Hell Has Frozen Over: Lance "Considering" Admitting Guilt

[Neworld]

People that say, however, that LA was only doing what everybody else did, don't know the facts. He didn't pay Ferrari 1 million dollars for nothing (to only work intimately with him during his Tour streak, for example). One of the things that Hamilton's book clarifies, is that at the point at which he started to do transfusions on Postal, Lance was already privileged to this treatment for some time before anyone else on the team. Hamilton also believes that LA had sole access to a synthetic blood. In short, LA didn't just look to win on the bike through doping, but also win the doping arms race, by staying ahead of the game and this is how he gave himself a nearly unbeatable edge.

Moreover, he slandered many and ruined others: this from riders like Bassons to Simeoni, to Betsy and Emma, to Walsh - for his book LA Confidential - whom he sued and won, to Kimmage, to ruining Lemond's bike business with Trek. To say nothing of having the collusion of the UCI and ASO.

So, no, he wasn't just an average doper, but a privileged and protected egomaniac. He worked the system and doping regime greater than anyone, while tried to, and in many cases did, ruin anyone who got in his way, making punitive strikes if he even suspected that another rider was up to something he wasn't. Such was his paranoia of being outdone in cheating. Hamilton's book also brings this to light.

How good of an athlete he actually was will never be known, because he never saw sport as anything other than "you dope to win." It now seems certain that already as a teenage tri athlete he was doing steroids.

The only thing worth hearing his confession for, would be if he were to provide details on how he was able to stay one step ahead of the competition in this regard. What new stuff was he on and who were his sources of info./providers?

Agreed. If one watches the 2001 TdF on any of the mtn stages, LA is barely breathing and all other competitors are totally wiped. His accelerations were so unbelievable it was comedy central.

I would love to know his "HCT responding" ratio relative to other riders, and, his true burden of autologous/artificial plasma augmentation. That would shed some light on the type (average) athlete he really was.

 

[Neworld]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/s...n-web-he-created-cyclist-deserves-no-sympathy

The last few sentences are deafening...

"Lance Armstrong, of course, should owe people money. He definitely owes certain people direct apologies. To the public, though, he owes nothing. We actually owe him.

We owe him the backs of our heads. We owe him our closed mouths and closed ears. We owe him our indifference and inattention to anything he says or does anymore.

Lance Armstrong isn't big anymore. He's small. So small, we can't even see him anymore."

 

[DirtyWorks]

Could you imagine the sh!t storm if it came out that Weisel and Phil Knight were involved in organizing the doping?

Thom Wiesel? Say it ain't so! "coached" by Eddie B., longtime team doping allegations including Subaru-Montgomery that still haven't died, and the grand conclusion USPS. Unpossible!

Buuut, USADA can't touch it. Thom's got IOC backing. Being a peripheral player in a niche sport and money to burn on litigation keeps the story unpublished.

 

[knewcleardaze]

I don't see LA confessing to anything. As he will not apologize to any of the riders, either.
Can anyone really see him apologizing to Landis, the Andreaus, Hamilton, Bassons, Simeoni, Emma, et al?? Ha! I'd hope they would not accept his "sincere" apologies.

 

[Race Radio]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...08a00a-5766-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_story.html

dialogue now closed

Lance, and his buddies, sound like the Keystone cops. Some are telling journalists he is talking to USADA, others are saying they have not met. They say he reached out to Howman.....but Howman says he has heard nothing.

Once so good at controlling the media message Lance is rapidly sinking lower those people you see on Jerry Springer

 

[filipo]

Understatement.

I would venture that there are well over 100 people that will get tarred if there is a partial admission.

I wonder if he is returning Verbruggen's texts, Ferrari's coded emails, and Chris Horner's hand written letters.....

WAIT WAIT wait -- Chris Horner knows how to write?!!

 

[rhubroma]

Some interesting critical analysis in today's la Gazzetta dello Sport: Armstrong With His Back Against the Wall, A Confession is Near...

Of course the Italian daily realizes much is hearsay at the moment, however, the NY Times source warrants some attention.

The primary motivation that LA would want to compete in triathlons doesn't, naturally, make sense: at 41 years-old, even a reduced ban of 4-8 years makes this implausible. But here's a guy who frequented Bush and Clinton, had lunch with Sarkozy on the Champs Elyse, had created a cancer foundation that was capable of raising 500 million in 15 years for 2.5 million sick globally. Yet now Lance has nothing: he's been cancelled with no sponsors, no income and almost always at Hawaii, is even silent on Twitter.

