DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Lance Armstrong drops fight. Will lose 7 titles and take lifetime ban

Armstrong calls it quits and will accept lifetime ban and loss of all 7 Tour De France titles.
(CNN) -- The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said early Friday it will strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and impose a lifetime ban, a move that came just hours after the cyclist announced he would no longer fight charges of illegal doping.

A formal announcement by the USADA is expected later in the day, "but his choosing not to contest the charges means that there will be a lifetime ban and a loss of all results beginning from August 1, 1998," agency spokeswoman Annie Skinner told CNN in an emailed statement.

Even so, there is a question about whether the USADA -- a quasi-government agency recognized as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sports in the United States -- has the authority to take action against Armstrong.

The International Cycling Federation, whom Armstrong has said should be the arbiter in his case, has opposed the American agency's actions by claiming it has jurisdiction. That position has been recently backed by USA Cycling, the official cycling organization recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The USADA's action followed news late Thursday that Armstrong was calling it quits in his battle to end an investigation by the USADA.
Lance Armstrong victim of vendetta?
2011: Armstrong teammate speaks out
Photos: Lance Armstrong over the years Photos: Lance Armstrong over the years

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said in a written statement.

The USADA has accused Armstrong of using, possessing, trafficking and giving to others performance-enhancing drugs, as well as covering up doping violations.

Armstrong, who has long denied allegations of illegal doping, made his announcement after losing a legal bid Monday to halt the anti-doping agency's legal case against him, which came more than a year after his retirement from cycling and subsequent move to triathlon competitions.

The 40-year-old, who fought back from testicular cancer to win cycling's biggest race from 1999 to 2005, has described himself as the "most tested athlete in the world." He retired twice from cycling -- first in 2005, for four years, and again in 2011.

Armstrong has never been convicted of any doping charges.

The USADA alleges he took steroids throughout his career, saying it has testimony from former teammates to support the charges. It has refused to reveal who provided the evidence.

Although USADA officials had not seen Armstrong's statement late Thursday, its chief executive called it "a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes."

"This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition, but for clean athletes, it is a reassuring reminder that there is hope for future generations to compete on a level playing field without the use of performance-enhancing drugs," CEO Travis T. Tygart said in a statement.
This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition
Travis T. Tygart, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO

Armstrong called Tygart's investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."

"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," he said.

If found guilty by the USADA, Armstrong faced a lifetime ban from all sports covered by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances," Armstrong said Thursday.

"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."

Armstrong has been dogged by doping allegations in recent years, with compatriot Floyd Landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims last year.

Armstrong came out fighting in May 2011, in the face of fresh allegations made on CBS News' "60 Minutes" show by another American, Tyler Hamilton. In the CBS interview, Hamilton -- who retired in 2009 after twice testing positive himself and who, earlier this month, was stripped of his 2004 gold medal by the International Olympic Committee due to doping -- said he first saw Armstrong use EPO in 1999.

EPO, or erythropoietin, boosts the number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the muscles.

Armstrong has said in court documents that he has never had "a single positive test" in the 500 to 600 drug tests he's taken in his more than two decades in cycling.

"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," Armstrong said in Thursday's statement.

In February, Justice Department prosecutors said they closed a criminal investigation after reviewing allegations against Armstrong. They had called witnesses to a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, but apparently determined they lacked evidence to bring a charge that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs.

In a June letter to Armstrong, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, the USADA said it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions."

Armstrong sued the USADA to stop the investigation, arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him.

But a federal judge on Monday dismissed Armstrong's lawsuit after ruling the court did not have jurisdiction.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks acknowledged "the appearance of a conflict on the part of both organizations creates doubt the charges against Armstrong would receive fair consideration in either forum." But that doesn't mean federal courts should intervene, the judge said, adding "these matters should be resolved internally, by the parties most affected."

"If these bodies wish to damage the image of their sport through bitter infighting, they will have to do so without the involvement of the United States courts," Sparks said.


Kinda like a civil trial here. Not enough evidence to convict in a criminal proceeding, but the mountain of evidence based on testimonials from his piers who all accused him of doping cannot be ignored.

Yeah, mine is an unpopular stance. Armstrong has done great things in terms of using his fame to help raise money for cancer. However, in spite of the fact that Armstrong never "tested positive" it's clear he used PED's, and it's simply unacceptable that he be allowed to enjoy the ill-gotten gains by cheating. I don't believe he should go to jail, just as I have always thought it was a massive waste of time and money prosecuting other cheaters like Bonds and Clemens, but is it fair to strip him of his titles? Yup.

