USADA charges Lance Armstrong and others in relation to "massive doping conspiracy" spanning 1998-2011

In other breaking news "Titanic Sinks"

I wish he'd just disappear.

We've got a great Tour lined up in a few weeks time. The main protagonists by most accounts are riding on talent.

I just don't care any more about 'Lance'.

S.

Step how far away, sad sad times for cycling.

PDF of USADA accusations posted on WSJ website.

Lance says USADA is pursuing a "vendetta". What is their motive?

whats the point in dragging up old dopers lets stop the one that are doing it now and in the future the pasts been and gone

I have no idea of whether he may be guilty or not but Armstrong does have a point about being the only rider targeted in an investigation into a wide-ranging conspiracy.

That's possibly valid if you view him as purely a rider, which is what his PR people appear to be trying to get across.

View him as part-owner and a de facto member of team management and it's a rather different picture. He's not just a rider.

That's one of the two really interesting things about this, it's management they've gone for, rather than an individual rider (who of course never seems to be acting with his team's knowledge.)

That, and the fact that 2009-11 now comes into the picture. Very interesting.

USADA CEO says:

As in every USADA case, all named individuals are presumed innocent of the allegations unless and until proven otherwise through the established legal process.

Yet, Lance is immediately suspended from all triathlon competitions. Weird.

I'm actually starting to feel some sympathy for Armstrong, who I have mainly disliked.

What is the point of creating another circus, after the tent fell down on the last one.

I dont see anybody gaining from this.
Our sport will now be damaged again just by the press headlines surrounding the latest allegations, true or not.

If they go back far enough we are not going to have a tour winner between 1920 and ... whenever. Tommy Simpson will lose his WC, Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, Indurain etc all struck from the record.

Ridiculous.

It's obviously Landis, funding it from his millios that he was given by the US media for, and after doping, trying to get one over on the guy who became Americas most popular cyclist in front of him.

Controversh

For all those doping apologist who believe that this should be forgotten, perhaps you'd like to explain to the likes of Betsy Andreu, Greg Lemond and anyone who didn't swallow the propaganda why they should have suffered from years of abuse and litigation from Lance's cronies? The careers of countless riders who tried to ride clean were destroyed by the Armstrong machine and I'm pleased to see the whole edifice of false idolatry come crashing down.

I agree with The Dog. Bring it on. I just wish this cathartic honesty ranged across all sport. Cycling is just the tip of the iceberg. Can you imagine what is going on in tennis, football and athletics where the 'big' money is.

I do find this distasteful. If they had found irregularities in his blood it would have come up by now. This is a witch hunt by some high up people in the USADA trying to make a name for themselfs. Lance Armstrong has never been pulled up for doping and these so called 'what if' allegations just brings the sport down and should have no merit inc court. If I went to court claiming my lord this guy nearly cut me up, what if he had ...... and it was many many years later. My feet would not touch the ground leaving the court. Well i don't think I would finish the opening sentence.

You may like or dislike Lance Armstrong him personality, it strong and assertive which can be grating but you can't deny what he has achieved not just on the bike but off it as well. What is it with many many of us that seem to want to denigrate those that are successful and do good.

This will be twisted to look like he has done something wrong. I am coming to the conclusion that is some respects the world doping agencies are getting as bad as the legitimate dopers who cheat. It seems we have to catch someone regardless of the conditions of the allegeded offences. Take Contador, miniscule amounts that wouldn't have affected a snail.

Its a vendetta and until someone takes control of how these agencies act and have to become much more legally responsible so that the real cheats are systematically caught and punished and not trawling and catching others then our sport and many others will suffer from this continued zeal.

Well that's enough of my rant.

Great timing

Many good clean cyclists suffered during the DopeStrong era.

It is important to still pursue this as at least two of the accused are still actively involved in pro-cycling Buyneel, and Pepe Marti (Contador's coach/doctor).

In order for the sport to be clean in the future the UCI needs to clear out the serial cheaters. There are still too many 'doctors' in the sport.

Either:
Accept that the past was unfortunately a golden era for dopers, not just one individual, and let it go.

Or:
Build a case and charge him, while also doing the same in other sports. Why is it that agencies claiming to be sports-agnostic (USADA, WADA etc) seem to be leaning on cycling more than others? Why did the whole of top-flight tennis suddenly develop a taste for muscles on their muscles?

