Karlos The Jackal

I am still not convinced Kix (Rose tinted glasses).

As far as I am aware no one has ever stood up in a court of law (cyclist or non cyclist) and said 'Lance Armstrong is guilty'!

Its ok for the USADA to say they have a raft of conclusive evidence and people willing to testify but why werent they brought forward years ago?

I am 50/50 with this, my heart says he isnt a cheat my head says he is!

I am now going for a period of reflection outside................wearing my rose tinted glasses!

Kix

I agree, sad isn't it when your heros don't live up to your expectations.

commander

I guess we will never know now if he did or not. I'd put my house on that he did in an era when they all did. Sad really.

Little Boy

I don't know much about Lance Armstrong, but I don't think he's done anything in his life thats worth hero worship. He was a world class cyclist- I've known a few world class athletes in my life and there's something wrong with each and everyone of them..They were introverts as children so they just practiced whatever they do endlessly, or they are obsessive compulsive or suffer from some other phycological disorder. They are like those body builders that go too far, completely unaware that they have become freaks..

Its great to be in shape or be able to run 26 miles but these guys are just going too far and damaging their hearts in the long run. I'm middle aged and I'm in better shape than any former world class athlete that I know. They all have problems because the heart only has so many miles on it before it stops working right..

And I did hear on the radio that Lance Armstrong dumped his wife the minute she got cancer, then dumped his girlfriend when she caught it. Thats not a hero..

Karlos The Jackal

When i was cycling many years ago he was my hero and quite frankly I dont give a flying **** what went on in his subsequent private life. You have your opinions and I have mine, lets leave it at that!

scrubbedexpat141

Strange reaction to this.

I hope he didn't cheat, but it seems the general consensus is that most of them were around that time, so if he was it didn't matter.

If he did cheat then the sentence is fair, he should be stripped of it all.

All of that to one side, the cancer charity and his work on that front is something that should commended and long may it continue.

britexpat76

I think the fact most of his team mates and manager got banned for doping, he refused to let france retest his 1999 samples for EPO and he is not fighting this meaning he wont face a Jury and the ex team mates testifying against him is the admission of guilt.

That said as you rightly say he deserves utmost credit for his charity work, maybe that eases his conscience?

scrubbedexpat141

All of that is circumstantial isn't it though?

Not that I'm disagreeing with you. He may be tired of fighting the rumours but if it was me, I'd fight to the end if I knew I was innocent.

Maybe it does. I always found him quite affable so am happy to separate the two Lance Armstrong's and the LiveStrong work deserves lots of credit irrespective of who the 'other' Lance Armstrong is.

Bahtatboy

Chose your battles wisely.

britexpat76

There are far too many people that want to shit on him regardless of his Charity work, and people very close to him. He is as likely to have never taken drugs as I am never a pint or Marlboro Red.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012...whistleblowers

And your second point is bang on about fighting rumours, he has previously said about the "guiding principles" taught to him by his mum: that "to give up was to give in". something reiterated in his autobiography, "Pain is temporary,If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

And he quit...........I just hate cheats...........

Boomhauer

probably why he refused to cooperate with the trial; he knew he was screwed with soo many eyewitesses close to him implicating him.

Karlos The Jackal

So why didnt they implicate him three years ago?

britexpat76

They probably did, though we will only ever be aware of what is reported.

The Dean

I still haven't heard a convincing explanation as to how/why the US Anti-Doping Agency thinks it has jurisdiction over the Tour de France. I've asked my two favourite TdF media gurus (Brendan Gallagher of the Telegraph and Ben Dirs of the BBC Sport website) the same question, and they don't get it either..............

Bahtatboy

You don't think that its vaguely possible that an American institution may be exhibiting slight signs of a tendency to something close to arrogance? No, sorry, what was I thinking.