Lance Armstrong cleared of doping charges (and now drops the fight)

[Donger]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes

The French Lose Again.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Independent Dutch investigators cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and blamed anti-doping authorities for misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.

A 132-page report recommended convening a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won the first of his record seven-straight Tour titles, came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested in 2004.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied using banned substances.

The International Cycling Union appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman last October to investigate the handling of urine tests from the 1999 Tour by the French national anti-doping laboratory, known by its French acronym LNDD.

Vrijman said Wednesday his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely with respect to alleged use of doping in the 1999 Tour de France."

The report also said the UCI had not damaged Armstrong by releasing doping control forms to the French newspaper.

The report said WADA and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law.

Vrijman, who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years and later defended athletes accused of doping, worked on the report with Adriaan van der Veen, a scientist with the Dutch Metrology Laboratory.

EPO, or erythropoietin, is a synthetic hormone that boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Testing for EPO only began in 2001.

[houstonwhodat]

Does anyone really care.

I mean it's cycling for Gods sake.

[scott free]

Originally Posted by houstonwhodat

Does anyone really care.

I mean it's cycling for Gods sake.

It wouldnt be possible for me to care less, willing to bet 90% of the country feels the same way, but the media has clamped down on it and made it seem like a shit was given.

I'd rather watch womens basketball than hear another word about this.

[Buzz_TinBalls]

only athletes do dope.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by scott free

It wouldnt be possible for me to care less, willing to bet 90% of the country feels the same way, but the media has clamped down on it and made it seem like a shit was given.

I'd rather watch womens basketball than hear another word about this.

What about womens golf?

[houstonwhodat]

Originally Posted by TEX

What about womens golf?

Women's Lesbian golf yes!

['Hamas' Jenkins]

He made the same mistake that Clemens and Palmeiro did: he was too vociferous in his defense. He was the best participant in the dirtiest sport on Earth, a sport so dirty that SI did an expose into the drug culture of cycling at the same time they lauded Sosa and McGwire as Sportsmen of the Year. Think about that.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by houstonwhodat

Does anyone really care.

I mean it's cycling for Gods sake.

Lots of people cared plenty when they could tout Lance as the posterboy for American superiority over the Europeans at their own game. Now that that narrative is out the window, people have suddenly lost interest. The irony is that he's still the posterboy for American superiority over the Europeans at their own game. What people don't understand is that the "game" in cycling is doping, and Team USPS doped better than anyone.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Lots of people cared plenty when they could tout Lance as the posterboy for American superiority over the Europeans at their own game. Now that that narrative is out the window, people have suddenly lost interest. The irony is that he's still the posterboy for American superiority over the Europeans at their own game. What people don't understand is that the "game" in cycling is doping, and Team USPS doped better than anyone.

And that, my friends, is why all athletes should dope all the time.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

He made the same mistake that Clemens and Palmeiro did: he was too vociferous in his defense. He was the best participant in the dirtiest sport on Earth, a sport so dirty that SI did an expose into the drug culture of cycling at the same time they lauded Sosa and McGwire as Sportsmen of the Year. Think about that.

I've never understood why these guys just don't get out in front of this, apologize, and move on...look at A-Rod...does the majority of people even remember he did PED's?

His name is rarely brought up in these discussions because of the way he handled it.

[TrueFanDave]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

But But But...everybody is doing it!
Remember when your Mom would say, "If everyone is jumping off a bridge are you going to do it to?"

And its just not the doping.
Lance is a bully that took away peoples livelyhoods by intimidation. He slandered people, he frauded people.
Lance is not a good cheat, he is an evil cheat.

If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'

[Iowanian]

I'd give a crap if this weren't....bike riding.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Graystoke

But But But...everybody is doing it!
Remember when your Mom would say, "If everyone is jumping off a bridge are you going to do it to?"

What if everybody was staying on the bridge?

[TEX]

Originally Posted by houstonwhodat

Women's Lesbian golf yes!

[ChiefsandO'sfan]

CBS News ‏@CBSNews

JUST IN: @CBSNews has learned that Lance Armstrong has offered to pay more than $5 million to the fed. gov't to compensate for alleged fraud