Lance Armstrong Doping Investigation

[Ryan Scott]

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cyclin...ory?id=5395459

Today Greg LaMond, previously the most accomplished US cyclist, came up with an opinion that the federal case now being built against Lance Armstrong may be quite overwhelming.

I know we've had some threads on this before, but now with a more serious investigation in the works, there will probably be a number of stories coming forth.

Armstrong is generally defended in the media - he's a good-natured guy who's been open with the press. He's also a major figure in the fight against cancer and a truly remarkable survival story, which makes criticizing him difficult.

I've been watching cycling pretty seriously for over half my life now. My opinion is that Armstrong had to be using some outside substance to make the sort of progress he did, given the context. I say that because of the unique situation cycling is in as a sport when it relates to doping.

Nearly everyone was doping during the late 90's in cycling - a number of major figures have admitted as much, others have been uncovered beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Do I believe Lance Armstrong could have won all seven Tours de France without doping? Yes and No. I believe, against a field of the same riders, all clean, he would have had a good chance to win each and every Tour he won. Against the field as they were actually racing, most of them on a serious regimen of performance enhancing techniques? No. I don't think he could have beaten them - the drugs provide too much of an advantage in the most important parts of the Tour de France.

I think this is less of an issue with cycling than say a sport like baseball, since so many cyclists were involved. There's little speculation, as in baseball, about who was cheating and who wasn't. In cycling, pretty much you were doing something or you weren't even riding at the top level.

I believe we'll begin to see Armstrong's coat of armor unravel a bit as we go along. I don't know if they'll have enough to charge him with anything - we have to remember Barry Bonds seems to be escaping federal trouble. I don't think this should put a mark on his cancer fundraising. He supports a worthy cause and I hope he continues to do so.

[Ryan Scott]

And it's over now. Armstrong will not challenge the USADA claims. Likely all of his Tour titles will be stripped, but in a funny situation for the sport of cycling, almost none of them will go to the guy in second place, most won't even go to third place. They're going to have to go as low as 6th, maybe 8th in some instances to find a clean rider to give the jerseys to.

[Susan Unger]

They're going to have to go as low as 6th, maybe 8th in some instances to find a clean rider to give the jerseys to.

So sad.

[Glenn Messer]

My son called and asked my opinion. What would I do if I were in Armstrong's place.

Personally, I think I would do what he is doing. What's to be gained by fighting this any further. I doubt seriously that anyone is going to come back to Armstrong wanting their money back. I wouldn't put my family through anymore of this. Did he dope? I don't know. He never (I think this is right) failed a drug test. I think it's interesting that, with no proof, Ryan says, "My opinion is ......" It seems that the Armstrong thing has come down to accusation without proof.

So what's your opinion on Usain Bolt (Carl Lewis has an opinion) or Ye Shiwen (some call her the female equivalent of Bolt in the pool)?

The days of purity in sports are behind us. Does everyone dope? No, but as long as there is big money involved, some will. Sometimes I think we should just make doping legal and require only that you declare it up front. We would penalize only those who tried to hide it -- and were caught.

[Bob Hunter]

The days of purity in sports are behind us. Does everyone dope? No, but as long as there is big money involved, some will. Sometimes I think we should just make doping legal and require only that you declare it up front. We would penalize only those who tried to hide it -- and were caught.

Yeah, that would not be a good move for a lot of reasons including one's health. It would send a message of acceptance to younger athletes. Younger athletes are at high risk for anabolic steroids. Older athletes, like Armstrong, can manage PEDS and have virtually no side affects. Younger athletes, especially men, already have high levels of testosterone and the addition of synthetic testosterone can cause immediate damage to their health. This is why athletes like Michael Phelps have pretty much reached the peak in their sport. Remember when Mark Spitz tried to make an Olympic comeback? It was a joke! He was like 2 seconds off of having a decent Olympic trial time! As men age, their testosterone levels drop about 3% a year. Of course, you can replace what is lost and it will be like you never lose the edge. Such is the case with older athletes. Moreover, they are more experienced and have skills and techniques that younger athletes do not have. They can get away with doping it and it doesn't hurt them.

