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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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USADA's Tygart needs to step down – this is a taxpayer-funded witchhunt. How long was a private citizen supposed to hold out against the unlimited resources used to convict Barry Bonds? That the UCI questioned why USADA needed this long to release evidence 'still being gathered' (and yet still saw fit to announce the ban) tells me all I need to know.
Chinese Olympic swimmers in the 90s passed hundreds of drug tests too...before being 30+ swimmers were caught and banned for using illegal substances, which was a major scandal at the time.
Other sports professionals have also passed numerous if not hundreds of drug tests before finally being caught. Passing a drug test IS NOT proof you're not doping.
yawn. next, we'll have an expose that reveals that politicians lie.
Those saying so what are the same people who say that they know that Romney lied constantly during the debate, but , he lied aggressively so he won. People don't care about what's right anymore, just what you can get away with. It seems to be the same from the top to the bottom.
Why do people not care about the untruths told? Becasue they are all telling them...Romney told them in a better way that's all. Obama looked like a kid running away. This, and many elections in our country have been since the beggining about chosing the lesser of two evils. Which evil people chose to pick is their business.
The only thing this whole debacle shows is that Lance and his group were very successful in being able to mask the doping. Too many people are coming forward for Lance to deny any involvement. He needs to forget about the past and continue on with the cancer foundation LiveStong.
Let me guess. These 11 former team mates were each offered a plea deal- either they testify against Lance- or they will each be charged themselves. That is the only reason Lance is being accused.
Lance never failed a drug test and he took them since the middle 1990s.
Not Guilty
but after he lost a nut because you are so nuts, he had to dope to cope, right?
I don't know all the details of this case but I am inclined to go with the guy who passed every test they gave him. He is right about one thing. If they are not going to stand by their tests then they have to stop requiring those tests.
land of fraud, country of thieves. the worse one is, the more "successful" gets. but what else is new?
He should be ashamed of himself. How wrong to steal from other men that worked just as hard with out drugs. In all assents it is stealing. Maybe this should be a crime that men and woman who chose to do this same thing do some" TIME". He has made millions on being a false person and his endorsements. Then those who try to lie and cheat to be a winner would stop. Then the real winner would get is/her deserved recognition!!!
Go Lance! I don't care what he did. I am and always will be a Lance Armstrong fan. Screw all European riders.
The USADA has the burden of proof and I expect that those 1000 pages should contain some sort of biochemical evidence or there will no longer have any merit to their claims. Innocent until proven guilty and I do not consider the testimony of others as "physical evidence".
Filed under "them again? don't care."
Hey, USADA – You already banned him for life. Move on.
The only evidence thus far its the word of an admired doper, and he has used his slander of armstrong to sell his book. Just like god, absence of evidence is evidence of absence.
Terrible comparison, God is not absent, he is all around. The earth itself declares his glory. The regenerated spirit within me testifies of this as well (and that my friend is evidence) Just because you haven't met him doesn't mean that he doesn't exist. That being said, I agree with your point in general, just not your comparison.
Hincappie, is one of the most respected cyclists in the world. He is also Lance's best friend. No book deal or financial gain with him. He just came out and told the truth.