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Lance Armstrong part of cycling's 'most successful doping program,' USADA says
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says it will release Wednesday more than 1,000 pages of evidence detailing the involvement of cyclist Lance Armstrong in what the agency calls "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Armstrong, who won an unprecedented seven Tour de France titles, announced in August that he would no longer fight doping charges that the USADA brought against him earlier in the year. The famed cyclist's decision prompted the USADA to ban the 40-year-old athlete from competition and strip him of his wins dating to 1998, though there were questions of whether the organization had the authority to take such action.
The USADA filed doping charges against Armstrong in June. Armstrong retired from professional cycling in February 2011, though he continued to compete in triathlon events.
The USADA, a quasi-government agency recognized as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sports in the United States, accused Armstrong of using, possessing, trafficking and giving to others performance-enhancing drugs, as well as covering up doping violations.
Armstrong's attorney blasted the accusations as "wrong" and "baseless," much like Armstrong has vehemently denied other such claims in the past.
Armstrong, when he announced in August that he wouldn't fight the charges, said there was "zero physical evidence" to support the USADA's claims, and that he was "finished with this nonsense" of fighting charges after fighting against such allegations for years.
"The only physical evidence there is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors," Armstrong said in August. "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?"
On Wednesday, Armstrong's teammate George Hincape admitted he used banned substances.
"It is extremely difficult today to acknowledge that during a part of my career I used banned substances," Hincape said in a statement. "Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them. I deeply regret that choice and sincerely apologize to my family, teammates and fans."
August 26, 2012: Armstrong: 'I'm more at ease now than I have been in 10 years'
August 24, 2012: Armstrong's statement about ending fight against charges
August 24, 2012: Armstrong's cancer foundation still strong
Does this accusation by the The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency change your feelings about Armstrong? Share your reaction in the comments below.
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If taxpayer money is to be spent on drug testing citizens, should not our politicians be drug tested first? It sounds like the USADA is an arm of the TSA.
the french really hate to lose. who knew?
People who don't cheat hate to lose to those that do.
None of this would have happened if he had not gone biking with George Bush. Didn't we learn anything from the Gerald Ford demonization?
where's the "full" story?
He never had a postive test. How can they have 1000's of pages of evidence. Heresay yes, evidence, no.
where is the full story?
Because he was PART of it..... not all of it.
The case goes ahead against many more people........ this is bigger than Lance
USADA had their chance, he was tested he passed every test administered. That is the proof, you ask others who cheated, of course they are going to say LA cheated to make themselves look good. Saying he did blood transfusions is insane. Armstrong is innocent, and hata's gonna hate....
USADA lazy people and already showed up their work.... Hello.... Lance Armstrong cycling for years. How come USDA never do their job to catch him. What a waste..... WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS.
Don't give a damn he's has been doping. He won already. You lost USDA. USDA was funded by TAX PAYERS. Now go away!!!
P.S USDA... He's going to say "I'm RETIRING... Ha ha ha....You can't jail me". What a waste. USDA is more like GREEK austerity cuts.
USADA, not USDA. Two completely different agencies.
Well, he beat all the other top contenders who also were doping, so he's still the best regardless.
STRANGE HOW SO MANY PEOPLE ARE OK WITH TENS Of MILLIONS IN TAX PAYER $$$ WENT TO A COMPANY THAT WAS CHEATING AND GAINING THIS MONEY ILLEGALLY. USPS DID THIS.
WOULD YOU ALL BE OK WITH AN ENERGY COMPANY OR BANK DOING THE SAME??
DIDN'T THINK SO.
HUH?
Shall i make it clearer for you?
Team USPS was given ten of millions of $$'s in tax payer money....... they gained this money fraudulently and used this money to fund illegal activities withing the sport of cycling
Clear enough?
The USADA statement is wrong...the USPS does not recieve taxpayer dollars and thus the USPS cycling team did not recieve tens of millions of tax payer dollars. They might have plenty of facts against armstrong but this statement is an outright lie and i want to know why its in there
Well ..Well..Well..Let He among You Who hasn't cheat in Your lifetime cast the first stone..I still love You Lance and what You have done for Cancer research.!!!!!..Your still a class Act....!!!!
What has he done for cancer beyond spreading those fugly rubber bracelets that are essentially Crocs for the wrist? A cheater is a cheater.
Now that Lance claims his innocence, maybe he can help O.J. find the real killer
It looks like a Witch Hunt to me ..
Agreed
good, you are both muppets then
Has he ever said he didn't do it? I keep reading that he says he passed all the tests, but I haven't read anywhere that he said he didn't do it.