It's the younger people I worry about. Taking testosterone (or a derivative of T) when your body is at its peak production is really dumb. To come off of it, you have to take an estrogen blocker.

I'm sorry, but Lance Armstrong needs to confess, apologize and become an advocate for clean racing. Marion Jones confessed, why can't he?

[Glenn Messer]

Bob, I share your concern, however, if it's the difference between 'good' and 'great', athletes will do it. Sorta like our success in stopping the use of marijuana. They will trade a lifetime of 'average' for a few minutes of 'greatness'. Maybe 20 years of open use and observing the consequences will change opinions. On the other hand, it hasn't yet. Being a resident of N.C., I know the Marion Jones story. I can only hope that her sorrow after the fact has changed the minds of some younger athletes.

[Nate Pruitt]

So we really won't acknowledge that at NO POINT during his winning the 7 Tour titles did he test positive? See, that's the fun thing- Floyd Landis did test positive and you know what happened? His Tour title was immediately stripped by the governing body of the event (not some American political entity). Why keep going after Lance? Because it will make some suit a career case that should allow a nice career advancement. Armstrong continues to test clean and be scrutinized by only this government organization. Only people who haven't followed it for what has now been over 10 years really believe that Lance some how doped while avoiding the strict drug testing regimen that bicycle racing enforces. During the Tour testing happens throughout the event. I recall one year part of the discussion was that Armstrong seemed to get picked on with the frequency of testing he endured (perhaps his 6th title since there were a couple French riders in a group tied for the most all-time wins with 5 at that point).

Seriously, all there is that can be clear in this situation is that you can smell a rat, but that rat probably isn't Armstrong.

Also, there have been tests in the past that have proven that Armstrong's body produces an abnormally low amount of lactic acid. Therefore, his muscles are not deprived of oxygen and fatigued in the same sort of way that would effect another athlete. There is at least one guy who runs ultramarathons that is similar and when tested doctors confirmed there was no real reason why his body would have to stop running.

I know it's hard to believe because we would all just love to think that everyone is as lackluster as we are, right?

[Ryan Scott]

What constitutes proof? Scores of teammates and doctors have testified in sworn depositions that not only did Armstrong engaging in blood doping, but he helped organize and manage a team-wide doping program for nearly a decade.

It's not provable because he claims they're lying?

He's making the smart move. His career is already over. Now he's assuring that none of those damning witnesses actually testify in court. The news coverage will be over in a couple of days.

The difference between Bolt and Armstrong is that everyone Armstrong was competing against was doping, most have admitted it. They're going to have to look way down the finish list for someone clean to give his yellow jerseys to. He absolutely dominated those Tours; he dominated the guys who used drugs to beat the previous record champ, Miguel Indurain, who won five in a row then quit once the doping took over.

I have no doubt that Armstrong is the most physically gifted cyclist out there and that he could win all those Tours if everyone were clean. But 75+% of his competitors were doping; you don't beat those odds without doing it yourself.

Then, of course, you have to remember all the teammates and doctors who saw him doping.

Bolt barely beats his competitors. As for the Chinese swimmer, who knows - the Chinese women's swim team has had doping issues in the past. We'll see.

Did I think Armstrong was doping at the time? No. I started to question it when his former teammates were all getting caught towards the end of his career. But now, with all of the evidence and admissions of so many riders and the general understanding that everyone was doping, it's just silly to maintain your innocence as Armstrong has. Cycling has moved on; Armstrong is the one still living in the past.

We also have to remember this is one of the most selfish people on the planet. He gets deserved props for his cancer work, which has come to define him, but the rest of his life has been a mess.

He rose to prominence as one of the youngest stage winners in the Tour, before his cancer. However, he one that stage after ignoring the direction of his team manager to hang back and help the team leader stay out of trouble - a cardinal sin for cyclists.

As a team leader himself later on, Armstrong routinely held back his domestiques when there was little or no reason to do so other than to show his power. You wonder why guys abandoned his team left and right? He's tough to work with. Once they left, they got trashed by Armstrong; a few of the guys who got caught doping did so because of evidence that happened to be unearthed on tips from Armstrong's camp.

