USADA to Ban/Strip Lance Armstrong

[ODH]

I never believed he was clean, but mostly agree with what Jensen said.
In some sense the guy is retired so I understand why people want to let it go.
But at the same time, it does send a message to all potential dopers - you will be pursued to the end of the time and everything you won through cheating will eventually be taken away.

[r.payton@att.net]

Jensens,
If you are competing in Olympic lifting you know about 80% of the guys are juicing (at comp level)-if they strip Lance then every medalist from East Germany / USSR from the late 60's on should be stripped . Half the East German women could have beat my ass back when I was lifting .
I have doubts about Lance being ''clean' all the time yet he never Landis'ed out . He was never CAUGHT so why pursue him into retirement ?

[JensenS]

While I've never officially competed in weightlifting (although I've looked into it, and plan on it eventually) I'm well aware of the doping issues inherent in the sport specifically related to out of competition use of anabolics.

The two Russian 105's that pulled out of the Olympics earlier in the month were and are both suspected of having done so after they failed testing administered before the competition by their teams.

[ban basketball]

I am about as ignorant of biking as I am of who the Kardashian family is and how they link with Bruce Jenner, but how do we know that biking is riddled with doping, and WHY is it riddled with doping?! The latter is the bigger question to me.

[r.payton@att.net]

Endurance competitive cycling is so huge in Europe that they've invented new ways of doping -mostly blood doping . amphetamines were prevalent at one point then anabolic steroids then combinations of both then blood doping . Landis made up so much time a few years ago that EVERYONE ( even me ) knew he would fail the drug screen . Tested positive for something like 10x the testosterone level of an average man .

[ban basketball]

It just seems impossibly weird to me to imagine that people would use such substances for biking, and that it would actuaally be advantageous to do so!

Goes to show how ignorant I am of the sport.

[WhippetGrappler]

Just seems wrong to me that there is no hearing. USADA just says we have proof and decides they are imposing on the ICA that they must strip Armstrong of his 7 titles.

[Spider]

Just seems wrong to me that there is no hearing. USADA just says we have proof and decides they are imposing on the ICA that they must strip Armstrong of his 7 titles.

He could fight it, but (according to the Today Show) there are about ten witnesses, which would make a pretty strong case against him, and if he decides to fight it, information might come out which would lead to criminal charges.

According to Lance, he's fed up with trying to defend himself against an unfair system.

[Zapp Brannigan]

He could fight it, but (according to the Today Show) there are about ten witnesses, which would make a pretty strong case against him, and if he decides to fight it, information might come out which would lead to criminal charges.

According to Lance, he's fed up with trying to defend himself against an unfair system.

10 witnesses with...lets kindly call it circumstantial evidence. It's not like people are saying they watched Lance get injected with EPO. Not only that, but most of these people gave evidence in exchange for reduced punishment or immunity for their own crimes.

For me, the bottom line is that WADA and USADA have been after Lance since 99 at least. There is nobody they wanted to bust more than Lance. And while almost all of his main competitors DID get busted, Lance never did. That alone gives me pause before proclaiming him guilty.