By the same rationale, no-one knows whether Wiggins, Cavendish et. al are clean either. What this prick has done is make it all the more likely that people will now look at ANY cyclist with suspicion.
True, and many pricks before him. Hero to zero in my book now, although I have to question the role of the UCI who failed to catch him in all that time, while others were caught. I won't make myself too comfortable while waiting for their statement, and I won't be taking my bike on the train in the mornings in the near future, promise, just in case there are any lifers on it.
Whilst I would agree he shouldn't have taken drugs, I dont think he should be singled out like he was the only one at it. He happened to be one of the best because of drugs. The sport might be cleaner now but back when he was "winning" the titles whole teams (eg.Festina) were getting caught taking drugs. It was the only way they could compete with each other, wrong buts thats it. Armstrong has fallen a lot further than anyone else. An idol to many. Battled cancer then helped raise a few bob to give other hope. Not a totally bad person,there are and were worse people on our planet.
Hmmm he also bullied and blackmailed a huge number of fellow riders into doing the same.
They wouldn't have kept up with him without a dose of jollop;-) He does come across rather badly but so do a lot of other top sportsmen. They tend to be very self centred but thats what makes them winners. When ever there is an exceptional performace by anyone in any sport now I'm often wonder whether they are clean or got a better chemist than their compeditors.
Whilst I would agree he shouldn't have taken drugs, I dont think he should be singled out like he was the only one at it. He happened to be one of the best because of drugs. The sport might be cleaner now but back when he was "winning" the titles whole teams (eg.Festina) were getting caught taking drugs. It was the only way they could compete with each other, wrong buts thats it. Armstrong has fallen a lot further than anyone else. An idol to many. Battled cancer then helped raise a few bob to give other hope. Not a totally bad person,there are and were worse people on our planet.
Hmmm he also bullied and blackmailed a huge number of fellow riders into doing the same.
They wouldn't have kept up with him without a dose of jollop;-) He does come across rather badly but so do a lot of other top sportsmen. They tend to be very self centred but thats what makes them winners. When ever there is an exceptional performace by anyone in any sport now I often wonder whether they are clean or got a better chemist than their compeditors.
I wondered that, Is there anything he could be charged with?
Perjury...
He lied on oath that he hadn't taken performance enhancing drugs so it'll be difficult to escape conviction for that. Whether he gets sentenced to jail or not is moot - Marion Jones the athlete did six months gfor perjury but there are a lot of baseball players (Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds etc) and other sports mem/women in the US who on that score could also be jailed.
He's also going to be having to get his cheque book out, there's a lot of prize money to pay back and a few libel cases settled in his favour are going to reviewed. The Sunday Times for example is sueing him for ca £1.5m for example. He won a law suit against them a few years back, there'll be a few others as well.
Just watched the interview and to be honest still feel like he's not being honest about it all, comes across as really only being sorry he got caught. No doubt will write a book and sadly make millions from it.
He's also going to be having to get his cheque book out, there's a lot of prize money to pay back and a few libel cases settled in his favour are going to reviewed. The Sunday Times for example is sueing him for ca £1.5m for example. He won a law suit against them a few years back, there'll be a few others as well.
Think the authorities may have trouble getting hold of that. I doubt he has a penny in his name, and the TDF winnings would/should have been divvied up with his team mates. It would take a lot of spaghetti unravelling to get it all back.
There are cheating scumbags in every walk of life and sport is no different. Any sportsman found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs should never get the chance to participate again. Hope those that gave him money in good faith come after him.
By the same rationale, no-one knows whether Wiggins, Cavendish et. al are clean either. What this prick has done is make it all the more likely that people will now look at ANY cyclist with suspicion.
I think Cavendish said this in an interview last year. As I understand it cycling now has the most rigorous testing regime of any sport.
I don't know, but I suspect individual sports probably have the highest amount of tests (and cheats because they get caught) as opposed to team sports. I am surprised at the disproportionately low number of footballers who have failed drugs tests. I wonder if the money in the game has anything to do with it.