He left his wife and three young children when he got rich and famous to date singer Sheryl Crow, who he also dumped when she wanted kids and also, incidently, when she GOT CANCER!!

He came back to support Alberto Contador in the Tour and refused to do all the work requested of him.

He's consistently presented a selfish, arrogant attitude his entire public life. There's a line out the door of people, friends many of them, willing to testify under oath that he was at the center of a massive doping chain.

I was the biggest Armstrong hero as he was smashing competition; there's just no reasonable way for anyone to continue to believe him, outside of nostalgia or some other emotional connection.

It's a bigger open and shut case than any we've seen so far - Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, any of them.

Armstrong has fought to clear his name for more than a decade, fighting tooth and nail with an army of lawyers - going after people who didn't have credibility to begin with just to avoid the slightest appearance of guilt. Now, after all that time and money, he's willing to give up his legacy without a fight? There's no reason for it.

He knew he was going down and he figured keeping it out of the public eye was the best damage control.

[Nate Pruitt]

I really don't get why you felt so compelled to do so much history on Armstrong's lack of character, Ryan. Clearly we touched on some personal issues you and Lance need to work through. Whatever he did was good enough to not come back with bad tests. As was mentioned before, perhaps they should hire him as a consultant. I never cared for his "persona" as he's been a very clear atheist throughout his life, is incredibly self-pleased, and has even gone so far as to attribute his own mentality and effort in beating cancer (which should be a real wake up call to Christians who were all about wearing the Livestrong wristbands... but Christians really love wristbands these days). No fight? Eh, he's been battling this for years. There has been plenty of fight. There is no point in presuming guilt at this point because of his current actions (also, that defies the American justice system, but so does most of how this has gone down).

Players like Canseco, McGuire, Sosa, Clemens & Bonds were all dirty. It still doesn't change what I said about a rat in government (USADA) trying to put a nice feather in his cap pushing the Clemens issue. Cases like these serve no purpose when it comes to benefiting the sport only the politicians. There is no real war on drugs, in sports or otherwise, just big shows as pretense to keep dumping money in organizations that sit on information claiming that it's for a greater purpose but really because it's a press release business and most of what is done is only to redeposit power to others- street level busts aside because those are typically done by regular law enforcement.

As for Bolt: that situation really all comes from Carl Lewis, who has no frame of reference, was an absolute crybaby about the whole situation, pathetically made a point to try to talk about anything other than the Jamaican 4x100 men's relay result on his show because he was still pouting about Bolt's response to his previous comments, and basically has done what he can to discredit himself. Sometimes athletes should stick to performing and get away from sport before they're on the speaking end of things.

[Bob Hunter]

What constitutes proof? Scores of teammates and doctors have testified in sworn depositions that not only did Armstrong engaging in blood doping, but he helped organize and manage a team-wide doping program for nearly a decade.

It's not provable because he claims they're lying?

He's making the smart move. His career is already over. Now he's assuring that none of those damning witnesses actually testify in court. The news coverage will be over in a couple of days.

The difference between Bolt and Armstrong is that everyone Armstrong was competing against was doping, most have admitted it. They're going to have to look way down the finish list for someone clean to give his yellow jerseys to. He absolutely dominated those Tours; he dominated the guys who used drugs to beat the previous record champ, Miguel Indurain, who won five in a row then quit once the doping took over.

I have no doubt that Armstrong is the most physically gifted cyclist out there and that he could win all those Tours if everyone were clean. But 75+% of his competitors were doping; you don't beat those odds without doing it yourself.

Then, of course, you have to remember all the teammates and doctors who saw him doping.

Bolt barely beats his competitors. As for the Chinese swimmer, who knows - the Chinese women's swim team has had doping issues in the past. We'll see.

Did I think Armstrong was doping at the time? No. I started to question it when his former teammates were all getting caught towards the end of his career. But now, with all of the evidence and admissions of so many riders and the general understanding that everyone was doping, it's just silly to maintain your innocence as Armstrong has. Cycling has moved on; Armstrong is the one still living in the past.