Lance.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Big shocker...

Funny sill is how much people think this stuff doesn't happen by the vast majority of professional athletes. Football obviously doesn't have this problem

Soo... let's see if WADA/USADA will now go back and re-test EVERY rider's urine samples from 12 years ago (using today's techniques) to see just how dirty the sport was back then. Let's see if they can find a "clean" rider from that era using the same floating 13-year statute of limitations (instead of their stated 8 years). Anybody want to take any bets on whether this will happen or not?

WADA and it's underlling USADA were out to get Armstrong from the start. They couldn't do it when he was actually competing, so they broke their own rules in an attempt to incriminate him way after the fact. These organizations are absolutely corrupt and have zero credibility in the world of sport because of the inconsistent and shoddy manner in which they've handled the doping mess in cycling.

I guess if enough people say something happened, then it must be true, even without any real evidence.

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If he was truly clean....he'd fight this. Nobody would give up. You don't just roll over when your legacy & reputation are on the line. What, because you're just tired of fighting? Please.

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I disagree. How much money, time and stress should he have to go through to prove he's not guilty of something for which there is no hard evidence to prove that he's guilty? How can he be sure that even if he fights it and wins that they will let it go and not drag the same stuff out again 2 years from now?

Are they going to strip his titles, give them to the people that finished second in all of those races and then immediately go back and retest all of their samples and talk to all of their friends and former teammates and competitors?

I know this isn't a constitutional issue, it's an issue for the kangaroo court of the governing body of cycling... but I still believe a person is innocent until proven guilty... not innocent until enough people say they saw something that makes them guilty.

I think he was guilty of "soft cheating", and pretty much everyone did it ... and pretty much everyone STILL does it. What "soft cheating" is ... it's sort of "doping" up to the legal limit. In each of the tests, there's a minimum "level" of certain things that's considered natually acceptable. The body can naturally produce up to certain amounts of testosterone, estrogen, etc. Whenever they test these guys, they always magically come up right to the limits.

So, since everyone was on a witch hunt to nail him for doping ... it's pretty easy to round up enough people to say he did "something".

To add to that, I believe that he was at a point where he was out of options, anyway. There was really nothing left to do.
I think that I read that USA Cycling (and perhaps USTAF?) was going to challenge the whole proceeding on his behalf, though.... I thought I read that a week or two ago.


It's sad, and a completely bogus witch hunt.

I HOPE LIKE HELL that they now go after EVERYBODY. Burn cycling to the ground. You *KNOW* they all did it... expose the entire sport for as corrupt as it is. I hope Lance exposes everyone, and very, very publicly.

uh DC, they can't give those titles to the 2nd place finishers in most years because they have tested positive as well.

man, that one guy from Kazakhstan that finished last place every single year is now the 7time Tour De France champion because he was so far back of the pack they didn't even bother to test him.





note: I made up that last paragraph

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I HOPE LIKE HELL that they now go after EVERYBODY. Burn cycling to the ground. You *KNOW* they all did it... expose the entire sport for as corrupt as it is. I hope Lance exposes everyone, and very, very publicly.

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It's not a sport. It's a race.

Yes we get it ... you only think football is a sport.

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To add to that, I believe that he was at a point where he was out of options, anyway. There was really nothing left to do.

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They are asking him to prove the negative, which can't be done and is why our criminal justice system is set up the way it is. We have no hard evidence that says you were doping but a bunch of people say you were... prove you weren't.

It would ultimately end up like a 12-year-old girl fight... I saw you shoot up. No you didn't. Yes I did. No you didn't. Did so, Did not...

Prove it. Show me a needle with drug residue on it that belonged to him, show me a picture of him shooting up, show me an injection mark, show me a failed test...

... not only that, many (if not all) of the people WADA/USADA say they have lined up to testify against Armstrong are admitted liars/cheats to begin with. What creditbility do they really have? None in my book.

I think he did except it.

The whole reason Lance Armstrong is famous is because he doesn't quit fighting (cancer) and he doesn't stop (bike racing). So why stop now? He's caught. He had like seven ex-teammates ready to testify against him.

Barry Bonds never tested positive, not guilty, right?

Barry Bonds never took the stringent drug tests that Lance did ... and even Bonds case was a big witchhunt as well.

There is no way possible to pass a drug test though, right?

Teammates also weren't lining up to testify against Bonds. In fact, people were willing to go to jail so they didn't have to testify.

That's just the point. These aren't NEW allegations. Armstrong has been fighting this battle for over a decade. He's refuted them all. Several times over. The problem is that WADA/USADA don't have to answer to anybody and are free to pursue whatever agenda they see fit to pursue (even if it means ignoring their own rules, policies and procedures to do so). Their agenda is to get Armstrong at all costs. They finally wore him down.