In my book I can't understand why he didn't come clean when all the facts were so clear cut and instead opted to deny everything and point fingers at other people. That, for me, shows a serious flaw in his character and someone who just can't be trusted. On the other side of the coin, there are many cancer survivors who still look up to him because of the hope he gave them. The bloke had stage four testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. It was incredible that he survived in the first place and then to go on and win the Tour De France so many times (even being doped up) was some achievement. There are lots of people with mixed feelings.
It was really shitty ehat he did. Some good did come of this/him - he raised more than £100million for cancer research. Think of all the lives saved directly or indirectly by his story.
He won't face perjury on the SCA promotions case, due to statute of limitations. He may with the Federal Investigation, that is why he'll have to go Stateside and become a whistle blower: Unless there is no willingness by the US government to pursue him, which is unlikely.
It is not true all cyclists doped. Everyone who has mentioned Charlie Mottet, on and off record, have said he did not dope. He strangely always tailed off in the third week of GT's. If you are interested as to how much EPO was in the peloton then read Michael Ashenden's assesment:
Basically he says in the 99 tour, Lance's first win, most of the test samples retrospectively tested did not have EPO in them or at a detectable level. All top three riders were tested, as were every stage winner, after a stage. There were thirteen positives, and Lance had 6 of them. It clearly shows that not all riders were taking EPO at detectable levels. Maybe the riders didn't at all, unlikely, they probably micro-dosed or did it before comp. However you read it Lance most probably doped at a higher level than nearly all of his rivals: both Olano and Zulle would have been tested a lot, not as many times as Lance. It would be interesting to see who the other riders who had EPO.. one would guess a certain Italian sprinter would take a fair few for the EPO team.
Finally it is ludicrous to believe he did not blood dope in 2009-2010. He climbed almost at the same pace as Contador, a drug cheat and seen as the best climber of his generation. Lance before his huge doping programme, was an awful climber. A 25 year old at his physical peak, maybe not cycling peak, who was a shit pro climber does not climb better on every mountain stage at 38: That is a personal opinion.
Comments
He does come across rather badly but so do a lot of other top sportsmen. They tend to be very self centred but thats what makes them winners.
When ever there is an exceptional performace by anyone in any sport now I'm often wonder whether they are clean or got a better chemist than their compeditors.
He lied on oath that he hadn't taken performance enhancing drugs so it'll be difficult to escape conviction for that. Whether he gets sentenced to jail or not is moot - Marion Jones the athlete did six months gfor perjury but there are a lot of baseball players (Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds etc) and other sports mem/women in the US who on that score could also be jailed.
I think it would be naive to think that cycling is now clean.
The Sunday Times may be a different case however.
I don't know, but I suspect individual sports probably have the highest amount of tests (and cheats because they get caught) as opposed to team sports. I am surprised at the disproportionately low number of footballers who have failed drugs tests. I wonder if the money in the game has anything to do with it.
On the other side of the coin, there are many cancer survivors who still look up to him because of the hope he gave them. The bloke had stage four testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. It was incredible that he survived in the first place and then to go on and win the Tour De France so many times (even being doped up) was some achievement.
There are lots of people with mixed feelings.
It is not true all cyclists doped. Everyone who has mentioned Charlie Mottet, on and off record, have said he did not dope. He strangely always tailed off in the third week of GT's. If you are interested as to how much EPO was in the peloton then read Michael Ashenden's assesment:
http://velocitynation.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden
Basically he says in the 99 tour, Lance's first win, most of the test samples retrospectively tested did not have EPO in them or at a detectable level. All top three riders were tested, as were every stage winner, after a stage. There were thirteen positives, and Lance had 6 of them. It clearly shows that not all riders were taking EPO at detectable levels. Maybe the riders didn't at all, unlikely, they probably micro-dosed or did it before comp. However you read it Lance most probably doped at a higher level than nearly all of his rivals: both Olano and Zulle would have been tested a lot, not as many times as Lance. It would be interesting to see who the other riders who had EPO.. one would guess a certain Italian sprinter would take a fair few for the EPO team.
Finally it is ludicrous to believe he did not blood dope in 2009-2010. He climbed almost at the same pace as Contador, a drug cheat and seen as the best climber of his generation. Lance before his huge doping programme, was an awful climber. A 25 year old at his physical peak, maybe not cycling peak, who was a shit pro climber does not climb better on every mountain stage at 38: That is a personal opinion.
bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21115720
i'm betting yes.