If you can't devise a test for it, and you can't catch someone with it, all you're left with a anecdotal he-said/she-said nonsense, and Lance was quite adept at acquiring enemies.

For what it's worth I think LA may well have doped, but he was protected by the same military-levels of team discipline and focus that ensured, for example, that he never crashed or suffered a mechanical during his 7 Tour wins. That many of his team-mates were caught once they moved on to other teams without the same culture seems to bear this out.

I'm sad for the wider sport, and sadder that this might mar a summer of what promises to be some awesome racing.

I wouldn't be surprised if Tyler Hamilton is lurking in the wings waiting to do another exclusive tell all! Bloody parasites!!

Maybe he has doped maybe he hasn't doped. He's never tested positive!

Is there a vendetta against Lance, yes, but remember he has personally built himself into the biggest fraud in professional sport.

I find the 'let's all brush it under the carpet' attitude of many far more damaging than the 'let's tackle the issue' attidute taken by others.

There are zero positives coming out of this. Lance is one of the few people that transcends our sport, trashing him trashes cycling, and this has been going on for years. Focus should be on catching dopers now. If he doped I'm pretty sure he was not the only doper in a clean peloton so its essentially pointless.

I can easily believe it’s a vendetta, just read the anti-Lance comments on this message board to see the strong feelings against him.

For what it's worth, my view is that USADA must have secured some new evidence, in addition to the 2009-11 samples they quote. The allegations go back to 1998.

Is there any correlation between this and the announcement from George Hincapie that he's to retire after the Tour? He was previously subpoenaed by the Feds and it could be that his evidence is what nails Lance this time. Intriguing...

L'Equipe made the same allegations about Armstrong and EPO in 2005 but where ignored what's changed since?

I don't get how you can say that? Vendetta? Why? For what reason? The Grand Jury investigation turned up plenty of dirt, and the span was far larger than the US postal years so it's great that the actual charge now coming from USADA reflects that.

Several people here have said we should let sleeping dogs lie and focus on the future. Utter rubbish! Cycling's history is its life and soul and this episode is a rotten great hole in it. If we are ever to eradicate or really minimise doping (and I believe we have never been closer) then the only way to do that is to show the dopers that they WILL be pursued, there is no statute of limitations, their rewards will be recouped and they will pay the penalty. Otherwise where's the disincentive for today's doper? Or tomorrow's?

'Twisted to look like he's done something wrong'? The very real possibility is that he HAS done something wrong - and ruined the careers of a few people along the way. I always liked Armstrong and there is no doubt that he's an incredible athlete. But if he did what he's accused of (and the liklihood of that seems to be gaining ground) then he should damn well be prosecuted for it.

Miniscule amounts that wouldn't do anything to a snail in Contador's blood? Why does every pedal-post-happy subscriber on this site insist on coming across as a sports scientist? Would you know - really - how much affect that level of clenbuterol would have? Or what it was being used for in the first place? The amounts may have been small becuase it was the trace elements of another bit of cheating (as contended by WADA) through transfusions. The point is - it shouldn't be there. In ANY quantity.

The damage to our sport will not come from the inevitable groans and commentary if Armstrong is found guilty, the worst damage will come if he's suspected (and accused) of wrongdoing and the sport does nothing to address it.

By the way - another often quoted 'fact' is that Armstrong has never been pulled up for doping/failed a test. Not true - he has been suspected and accused of doping widely, and he has in fact fallen foul of a drug test in his early tour years - his team produced a Dr certificate to say that the banned substance was in a cream he was using for saddle sores. A note that should have been given in advance when they filled out the exemptions and lists of treatments riders were using - but was only produced in answer to the positive test. Incriminating? Maybe, maybe not. Personally I'll be glad to see the end of this saga - but only if they actually pursue it to its end rather than burying their heads in the sand.

Whilst all the headlines focus for obvious reasons on Armstrong, the really interesting thing about this case is how it is going for team management.

To assume that a rider as a member of team functions (performance wise) in a private and hermetically sealed world has always been a fairy story too far. If not complicate in some way with doping then Team management is morally guilty of at least failing to attend to the overall welfare of their athletes and of the sport they espouse to love.

Bruyneal's focus and meticulous attention to: preparation, condition, team discipline,detail and organisation. All gave USpostal(plus his subsequent teams) and its athletes years of success. It also implies that if doping occurred then he would have at least known and at least not acted. Bruyneal is so closely associated with Armstrong's successes that if one falls the other is bound to follow.

