Lance Armstrong Implicated Again

[Troy]

In recent weeks it has come out that former team-mates of Armstrong have claimed that they witnessed him taking drugs. Importantly this wasn't just some paid media interviews it was done infront of a grand jury. That is key because it gives them more credibility because if you lie in front of a grand jury you go to jail for a few years. Also one of those that testified was George Hincapie who is probably the most respected guy on the tour. Hamilton and Landis have questionable reputations but again are they going to risk going to jail for a few years?

To cycling fans it was clear that Armstrong wasn't clean and that he had some extra help. Armstrong keeps claiming that he is clean and that he has never failed a drug test but a lot of drug cheats have never failed a drug test. Other riders like Zabel and Riis never failed a test but were drug cheats, Marion Jones the runner was a drug cheat but never tested positive, Ben Cousins an AFL player never tested positive yet was a drug cheat. Plus Armstrong has failed a drug test since his 1999 Tour samples had traces of EPO in it yet he refuses for it to be retested.

I will be glad when this all comes out because it shows that cheaters don't win in the end. Cycling is one of the least clean sports and they need to clean it up. I hope that the governing body UCI are also implicated for covering this up. Cycling needs a fresh start and the cheaters need to go.

 

[Deezy]

Maybe everyone neds to get off their soapbox and realize that PEDs are the lifeblood of sports and to take it away leads to injuries and subpar performances.

Lance Armstrong is being villafied solely because he is a public figure who used his platform to talk about cancer. I don't care if he tool PEDs, most people don't. This whole talk about PEDs is stupid. If you ain't cheating you ain't trying.

This is like saying black people can't be in sports because they have an unfair advantage, because they were bread to be faster and stronger by slave owners.

 

[Troy]

Most people that follow cycling don't want the riders using PEDs to improve their performance, I certainly don't. I want to see them doing the best they can without the aid of illegal performance enhancers.

Armstrong is the focus because he won it seven years in a row and was always under suspicion because of how easily he won year after year. It was like in 2006 when Landis won the Tour de France, there was one stage where he looked dead at the end of one day then the next stage he dominated and looked a new man. It was clear Landis took drugs and he was caught in the end and confessed to it. If Armstrong did cheat then I hope it comes out that he is a fake so that people stop praising a cheat.

I don't see how this compares to black athletes in sports. This isn't about genetics it is about using drugs to improve on your genetics and your conditioning.

 

[Deezy]

But genetics predetermine what a persons conditioning could be. Even the hardest of workers couldn't compete with a race that was bread to be bigger, faster and stronger.

I'm just saying, that PEDs are more prevalent than people seem to realize, to act like they should be abolished is ludicrous. First off, they help you train more without fear of injuries. They make sure your body can do the absolute max that it can. It doesn't help a person with the qualities it takes to be a champion, like heart, determination and most importantly coordination and skill.

 

[Prodigy]

Just a quick question, did Armstrong ever fail to turn up to drug testing or anything like that... becuase if he showed to all his tests, he has obviously got nothing to hide. The man was just great at what he did, just like greats of other sports i.e Federer, Schumacher, Usain Bolt and Tiger Woods. No one has ever accused these guys of taking drugs but I guarantee someone will, why? Because where there's someone succesful there will always be a jealous person trying all they can to make them look bad.

 

[Troy]

He never missed a test and passed them all, except he had one which showed traces of EPO.

The issue is in cycling there have been many, many champion riders that never failed a test but are drug cheats. They are able to get around the testing reasonably easily and I assume it is due to superior advances in PEDs.

The thing that sells it to me in this situation is that these other riders testified in front of a grand jury. If they lie they go to jail plus Hincapie I can't see lying about anything since his reputation is one of the best on tour.

 

[Deezy]

This still just reeks of witch hunt to me.

This is like Barry Bonds, who never failed a drug test, gets charged with perjury for no reason other than they thought he lied. Even though there wasn't any evidence besides hearsay to back that up.

 

[Prodigy]

I agree with Deezy 100%. Haters gonna hate.

 

[Troy]

If it was the French doing this then I would agree. They have hated him ever since he started winning and would always print every rumour they could. Again this is the US so it is different. Nothing will probably happen though, these guys testified over a year ago and still nothing.

 

[Deezy]

In the US PED issues are used as a distraction from real issues. It's just more grandstanding that is a waste of taxpayer dollars and really isn't that big of an issue.

Hey US! You have disaster stricken states to worry about, a terrible economy that isn't recovering like it should and aging population that will bankrupt your medicare.

Maybe your governments time should be spent on those things instead of what a guy injected into his ass.

 

[Troy]

I agree that this is minor compared to the real issues the US faces, but let's be honest until their two main parties start working together and the public change their view on what the American dream is nothing will happen. I do think that the issue should be dealt with by the sporting organisation rather than a US court. I assume that it is because the potential charges include the distribution and supply of the PED's. Other than that I don't know why this is before a US court.