What a glorious day; Lance Armstrong stripped of titles

[BotanyBay]

Hey Race Radio, remember our promise?

 

[FitSsikS]

I was just checking out the website of one of Canada's sports networks(TSN). In the comment section after the Armstrong story I'd say it's 85-15 in favor of Lance. Just sad.

Ya I saw a similar vote on a cbc website, 71% or so thought that he should NOT lose his TDF victories.

 

[burning]

Ferrari Cadel or is there another one?

How did I forgot that he has issues with Ferrari , Sastre could have been a better pick indeed

 

[Cavalier]

Meeting Ferrari once in 2001 hardly means he's got issues or does one meeting mean that 4 years later he's still got the effects?

 

[cineteq]

Livewrong Pic

 

[sittingbison]

FFS Evans seeing Ferrari once in 2001 when he transferred from mountain biking to road professional is the lamest "evidence" ever put forward. Give it a rest, makes you appear a complete moron, which you are not, and ridicules pertinent observations, which is a pity.

Back on topic, it really is the best outcome for cycling, the elephant in the room seen and removed gives the sport an opportunity to truly move away from the terrible place they sank to. But only if UCI are cleaned out of all influence of corrupt Hein and Fat Pat.

 

[la.margna]

Incredible, the number of blind groupies Lance still has, looking at some reader comments and also Strava.

Btw, what a pity USADA has no jurisdiction to ban Juan Pelota from STRAVA and take away his KOM's

 

[sars1981]

I think it's a bad day for cycling in the short term (in the mainstream media our sport does not look very good today), but will result in much better days for cycling in the future. It's like taking one step backwards to finally allow us to take two steps forward.

Yeah. There is just no easy way to clean up cycling. Exposing the lies does not help the sport. But letting it stay the same is not good for the sport either. It is what it is.

 

[sars1981]

Was he doping more than everyone else?

Who knows. Probably not doping more per se. But he was certainly more aggressive in his will to keep doping a part of the sport than any of the other riders. I on't think it's any exaggeration to say that he was the godfather of cyclings omerta.

As for doping more, you can't know, but I personally think he was a lot smarter about than the rest. He was very good at it. Probably largely because he had more money to R&D doping strategies than the rest of the peloton combined.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Meeting Ferrari once in 2001 hardly means he's got issues or does one meeting mean that 4 years later he's still got the effects?

One meeting that we know of, but Cadel scored the same 4 rating on the Passport suspicion chart that Lance got, so.............

Quack quack quack

 

[DirtyWorks]

I was just checking out the website of one of Canada's sports networks(TSN). In the comment section after the Armstrong story I'd say it's 85-15 in favor of Lance. Just sad.

Keep in mind there are companies that anyone can hire that offer blog commenting services. They hire a bunch of people to post some variations on an approved theme. Wonderboy's team is not above doing this. So, what's real commentary and what isn't? Very hard to know.

Finally, that's barely 24 hours into the first full news cycle. As the facts come out, I think it will be progressively more difficult for really passive viewers to hang onto the myth. And then there's the psychology of the news. Few are okay with admitting mistakes even to themselves, so switching from the yellow band faithful to an angered proletariat might take a while.

 

[Boeing]

"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan

"not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7....." Le Bron James

 

[Hugh Januss]

"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan

"not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7....." Le Bron James

"not sure I 'grasp' what you are trying to say here" Hugh Januss QUOTE

 

[Maxiton]

Keep in mind there are companies that anyone can hire that offer blog commenting services. They hire a bunch of people to post some variations on an approved theme. Wonderboy's team is not above doing this. So, what's real commentary and what isn't? Very hard to know.

If fact, not only are they not above doing it - doesn't LA have some partial ownership in one of those companies? Just thinking back on that huge chart Dim did.

Finally, that's barely 24 hours into the first full news cycle. As the facts come out, I think it will be progressively more difficult for really passive viewers to hang onto the myth. And then there's the psychology of the news. Few are okay with admitting mistakes even to themselves, so switching from the yellow band faithful to an angered proletariat might take a while.

Truth.

 

[thehog]

If fact, not only are they not above doing it - doesn't LA have some partial ownership in one of those companies? Just thinking back on that huge chart Dim did.



Truth.

It's called Social Analytics. it's a huge industry nowadays.

Yes you employee company's (bots) who behave like real people and write comments, tweets etc. to stories. The software measures the awareness an perceptions created.

It's very powerful along with SEO.

It's the new media. A new form of persuasion.

See Armstrong's investment etc. into Public Strategies/Demand Media.

Don't worry about the comments sections on articles. About 20% are real everyday people. Trust me. I know.

 

[onefastgear]

So what happens now with issues such as the SCA settlement? Can they go after him? Will they bother doing so?
I read somewhere that Nike is sticking by him, for now.

