<p>While disappointed, I personally suspect he’s been advised to let UCI tell the USADA to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. UCI has generally held the position that the USADA has no authority to strip Tour titles, and UCI kind of holds the last cards. I don’t believe that he did dope, because after 12 years, I think technology has advanced enough to figure out what he WAS doping with. </p>
<p>I do admit though, that I cried when the news broke on ESPN. Lance and the Livestrong movement grew in popularity right after my mom was diagnosed, and both inspired me to stay strong even as things went downhill. My mom wore her yellow band until the day she died, and I wear mine regularly to this day (even if they aren’t ‘cool’ anymore). Lance has really done more for cancer research and awareness than any other organization in the past 10-15 years, and I say that with full knowledge of the work that Susan G. Komen has done. The Livestrong Foundation really provides a lot of resources and support to cancer patients that you can’t find anywhere else. </p>
<p>In the end, whether he doped or not, I’m forever indebted to Lance for his work to fight cancer and provide support for both patients and families.</p>
<p>Lance Armstrong is a difficult person to really like, but I admire him greatly. He has a terrific relationship with his ex-wife and kids. I had more of a problem with him leaving Sheryl Crow! I actually like him anyway, since I am drawn to difficult people!</p>
<p>He has the very best lawyers and if he decided to refuse the arbitration (which was totally a no-win situation for him), I trust that it was the best thing to do.</p>
<p>At this point I assume that virtually top athletes are “doping” to some degree, whatever that means. Is taking testosterone precursors to aid in recovery time between workouts “doping”? Is taking megadoses of some antioxidant “doping”?</p>
<p>This makes me sad. In a way, I didn’t think he was doping because I, personally, wouldn’t have had the nerve to put up such a strong defense if I knew that I was lying, so it’s hard to imagine that others could. The fall seems so much worse this way. And yet, the sport is so corrupted, it was inconceivable that he could compete and win and not doped.</p>
<p>During his TDF days, we regularly would see his group riding, and we’d wave hi. Just a couple of months ago, I was at a restaurant when he walked in with his kids. Bummed.</p>
<p>Well, he certainly didn’t admit to it, and I say, after all those hundreds of negative tests, to pursue it for so long…sounds vindictive to me. At some point, especially years after the fact with no physical proof, it’s time to let it go. What is wrong with these people?</p>
<p>I can see how someone would get sick and tired of paying lawyers and having this follow them for decades. Take the dang medals, they are never going to give up anyways. Somebody is on a serious power trip. Not one dime of tax dollars should be spent on this persecution.</p>
<p>“Our tax dollars were used in a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong’s doping which resulted in no charges being filed.”</p>
<p>I don’t believe the investigation was into doping per se, but rather, like the Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens investigations, into crimes incident to doping, such as defrauding the Postal Service, money laundering, etc.</p>
<p>Prosecutors aren’t psychic. If there were a US Attorney’s office where 100% of the investigations led to charges, I would assume misbehavior on their part. You can’t know whether you have enough evidence to charge someone until you investigate.</p>
<p>I never thought I would say this but I agree with busdriver.</p>
<p>When I heard there was a big announcement from Lance Armstrong I thought finally we’ll know the truth but instead I am more confused than ever. Lance says he is clean but is sick of the fight. The USADA was very quick to pronounce what his sentence would be and their decision way overstepped their authority.</p>
<p>I has taken me 20 years to understand that due process doesn’t apply in the arena of drug testing in athletics. If a drug test comes back positive you are out immediately but you will be afforded the opportunity to plead your case down the road. Since a positive test is very compelling evidence I’ve come to accept that in this area we can have an exception to innocent until proven guilty.</p>
<p>But the USADA doesn’t have a positive drug test. I don’t know what they do have and maybe they have plenty, but what they don’t have is a positive drug test. I’m not saying Lance is clean but they are asking too much of me to accept that he is guilty without a positive drug test.</p>
<p>“But the USADA doesn’t have a positive drug test. I don’t know what they do have and maybe they have plenty, but what they don’t have is a positive drug test. I’m not saying Lance is clean but they are asking too much of me to accept that he is guilty without a positive drug test”</p>
