Lance Armstrong's Tour titles stripped, says UCI

Reuters ^ | 10/22/12 | Julien Pretot

[AmericanSamurai]

GENEVA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life on Monday after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) sanctions against the American.

The long-awaited decision has left cycling facing its "greatest crisis" according to UCI president Pat McQuaid and has destroyed Armstrong's last hope of clearing his name.

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. Lance Armstrong deserves to be forgotten in cycling," McQuaid told a news conference as he outlined how cycling, long battered by doping problems for decades, would have to start all over again.

"The UCI wishes to begin that journey on that path forward today by confirming that it will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and that it will recognise the sanction that USADA has imposed.

"I was sickened by what I read in the USADA report."

On Oct. 10, USADA published a report into Armstrong which alleged the now-retired rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".

Armstrong, 41, had previously elected not to contest USADA charges, prompting USADA to propose his punishment pending confirmation from cycling's world governing body.

Former Armstrong team mates at his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel outfits, where he won his seven successive Tour titles from 1999 to 2005, testified against him and themselves and were given reduced bans by the American authorities.

"It wasn't until the intervention of federal agents...they called these riders in and they put down a gun and badge on the table in front of them and said 'you're now facing a grand jury you must tell the truth' that those riders broke down," McQuaid added.

[ari-freedom]

“It was not enough that his teammates give maximum effort on the bike, he also required that they adhere to the doping program outlined for them or be replaced,” the antidoping agency said in its report. “He was not just a part of the doping culture on his team, he enforced and reinforced it.”

[yobid]

He supported G.W. Bush. That’s all you need to know.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Eh, they were all cheating. He remains the champion.

[FlipWilson]

In other news, Jesse Owens has been found to have been doping based on the testimony of several German Olympic officials (hiding in South America for some reason) and certain of Mr. Owens teammates who were questioned at gunpoint. As a result, Owens will be stripped of his gold medals and the relatives of some other person who finished second and has been forgotten will get to meet with Hitler, and shake his hand, pending the invention of the time machine.

When asked for comment the USOC, WADA and the USADA expressed outrage that such a historical and diabolical scheme could have been perpetrated in the pure setting of the Berlin Olympics. “One could say,” said Dick Hurtz of the USADA, “this may have perpetrated a war and caused that entire Holocaust thingy.”

[MamaTexan]

From what I understand, his choices were to take the 'finding' or be suspended anyway while continuing to fork over $ for lawyers as the case dragged its way through the USADA.

Some choice.

[FewsOrange]

He passed the tests. And that makes them liars

Marion Jones passed every test she took.

[Ransomed]

I read one story where the cyclists called the tests ‘IQ Tests’ because the only way one could normally get caught after doping was if you were dumb.

Freegards

[Smokeyblue]

And he set out to DESTROY people who told the truth.

His own multi-millionaire status and that of conglomerate powerhouse Nike were used against people who told the truth.

He used his charity as a buffer.

[alancarp]

"...they called these riders in and they put down a gun and badge on the table in front of them..."

Nice. So pray tell: why the Gestapo-style tactics? Why was there a Federal investigation? What charges are alleged? Was this all simply to "get" Lance Armstrong, or is anyone actually going to charge him with a crime? If not, then please explain all this to me, for this is bizarre.

[Baynative]

Cycling Ping

In the challenge for success and peak physical performance it is a fine line to determine what is the best method of training and nutrition and when or where performance enhancing becomes bad.

Are long training rides bad ...hill repeats, weight training? What about carb loading, deep muscle massage, power bars, goo and electrolyte additives?

Since there's no statute of limitations and no rules of constraint, it might be time to hook up the lie detectors on Merkx, Hinault, LeMond, Indurain, Riis, Ulrich and the rest. Maybe it's time to rewrite all the record books while we're at it. I'll concede there is an element of justice at play here, but this has gone to the point of ridiculousness in my view.

Then comes the issue of whether an athlete can be a jerk.

[jospehm20]

I agree.

[jospehm20]

I agree.

[luv2ski]

Totally agree, Bay!

[jospehm20]

I guess if the powers that be in the sport were serious about stopping doping, they would have invested in better tests, but they were apparently not that serious about it.

[Baynative]

Think what will happen to Colorado’s economy when they ban high altitude training.

[ari-freedom]

“He supported G.W. Bush. That’s all you need to know.”

If that was an issue then every liberal news article would read “Lance Armstrong, a life-long Republican and Bush supporter...”

[longtermmemmory]

Ok, but here is the question?

SEVEN years?

Why did they let this go for seven years? or is this just going along with the us kangaroo comission?

[Vision]

I take it you haven’t had a chance to read The Secret Race?

[GalaxyAB]

“The guy worked every day of his life to win these races.”

Apparently he also cheated.

[circlecity]

"I guess if the powers that be in the sport were serious about stopping doping, they would have invested in better tests, but they were apparently not that serious about it."

If one has the time, brians and money they can get around anything.