USADA Release

ezellrh

PSA:  I'm not weighing in on either side of the debate, but here is the actual USADA finding that was released today.  I'm curling up and going to have a read.

 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documen...strong.pdf 

tgarson

Despite BOTH Lance and Doping being officially banned topics on Slowtwitch, the official report release thread is approaching 500 replies in one day.

Suffice to say this is an attention getter.

[Deleted User]

The report's "Reasoned decision" include an utterly damning passage about Armstrong's era: "Twenty of the twenty-one podium finishers in the Tour de France from 1999 through 2005 have been directly tied to likely doping through admissions, sanctions, public investigations or exceeding the UCI hematocrit threshold. Of the forty-five (45) podium finishes during the time period between 1996 and 2010, thirty-six (36) were by riders similarly tainted by doping."

cgres123

My opinion is that he was the most test athlet ever... did I say ever ? He passed everything. Just like in life that Elvis is still alive and Jimmy Hoffa is buried under a stadium this will go on for EVER....

My 2 cent .... at this point so what he is doing awesome work for charity in the light of the shadowed finger pointers... Really grab your opinion and move on in life..

Al Truscott

 My 3¢:

• I cry no tears for Lance; he's proven he's a big boy and can take care of himself. But I do wish I could venerate his accomplishments having without a reasonable doubt.
• I hope this has no longterm negative impact on the great work he and his foundation do everyday on both a macro and micro scale for those living with cancer.
• If this all means that the next generation of great cyclists - people like Froome, Sagan, Van Garderen, Phinney, and even younger guys like Dombrowski - will start and stay clean in their training and racing, then it is a net plus.

penlynwilson

I second Al's thoughts.

Adding a bit more:

When I was racing bicycles back in the 1990's, I heard from multiple people that promising US riders who went to Europe had the rude awakening that they couldn't compete if they didn't dope.

Honestly, I think there will always be doping. Thee is too much money in sport. The doping industry will always be ahead of this testing agencies. Again, too much money at stake.

USADA is here in Kona with a promotion about racing clean. Most age group athletes do not realize they are also subject to doping control. But, age groupers can and do get pulled to get tested.

benvanmarcke

Doping for age groupers is a different story, but I think every athlete regardless of level has to take accountability for anything he takes. I'm an average joe triathlete, chances of ever getting tested are minimal but they are bigger than the chance of me ever getting any prize money with triathlon if you know what I mean :-D I have asthma, I have an inhaler, so I contacted USADA to figure out if it was allowed or if i needed a TUE.

As to doping in cycling... I like to believe it's all clean... but what have we learned this year?
1. Doping control means absolutely nothing, tests can easily be passed even when doping
2. People still get caught, think Frank Schleck just to name one.
3. Teams advocating clean cycling seem to be full of (ex)-dopers. Look at Garmin... Vaughters, Zabriskie, Vande valde, Danielson, Millar, Dekker have all been dopers at some point. Is that the right way to promote clean cycling?

I guess I want to believe, but it's hard when so many events tell you otherwise.

talltim

I'm with Al and that line of thinking.

As far as cycling goes, its a real mess and I hope for the future of a sport I love they can get it sorted ... I read the Reasoned Decision over the weekend and it really is devastating. In some ways, not a surprise, but it's a mountain of data. For the pro ranks, and the sport, the next real test is whether the UCI does anything about it -- that will really be the tell for the core of the teams and pros.

AG doping almost certainly exists in SoCal. It is obvious in some age-groups and may be relatively innocent (say, a 'Low T' diagnosis and topical testosterone scirp vs needles full of EPO), but to Ben's point, it is the athlete's duty to know and follow the rules.

Clearly a big problem in many endurance sports (witness the NY decorated runner who was force-outed by his own teammates), and I am hopeful this process is a step in the direction of making it better.

Scott Alexander

Honestly, I'm still processing all of this and will reserve judgement until I form my own opinion, in respect to cycling, triathlon and Livestrong.

But...Can the Feds just sit there and NOT revive the USPS fraud investigation from earlier this year?? They really have no rationale not to, now. All this stuff is quite damming.

benvanmarcke

UCI strips Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France wins and bans him for life. Kinda harsh I think, but that was to be expected.

 

I'm sure by now, that's also the end of Lance Armstrong in Triathlon. Unlike a few months ago before the report was released, there was a lot of hearsay and some race organizers were willing to accept Armstrong, but now I really don't see anyone allowing him in any (sanctioned) event.