USADA to strip Lance Armstrong of 7 Tour titles

[hanselthecaretaker]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With stunning swiftness, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he dropped his fight against drug charges that threatened his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, he could lose other awards, event titles and cash earnings while the International Olympic Committee might look at the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Games.

Armstrong, who retired last year, effectively dropped his fight by declining to enter USADA's arbitration process — his last option — because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests he passed as proof of his innocence while piling up Tour titles from 1999 to 2005.

"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. He called the USADA 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," he said. "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."


More here.


So apparently it's an automatic admission of guilt because he got tired of constantly being hounded by USADA officials' accusations.


USADA: "You doped. Admit it."

Armstrong: "Nope. See my hundreds of passed test results."

USADA: "...You doped. Admit it."

Armstrong: "*sigh* Nope. See my hundreds of passed test results."

USADA: "...You doped. Admit it."

Armstrong: "*sigh, grumble* Nope. Again, see my hundreds of passed test results."

USADA: "...You doped. Admit it."

Armstrong: "*sigh, grumble, arrrrgghhh* Nope. Again, see my hundreds of passed test results."

USADA: "......... ......You doped. Admit it."

(and on and on for how many years)

Armstrong: "You know what, fuck this you stupid fucks. I'm tired of this shit."

USADA: "GUILTY!!!" *Yoink x 7*



Seems to be how it went.

 

[Wulfgar]

Lance is my fuckin hero
I hope this triggers massive outrage at the USADA


Good for lance

 

[nangiggles]

Doesnt matter if they take them, he earned every single one of them

 

[Wulfgar]

Doesnt matter if they take them, he earned every single one of them

its such a crock of shit

 

[Dial_tone]

Cannot possibly quantify how little I care about this. Lance did what everybody in that era did so he just beat other drug users at their own game. You'd probably have to go back decades to find a clean Tour winner. The reality is that for five of those wins the runner up was Jan Ullrich. In February 2012, Ullrich was found guilty of a doping offence by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was retroactively banned from August 22, 2011, and all results gained since May 2005 were also removed from his total. Does Ullrich now become the winner? This is a complete crock of shit.

Sometimes the end DOES justify the means and in this case I believe what he's done for American cycling and cancer is worth it.

 

[bigbassturd]

USADA is a powerful agency. I don't think Lance has the balls to fight them...

 

[stosstruppe]

Fucking bang on what D_T said, they're all at it anyway, might as well just allow them to use every drug under the sun & just allow them to be super freaks rather than continuing with the pretence that they're all "clean".

 

[Dial_tone]

I think doping with your own blood should be legal. Forcing people to go underground with usage is what makes that dangerous.

 

[pdaddyII]

He was on the fucking jooze. The ONLY reason he's backing down now is because there were 50 people who knew him or were close to him at some time ready to take the stand. Since he has stepped down their testimony will never be heard; Lance is simply saving face

 

[WoodyO]

The real questions is: Who the fuck cares about the tour de france anyways?