What's plausible is that there has been pressure placed on him by some wealthy members of the foundation in search of credibility. Armstrong, therefore, at the most painful research for a reacquired social credibility. Then there would be the economic (million dollar payments - SCA and The Sunday Times - and, above all, juridical considerations. If the US Department of Justice decides to reopen the case against him, like Marion Jones, this could mean jail time for Armstrong: a judicial hearing live on TV, humiliation, jail for perjury. Lance can't permit this to happen, he must evade this at all costs. A confession and then cutting a deal with the feds is the plan?

 

[gree0232]

Don't kill the messenger my friend, just posted what ESPN reported(they're claiming it came from the New York Times(local stations here in SoCal are too).

Isn't this what you wanted?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/s...ada-gain-with-confession.html?ref=sports&_r=0

Some analysis of what could potentially happen:

"“Mr. Armstrong did not act alone,” the antidoping agency wrote in its report on Armstrong. “He acted with a small army of enablers, including doping doctors, drug smugglers and others within the sport and on his team.”

If Tygart is able to gather incriminating information about those people and build cases against them that could bar them from sports, he could deal a serious blow to the doping that has been enmeshed in the culture of cycling for more than 100 years. Though 11 of Armstrong’s former teammates provided some information about those enablers, it is very likely that Armstrong — who kept much of the doping secretive, according to some of his teammates — knows much more.

“I think it’s very valuable to them to know exactly how Lance avoided getting caught and how tests were evaded,” said Jonathan Vaughters, a former Armstrong teammate, a vocal antidoping proponent and a current co-owner of the Garmin-Sharp professional cycling team. “They need someone on the inside to tell them how it was done, and not just anyone on the inside, someone on the inside who was very influential. Someone like Lance.”

So the question then really does become whether or not this is about Lance, or whether or not this is about dismantling doping in cycling.

Is the UCI Corrupt? Lance will know.

How in bed are the sponsors? Lance will know.

What methodologies (or simple corruption) were used to mask testing?

Sources of funds? Supplies? Etc.

One thing I think is clear is that Tygart and company will be driven by the evidence rather than politics or emotionalism one way or the other. The case he made was solid, and IMO, I see no reason that Tygart wouldn't do the same with the rest of the doping system.

If he cuts a deal with Lance, it'll be to strike a real and damaging blow againt doping.

 

[Cookster15]

Is the UCI Corrupt? Lance will know

This is one Lance opinion I would like to hear should he confess !

 

[SundayRider]

I think if he confesses it will be limited and only if as an absolute last resort. I doubt he will name names as I think he values 'not being a tell tale' above helping clean cycling. In fact I don't think he loves cycling it was just his way of making $ and feeding his ego.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

This is an excellent article on just how vapid and hollow this move by Armstrong is (if there is a confession, which I still doubt)

http://www.businessinsider.com/lanc...646381419":"og.recommends"}&action_ref_map=[]

He isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to help Livestrong; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) because he understands the importance of honesty; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make-up for the years of bullsh!t he has spewed in the media; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make amends to the people he has smeared and tried to destroy; he is doing this because he is the same selfish pr!ck he has always been. He wants to run some races to get some glory because winning races is the only thing in life he is good at doing. He is a sad, pathetic man.

 

[thehog]

This is an excellent article on just how vapid and hollow this move by Armstrong is (if there is a confession, which I still doubt)

http://www.businessinsider.com/lanc...646381419":"og.recommends"}&action_ref_map=[]

He isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to help Livestrong; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) because he understands the importance of honesty; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make-up for the years of bullsh!t he has spewed in the media; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make amends to the people he has smeared and tried to destroy; he is doing this because he is the same selfish pr!ck he has always been. He wants to run some races to get some glory because winning races is the only thing in life he is good at doing. He is a sad, pathetic man.

Bingo.....

That there's only one thing that Lance Armstrong cares about--and that's Lance Armstrong.

 

[Race Radio]

One of the goals of this "Leak" was to judge public opinion. It has been overwhelmingly negative.

He is screwed

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

One of the goals of this "Leak" was to judge public opinion. It has been overwhelmingly negative.

He is screwed

It is ironic, however, that when one leaks the 'possibility' of a confession it most clearly indicates that there is something to confess.

There has got to be hundreds of his slaves that will suffer greatly from the ripple effect of what he might say if a full *** disclosure were to happen.

Maybe he will get Phil Liggett to deliver a statement on his behalf, flanked by Bob Roll, Chris Horner.

Sally Jenkins cold serve the herring.

