London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

miro_o · 24th August 2012

pukes

miro_o · 24th August 2012

miro_o · 24th August 2012

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by miro_o

the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that cancer survivors created to serve Lance

ftfy

fatoldbloke · 24th August 2012

fatoldbloke · 24th August 2012

I heard that the Ameican Cycle/Drug Police have stripped him of his TDF honours, can they do that? isnt that out of the scope of thier powers.....

miro_o · 24th August 2012

I heard he was quite good a bike riding.

Jwleggett · 24th August 2012

I heard his cancer gave the other riders punctures and thats why he won

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatoldbloke

can they do that?

WADA says USADA have acted properly. Every sports governing body which wants to remain on WADA's nice list has to recognise a sanction issued by USADA. UCI could go to CAS to have the sanction reduced, but that would make us all ask why UCI is so keen to make special pleading on behalf of LA (as if we don't already know...)

Jwleggett · 24th August 2012

I heard that lance Armstrong created a drug called zolklam and sold it to other riders but it was a dud and he actually won because the dud drug slowed the others down

Jwleggett · 24th August 2012

I heard that lance armstrongs chainring had a tiny motor in it that drugged itself into believing it could win - and it did.

fatoldbloke · 24th August 2012

so does this mean that the drug testing on the tour is a load of old bollocks that can be paid off? or that some officialdom within UCI have colluded even.

or did lance really just change his entire blood supply after each race.....or during it via some kind of bike shaped dialisis machine. one can only wonder.

Jwleggett · 24th August 2012

I heard that the name 'lance' is Hebrew for 'bomb the western world' and him winning 7 times is linked to 7th July and each time he pedals it powers a surge in lightning above Israel.

über_grüber · 24th August 2012

Fat Pat must have rampant indigestion atm. I heard that Lance made a special pact with him and to seal it Pat had to eat Lance's cancerous teste and then wash it down with a pint of EPO and HGH whilst being filmed by Bruyneel.

In return Lance promised to make Pat CEO of Livestrong when he leaves the UCI and let him pretend to have overcome AIDS into the bargain.

fatoldbloke · 24th August 2012

nasty mind pictures that will haunt me for ever. thanks.

TheorySwine · 24th August 2012

Lance has no scruples gaining capital from anything whatsoever to do with cancer, which is a pretty strange attitude to say the least. In some ways he's exploiting a social problem, which becomes hushed and reverent in its presence.

Which is fine. What isn't is this peculiar insistence amongst his followers that his even having it absolves him of any criticism, of any sort, so leave him alone. No, fuck him. Take cancer out of it. Why can't we do that? It's irrational and crap logic to not separate his actions from his disease. He knows that's a problem, so makes the most of it. This will sound strange, but 'cancer' has given him a lot of clout. His handling of it has been a major contributing factor in him having survived this level of scrutiny for so long, which I find pretty degrading.

miro_o · 24th August 2012

Armstrong's statement is dissected succinctly here.

tommy · 24th August 2012

The greatest competitor who ever lived.

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommy

The greatest competitor who ever lied.

ftfy
Too easy :-)

marcom · 24th August 2012

Does anyone know what he will do next? when? where? to whom? and why?

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

How much fun would it be if WADA didn't just insist on repayment of prize money (which is chump change to all pro cyclists but especially Armstrong) but had something like the

Proceeds_of_Crime_Act_2002

?

Even without civil recovery proceedings from the governing bodies, I can see some civil suits from sponsors who have now had most of the hard work done for them by Lance's non-admission admission of showing, on the balance of probabilities, that he obtained a pecuniary advantage by deception.

Dammit · 24th August 2012

What about other riders who could have secured sponsorship etc, but didn't because Lance "The Cheater" Armstrong beat them?

They have a legitimate grievance I would think?

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

The have a moral claim, but it would be much harder to form that into a legal claim

miro_o · 24th August 2012

Those who have paid or sponsored Armstrong on the understanding he was running a clean team might be interested I guess but whilst the mainstream sports media seem to be portraying this as 'it's complicated' they seem to be happy to play dumb.

~~The American people won't believe it until they have photos of blood bags and piles of drugs.~~

mdcc_tester · 24th August 2012

American corporations would sponsor mass murderers if it increased sales...and it probably would.

miro_o · 24th August 2012

If Lance had ridden alone, I'd agree with this statement.

miro_o · 24th August 2012

Lance earns $10 million a year from endorsements but apparently if the plot is good enough doing this through deception is forgivable.