We will have to wait and see what if any new evidence has become apparent in the 2012 season and how this contributes to the USADA case. However, the cases expansion to include 2009 to 2011 suggests new evidence. It also suggests that Wiggins may already be the first Brit to have got on the tour podium.

This is one of the most illuminating pieces I've read about the whole affair, and is a wider insight into the efforts that the anti-dopers go to.

There are accusations and counter-accusations, but this lays out some parts of the argument very well.

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden

Could be. Nobody could say that George is not a credible witness.

Worth reading the charge sheet as linked above. Serious stuff! This might be a USADA action but the rules that are broken are all UCI rules, which makes their radio silence a little uncomfortable (don't like being shown up by USADA??!).

Armstrong is cited as a conspirator and as a rider, this is probably why they are going after 'just' him. It's pretty obvious he was the boss of the team with JB.

Armstrong's "Star Chamber" accusation seems appropriate, but not in the way he meant it. The Star Chamber was brought into existence in order to prosecute individuals who were too powerful to be convicted by lower courts, and conspiracy is one of the offences it developed.

@Lacticlegs - I do take your point, but realistically, it's looking like they were _all_ (or at least a large number of riders on different teams) were at it during those years - should we really pursue this to a point that all those riders are prosecuted? I'd like a situation where no-one gets away with doping, but the scandal from this could be bigger than any other (Festina, Cofidis etc) - will the sport even survive that? He may (or may not, innocent until found guilty etc) have ruined some careers and tarnished races in the past; what if the fallout means that he continues to do so?

It's the scale and methodical manner of the doping practices at US Postal/Disco/Shack that is the difference here. It's not implied pressure from team management or colleagues (which for e.g. David Millar experienced - if you believe his account) but the facilitation of a holistic doping regime by team management of which LA was a part (even informally at USP before he became part owner). It's my understanding that at the time, riders often chose or were advised as to which doctor they went to for 'supplements' and the like (see Fuentes and Operation Puerto) and as such it was an individual decision. USP's was allegedly a far more calculated and considered approach within which LA was a main player (allegedly).

Whilst it may seem petty suspending LA from Tri competitions they are right to do so. However, I think the real issue is the need to suspend Bruyneel. What else could the UCI do in this circumstance? How would Frank Schleck feel if he won the TdF this year with Bruyneel as DS and Bruyneel was subsequently convicted?

An even bigger issue could arise if USADA delve into the alleged positive result LA had at the Tour of Switzerland in 2001 - which it is alleged the UCI covered up thanks to 125k LA paid the UCI for them to buy a blood testing machine, ironically. Allegedly. LA's not really addressed that in his rebuttal today.

Tyler Hamilton and other top lieutenants have come out and said he did it. Good enough for me.

Why would the like's of Tyler Hamilton lie? what would he gain from that!? NOTHING

Lance cheated the system by using EPO etc wisely, just like many other riders have and are doing.

Strip the cheat!

Fair point re the sheer organisation of it - systematic team-led abuse is certainly more serious. I guess the point I'm really making is that I'm looking at the USADA and thinking "fill your boots, but please don't harm the wider sport" - it's just getting onto a clean footing, but joe public still often thinks of cycling as full of drug cheats, and this will only increase that.

Let's say this came to a head this/next month (yeah right), and then Brad/Cav clean up in July, is the man in the street simply going to say "So what, they're all charged to the eyeballs anyway?"

It would seem sensible though, to ban JB from DS-ing if LA is banned from competing. As you say, Frank could be damned if he wins, damned if he loses.

You're right, the s is about to hit the fans. Anyone showing any interest in cycling will be regaled with 'Aren't they all at it?'

I agree about the perception the non-cycling public will have about the sport and their views on seeing you or I out and about. I suspect if this was UCI led it would be brushed under the carpet until after the Tour but USADA don't give a stuff about the welfare of the sport in a wider context, they just want to bring them down.

I think as cyclists we grow a thicker skin with each new allegation and conviction but you're right its hard not to get pissed off with all the negative PR. Sadly, the positive stories around the sport such as Brad Wiggins Foundation or the guy who's just completed the Grand Fondo with Cancer wont get a look it. Just look at how many of us raise money for charity with various sponsored events or sportives etc. In the general sporting press it gets bugger all coverage as its not good 'copy'.

