USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of 7 Tour titles

[Hitman]

Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

Armstrong, who retired last year, effectively dropped his fight by declining to enter USADA's arbitration process - his last option - because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests he passed as proof of his innocence while piling up Tour titles from 1999 to 2005.

''There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now,'' Armstrong said. He called the USADA investigation an ''unconstitutional witch hunt.''

''I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999,'' he said. ''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.''

USADA reacted quickly and treated Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, hanging the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.

Source

 

[Booseman]

It will actually be up to the Cycling Federation or whatever it is to strip him of his titles. They have already done an investigation and found no reason to take them so he will more than likely keep them. USADA can not strip him of his titles.

 

[Hitman]

It will actually be up to the Cycling Federation or whatever it is to strip him of his titles. They have already done an investigation and found no reason to take them so he will more than likely keep them. USADA can not strip him of his titles.

... well you sure can't tell that by the article....

 

[TomTerrific]

It will actually be up to the Cycling Federation or whatever it is to strip him of his titles. They have already done an investigation and found no reason to take them so he will more than likely keep them. USADA can not strip him of his titles.

Good point. Thanks for making it.

 

[Hitman]

Oh I see here;

Still to be heard from was the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union, which had backed Armstrong's legal challenge to USADA's authority and in theory could take the case before the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Tygart said UCI was ''bound to recognize our decision and impose it'' as a signer of the World Anti-Doping Code.

''They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code,'' he said

 

[Booseman]

Oh I see here;

Yeah, that is what I was trying to get at, just didn't have time to pull up the article and quote it.

 

[my-rifle]

Wow. Lance Armstrong was doping?

There's a big surprise.

 

[Hitman]

Wow. Lance Armstrong was doping?

There's a big surprise.

What drugs did he use?

sent from the Telephone I carry in my pocket.

 

[my-rifle]

What drugs did he use?

sent from the Telephone I carry in my pocket.

Beats me, but anybody who performs like he did is doping.

 

[X Zombie]

Beats me, but anybody who performs like he did is doping.

So anyone who is identified as the Alpha amongst conditioned athletes is automatically a doper?

Hitman: FYSA there are different types of doping. "Blood doping", which doesn't involve drugs, is banned in sports. Blood doping is basically when a person removes blood from their system, seperates the red blood cells from the plasma and freezes it. After the body replenishes the lost blood and red blood cells, the frozen blood is put back into the body. This method of "Doping" gives the athelete an unfair advantage by being able to have a higher blood/oxygen content. Very dangerous as it may cause blood clots.

 

[my-rifle]

So anyone who is identified as the Alpha amongst conditioned athletes is automatically a doper?

No, but he obviously was.

 

[X Zombie]

No, but he obviously was.

Unless I missed something, there is no evidence (Positive Drug Test) which proves this. The only thing I read is there are witnesses who are ready to testify against him.

 

[jayd]

Not sure if Lance took drugs that help the blood retain more oxygen
But Chris Carmichael (his coach) said Lance is a freak of nature, his lungs are way big for his body, his V02s are phenomenal
And if I remember correctly, he had a base heart rate of 28 beats a minute, he was such a hammer...

 

[X Zombie]

Not sure if Lance took drugs that help the blood retain more oxygen
But Chris Carmichael (his coach) said Lance is a freak of nature, his lungs are way big for his body, his V02s are phenomenal
And if I remember correctly, he had a base heart rate of 28 beats a minute, he was such a hammer...

That's kind of what I want to empahasize. He won so many events and was tested numorous times and nothing came about. If, and I really do mean if, he is in fact guilty of doping, then sucks to be him. But, until he is proven to have used Illigal or banned performance enhancement methods, give the guy some credit. Just because you are a freak of nature and blessed with superior athletic potential which you develop doesn't mean you are a doper.

 

[my-rifle]

That's kind of what I want to empahasize. He won so many events and was tested numorous times and nothing came about. If, and I really do mean if, he is in fact guilty of doping, then sucks to be him. But, until he is proven to have used Illigal or banned performance enhancement methods, give the guy some credit. Just because you are a freak of nature and blessed with superior athletic potential which you develop doesn't mean you are a doper.

It means you probably are a doper. Odds are he can't do all that stuff without doping.

 

[X Zombie]

It means you probably are a doper. Odds are he can't do all that stuff without doping.

Odds are? All the odds are stacked up against the general population/average Joe. That is what makes athletes with real talent stand out. I'm not trying to turn this into a pissing contest, but until there is evidence he did anything illegal... is it guilty until proven innocent or innocent until proven guilty?

 

[SVTFreak]

He has consistently passed all tests for doping and drugs, even random tests in off season. Short of a positive test, he didn't do it. Anyone can point and say "he did too!" after they've been caught (by tests I might add). Which then, I have to ask, if he was doing the same things his teammates where, how come they got caught and he didn't?

 

[X Zombie]

He has consistently passed all tests for doping and drugs, even random tests in off season. Short of a positive test, he didn't do it. Anyone can point and say "he did too!" after they've been caught (by tests I might add). Which then, I have to ask, if he was doing the same things his teammates where, how come they got caught and he didn't?

can I get an Amen?

 

[my-rifle]

Odds are? All the odds are stacked up against the general population/average Joe. That is what makes athletes with real talent stand out. I'm not trying to turn this into a pissing contest, but until there is evidence he did anything illegal... is it guilty until proven innocent or innocent until proven guilty?

I didn't say he was guilty. I said he's probably guilty. And this isn't a court of law. We're just having a friendly discussion.

 

[SVTFreak]

Well, reporting to congress inquest into doping and performance enhancing drugs in sports, I would entire entire to say that he is innocent until proven guilty. At least in every court I know of (except traffic court) is that the case.