Reaction from a cycling legend:

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Another five-time winner, the legendary Eddy Merckx, spoke out on Armstrong’s behalf.

“Lance Armstrong is disillusioned and is up against an unjust process,” he declared. ”At a certain point there’s a disenchantment that sets in. Lance is saying to USADA, ‘Do what you want now, I don’t care.’

“Lance was always very correct during his career. What more can he do? All the tests he’s undertaken, more than 500 since 2000, have come back negative. So, either the tests don’t count for anything, or Armstrong is legit.

“The entire process (against him) is founded on witnesses. It’s deeply unjust.”

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So what does that have to do with anything?

Is all we need to convict people now is a couple of disgruntled ex-workers to claim you did something?

I'm not saying Lance is innocent here either. Like I said, he's more than likely "soft doped" ... but this witch hunt is beyond stupid.

I also want to know why Jan Ullrich, Marco Pantani and Alberto Contador get to keep their TDF titles? All three of them have actually had positive tests come up at some point in their careers. Even Oscar Pereiro (The guy who won after Landis got DQ'ed) had a failed drug test that was later waived by some governing body.

I have no idea who the big names in cycling are.. in fact Lance is the only one I know... but I would find it funny if one of the big names, the next time he is to be tested, refused and simply issued the statement, "If I fail, I'm guilty. If I pass but enough people make allegations, I'm still guilty. What's the point of this test?"

Here's the fun part too ... so who "wins" these stripped TDF titles?? For example, here's a look at the 2003 GC Standings:

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 83h 41' 12"
2 Jan Ullrich (GER) Bianchi +1' 01"
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) Telekom +4' 14"
4 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Team CSC +6' 17"
5 Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) Euskaltel +6' 51"
6 Iban Mayo (ESP) Euskaltel +7' 06"
7 Ivan Basso (ITA) Fassa Bortolo +10' 12"
8 Christophe Moreau (FRA) Crédit Agricole +12' 28"
9 Carlos Sastre (ESP) Team CSC +18' 49"
10 Francisco Mancebo (ESP) iBanesto.com +19' 15"


The top 4, and eight out of the 10 listed have all been suspended at some point for doping allegations.

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012


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.

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They are asking him to prove the negative, which can't be done and is why our criminal justice system is set up the way it is.

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Except that this isn't a criminal case.

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Show me a needle with drug residue on it that belonged to him, show me a picture of him shooting up, show me an injection mark, show me a failed test...

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How about this:

But the most damning revelation of all from tonight's broadcast, Hamilton said that Armstrong failed a drug test in 2001 and that Lance, with the help of the International Cycling Union (UCI), "took care of it."

According to the 60 Minutes report that just aired, Armstrong got a personal meeting with the head of the lab who discovered his test. The lab director told the FBI in a sworn statement that the ICU arranged the unusual meeting and made it known that it didn't want the suspicious test to be investigated any further.


Armstrong's strongest defense has always been that he has never failed a drug test, despite giving hundreds of blood and urine samples throughout his career. This story now calls that claim into serious question.

Again, this isn't a criminal trial. DNA evidence isn't required. Of course in criminal trials eye-witness testimony plays a huge role, so even then "hard" evidence isn't required.

It would take hard evidence to indict him were he to be tried for fraud, which is what he likely committed when he took money as part of the USPS team, but that's probably not a worthwhile expenditure of funds.

It didn't take DNA evidence to get Barry Bonds. They actually had DNA evidence against Clemens, but that didn't end up in a conviction. Having it or not having it isn't the be-all, end-all here.

We don't need DNA evidence to know what Armstrong did.

whoever wrote that statement needs to be the PR writer for most of these athletes companies. hit all the points, extremely strongly and made sure to drop mention of all the undertone elements that could potentially get people on your side.

well written.

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Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances.

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I bet he'll change his tune when the USADA releases all the information on the investigation, which they will do, eventually...

I'm disgusted at the amount of money spent to go after these guys on a criminal level. Never liked it. Always wanted them to lose all their records, though, and that could be accomplished without criminal proceedings.

For the record, the "guy" that said there was a cover-up of a positive test was the guy who ran the lab, if I'm reading that right. He reported that to the FBI. Don't need DNA evidence in civil cases, and don't need DNA evidence here.

Perhaps I've missed it, but I haven't seen anything suggesting he doped...but only up to the legal limit. I believe the evidence shows he failed a test and covered it up.