In case you did not watch it.
Here is the video of Lance Armstrong’s confession interview.
Speak your mind in the comments.
Best of Olympic Weightlifting
Best of Olympic Weightlifting
In case you did not watch it.
Here is the video of Lance Armstrong’s confession interview.
Speak your mind in the comments.
It was a level playing field back then. That is what I am going to stick with.
I fully agree
It was by no means a level playing field. Armstrong spent literally millions of dollars on doping.
So you’re upset that his degree of doping was better than other peoples doping? If he had only doped as successfully as other teams, would that have been acceptable? You’re deluded if you think other teams didn’t spend millions of dollars as well, and that the amount of money Lance spent in comparison to other teams is some justification for saying it isn’t a level playing field.
It was not a level playing field, that’s a fact. I have no idea why you’re asking me if I’m upset. Could an up and coming climber compete with a man who had the UCI in his pockets and paid doping doctors hundreds of thousands of dollars just for doping plans? No, of course not. Armstrong was never the most naturally Tour rider in the world, not even close. The only way he could win was rigging the game in his favor.
Anyone who believes cycling was an even playing field in Armstrong’s era simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Seriously, if you’re one of those people, ask yourself how much you actually know about cycling, how many races do you watch a year, how much do you know about doping, how much time do you spend reading about it a month. If the honest answer is that you don’t know jack shit and you haven’t followed a race since the 2005 Tour, consider posting with some humility. This isn’t really directed at thidol, by the way, but generally at people in the weightlifting community who think they understand cycling as well as they understand weightlifting, when they so very clearly don’t.
I think you have a really poor definition of level playing field, and you’re also extremely condescending if you think I need to be a die hard cycling fan to understand the nuances of racing and doping. I don’t “believe” in the last surviving Armstrong myth, I don’t give a shit, and you’re again very condescending assuming that was the motivation behind my point.t. My point was exactly as you state: you complain that he cheated to a higher degree than other cyclists, but this is an incorrect way of thinking. I pose the question to you again, which you didn’t seem to address: What degree of cheating would you have found acceptable for Armstrong? You can’t answer it, because it’s a ludicrous question.
It’s EPO era. Everyone is cheating. No one who is winning a tdf is doing it without PED’s, and because Lance did it to such a degree to prevent himself getting caught, it isn’t a level playing field? This is preposterous. This is like complaining that one guy has superior genetics to another guy, therefore the playing field isn’t even. Or that some country throws more money at their team than another, so they train better and hence it isn’t a level playing field. Where are you going to draw the line? Are competitors only meant to be from bumfuckville with no professional training and organization backing? This is what you’re asking for a true playing field.
You do seem quite upset actually.
>What degree of cheating would you have found acceptable for Armstrong?
None. OK? You need to be a cycling fan to understand cycling, I’m willing to contend. And you certainly aren’t disproving that. Your understanding of doping is very limited. Even ignoring the fact that Armstrong had means far beyond anyone else in the peloton (like you appear to be doing), an injection of EPO is not a “plus one to cycling”. It affects riders differently. Genetics is a natural divider, doping isn’t. There was no level playing field, it is the final Armstrong myth and the fanboys aren’t willing to give it up.
Read my other posts for more information. If you keep an open mind and google the things I’m talking about you might learn something. I guess this post may come off as condescending as well, probably because it is.
Wow, how many times do I have to state this: I am not an Armstrong fan. I am not defending him. I am arguing against your ridiculous notion that the playing field was so different between cycling teams. Again, you assume that I have to be some die-hard cycling fan to understand PED use, rather than a sports fan specifically. You honestly think cycling PED use is any different to any other sport? You are delusional as fuck.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=412846
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/08/12/bernstein-usain-bolt-is-probably-doping-and-you-know-it/
“Even ignoring the fact that Armstrong had means far beyond anyone else in the peloton (like you appear to be doing), an injection of EPO is not a “plus one to cycling”. It affects riders differently.”
What is your point? Armstrong is a better responder to EPO so it isn’t fair? You seem to be ignoring the fact that someones means of access to PEDs is irrelevant. There is no degree of cheating. No one in cycling during EPO era who obtained any noteworthy result was clean. You either cheated or you were a nobody. Anything beyond that is irrelevant. Your argument that he cheated better, due to more money or better access or better connections is stupid. As I stated before. This is like complaining another country invests more into a sporting program than another country, and therefore produces better athletes and better results.
“Keep an open mind” instantly made me think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI. You’re probably delusional in that department as well.
>Armstrong is a better responder to EPO so it isn’t fair?
Yes, among other things (many I’ve already mentioned…). This should be enough to make you realize that, even assuming the “everyone was doing it” meme is true (it isn’t), there wasn’t an even playing field in the EPO era.
>This is like complaining another country invests more into a sporting program than another country, and therefore produces better athletes and better results.
Absolutely, if what they invest in is illegal and gives athletes a 10-20% performance boost.
Tell me, how does this fit in with your #levelplayingfield? http://twitter.com/TheRaceRadio/status/292292345485987841
.. I can’t even argue with you. Armstrong doping to get a Hct of 50 puts him at a level playing field. It reduces the genetic dependence in his performance to put more emphasis on training and diet, but even that isn’t level. The argument that someone responds better to EPO, or HGH, or steroids in any sport is not a justification for saying it isn’t a level playing field. Again, you have to ask, where is the line drawn in determining what is level? Fixed monetary investment? Fixed selection of genetically viable candidates to your sport? PEDs are a part of sport, and being a better responder just makes you more genetically viable to that sport. You also didn’t read the comments on the twitter link.