We also have to remember this is one of the most selfish people on the planet. He gets deserved props for his cancer work, which has come to define him, but the rest of his life has been a mess.

He rose to prominence as one of the youngest stage winners in the Tour, before his cancer. However, he one that stage after ignoring the direction of his team manager to hang back and help the team leader stay out of trouble - a cardinal sin for cyclists.

As a team leader himself later on, Armstrong routinely held back his domestiques when there was little or no reason to do so other than to show his power. You wonder why guys abandoned his team left and right? He's tough to work with. Once they left, they got trashed by Armstrong; a few of the guys who got caught doping did so because of evidence that happened to be unearthed on tips from Armstrong's camp.

He left his wife and three young children when he got rich and famous to date singer Sheryl Crow, who he also dumped when she wanted kids and also, incidently, when she GOT CANCER!!

He came back to support Alberto Contador in the Tour and refused to do all the work requested of him.

He's consistently presented a selfish, arrogant attitude his entire public life. There's a line out the door of people, friends many of them, willing to testify under oath that he was at the center of a massive doping chain.

I was the biggest Armstrong hero as he was smashing competition; there's just no reasonable way for anyone to continue to believe him, outside of nostalgia or some other emotional connection.

It's a bigger open and shut case than any we've seen so far - Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, any of them.

Armstrong has fought to clear his name for more than a decade, fighting tooth and nail with an army of lawyers - going after people who didn't have credibility to begin with just to avoid the slightest appearance of guilt. Now, after all that time and money, he's willing to give up his legacy without a fight? There's no reason for it.

He knew he was going down and he figured keeping it out of the public eye was the best damage control.

Ryan,

What an education, thanks! You know way more about this guy than anyone I know. I guess I just haven't followed it that closely.

Can we start talking about something with less controversy that doesn't involve doping? Tim Tebow is always a good topic of discussion...

[Jim Poteet]

What constitutes proof? Scores of teammates and doctors have testified in sworn depositions that not only did Armstrong engaging in blood doping, but he helped organize and manage a team-wide doping program for nearly a decade.

It's not provable because he claims they're lying?

He's making the smart move. His career is already over. Now he's assuring that none of those damning witnesses actually testify in court. The news coverage will be over in a couple of days.

The difference between Bolt and Armstrong is that everyone Armstrong was competing against was doping, most have admitted it. They're going to have to look way down the finish list for someone clean to give his yellow jerseys to. He absolutely dominated those Tours; he dominated the guys who used drugs to beat the previous record champ, Miguel Indurain, who won five in a row then quit once the doping took over.

I have no doubt that Armstrong is the most physically gifted cyclist out there and that he could win all those Tours if everyone were clean. But 75+% of his competitors were doping; you don't beat those odds without doing it yourself.

Then, of course, you have to remember all the teammates and doctors who saw him doping.

Bolt barely beats his competitors. As for the Chinese swimmer, who knows - the Chinese women's swim team has had doping issues in the past. We'll see.

Did I think Armstrong was doping at the time? No. I started to question it when his former teammates were all getting caught towards the end of his career. But now, with all of the evidence and admissions of so many riders and the general understanding that everyone was doping, it's just silly to maintain your innocence as Armstrong has. Cycling has moved on; Armstrong is the one still living in the past.

We also have to remember this is one of the most selfish people on the planet. He gets deserved props for his cancer work, which has come to define him, but the rest of his life has been a mess.

He rose to prominence as one of the youngest stage winners in the Tour, before his cancer. However, he one that stage after ignoring the direction of his team manager to hang back and help the team leader stay out of trouble - a cardinal sin for cyclists.

As a team leader himself later on, Armstrong routinely held back his domestiques when there was little or no reason to do so other than to show his power. You wonder why guys abandoned his team left and right? He's tough to work with. Once they left, they got trashed by Armstrong; a few of the guys who got caught doping did so because of evidence that happened to be unearthed on tips from Armstrong's camp.

He left his wife and three young children when he got rich and famous to date singer Sheryl Crow, who he also dumped when she wanted kids and also, incidently, when she GOT CANCER!!