On a lighter note, I see that both Frank and Andy are doing their best to demonstrate that they are clearly not on one of Bruyneel's performance enhancement programmes this year!

we've been round all of this before. a lot of people accept that there is a pretty good chance he was on the juice, since he was beating a lot of talented riders who were. dragging it up isn't going to help anyone who was hurt by it, and is going to harm a lot of people still in the sport who had nothing to do with it but will suffer by reputation. all seems a bit pointless really.

This old interview with Dr Michael Ashenden, a sports scientist who helped develop the EPO test, and who has a strong opinion on whether Lance used it in the TdF '99, is a good read: http://bit.ly/k6VCn5

hmm, Personally Lance's constant refrain of "I've never tested positive" means nothing really. Stalin was never convicted of anything either but wasn't a nice guy all the same! Now I'm not comparing LA with Stalin, (though the team discipline of USPS was something to be seen) I don't think it's a vendetta, more a desire to clear any skeletons out. Landis I can take with a sackful, Hamilton not so much. I assume USADA have enough evidence to make the announcement otherwise they had better had something to back them up. USA law will clean them out otherwise!!

Yes. Clearly Landis is flush with cash. LOL. He probably got a lot of it selling his old race bikes on eBay.

Whether or not Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs is a moot point, as his team mates have admitted to doping and as the leader of those teams he directly benefited from the his team mates doping. Here's an article that expands on this theory http://youkantbeserious.com/2012/06/14/it-doesnt-matter-whether-or-not-h...

Well, aren't they? It's getting better, but I'm under no illusions the peloton is clean.

How naive is this?! Gain: S2 million in book sales and exclusives to US media, stupid!

It'll be interesting to see if the good doctor will name names too. I imagine a lot of people who've gained benefits from Dr Ferrari's "training plans" will be pretty nervous.

Firstly, as for "never tested positive" you mean except for the 1999 Tour when he managed to pony-up a TUE or the 2001 TdSuisse when in conjunction with the UCI, he managed to make an EPO positive "go away" via a cash donation. This excludes the EPO test results from 99 revealed by L'Equipe that showed that he was on EPO - It was only the statute of limitations that prevented doping charges from being brought - they were positive tests all the same. You'll find plenty of evidence if you care to look for it, but I suppose with all the fan-boy worship comes selective memory?

wow the fanboys certainly arrived as a posse on this one

Hopefully Armstrong will get done this time, along with Bruyneel and the doping doctors and that will in turn lead to UCI getting cleaned out as they have enabled these despicable people to run a doping team at such a magnitude that was disgusting.

Nevermind the huge fraud that his 'awareness' foundation is.

wonder how many yella braclets hit the bin in the last few days

Dogged pursuit of Lance is the best way to discourage any current racers/managers/doctors who might think they've found a way to cheat the system. They must be continually reminded that old crimes aren't forgotten, and improvements in detection could be used to expose them ten or twenty years from now.

Besides, Lance deserves it. Look at how he used his ill-gotten gains to harrass and victimise others. The guy's got no soul. He needs to be publicly eviscerated.

It needs to be settled once and for all and I have to admit, I like the fact the USADA is going wide on this. I think support staff banned for life from the sport they presumably love is a good way to eliminate it root and branch.

Personally I think that whilst, yes, a lot of the peloton were doping, if you believe some of the admitted/convicted dopers one team systematically doping and getting away with it would mean you almost HAD to in order to win. I think if they're serious, going after everyone they can, handing out BIG bans for everyone involved (perhaps get international sporting federations involved so they can be banned from ALL sports) is a good start, as is attacking the USPS team lot (assuming they're guilty etc).

Like they say, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time

Wow! I realised Lance was a polarizing character but this is incredible. 'Dispicable', 'Disgusting', 'fraud', 'got no soul'... it's amazing how we judge people we don't know in this way.
I don't know Lance; met him once, seemed like a pretty normal guy (with a soul, probably), but I do live in the USA and see the good work that Livestrong and the LAF do here. To call this a 'huge fraud', Decster, just shows ignorance and hate and that is, surely, sinking to the levels of those you despise...

It wouldn't be a proper Tour de France without a good scandal popping up mid June, would it? Still, any publicity is good publicity, right?€€€ kerching

Did the 'fraud' fake the cancer too?

Amen. Personally, I find it likely that Lance cheated along with many others. If he is stripped of his titles so be it. None of this is justified by the good that he does now, but Livestrong and the LAF are without a doubt positive contributors to society that have come out of this. So, to drag it all down would be a sad day. The negative and bitter comments are unhelpful.

