Lance Armstrong part of cycling's 'most successful doping program,' USADA says
October 10th, 2012
12:19 PM ET

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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soundoff (939 Responses)
  1. Geff

    Somehow, it just doesn't seem like the bike sport is worth doping anyway. The main thing these guys have to be is skinny.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:06 pm | Report abuse |
  2. popcorn

    USADA..... Lazy people taking very very very very long time to found out he's doping....

    Can't afford high tech lab. VERY SAD. FBI have teach labs.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:06 pm | Report abuse |
  3. BA8654

    Really? Not a shred of evidence and a government agency (wholly funded by the government) has wasted how much pursuing a guy that has passed hundreds of doping tests? Why are we paying for this nonsense!?

    October 10, 2012 at 2:07 pm | Report abuse |
    • GM1953

      how do you know there's not a shred of evidence if you haven't read the 1000 page report? Because Lance says so?

      October 10, 2012 at 2:09 pm | Report abuse |
    • FKell

      Because if he actually FAILED a drug test it would have been plastered all over the news. But that is the problem, he hasn't failed a test. And because they gave lesser sentences to hundreds of people in turn for their "co-operation" in naming names (wow, sounds like McCarthyism to me), as long as the name was a bigger "name", it was bound that someone would eventually just say the biggest name out there in the sport. Yet, after years of investigating, all they have are people saying his name, with no proof other than a person saying his name to get a lesser sentence themselves.

      October 10, 2012 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rational1a

      Exactly. Why does there need to be any report if he already passed the tests? Why even test?
      cauth = caught

      October 10, 2012 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Hide Behind

    Gone are the days when an athlete just tried to improve his own performance, today he is expected to be a winner and enter God Hood.
    From small town quarter and running backs to the fastest and fattest line man or 5'3" that can dunk a b-ball and talk trash while doing so. it is the american way
    Athletes without enhancements and their coaches need to prey for divone intervention so they can crush their opponents.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:07 pm | Report abuse |
  5. rad4d

    This has to be the dopiest (pun intended) process ever. I'm all for keeping doping out of sports and punishing those who violate, but doing so years after the fact is idiotic – it has to be based on current testing.

    Should we now begin to save all baseballs used so we can potentially go back years later and determine whether a pitcher from 30 years ago used vasoline on a ball? Should we save all bats used in World Series games so we can inspect them all for pine tar (or maybe some yet unrealized substance) years after the fact – all based on something we see in archived footage? I'm afraid that's where we're headed.

    I'm all for using any viable information from these 'findings' to set up better tests and rules around future events. But, there has to be some statute of limitations placed on the research required for testing in the event of a major victory. Otherwise, we shouldn't crown champions at the time of their victories any more. Just give them a plastic 'potential champion' trophy, and then truly crown them 30 years later.

    Better yet – simply put asterisks next to every champion's name and every record attributed to any athlete – because we really won't ever know if any of these were achieved legitimately in our lifetime.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Harry

    If everyone had just 5% of the passion they have for monitoring sports, for monitoring the government (at all levels), we would all be better off!

    October 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Where_is_jimmy_hoffa

    I want to see the "evidence". That's all. Simply saying there is evidence is not enough.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • GM1953

      read the 1000 page report when it comes out

      October 10, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Mike Nilsson

    The witchhunt contiues.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • us_1776

      This will continue forever until someone finally removes Tygart. He personally hates Armstrong.

      .

      October 10, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Report abuse |
  9. us_1776

    The USADA is run by a psychopath.

    .

    October 10, 2012 at 2:09 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Rational1a

    If we don't want cheaters in cycling we have 2 options: 1) Don't test, then nobody gets caught (since it seems everyone is cheating) or 2) Produce tests that work (since they haven't worked on Lance – he's banned but passed every test).

    October 10, 2012 at 2:09 pm | Report abuse |
  11. livewrong just dope

    maybe you should be concerned about the tax payer money that the US Postal Service gave Lance Armstrong which was used to fund PED's.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Jim

    It's a who cares sport – put in "replacement refs" to make it at least interesting. Now THERE's a story – Replacement Refs on PEDs.........and they still perform badly!

    October 10, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Report abuse |
    • rkdres

      maybe to YOU it's a "who cares sport". Go back to your football, BBQ and Jesus

      October 10, 2012 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Ragnarb

    Not as sophisticated as the obama/main stream media doping of the American voter!

    October 10, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Report abuse |
    • Colinmb

      Get a life

      October 10, 2012 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
  14. dazzle ©

    I'm reserving judgement on Lance Armstrong's doping allegations. I do applaud all that he has done for raising awareness for men that have a diagnosis of testicular cancer. Remember guys this can hit you at any age and there is no stigma.

    October 10, 2012 at 2:12 pm | Report abuse |
  15. ed wood

    Is Lance Armstrong the Bernie Madoff of sports doping?

    October 10, 2012 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
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