He came back to support Alberto Contador in the Tour and refused to do all the work requested of him.

He's consistently presented a selfish, arrogant attitude his entire public life. There's a line out the door of people, friends many of them, willing to testify under oath that he was at the center of a massive doping chain.

I was the biggest Armstrong hero as he was smashing competition; there's just no reasonable way for anyone to continue to believe him, outside of nostalgia or some other emotional connection.

It's a bigger open and shut case than any we've seen so far - Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, any of them.

Armstrong has fought to clear his name for more than a decade, fighting tooth and nail with an army of lawyers - going after people who didn't have credibility to begin with just to avoid the slightest appearance of guilt. Now, after all that time and money, he's willing to give up his legacy without a fight? There's no reason for it.

He knew he was going down and he figured keeping it out of the public eye was the best damage control.

What are you talking about? Look at the quote in bold. Bolt destroys all sprint competition. In the 100 and 200 meter sprints, a win by a 1/10 of a second is a huge win. Bolt, at this point in his career, has very little competition. I don't have any idea whether he is doping or not, but he is dominant is his events.

[Nate Pruitt]

Donations up for Armstrong charity

This article is further proof that plenty of people have enough savvy to not bother buying what the USADA is selling. Talk about a government entity of ill-repute. The best hope the USADA has is to clean house and start over. The mere fact they're so hung up on trying to drown Armstrong gets hundreds of people to push in the opposite direction to support his organization. Maybe it's not all bad news for Lance. I feel like there's some parallel with chicken sandwiches, but better not go there.

[Ryan Scott]

USADA isn't a government entity. It's a separate group created to monitor testing for olympic sports (to prevent the sports themselves from a conflict of interest). I can't imagine they had anything to do with the Clemens trial - MLB won't let USADA anywhere near their testing. They might have been involved as expert witnesses about doping, but they weren't bringing charges.

It's not a witch hunt. The only thing making it such a big deal is how much money Armstrong has to pay lawyers. The other cyclists didn't have the same resources and were dealt with much sooner. Check out how much crap Alberto Contador has had to go through. A witch hunt implies that someone is getting a rough time than anyone else; this just isn't true.

Lance is handling everything the right way, though (with the exception of refusing to admit his part). He's said he's less stressed than he's been in a decade and he's ready to move on with his life. He's trying to get this out of the press as soon as possible.

Plus, donations to LiveStrong are through the roof. The one truly great thing he's done with his life seems to be flourishing. I'm not sure how this could have worked out much better (again, accept for his finally telling the truth).

[Ryan Scott]

What are you talking about? Look at the quote in bold. Bolt destroys all sprint competition. In the 100 and 200 meter sprints, a win by a 1/10 of a second is a huge win. Bolt, at this point in his career, has very little competition. I don't have any idea whether he is doping or not, but he is dominant is his events.

I should have amended that. He's not been as dominant recently as he was in 2008 and 2009. The guy's physically more capable. I saw one researcher who studied Bolt's physiology and wrote a big paper about what his actual physical capabilities are if he actually trained as hard as some of the other guys do. I think he said something like 9.19 is physically possible for Bolt. He also thinks Bolt could jump over 30 feet in the long jump, if he gave it some attention. He's got a lot of natural gifts. I think it's amazing that he takes two fewer strides in the 100m than anyone else.

This is sort of why Armstrong got the benefit of the doubt from me and everyone else all along. He's got similar physical gifts to Bolt. His lung capacity and his bodies ability to process lactic acid are off the charts. As I said, given an equal playing field, he'd likely be just as dominant. The field wasn't equal though and he really just did what he had to do to keep up. He did it way better than anyone else.

[Nate Pruitt]

USADA isn't a government entity. It's a separate group created to monitor testing for olympic sports (to prevent the sports themselves from a conflict of interest). I can't imagine they had anything to do with the Clemens trial - MLB won't let USADA anywhere near their testing. They might have been involved as expert witnesses about doping, but they weren't bringing charges.