 

[86TDFWinner]

One meeting that we know of, but Cadel scored the same 4 rating on the Passport suspicion chart that Lance got, so.............

Quack quack quack

Do you think Cadel is a doper?

 

[La Vie Claire]

Not particularly happy about todays news, never was a fan of Armstrong, but popular riders bring in much needed interest in the sport, and now the golden boy has been stripped of everything.

A good and bad day for cycling

Getting real tired of hearing that. As long as the likes of Armstrong and Wigans brings in interest and money to the sport, then you're happy? Doesn't matter that they committed fraud by stealing victories from a generation of clean cyclists?

What if the company that you worked for went out of business due to the competition's profitable but illegal practices? Your sector is booming, but you're still out of a job. You still happy?

 

[86TDFWinner]

True though I get the impression this is only the start of the legal bills he is going to have to pay.

IMO, that was obviously one of the goals going in, was to bankrupt him too, seems it could work.

 

[iZnoGouD]

truly regrettable and shameful what they are doing with him!
That really shows how much humans are too tiny and mediocre. Lance: IGNORE THEM!
The doping can make you win ONE race, IMPROVE a brand, but certainly DOES NOT BUILD 15 YEARS OF GLORY AND SUCCESSES IN SPORT.

 

[Benotti69]

truly regrettable and shameful what they are doing with him!
That really shows how much humans are too tiny and mediocre. Lance: IGNORE THEM!
The doping can make you win ONE race, IMPROVE a brand, but certainly DOES NOT BUILD 15 YEARS OF GLORY AND SUCCESSES IN SPORT.

seems this bot is malfunctioning

 

[Benotti69]

I'm pointing out that if ASO uses USADA standards, then for a decade, no one won, only one or two finished second and only one or two finished third. Green and Polka Dot jerseys? Same problem.

If ASO acknowledges USADA standards, then they admit to allowing dopers to podium for years.

And if ASO strips LA, what are Giro and Vuelta organizers going to do? If USADA standards are adhered to, then we have over a decade where very few people podiumed at any GT (and major tours and Classics and semi-Classics for that matter).

Please note, I say this as someone who accepts the likelihood that Armstrong doped. I think virtually everyone doped from the early 90s to mid 2000s. I think all race organizers tried to turn a blind eye, even after the Festina affair. And I think it wasn't till Heras, Vino, Landis, Rico were conclusively busted that they finally decided to adhere to their own rules.

In other words, If they adopt USADA standards, they admit that that is, in fact, egg on their face, and that it has been there since last century.

Who cares who won now. That era is tainted. The riders have themselves to blame. The current crop are a joke for not coming out and condemning Armstrong, but we know why they dont.

I say strike Armstrong's name off an leave it blank.

 

[S2Sturges]

So what happens now with issues such as the SCA settlement? Can they go after him? Will they bother doing so?
I read somewhere that Nike is sticking by him, for now.

Well they did get stuck for 7.5 million after legal fees, I think they may have a case of some sort, I'm sure their lawyers are huddled in meetings as we speak..
i'm sure everyone's read this :

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoo...-the-Lab-Rats.html?page=all&fb_source=message

I don't think somehow he'll be rocking up to the dole queues, as others have said, what about the BIG guys like Nike, is he considered to have tarnished their brand? By walking away, he has so far avoided Marion Jone's pitfall, admission of guilt is a death nell for him.. But be interested in what Nowitski's got sitting on his desk...

 

["Jeff"]

Glorious day but also a sad day.

I have been watching 7 totally boring Tour de Frances. That team annoyed the hell out of me with their tactics and in the beginning I thought that nobody could be this extraordinary. Decent riders suddenly became good climbers, as soon as they went to US postal. A guy like Ekimov could go on and on and it seemed he only got better over the years etc etc. I just could not believe that LA did anything bad. Arrogant person but still based on what he said, based on what he had overcome, cancer (why would he risk his health), I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Until some of his fellow team mates/members started to accuse him, not one or two but several.

Yeah we dont have to feel sorry for guys like Virenque, Ullrich, Pantani etc etc. but at least they were spectacular to watch.

Watching Armstrong and his team control the complete race until the last climb, just to watch LA sprint away (like he was riding on the Champs-Elysees..) and win the stage, was an agony to watch.

I have wasted a lot of time watching this crap.

 

[piemonster]

Until the stable is completely cleaned out it will always smell. Start with the biggest and then the rest.

UCI next. Anti-doping to an independent.

The fans should demand that the sport be cleaned out. Moaning about the damage this has done is not to solve the problem but prolong it.

Real fans of cycling have long recognised there is a doping problem in sports.

Crying that stripping and life time banning Armstrong wont change anything palys directly intot he hands of thse int he sport now who continue this corruptness.

Catching Armstrong sends out the strongest possible message to those who dope or are thinking of doping.

I pretty much agree with every word of that!