Posted on 08/23/2012 10:18:32 PM PDT by Domandred
AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. 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.
I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.
If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?
From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process.
USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.
The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.
USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.
Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.
lol, maybe get up to speed on a subject before you shoot your mouth off.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20120824/DA0RMKM01.html
I’m depressed to say this is only the beginning of the earthquake which will destroy his life’s work.
Frank Sinatra
“ They Can’t Take That Away From Me “
There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you,
And with your permission
May I list a few?
The way you wear your hat.
The way you sip your tea.
The memory of all that -
No, no - they can’t take that away from me.
The way your smile just beams.
The way you sing off-key.
The way you haunt my dreams.
No, no - they can’t take that away from me.
We may never, never meet again
On that bumpy road to love
Still I’ll always,
Always keep the memory of:
The way you hold your knife (do-do-do-do do-do).
The way we danced until three.
The way you’ve changed my life.
No, no - they can’t take that away from me.
No, they can’t take that away from me.
The link has nothing new that hasn’t been shouted from the house tops for as long as this has been going on, which is far too long IMHO.
When I ride, I like to practice what I call being “conspicuously visible.”
Plus, the wicking and not binding up is very important.
I personally think he did dope. But of course I don’t *know* that he did. For all I know everyone in the sport of cycling dopes or has done on occasion.
Unless he comes out and admits it (which I don’t see happening) we’ll never know with 100% certainty. This closes the door I think on the official debate.
Those who think he doped can hold today’s decision up as “evidence”. Those who think he’s clean can continue to say he’s been a victim of a witchhunt.
So basically not much has changed or will change.
When I ride, I like to practice what I call being “conspicuously visible.”
Plus, the wicking and not binding up is very important.
Safety and comfort are very important.
Two things I pay attention to, along with hydration & sufficient snacks to avoid
bonking.
My post made perfect sense. You must not have read it before responding. I clearly said that everyone doesn't keep up with the details of competitive cycling, and that those making definite statements about past events should provide links.
Links have been posted.
Rush wants to know more about USADA and their motives in going after Armstrong for so many years. There's no actual evidence that Armstrong is guilty of doping. Lance has passed 500+ doping tests, many of them random.
I don’t tend to believe the assertions of anonymous internet posters. Sure, it’s possible that someone with a 5-character user id on Free Republic is actually a professional cyclist, but it’s much more likely they are just making crap up.
I think that is the key. Who knows if he found a way to take PEDs and pass drug tests. The RULES at the time were, if you pass the drug tests, you are good to go.
It’s like if the NFL went back and stripped older players of their sack records, by reviewing their sacks and taking away all of them that would be penalties under current rules.
Or NASCAR selectively banning drivers because they drove cars 10 years ago that don’t meet today’s standards.
Rush isn’t a cycling fan. The USADA is loaded for bear with witnesses and samples. I’ve been holding out hope but Lance’s non contest says it all.
This so reminds me of the Clements fiasco.
A news story quoting the USADA isn’t very persuasive.
Note they don’t say they have doped blood results. Instead, they use the weasel words “consistant with” doping.
For example, maybe there is no evidence of drugs, but the blood is so clean it looks like someone went out of their way to get it clean — hence it looks like you might expect if someone was trying to hide doping.
If someone calls you a liar, and you say they are lying, that is “consistant with” their charge that you are a liar.
They have people, mostly disgraced athletes who were caught cheating, or ones who got OFF of their charges by testifying, who claim they SAW armstrong cheat, but none of them have any evidence either.
And of course, they don’t even have access to blood, or any evidence of doped blood, for the 7 tours that he won. So they are trying to strip his titles based SOLELY on the testimony of disgraced people who CLAIM he was doped — while the physical evidence proves he was NOT doped. Note that under the rules of the tour, the doping tests were dispositive, not claims by teammates or rivals without evidence.
I don't think he's ever looked into the camera and said "I never used drugs"....
Barry Bonds "never" used drugs either....
Thanks for the ping nutmeg. I’m going to try to catch up on all of this this weekend. After seven?+ years, why should he let them continue to try to bankrupt him with legal fees, etc when nothing will satisfy them. I’ve seen this move before when the left tries to silence the right by bankrupting them with with legal fees. See John Kerry and friends.
Lance’s accomplishments and reputation will outlive all of this.
(Tin foil -or not-alert: anyone else here wonder what role, if any, the old ex Sheryl Crow plays in this?)
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