True, USADA is only largely funded through the government. Other than that they're just another shameful organization. MLB, NFL, NBA and other major leagues would never let them get close to their players or leagues. I suppose if they did their job well they could score such contracts. Instead they try to use the media to promote their little pocket of corrupt tactics and practices. Doesn't change the fact that they're a sham. Doesn't change the fact that Armstrong was continually found clean during the Tour. And they shouldn't have any rights to strip anyone of titles they've won internationally unless WADA really stepped in and pushed the matter with such international organizations.

[John Reilly]

I knew there was a reason why I could not beat him on my generic ten speed comfort bike with dual front and rear breaks.

[Ryan Scott]

True, USADA is only largely funded through the government. Other than that they're just another shameful organization. MLB, NFL, NBA and other major leagues would never let them get close to their players or leagues. I suppose if they did their job well they could score such contracts. Instead they try to use the media to promote their little pocket of corrupt tactics and practices. Doesn't change the fact that they're a sham. Doesn't change the fact that Armstrong was continually found clean during the Tour. And they shouldn't have any rights to strip anyone of titles they've won internationally unless WADA really stepped in and pushed the matter with such international organizations.

They don't have the right to strip anyone of titles. The Tour de France is the only group with the right and they've been waiting for an excuse for years. I won't argue that USADA thinks its more powerful than it is; that they tend to be a bit zealous, but they are under some authority from WADA, which is a credible and well-respected agency.

It's a sham that the US pro leagues won't play ball with international doping regulations. We wouldn't have the kind of problems with drugs in MLB or the NFL if they were a part of this organization than just about every other sport participates in.

The only people who have issue with the drug testing process are those who get caught or listen to Lance Armstrong. Hundreds of thousands of athletes around the world gladly participate as a necessary step to keep sport clean. It can be inconvenient at times, but the process has always been fair.

[Nate Pruitt]

They don't have the right to strip anyone of titles. The Tour de France is the only group with the right and they've been waiting for an excuse for years. I won't argue that USADA thinks its more powerful than it is; that they tend to be a bit zealous, but they are under some authority from WADA, which is a credible and well-respected agency.

It's a sham that the US pro leagues won't play ball with international doping regulations. We wouldn't have the kind of problems with drugs in MLB or the NFL if they were a part of this organization than just about every other sport participates in.

The only people who have issue with the drug testing process are those who get caught or listen to Lance Armstrong. Hundreds of thousands of athletes around the world gladly participate as a necessary step to keep sport clean. It can be inconvenient at times, but the process has always been fair.

If it wasn't for players' unions fighting it and owners not caring as long as they have a marketable product it would probably change. That will never happen until there is public outcry saying that we want our kids to stay clean and to have a legitimate chance all the way into the pros by staying clean. It really is a shame. Of course drug testing could be different, too. If you go against performance enhancement stuff then you would probably get quite a few, if you just went against marijuana as a basis as to whether or not players are "employable" then you would drastically limit the ability to field a team in many pro sports in America. Shoot, just showing up drunk to work would be grounds for being fired for many of us, and yet many players make it to multiple events hung over or still drunk.

Professional athletes : professional workplace :: college athletes : traditional students

There's just so much leeway for entertainers in this particular "field." Rather sad. Seeing something different can be great, though. Nashville Predator Jordan Tootoo went to rehab during the 10-11 season for his alcoholism. He had a career year during the 11-12 season. The whole thing, such as the drastic changes in lifestyle that came with fighting his addiction, were well documented throughout the season here in Nashville. It was very inspiring. We'd be fortunate to have these types of situations on the rise and unethical/illegal/unhealthy behaviors greatly decrease in all levels of sport.

That's all I have. I don't think I can carry you to the 5,000 post count at this rate, Ryan. What else do you have?

[Ryan Scott]

I probably came on too aggressively. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder with US sports fans. I follow pretty much every sport out there; I'm a bit of an addict. However, my favorite sports tend to be those with more publicity internationally - track and field, skiing, cycling, etc. Unlike most Americans, I follow them every year and not just every four.

It drives me nuts when US fans assume the narrative of those sports is whatever NBC concocts during the olympics to garner ratings.