IMO the fact that Lance has treated many people like shit, used them untill no longer usefull or trustworthy in his eyes, then discarded & threatened them... has come back to haunt him... nobodys gonna stand by a man like that.

He's also the only rider I've ever heard of that was known to encourage his teamates to dope so strongly (I'm sure Bruyneel is also guilty as a DS)
I respect his sporting achievments because I understand the doping situation quite well at that time,
but NOT Lance as a man... he's a poor excuse.

If you think making millions from 'Cancer Awareness' which does NOTHING to help finding a cure for cancer (which we already have by the way! its called nutrition + high IV doses of vit-C)... redeems him in anyway I think you are pretty delusional.

For all those defending his good character, there was once an anecdote from someone living in Austin about living in the same town as Lance...when asked about how the locals felt about him he replied, "about half the people in Austin think he's an a$$hole" when questioned "What about the other half?" the response was "they haven't met him yet!"

If you think making millions from a charitable foundation in this country, with its tax authorities, is possible. Then that's delusional!

If you think making millions from a charitable foundation in this country, with its tax authorities, is possible. Then that's delusional!

There's a cure for cancer?

All the crack-pots are out tonight!!

They have been curing people for a long time at the Gerson Institute http://gerson.org/gerpress/
with a nutrition based approach
Unfortunately they are forced to do this in Mexico because the US doesn't want to cure cancer... to much money in not curing it!!!

If you want to know more watch a film called 'Food Matters' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwZY1jaw2EM
or this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFiT66QjEFI&feature=related A clip from the same film but about all about curing cancer.
http://www.foodmatters.tv/index

Delusional?... no not really, I'm not spoon fed my information
You ever heard of Greg Mortenson?
I don't think Lance was that bad he just uses Livestrong as a free self promotion company! getting millions of dollars in free image promotion.

Livestrong.org is the site for the nonprofit Lance Armstrong Foundation, while Livestrong.com is a somewhat similar-looking page that features the same Livestrong logo and design but is actually a for-profit content farm owned by Demand Media.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/lance-armstrong/...

totally agree, strip them all, its quite obvious they were all at it.

i notice that the gerson institute apparently cure cancer and also a host of other incurable deseases. cant understand why everybody doesn't go there!
what i also noticed is that they are asking people to donate money to them, a bit like the lance charities really!

They're claiming that he was using EPO for 13 years, but he never tested positive. I find it hard to believe that they could do that for such a length of time without showing any evidence of it. If this is the case, then they were very well organised.

I don't understand why they are claiming to have evidence of blood tests positive for EPO from 2009 and 2010 which were not acted upon at the time. This was something they could test for at that time, so why did't they pursue it then?

They are using tax payer money for a witch hunt that has no proof. The grand jury did not find anything wrong. I would follow the money. Lance would not only loose his race standings but would probably be required to pay back that insurance policy he set up. Insurance companies have friends in high places. It could also be political. There are fools in this and a few other countrys who hate bicyclists so badly that they would rationalize this kind of action against another person. Finding out the real liars and prosecuting them is probably the only way to put a stop to this kind of mindless attack.

Kinda agree with this thought - I have no entrenched love/hate for Lance, but I can't help but notice that he inspires quite high emotions in a lot of people!

My point is more to do with cycling as a whole - if Lance did it, he should go down for it. Fully - recoup the money, dismantle the superman-cancer-killing edifice, expunge his tour wins from the record. If he didn't do it he is a hero twice over - once for the wins and once again for all the flak afterwards. BUT...

...People here have said that pursuing Lance will just make cycling look bad. That everyone will think all cyclists are drugged and the sport will lose credibility...well, duh! Where have you all been? Are there really any of you who don't recognise the fact that we are already there?! I'm a pretty isolated two-wheeler - my family and friends look upon my obsession with amused cynicism, so I have a fairly good handle on the 'outsiders' view. And here it is: cycling is synonymous with drugs.

Top cyclists and Tour riders are drugged up to the eyeballs.

I'm not kidding - that's the view from nearly everyone outside the sport who actually cares anough to have an opinion. And THAT's why we have to pursue Lance (or Alberto or whomever else) to get an answer on this. He is a figurehead - the flagship. No one is ever going to believe that cycling has put its house in order until we...well, put our house in order!