'Enough is Enough' - Lance Armstrong

Raam

No

Flandria wrote: »

Barry was a bit of surprise TBH.

He has been on the rumour mill for years.

Flandria

No

Raam wrote: »

He has been on the rumour mill for years.

Mea culpa - true indeed the surprise was that he sang, although Sky may have forced him to.

Chips Lovell

No

Statement from Barry:

Cycling has always been a part of my life. As a boy my dream was to become a professional cyclist who raced at the highest level in Europe. I achieved my goal when I first signed a contract with the United States Postal Service Cycling team in 2002. Soon after I realized reality was not what I had dreamed. Doping had become an epidemic problem in professional cycling.

Recently, I was contacted by United States Anti-Doping Agency to testify in their investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs on the United States Postal Service Team. I agreed to participate as it allowed me to explain my experiences, which I believe will help improve the sport for today’s youth who aspire to be tomorrow’s champions.

After being encouraged by the team, pressured to perform and pushed to my physical limits I crossed a line I promised myself and others I would not: I doped. It was a decision I deeply regret. It caused me sleepless nights, took the fun out of cycling and racing, and tainted the success I achieved at the time. This was not how I wanted to live or race.

In the summer of 2006, I never doped again and became a proponent of clean cycling through my writing and interviews.

From 2006 until the end of my career in 2012, I chose to race for teams that took a strong stance against doping. Although I never confessed to my past, I wrote and spoke about the need for change. Cycling is now a cleaner sport, many teams have adopted anti-doping policies and most importantly I know a clean rider can now win at the highest level.

I apologize to those I deceived. I will accept my suspension and any other consequences. I will work hard to regain people’s trust.

The lessons I learned through my experiences have been valuable. My goal now is to help turn the sport into a place where riders are not tempted to dope, have coaches who they can trust, race on teams that nurture talent and have doctors who are concerned for their health. From direct experience, I know there are already teams doing this but it needs to be universal throughout cycling.

Progressive change is occurring. My hope is that this case will further that evolution.

Lumen

Apology generator overload.

Undercover Elephant

So by a curious coincidence, everyone stopped doping in 2006.

Would this have anything to do with the obviousness of Landis' ride into Morzine?

Chips Lovell

No

ThisRegard

No

This statement gets the hairs standing on the back of your neck in anticipation. Hopefully the delay in releasing the documents was USADA formatting it so that it makes it read like a spy novel and not your usual standard report fayre.

The USPS Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices. A program organized by individuals who thought they were above the rules and who still play a major and active role in sport today.

fat bloke

No

:mad:

I can't believe it. Now even the IRISH TIMES have joined the witch hunt!!!:mad:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/cycling/2012/1010/341109-usada-report-proves-armstrong-used-drugs/

furiousox

No

Any response from Armstrong?
Is he going to label Hincapie a "bitter ex-pro" too?
Maybe we'll get a Jimmy Swaggart-esque press conference in a couple of days, ("I have sinned" etc) but somehow I doubt it.

Chips Lovell

No

Poor Pat McQuaid will be up all night reading it.

hardCopy

No

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Poor Pat McQuaid's lawyers will be up all night reading it.

FYP

Itziger

hardCopy wrote: »

FYP

They'll surely take on all the witnesses and the USADA just as they have bravely targeted Kimmage.

hardCopy

No

Itziger wrote: »

They'll surely take on all the witnesses and the USADA just as they have bravely targeted Kimmage.

They'll probably just wait til Travis Tygart leaves USADA and sue him personally in a Swiss court.

Glass Prison 1214

No

How does everyone think Lance Armstrong will react/behave/conduct himself when this is all out in the open?

hardCopy

No

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

How does everyone think Lance Armstrong will react/behave/conduct himself when this is all out in the open?

Like a d1ck

He'll probably continue whinging about how he's being persecuted for being too brilliant, keep telling people he won the Tour seven times, keep picking up shady non-sanctioned races wherever he can and keep tweeting his thanks to all the loopers who support him.

morana

No

its both a sad and great day for our sport.

I must say I am disgusted by the patrons of the sport who havent said anything. This is part of the reason its rife. I bet Jan Ullrich is having a celebratory drink tonight with a huge smile on his face

TheBlaaMan

No

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

How does everyone think Lance Armstrong will react/behave/conduct himself when this is all out in the open?

Who gives a ****.....he's toast, anything he says will just be a rehash of old bluster and threats.

I love this avatar from Twitter user @DIMSPACE

oflahero

No

Front of cyclingnews:

'X confesses'
'Y confesses'
'Z confesses'

I must be dreaming. I never thought I'd see this...

retalivity

morana wrote: »

I bet Jan Ullrich is having a celebratory drink tonight with a huge smile on his face

Im not sure Jan Ullrich was completely honest himself...

ThisRegard

No

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

How does everyone think Lance Armstrong will react/behave/conduct himself when this is all out in the open?

I'd expect nothing but his usual reasoned response, kinda like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRVjRL8eEPA

morana

No

retalivity wrote: »

Im not sure Jan Ullrich was completely honest himself...

absolutely not as dirty as any of them but the fact that he was done and had been saying it would take a blindman not to see the dopin must give him some satisfaction. thats what I meant

Flandria

No

morana wrote: »

its both a sad and great day for our sport.

I must say I am disgusted by the patrons of the sport who havent said anything. This is part of the reason its rife. I bet Jan Ullrich is having a celebratory drink tonight with a huge cake in his face

Fixed that;)

el tel

No

It's funny how in 2006 they all quit the Ribena - the season immediately after LA retired.


Though Armstrong will probably just come out with something along the lines of:

I raced with Xdozen riders in my career. 11 have testified against me. The non-testimonys of the Xdozen -11 riders shows I did not cheat.

Flandria

No

el tel wrote: »

It's funny how in 2006 they all quit the Ribena - the season immediately after LA retired.


Though Armstrong will probably just come out with something along the lines of:

I raced with Xdozen riders in my career. 11 have testified against me. The non-testimonys of the Xdozen -11 riders shows I did not cheat.

Don't you mean more than 500?;)

donfers

No

it's a stitch-up based on anecdotal evidence and professional jealousy

donfers

No

I don't know what came over me there folks, apologies for the temporary insanity

leftism

No

morana

No

Was Eurosports brian smith in his team?

Flandria

No

morana wrote: »

Was Eurosports brian smith in his team?

Yep, Motorola.

morana

No

wonder what he will say tomorrow morning