The Lance Armstrong Debacle

[britbox]

One of the most shameful episodes in sports...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgRBxsW26vY

 

 

[Alien]

 

Now I am not into bikes, nor I am a follower of Lance. However, I dont get:

1. why on earth did he admit it, risking to lose all that money and sponsors and tropheys and being sued backwards. Amazing. All he had to do was to keep at it. Yes they had witnesses but it is not as a doped urine bottle (I may be wrong here). They cannot proved that he doped during ALL those tours. It would be a long legal battle.
2. I am not sure he was validly caught. I mean, you are doped if you are caught in a control. At the moment. Not ten years ago. Not with witness. So I really think no case. He was smarter, so sorry. If only he hadnt admitted it of course.
3. I know I am going no main road here. Just want to add a different view. I am not even sure I think this way LOl.

 

[britbox]

<cite>@Alien said:</cite>


Now I am not into bikes, nor I am a follower of Lance. However, I dont get:

1. 
   <ol>
2. why on earth did he admit it, risking to lose all that money and sponsors and tropheys and being sued backwards. Amazing. All he had to do was to keep at it. Yes they had witnesses but it is not as a doped urine bottle (I may be wrong here). They cannot proved that he doped during ALL those tours. It would be a long legal battle.

</ol>

1. 
   <ol>
2. I am not sure he was validly caught. I mean, you are doped if you are caught in a control. At the moment. Not ten years ago. Not with witness. So I really think no case. He was smarter, so sorry. If only he hadnt admitted it of course.

</ol>

1. 
   <ol>
2. I know I am going no main road here. Just want to add a different view. I am not even sure I think this way LOl.

</ol>

1) He only admitted it when he HAD to.  The FBI got involved... all his team-mates testified under subpoena.  They could have got jailed if they lied.

2) It doesn't matter... he did actually fail tests but the UCI covered his arse on backdated doctors notes. When the governing body is responsible for testing it leads to corruption.  You only have to read Agassi's book to know it's happened in tennis. Tip of the iceberg methinks... @front242

3) Lance would never have caught if:

a) He hadn't made that ill fated return from retirement.

b) Hadn't treated a lot of people around him like shit.

 

 

[Alien]

I really lack the facts. Questions:

1. why jail ? what is the crime in doping really ? Fraud, I guess?
2. so he failed the tests, that is a different issue. Do they still have those bottles? I should read some book about him, any recommendations?

But I read Andre´s... Still think crystal meth is not eactly doping to get advantage in sports, as it is not MJ. They should change rules here and there.

 

[britbox]

Well, I'm with you on Andre... Crystal meth isn't performance enhancing, but the danger is the process... He failed a test, sent a soft letter saying his mate spiked his drink and the whole matter was swept under the carpet. Fair play to Agassi for even mentioning it in his book.

Doping itself isn't a "crime"... but Armstrong shafted so many people around him.. he could probably have been nailed for distributing.  I don' think any top cyclist has won the TDF clean since about 1990.  Lemond was probably the last "clean" or "cleanish" winner of the Tour de France and he was a freak of nature.

Armstrong's problem was he hurt the people around him and they broke the Omerta.

By the way, I was chatting with a guy I do a bit of work for from time to time, and he was an athlete... said ALL (absolutely ALL) the top sprinters take stuff.

 

[Front242]

I guess since everyone is doping in cycling it means they had no option but to do what they did, ie. strip Lance of all his titles.  No one else deserves the title either since they're probably all doping.  It's actually beyond a joke and I completely believe the claim about sprinters above too, britbox.  Normally though, the crime involved would be that if and only if say this was a one v one sport such as tennis, the guy committing the crime is the doper who is depriving the loser (if and only if he/she was clean) of both (a) large amounts of money and (b) the title and associated fame and everything else that comes with it.