In the grand scheme of cycling, arguing that Lance Armstrong is innocent or being mistreated is akin to arguing the world is flat. It's pretty much nutballs and uninformed Americans. As an American, it's a bit embarrassing how arrogantly our sports fan engage the rest of the world. Sort of like when your crazy uncle makes a racist joke at Thanksgiving dinner.

I come on a bit strong in my attempts to influence the perspective of the US audience. I apologize for any offense.

I really was a huge Lance Armstrong fan. I held out longer than was really rational simply because of my love for the guy and my emotional attachment to the story. The evidence is just overwhelming, even if it lacks a juiced pee sample.

Marion Jones and Barry Bonds never failed a drug test either; the only reason I can think of why Lance still views that as a valid excuse is because he's media savvy and knows how little most of the public actually knows about doping.

[Nate Pruitt]

I probably came on too aggressively. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder with US sports fans. I follow pretty much every sport out there; I'm a bit of an addict. However, my favorite sports tend to be those with more publicity internationally - track and field, skiing, cycling, etc. Unlike most Americans, I follow them every year and not just every four.

It drives me nuts when US fans assume the narrative of those sports is whatever NBC concocts during the olympics to garner ratings.

In the grand scheme of cycling, arguing that Lance Armstrong is innocent or being mistreated is akin to arguing the world is flat. It's pretty much nutballs and uninformed Americans. As an American, it's a bit embarrassing how arrogantly our sports fan engage the rest of the world. Sort of like when your crazy uncle makes a racist joke at Thanksgiving dinner.

I come on a bit strong in my attempts to influence the perspective of the US audience. I apologize for any offense.

I really was a huge Lance Armstrong fan. I held out longer than was really rational simply because of my love for the guy and my emotional attachment to the story. The evidence is just overwhelming, even if it lacks a juiced pee sample.

Marion Jones and Barry Bonds never failed a drug test either; the only reason I can think of why Lance still views that as a valid excuse is because he's media savvy and knows how little most of the public actually knows about doping.

I actually love cycling, although since letting cable go it has become virtually impossible to follow some of my favorite events beyond reading stage recaps. I watched Lance win on multiple occasions, and found them to be exciting. My wife often questioned my sanity as I rose early to watch stage after stage in real time for summers on end. This year when I mentioned the Tour had already happened while watching Olympic cycling she commented on how odd it was that I hadn't been up watching it despite knowing why that wasn't a real option. I will gladly join you in bad-mouthing NBC sports coverage of almost anything, too, haha.

I fully understand the stance of enjoying more events. I have been a big "soccer" fan for years now, having followed Barcelona very closely since 1996 before I had even had a chance to get out and play with a team. I still can't get into the MLS. I try each season, but it's just so lackluster. There is a lot to be gained from getting to see beyond the norm, and the spoon-fed American media portrayal of sports. Personally, when it comes to cycling, I had hoped that Hincape would get the nod as the next endorsed American rider over Landis. I don't know that the results would have been different, I just found him to be as suitable from a skill standpoint and better from the personality side of things.

Also, the sweet move and big victory Vinokourov managed early in the Olympics was the first time I rose out of my seat to celebrate a win while watching. It didn't happen again for me during the Olympics. I recalled watching him work diligently over the years, and that cheeky move at the end was a pure indication of how cagey the veteran was at that point. For a guy ending his career it was great to see him have such grace in putting together a high note to end on. Very classy.

[Ryan Scott]

Vino is a great example. He was a guy caught in the midst of the doping scandal (I'm not sure if he was personally implicated, but he's been on a lot of shady teams), guys like Iban Mayo, David Millar, and others who got caught, fessed up and moved on. Bjarne Riis still runs a team - the same for Jonathan Vaughters. It's so silly to me that Lance wouldn't just take the heat and move on. Even as a doper, winning seven time in a row in a field full of dopers is dang impressive.

The tipping point for me really was thinking back to the 1996 Tour and the way Indurain was tossed aside like a bug. My first Tour was 1995 and he was so dominant and in control the whole race, even with a relatively mediocre team. To see the drop off in 1996, which ended up being headed by Riis and Ullrich, it just started to click in retrospect.