Quote:

Armstrong’s story is still incredible, whether EPO is a part of it or not. Given less than a 40% chance to live after his 1995 cancer diagnosis, Armstrong returned to cycling to win an unprecedented seven straight Tour de France titles. Yet, for all of the money raised and events organized by his foundation, Armstrong’s greatest gift may be one of inspiration.

Forbes

Balki · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lance Armstrong

heinous

.

über_grüber · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lance Armstrong

Intraveinous

.

carson · 25th August 2012

i wonder what impact this will have on all the former law suits / investigations etc. if usada release their evidence, which they say they will, and it at least raises a prima facie case, surely the feds will have to answer questions why they dropped their investigation. and what about that case when an insurance company liable to pay lance after he won his nth tour de france sued on the basis that he had cheated and lost (or did they settle, i can't remember)...what about all the potential lies in court documents and testimony...we're not just talking about a disgraced athlete, but perjury, fraud, not to mention corruption at the UCI if they were complicit. the potential fallout from all of this is massive. and i hope it is. i hope it shakes the world of pro cycling and brings it to its fucking knees. for the sake of young athletes in the prime of their life dying of heart attacks in their sleep, and for the sake of those like christophe bassons and betsy andreu who dared to stand up to it all and were vilified and defeated. so that the cowards in the pro scene who only want to protect themselves at any cost can't continue with the hypocrisy.

über_grüber · 25th August 2012

Federal investigation was into drug trafficking and illegal use of public funds, not whether Lance was doping (doping is not a criminal offence in itself, though defrauding companies by doing so might be). It could be argued that Lance commited perjury during previous trials when he actually used the USADA to 'prove' that he wasn't doping to get his bonus for winning the TdF 5 times.

Crispin Glover · 25th August 2012

Why would the USADA go after one of their own? Some patriots....

Oliver Schick · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manc Ronnie

I think they're best off just declaring 1999 - 2005 Tours null and void.

1999
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Alex Zülle (‘98 busted for EPO)
3. Fernando Escartín (Systematic team doping exposed in ‘04)
4. Laurent Dufaux (‘98 busted for EPO)
5. Ángel Casero (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)

2000
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Jan Ullrich (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
3. Joseba Beloki (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
4. Christophe Moraue (‘98 busted for EPO)
5. Roberto Heras (‘05 busted for EPO)

2001
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Jan Ullrich (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
3. Joseba Beloki (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
4. Andrei Kivilev
5. Igor González de Galdeano (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)

2002
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Joseba Beloki (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
3. Raimondas Rumšas (Suspended in ‘03 for doping)
4. Santiago Botero (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
5. Igor González de Galdeano (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)

2003
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Jan Ullrich (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
3. Alexander Vinokourov (Suspended in ‘07 for CERA)
4. Tyler Hamilton (Suspended ‘04 for blood doping)
5. Haimar Zubeldia

2004
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Andreas Kloden (Named in doping case in ‘08)
3. Ivan Basso (Suspended in ‘07 for Operacion Puerto ties)
4. Jan Ullrich (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
5. Jose Azevedo (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)

2005
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Ivan Basso (Suspended in ‘07 for Operacion Puerto ties)
3. Jan Ullrich (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
4. Fransico Mancebo (‘06 implicated in Operacion Puerto)
5. Alexander Vinokourov (Suspended in ‘07 for CERA)

Have you noticed how, in this list, Armstrong's the only clean one?

And he came out on top every time. :)

Oliver Schick · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistanator

I dunno, fussball told me, ask him...

Don't follow Ludwig.

über_grüber · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crispin Glover

Why would the USADA go after one of their own? Some patriots....

Tygart must be a Democrat. i want to see his birth certificate. I mean, what kind of name is Tygart? Sounds French to me.

über_grüber · 25th August 2012

Paul Kimmage being sued by the UCI and also on Armstrong

über_grüber · 25th August 2012

drip... drip... drip...

mdcc_tester · 25th August 2012

Doesn't seem like anything new.

Forget drips, the flood is coming during/after the Bruyneel hearings.

kimpado · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crispin Glover

Why would the USADA go after one of their own? Some patriots....

not anymore..

Jonerfun · 25th August 2012

Stripped of his titles AND a death in the family. Sad times.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19381098

bodieanddoyle · 25th August 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Zed_

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.

Has no one offered him the advice that if he's in a hole, he really should stop digging?

FixieRic · 25th August 2012

Everyone loves a hero and everyone loves to hste a villain

fatoldbloke · 25th August 2012

Quote: