Buy or sell: Lance Armstrong cheated

[Optimus Prime 4]

I think I'm finally moved to the buy side. Now that the US doping association is charging him and trying to revoke his 7 tour titles, apparently with the backing of more evidence, more blood tests, and dozens of witnesses... It's really hard to believe him. Plus, now that every single winner has been busted over the last twenty years, I probably shouldn't expect him to be any different. They say he had blood transfusions the years he won after coming back, but hell, he was riding on one nut, he probably deserved a transfusion or three.

I used to believe him when it was just he French saying he tested positive, but every year more stuff comes out disputing him.

 

[BulldogBasher]

The thing is, I've just never cared. Even if he did cheat, so did everyone else. Cycling is probably the dirtiest sport on the planet. He's an American who beat a bunch of Europeans (many of whom were also doping) at their own sport, and he did so after he simultaneously beat brain, lung, and testicular cancer. That makes me okay with it. Now feel free to tear me to shreds.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

On a competition level, I agree. But the way he portrayed himself now seems like a lie. As an athlete and tough *** competitor, I agree, they all cheated so he's still the best of his era. For a while he was almost a mythical figure, I think that's gone.

No outrage though, Michael Jordan was a total dick yet everyone thought he was as clean as can be. Doesn't change that he's still the best ever.

 

[weblow]

The guy was able to get the best in the business as far as masking it and blood transfusions. He was so good that he was able to get his entire team to test clean while he raced because he hooked every single one of them up with his gurus.

I think he is still the best the sport has seen and what he accomplished was amazing.

My biggest beef with him other than him being a complete cock is that he goes out of his way to do interviews about how clean he is and that the world is against him. Not just issuing a denial and answering to the authorities, he goes out of his way to do interviews from tv to magazines about how he is clean and never cheated.

I would have loved to see a Tour with Contedor and Lance, both at their peak and see who could pull it out. I think Lance wins 10 times out of 10 but it would be fun to watch.

 

[Todd4State]

I'd be more surprised if he didn't.

But just like baseball, I don't care. It's the day and age that we live in.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

These are the real cycling heroes.

 

[missouridawg]

that HGH or some form of itwill become common medicinal remedy within the next 15 years.

 

[DawgWild]

but hell, give the man a break. he only had one nut! needed all the help he could get! but seriously though, like Bulldog Basher said, he beat a bunch of Europeans that were all doing the same thing at their big sport other than soccer. So for that i say 'merica 17 yeah!

 

[coach66]

might have gotten a pass but he beat too many people and made too many enemies.

 

[GloryDawg]

As much as everyone in the world of cycle racing hated to see him win they would have busted him.

 

[patdog]

You've been tested more than any athlete in history and have NEVER failed a test. You've been accused of doping close to a dozen times and in EVERY case the accusations have been found to have no basis. If you were truly innocent, wouldn't you be pretty damned outraged and denying it? Lance Armstrong is just as much of a dick as Michael Jordan is, and he's definitely made more enemies than Jordan has. But until I see some real evidence that he's guilty, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

There is no way you can win the thing and be clean. Everybody else is doping, so you either dope also, or you finish dead last.

 

[YellowFeverDawg]

He has been tested more than any other athlete in the sport, and he never failed a test. The USADA's case is based almost solely on the testimonies of riders who have been caught doping and subsequently run out of the sport. Lance's comment that his results are consistent, and that he has never shown a performance spike are hard to refute (unless you believe that he was doping at age 12).

If he did cheat, then congratulations. Add it to the list of things that he is better at than anyone else. This is a witch hunt. The USADA is only partially funded by the federal government, and since they can not bring criminal charges they can come forward with less than solid evidence. If there was any real proof you can believe that the feds lead investigator Novitsky (the same FDA official that took down Bonds and Clemens) would have brought charges against Armstrong. He, however, dropped his case in February.

 

[kired]

It's hard to believe someone could be so dominate without doping,especially considering that he wascompeting and beating people who were definitely doping.

He's still the greatest cyclist that I'm aware of. It's kind of like Nascar - the old guys will tell stories of all the BS theytried to get away with back in the day. Anybody who was winning was probably breaking the rules, at least to some degree. Cycling is the same way. Heck - doping was openly allowed until what... the 60s or 70s?

 

[FlabLoser]

that HGH or some form of itwill become common medicinal remedy within the next 15 years.

...who ran over a bomb in Kuait. HGH was part of the treatment he had for his back which was badly injured. Or maybe it was stem cells. Anyway, it was one of those out there "some day" treatments.