They might have been able to beat an aging Indurain clean, but not in the way they did it.

Turns out both were doping (and Ullrich had a coke and Ecstasy problem).

[Nate Pruitt]

(and Ullrich had a coke and Ecstasy problem).

Ullrich had all sorts of problems. He was a beast, though. Still can't wrap my mind around a guy using such a huge fixed crank on mountain stages. The coke must have helped drown out the pain, haha.

[Ryan Scott]

Ullrich had all sorts of problems. He was a beast, though. Still can't wrap my mind around a guy using such a huge fixed crank on mountain stages. The coke must have helped drown out the pain, haha.

Or the fact that he had enough red blood cells in his body to last him a year.

[Ryan Scott]

I should have amended that. He's not been as dominant recently as he was in 2008 and 2009. The guy's physically more capable. I saw one researcher who studied Bolt's physiology and wrote a big paper about what his actual physical capabilities are if he actually trained as hard as some of the other guys do. I think he said something like 9.19 is physically possible for Bolt. He also thinks Bolt could jump over 30 feet in the long jump, if he gave it some attention. He's got a lot of natural gifts. I think it's amazing that he takes two fewer strides in the 100m than anyone else.

This is sort of why Armstrong got the benefit of the doubt from me and everyone else all along. He's got similar physical gifts to Bolt. His lung capacity and his bodies ability to process lactic acid are off the charts. As I said, given an equal playing field, he'd likely be just as dominant. The field wasn't equal though and he really just did what he had to do to keep up. He did it way better than anyone else.

Not only that. One of Bolt's coaches said his best event is the 400m, but he doesn't run it because there's not as much money in it as there is in the 100m and 200m. They even talked about adding him to the 4x400m relay team in Beijing.

[Nate Pruitt]

Not only that. One of Bolt's coaches said his best event is the 400m, but he doesn't run it because there's not as much money in it as there is in the 100m and 200m. They even talked about adding him to the 4x400m relay team in Beijing.

He's certainly not winded at the end of the 200m, so I don't see why the 400m would be a real problem. Being as the next Olympics may well be his last it would be fun to see him actually train with sincere effort and see what results.

[Ryan Scott]

He's certainly not winded at the end of the 200m, so I don't see why the 400m would be a real problem. Being as the next Olympics may well be his last it would be fun to see him actually train with sincere effort and see what results.

I think that should be his post-professional career. Just start taking aim at age-group records for random races and sports.

People would pay a few bucks to see Usain Bolt try to break the 35-39 pole vault record or something similar. He could line up three or four events at once, maybe bring some other athletes in for similar feats. It would be awesome.

[Nate Pruitt]

I think that should be his post-professional career. Just start taking aim at age-group records for random races and sports.

People would pay a few bucks to see Usain Bolt try to break the 35-39 pole vault record or something similar. He could line up three or four events at once, maybe bring some other athletes in for similar feats. It would be awesome.

I feel like when too old to do the 100m/200m at that level he would still be a legit contender in the decathlon where times aren't at a world record pace. Jamaica could use a decathlon contender, anyway, as it would be another event for national coverage.

[George Wallace]

I feel like when too old to do the 100m/200m at that level he would still be a legit contender in the decathlon where times aren't at a world record pace. Jamaica could use a decathlon contender, anyway, as it would be another event for national coverage.

LANCE RULES!!! All you haters drool!!! Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Ever failed a Drug Test!

Enough said,

except possibly....... Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never, Never Never Never gonna give you up - Never gonna let you down - Never gonna run around and desert you - Never gonna make you cry - Never gonna say goodbye - Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!!!

[Nate Pruitt]

*whispers* Sometimes I really worry about George.

[George Wallace]

*whispers* Sometimes I really worry about George.

Consider yourself Rolled!

[Susan Unger]

*whispers* Sometimes I really worry about George.

ROTFLOL!! Me, too.

[and thankfully this time when you made a funny commment, I didn't have my breakfast beverage in my mouth. Cuz, if I had, it really would be all over my screen right now. ]