You also clearly didn’t read any of the links I provided. EPO is used in sprinting as well. Steroids are also used in cycling. It doesn’t matter what the physiological requirements of the sports are, PEDs result in the same outcome: better performance. You also get a myriad of different responses amongst athletes in steroid use. How is PED use in cycling then an uneven playing field compared to weightlifting or sprinting when the level of response differs amongst athletes.
Further evidence you didn’t read any of my posts. EVERY SINGLE SPORT INVESTS MONEY IN PEDs. Just because one orginization has more money and invests more in it, doesn’t make it uneven. The same way a country that invests more money in better coaches and training facilities doesn’t make it uneven.
No, Armstrong could increase performance more than Vaughters could when they both raised their HCT to 50. As for EPO use in sprinting, that is done for different reasons than in cycling, it’s not an essential part of their doping program.
>PEDs are a part of sport¨
PEDs are illegal. When you sign on to the Tour de France, you agree not to use PEDs. The difference PEDs creates aren’t natural, unlike genetics.
>How is PED use in cycling then an uneven playing field compared to weightlifting or sprinting when the level of response differs amongst athletes.
I have never said weightlifting is an even playing field. Can American athletes dope as much as Kazakh athletes, who are only tested once a year? No, of course not, in the same way a young up an comer can’t dope like Lance Armstrong, because he can’t afford a million dollar doping doctor, he can’t pay off the authorities if he gets caught, and he doesn’t have insider info from Martial Saugy about how the testing works. And if he rides too fast, Armstrong snitches on him. Of course there’s no level playing in weightlifting either.
…and yes, there is a major difference between doping in cycling (based around blood value boosting), and sprinting/weightlifting (steroids).
No one went as far as Armstrong in order to not get caught. When did Ullrich bully openly clean riders and witnesses out of the peloton? When did Pantani donate $100 000 to the UCI? When did Floyd Landis call the doping authorities after had had been dropped by Iban Mayo in a warm up race? When did Vinokourov bribe his way out of a positive doping test? Even among the biggest dopers of the sport there was no level playing field. The whole idea is the last surviving Armstrong myth and you’re deluded if you believe in it.
You may be right that he doped to levels that nobody could approach but the simplistic view is that cheating is cheating. The degree of which is unimportant to the general public.You’d have to somehow be the last standing honest clean cyclist (can this ever be verified?) to start throwing stones at Lance.
There are thousands of clean cyclists out there who could be throwing stones at Armstrong, Christophe Bassons being the prime example (the French rider who was bullied out of the sport by Armstrong for being clean). Interestingly, though, most of them have moved on with their lives, and seem to pity Armstrong more than they loathe him (as they would be right to). He is truly a pathetic character, even when he’s doing his carefully planned admission of guilt he can’t stop lying through his teeth. I wonder when Oprah will realize? Will she hold another interview, or will she say “fuck him”, and let him die friendless on his couch surrounded by worthless, framed yellow jerseys like a Charles Foster Kane…
Regardless of Armstrong doping to excessive levels I’m pretty sure he still had to work his butt off day in and day out to achieve what he did. At least give him some credit for that.
I’d rather give credit to the (likely more talented) clean riders who had to work twice as hard just to stay with the peloton.
there is doping in purely phisiological sport?!?! I AM SHOCKED AND APPALED!
this man does not deserve all this much hate people are giving him (he makes it on the news equivalent to gun control). if anything the people who are tormenting him should because where the hell were they when he was winning all those medals. This is just a phase when everyone decided to attack a single person. im pretty sure steroid use in cycling is very common and spectators just turned a blind eye on this whole topic until he got caught. same thing goes for weightlifting everyone doesn’t have an opinion on steroid use until someone gets caught. lance Armstrong lied but its not like he was under oath and for god’s sake he beat cancer…
He did lie repeatedly in sworn testimony in 2005 and personally attacked and sued those who tried to out him. He is only now coming clean in an attempt to gain control over the conversation again. He said himself that if it were not for the 2008 comeback, the chances were much greater that he would have gotten away with it. Seems to me that he is really only remorseful about getting caught. I don’t have as much of a problem with his use of PEDs if that were the only issue, but suing honest people and making millions in the process of trying to cover it up is another thing. Had he instead been honest years ago and taken a customary 2 yr. ban from cycling, I think the public and sponsors would have largely forgiven him…especially considering his philanthropic work.
Why would he admit to anything and take a 2 year ban when he passed all his drug tests? Everyone who dopes says they’re clean until they get caught, it would be stupid not to. I dont think it was right him suing people, but if he didnt take action, its like admitting he wasnt clean…
By the way, Armstrong is lying to Oprah’s face throughout this entire interview.
How do you know?
you need to wake up, lance was far from the only one doping they went back tested samples from one of the tdf’s in the 90’s and the top 20 some some riders all failed, drugs are a part of every sport its the cold hard truth, cheating is cheating, and the vast percentage and doping in some form, and besides the fact drugs are not what won those tittles, i could take all the PED’s in the world and not finish a single stage
SPIEGEL: Mr. Heredia, will you watch the 100 meter final in Beijing?
Heredia: Of course. But the winner will not be clean. Not even any of the contestants will be clean.
SPIEGEL: Of eight runners …
Heredia: … eight will be doped.
SPIEGEL: There is no way to prove that.
Heredia: There is no doubt about it. The difference between 10.0 and 9.7 seconds is the drugs.
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Video is no longer available.
Thanks Alex, I replaced it with another copy.
I’m glad the time to stop lieng has come while he lives. As someone inattentive to Lance Armstrong and sports pop culture, Lance’s confession has allowed me to regard him as the hero come full-circle.
Why the gov wastes millions of tax payer money investigating what one athlete took instead of going after the criminals who crashed the economy and commit financial terrorism is absurd. This is all a big joke. fuck this country
Sometimes it’s the things that make you strong that also set you up to fall in the end….