<p>And I agree with that too. Though I don’t know why you wouldn’t agree with me more often, I’m pretty moderate (though with poorly thought out positions). What I don’t understand is that while he has decided to stop fighting, that is not an admission of guilt. So without physical evidence or a trial, how can they just declare him guilty and strip him of his medals?</p>
<p>it’s sort of like pleading “no contest”. He’s saying he isn’t willing to go to arbitration and hear the evidence and present his own evidence. I don’t blame him, really. It’s a no-win situation at this point.</p>
<p>I expected to see that on facebook, too, but so far my feed is unanimous in love and support for Lance. I guess knowing so many runners/triathletes helps! :)</p>
<p>What I can’t decide is whether some of us are like Penn Staters who couldn’t possibly believe that someone we’ve admired could do something so wrong, like we’re too close to it. I mean, there is no positive test, but there’s been way too much smoke for too many years for there not to be a fire, right? And, yeah, I’ve heard that he was a jerk, but, thankfully for many, that’s not illegal.</p>
<p>I’ve beaten the drum about Lance being clean for years, and even I have to now admit that he probably wasn’t. I think there is a big range of “doping”, though, and I suspect that post-cancer he wouldn’t have done anything dangerous to his body. Yes, I suspect he is guilty to some extent but in my opinion he has not been caught so I think this whole thing is a travesty. I also think it is stupid because I don’t know if ANY of them are clean and so it becomes a big “so what”?</p>
<p>DH & I were talking about this last night. Lance always comes up clean; there have been people gunning for him for years so you would think if there was anything going on it would have showed up somewhere somehow. I don’t blame him for not wanting to deal with it anymore. Seems like he can’t prove himself not guilty, no matter what he does.</p>
<p>I have no personal knowledge of him, except through the media, but he’s always struck me as arrogant. But my opinion of him improved after his cameo in Dodgeball; at least he’s got a sense of humor. </p>
<p>So who gets the medals? #2 in a few of the Tours is an admitted doper.</p>
<p>@busdriver – I just made a bad joke. If I remember, politically you’re pretty far to the right, although my memory is so bad I might be confusing you with someone else.</p>
<p>^^I make a lot of bad jokes myself, that people often can’t find the humor in. I’m actually all over the map, so if you read one post you might think far right, others maybe middle left, depends on the issue. I’m starting to feel like I don’t identify with any side, there is so much garbage flying around, I don’t like anything I hear any more. All spin and people trying to keep their jobs, without getting a single problem solved. But that’s another thread.</p>
<p>Speaks volumes about some of the things our Congress decide to do, and whom they decide to empower with the right to be be prosecutor, judge and jury. The USADA, despite its “do-good” image is just yet another organization that is nothing else but a despicable and shameful association of human garbage. And another one to misuse quasi-government powers.</p>
<p>It seems that the clueless, the mediocre and the envious cannot stand the fame of certain athletes. Even in a country such as Belgium that revered its cycling heroes, there have been numerous ambitious government “servants” who have spent years trying to “nail” Eddy Merckx. When the doping did not stick, it was tax evasion. When that did not work, they tried some trivial matters such as “using influence” to obtain government contracts when the Eddy Merckx factory sold a handful of bikes to a city department. The same factory that has been a haven for plenty of retired pro-cyclists and a source of stable employment in a high wage country, instead of outsourcing to friendlier and cheaper countries. </p>
<p>My guess is that Armstrong followed the advice of his attorneys to avoid arbitration. They had a good idea of what was coming, with the witnesses that were to be called. He made a strategic decision which was probably the right one in the long run as far as Livestrong is concerned. His big sponsors were undoubtedly getting a little nervous, and now, they can continue to say that there’s no hard proof that he doped and he will still get their financial support for the foundation.</p>
<p>I don’t put any stock in his denials. All the other cyclists who were caught also denied doping-- but then finally broke down and admitted it. So, whether he doped or not, he would deny. It tells us nothing. </p>
<p>Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, Alberto Contador, Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Alexander Vinokourov are just some of the well-known cyclists caught doping. I think they all do it.</p>