all like he has now.

Even if he hadn't cheated?

[Duke]

I think he should have admitted to cheating on at least one of his wins. Had he done that, he would have lost that win and not them all like he has now.

Even if he hadn't cheated?

He cheated.

[carnutdallas]

Duke....respectfully - YOUR WRONG. I Promise you are....this is a witch hunt pure and simple. Reading the reports this morning they want to strip him because he will not fight. This is not a court of law, this is ego's. Lance said Fuck it! I would to. As a testicular cancer survivor myself, I know the drugs and the radiation. I have dealt with the recovery. Hell I still feel the effects. Sports in general are crap. It is all crap. I personally do not care if they use PED's but the fact that they ALL do does not make him a cheat. He did not get pulled by a car. He did not use a helicopter, he did not have a hidden powerful electric motor...HE DID IT WITH HIS BODY. It is amazing what he did and if those guys have to keep their bodies going then they just keep trying to do it anyway they can. Kind of like your Tiger. It certainly is not stock. It is enhanced to perform better, just like their bodies.

The guy is an incredible athlete, passing every drug test. He currently is blistering the Tri community and passing the field with his body that is the ultimate endurance machine for performance. You can not take that away. He beat the field that was pretty level. He was tested over and over and they could not find away to strip him until now. This quasi Marxist USADA's is using Orwellian "Animal Farm" mentality. It makes me sick.

I hope you could see it from that angle, that is really the big picture, a sham of a fight and he has just decided to stop wasting his time. As some one who has lost in court and beat cancer, I totally get that.

[Shawn D.]

I think this is BS and agree with Lance's statement: http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/l ... st-23-2012

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.

USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.

Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

[Mike W.]

From here, and I don't follow it closely, it appears the goal of the US anti doping organization is to get Lance, not prove or disprove anything. Which isn't to say he's innocent, just that they don't appear to have proven him guilty.

[mooseheadm5]

Cheaters will always get caught.

Pot, kettle.

[Mark in Toronto]

Cheaters will always get caught.

Pot, kettle.

[Duke]

^^^ Haters keep on hatein.

[mooseheadm5]

Haters? You mean people with verifiable proof of impropriety (as opposed to the Armstrong haters)?

[Duke]

^^ keep on hatein Bro.

[carnutdallas]

I think this is BS and agree with Lance's statement: http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/l ... st-23-2012

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.

USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.

Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

What he said....

[davintosh]

John 8:7-9

What dog do you have in this fight anyway, Duke, that makes you take such pleasure in seeing the guy disgraced? Or are you just bored and trying to stir up $hit? I think I'd rather listen to another recitation of just how great the Tigg... Never mind. What was I thinking?

[Duke]

What dog do you have in this fight anyway, Duke, that makes you take such pleasure in seeing the guy disgraced?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....it's news.

[oldskool]

I love it when ya call me Big Poppa. . .throw your hands in tha air if yous a true playa. . .

[rlomba8204]

I don't know enough about doping techniques and techniques used to test for prohibited practices, but it really does seem to me like they are on a witch hunt against Lance Armstrong. I understand that he is a big star, and I understand that his accomplishments are impressive, so he is also a big target, but to chase this guy around for so many years accusing him of this, when the alleged wrongdoing is also so old, strikes me that there is a vendetta here of some sort.

[Coldswede]

In my mind he is still the winner.

Hell, you can't even go after someone in a court of law for a lot of serious crimes after this long. Since when does heresy prove guilt? Ya gotta have proof.

As someone said "Witch hunt" He pissed them off by saying "I'm not playing this game anymore, F..k You."

Come on Duke, your an athlete, so you must do drugs, right?

[Mark in Toronto]

What dog do you have in this fight anyway, Duke, that makes you take such pleasure in seeing the guy disgraced?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....it's news.

Pot, kettle........it is old news, very old news.

[Duke]

..........it is old news, very old news.

Will send a email to CNN and all the networks to let them know about this in reference to today’s headlines.

Come on Duke, your an athlete, so you must do drugs, right?

Lots of supplements. I'm old.

[davintosh]

What dog do you have in this fight anyway, Duke, that makes you take such pleasure in seeing the guy disgraced?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh....it's news.

So is the shooting at the Empire State Building, but all I hear on that topic is...

[Duke]

So is the shooting at the Empire State Building[/url], but all I hear on that topic is...

Whats there to talk about? Another nut case shot some people then was shot and killed by COPs. Not mutch to talk about.