Lance Armstrong to be stripped of Tour de France titles and banned for life

[Ger Regan]

Same here.

Not sure what your point is though Dave if it's not to gloat?

It's hardly surprising that someone would like to know whether the revelations have changed people's opinions on him. I know I do, and that I don't care enough about it to be accused of gloating.

[Eckybloke]

So Nike have dropped Lance and he's resigned as chairman of Livestrong "to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career".

[Dave Cooper please]

Of course he would have spared Livestrong a lot of the negative effects if he had come clean years ago with a statement along the lines of:

"Okay, i doped, but we all did. I still beat cancer and overcame the odds to be the best among equals at my sport. I made mistakes, but you should continue to support this wonderful charity,"

But he didn't, and now it's too late, shame.

[lovejoy]

Adam I'd point your ire at being hoodwinked at Lance and the UCI rather than Plumbett.

Does anyone have any information on how the Livestrong foundation has spent it's money recently? Does it ALL go to cancer research?

85c in every $ went to programmes in 2011, in 2011 no funding went to new research into cancer, 30 ongoing programmes were supported.
Other monies went on community programmes, survivor networks & education.

You can find their full reports online at livestrong.org

That's inconsistent with reports that Livestrong hired a lobbyist to reduce the power of USADA.

[bertlambshank]

Armstrong you fucking dope.

[SteveN]

On the back of Armstong's doings Rabobank have pulled out of professional cycling.

Might free up Renshaw to go to join Cav at OmegaQS.  Better the best lead out man for the best sprinter rather than a standard printer.

[lovejoy]

Has Sean 'Motorola' Yates said anything yet?

[Jon Crofts]

I wonder what Fiorenzo Magni the original Lion Of Flanders would have made of all this as he passed away in the early hours of today aged 91.

Hard as fackin nails.

[N'Rexy]

Yates will get the boot. His 'I only drove the car' line was classic. Julich, Rogers, Porte will probably also get the boot from Sky too.  Rabobank are still paying the bills for the team next year but with no branding so it'll stay together. Its late to be swapping teams now. I'd bet that the Rabos get lots of good results next year as they look for a new sponsor.

UCI presser on Monday. Let's see what they say. The whole thing is a mess. We need radical action.

[TopDeck113]

So, and please don't take this as me gloating or being smug and all that, is there anyone who was previously either pro-Armstrong, or maybe doing a bit of fence sitting, who still thinks he wasn't a drug cheat?

I think you would have to be very foolish to think that now Dave. I've always really admired Lance Armstrong and his fightback after cancer and honestly believed him when he said he didn't take performance enhancing drugs (I so wanted this to be true). I don't believe him now though. 

Exactly my feelings, too.  I feel very let down.

Of course he would have spared Livestrong a lot of the negative effects if he had come clean years ago with a statement along the lines of:

"Okay, i doped, but we all did. I still beat cancer and overcame the odds to be the best among equals at my sport. I made mistakes, but you should continue to support this wonderful charity,"

But he didn't, and now it's too late, shame.

Exactly. In 2000 it would have been accepted with a shrug and he would have been forgiven.  In 2012 he won't.

[TopDeck113]

I wonder what Fiorenzo Magni the original Lion Of Flanders would have made of all this as he passed away in the early hours of today aged 91.

Hard as fackin nails.

If Magni had anything on his mind as he passed away, I'd imagine it might have more likely to have been his alleged role in a fascist militia during the Second World War.

Either that, or how he found a non-pharmaceutical means of cheating his way to winning the 1948 Giro D'Italia: he deployed fans at intervals up the big mountain climbs to give him a push.

[lovejoy]

The problem with this is I question every great performance now. Thor Husovd goes from sprinter to being able to climb, he's probably a great athlete but I now question it in my mind possibly subconsciously.

As I reflect on past high profile performers who do I know to be absolutely clean? Chris Boardman that bloke won Olympic gold and world hour record (admittedly on the track) but a week into the Tour he was outside the top 5 and looked utterly spent. Greg Lemond, Cadel Evans, Charly Mottet (once touted as a tour winner but ended up readjusting to be a stage winner), Chrisophe  Bassons then I begin to struggle...Now I'm not saying anyone else doped here just the recent Armstrong stories begin to mAke to question everyone and that really p!seses me off.

[Ger Regan]

Good interview with Paul Kimmage

[Dante Lavelli]

They're after his winnings now.  I get the feeling that due to the aggressive way he defended himself throughout his career - suing people and the like - that there is very little sympathy for the guy and everyone wants their piece of the meat.

I predict he'll file for bankruptcy and admit to his crimes at the same time.  But first he'll be getting his money men to weasel enough money away.   

[The Left Side]

I am dressing up as LA for our work's halloween party, got the livestrong t-shirt, bike helmet, sunglasses and of course pill bottles and syringes... just thought i'd share that with you!