 

[veganrob]

It is ironic, however, that when one leaks the 'possibility' of a confession it most clearly indicates that there is something to confess.

There has got to be hundreds of his slaves that will suffer greatly from the ripple effect of what he might say if a full *** disclosure were to happen.

Maybe he will get Phil Liggett to deliver a statement on his behalf, flanked by Bob Roll, Chris Horner.

Sally Jenkins cold serve the herring.

YES. It will be kind of like a celebrity roast. They will all be there, Mcconaghey. Maybe they will show us their abs. How about Billy Crystal, is he a fan. They can all laugh at pics of Lance with the needle in his arm, relaxing with the needle in his arm, taking the kids to school with the needle in his arm, at the Yellow Rose with the needle in his ***. It will be hilarious. Just need to add humor to the situation to make it more acceptable. We can all relate

 

[L'Etranger]

Piece in the Guardian today, which seems to have it about right.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/jan/05/lance-armstrong-ready-confess-doping

 

[Siriuscat]

Piece in the Guardian today, which seems to have it about right.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/jan/05/lance-armstrong-ready-confess-doping

Typically nothing original from the Guardian, regurgitation of a two day old story. I like the comments, people who have spent years getting posts deleted by the blog editors for fear of sanction from his lanceness now letting anything, literally anything go...I think it's quite funny.

At least the Sunday Times, other than Owen Slot, had the integrity to support and publish David Walsh right from the start, the Guardain has grovelled for scraps at Lances table for years!

If you tear the Grauniad into thinish strips they last longer than the best bog rolls!!

 

[D-Queued]

One of the goals of this "Leak" was to judge public opinion. It has been overwhelmingly negative.

He is screwed

Almost certainly.

And, in that case, the action - not the reaction - is one of the strongest indictments of his hubris yet.

With the ink still fresh on making just about every 'worst of 2012 list' out there, he thought this concept would capture positive sentiment?

Lance cannot help consulting the reflecting pool for insight on his image.

Dave.

 

[ExRower]

What goes around, comes around Lance.

 

[Race Radio]

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/40863250/

Good piece from Gwen Knapp

 

[Page Mill Masochist]

One of the goals of this "Leak" was to judge public opinion. It has been overwhelmingly negative.

He is screwed

Shocking how fast it turned.

Which means that any Lance confession that is only partial or "managed" will be laughed out of the park. The press will crush him for it.

The political class will take note. Lance will find that he has no friends left in Washington. Even Bill Clinton will abandon him, particularly if Hillary has presidential ambitions. The Birotte gift was the last one Lance will get.

 

[ebandit]

changes

that's it! remember thinking why does the majority think that lance is so

great? so many tales of his bullying were not far away

now another reason that lance will not be confessing.............any

confession will result in so many questions

questions? or should i say so much more ridicule

 

[mewmewmew13]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...08a00a-5766-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_story.html



Lance, and his buddies, sound like the Keystone cops. Some are telling journalists he is talking to USADA, others are saying they have not met. They say he reached out to Howman.....but Howman says he has heard nothing.

Once so good at controlling the media message Lance is rapidly sinking lower those people you see on Jerry Springer

One of the goals of this "Leak" was to judge public opinion. It has been overwhelmingly negative.

He is screwed

Ah...a nice run..good espresso..then reading these put a big smile on my face this morning.

 

[Fortyninefourteen]

YES. It will be kind of like a celebrity roast. They will all be there, Mcconaghey. Maybe they will show us their abs. How about Billy Crystal, is he a fan. They can all laugh at pics of Lance with the needle in his arm, relaxing with the needle in his arm, taking the kids to school with the needle in his arm, at the Yellow Rose with the needle in his ***. It will be hilarious. Just need to add humor to the situation to make it more acceptable. We can all relate

With Gilbert Gottfried doing a modified version of the Aristocrats, with the main cronies being the players....

 

[Angliru]

This is an excellent article on just how vapid and hollow this move by Armstrong is (if there is a confession, which I still doubt)

http://www.businessinsider.com/lanc...646381419":"og.recommends"}&action_ref_map=[]

He isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to help Livestrong; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) because he understands the importance of honesty; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make-up for the years of bullsh!t he has spewed in the media; he isn't doing this (if he is even really doing this) to make amends to the people he has smeared and tried to destroy; he is doing this because he is the same selfish pr!ck he has always been. He wants to run some races to get some glory because winning races is the only thing in life he is good at doing. He is a sad, pathetic man.

Precisely! In the end I really feel for his kids and all that they will have to deal with throughout their lives as a result of their father's actions. It will be unimaginable how rough it will be for them.