61 replies to this topic

[Steve Heard]

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced American cyclist Floyd Landis has admitted to systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs and accused seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong of involvement in doping, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping but had always denied cheating, sent a series of e-mails to cycling officials and sponsors acknowledging and detailing his long-term use of banned drugs, the newspaper said.

The report said Landis wrote in the e-mails that he started doping in 2002, his first year racing with the U.S. Postal Service team led by Armstrong.

Landis also admitted to doping in an interview with ESPN.com.

Landis also accused American riders Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie and Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, of involvement in doping, the Journal reported.

Armstrong is currently competing in the Tour of California and couldn't be reached for comment. Neither could Bruyneel, Leipheimer or Zabriskie.

http://www.comcast.n.../Landis-Doping/

[nomad]

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody now should it?

[Steve Heard]

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody now should it?

Not that he did the doping, but that he admitted it and fingered Armstrong, too.

He was stripped of his title. What should happen to Armstrong?

[nomad]

Not that he did the doping, but that he admitted it and fingered Armstrong, too.

He was stripped of his title. What should happen to Armstrong?

IMO Armstrong has been under scrutiny for years and has been getting a pass for some reason, sponsors, his charity, better chemistry, who knows??

Of course he should be stripped of his wins but that remains to be seen. First golden boy Tiger and now the possible fall of Lance, how much more can the sports world take in one year?!?!

[folsombound]

What happened to 'Innocent until Proven Guilty"? Lance has been tested more than any other cyclist and never shown any indication of doping. Landis was proven to be a doper and a liar and now finally admits it and tries to take others down with him. Why would anyone believe him? I don't get this attitude of "let's take Lance Armstrong down because he couldn't have been that good without doping attitude"!
Lance Armstrong has done more for the sport of cycling in the US than all the others put together. In addition, he has done more for cancer research and cancer survivors than ANY other athlete. In spite of that, people want to see him torn down despite NO evidence. Get a life people!

[Bill Z]

IMO Armstrong has been under scrutiny for years and has been getting a pass for some reason, sponsors, his charity, better chemistry, who knows??

Of course he should be stripped of his wins but that remains to be seen. First golden boy Tiger and now the possible fall of Lance, how much more can the sports world take in one year?!?!

So we are just going to believe everything Landis says? I'm not sure this isn't sour grapes and lies when it comes to the finger pointing. If it's proved to be correct about Armstrong, then yes, he should be stripped of his wins. But I wouldn't jump to the forgone conclusion it is an accurate accusation. Remember the guy who tried to blackmail Letterman, he denied he tried to blackmail him, but in the end, he finally confessed to blackmail. It was sour grapes on his part because Letterman had sex with a girl he was having sex with.

[chris v]

The proof was there for Floyd. Nothing has ever been proven for Lance. Floyd is and will always be a dirtbag.

[Dave Burrell]

Not that he did the doping, but that he admitted it and fingered Armstrong, too.

He was stripped of his title. What should happen to Armstrong?

If they're not going to strip Barry Bonds of any of his titles, then nothing should happen to Armstrong either.

Although I think everyone who cheats should get busted and doping is straight out cheating in my book - in all sports. If they can't win naturally then they don't deserve to be in the sport.

[john]

I wouldn't be surprised if Lance has been doping, but I'd need proof. From what I hear he's always taking drug tests, but it seems it wasn't until Landis was busted a couple years ago that the drug testing was publisized. I don't know if they looked the other way up to that point or what, but until I see proof I am skeptical.

[Ogre of 4]

IMO Armstrong has been under scrutiny for years and has been getting a pass for some reason, sponsors, his charity, better chemistry, who knows??

Of course he should be stripped of his wins but that remains to be seen. First golden boy Tiger and now the possible fall of Lance, how much more can the sports world take in one year?!?!

You're killing me. Stripped of his wins based on an accusation?

Your first statement said it all. He has been under scrutiny for years. Probably the most drug tested athlete ever. What makes you say he's been getting a pass? Heck, the French have been after him since he won his first Tour.

IMO Armstrong is an inspiration as a cancer survivor and victims advocate. Leave the man on his pedestal. He's earned it!

[nomad]

You're killing me. Stripped of his wins based on an accusation?

Your first statement said it all. He has been under scrutiny for years. Probably the most drug tested athlete ever. What makes you say he's been getting a pass? Heck, the French have been after him since he won his first Tour.

IMO Armstrong is an inspiration as a cancer survivor and victims advocate. Leave the man on his pedestal. He's earned it!

Weren't these 2 guys teammates? Wasn't Lance sort of Landis mentor? How could it be that one guy on the team was doping and nobody else knew or they just didn't say anything?

I don't really care too much about cycling, I think it's quite boring, but there just seems to be quite a few odd things to this whole story.

If nothing is ever proven that Lance used anything that's fine, he can remain on his pedestal as you say but even the hint of him being "around" a teammate that was doping does seem to raise a few questions don't you think??

[Bill Z]

You're killing me. Stripped of his wins based on an accusation?

Your first statement said it all. He has been under scrutiny for years. Probably the most drug tested athlete ever. What makes you say he's been getting a pass? Heck, the French have been after him since he won his first Tour.

IMO Armstrong is an inspiration as a cancer survivor and victims advocate. Leave the man on his pedestal. He's earned it!

I recall the French tried to strip him of one of his wins and after they completed their investigation, they granted him the win, declared him clean. I think he is clean, if he isn't, then he's done one heck of a job covering it up.

[bordercolliefan]

1. ALL the top riders were doping up until about 3 years ago. If you won, you were doping. No question.

2. The reason many people did not get caught is because they were micro-doping. The standards have quite a wide tolerance, and the best doctors knew just the dosage to fly under the radar.

3. The only question now is who is STILL doping. I truly believe that many teams including Garmin and Columbia are clean. I really don't know about Radioshack. Johan has been deep into doping for most of his career... can an old leopard change his spots??

[Ogre of 4]

Weren't these 2 guys teammates? Wasn't Lance sort of Landis mentor? How could it be that one guy on the team was doping and nobody else knew or they just didn't say anything?

I don't really care too much about cycling, I think it's quite boring, but there just seems to be quite a few odd things to this whole story.

If nothing is ever proven that Lance used anything that's fine, he can remain on his pedestal as you say but even the hint of him being "around" a teammate that was doping does seem to raise a few questions don't you think??

Your reasoning is sound here and I will agree it does raise some questions. But still, you have to prove it! Without a positive drug test it's all speculation.

I'm sure we'll know more when Landis writes his book. Why else would he pull his mentor down with him.

[brown]

Well it's good to see that Landis finally confessed, although he really needs to come clean about his postive test at the Tour, and admit that he wasted everyone's time and effort fighting it. That would be a step in the right direction.

What people don't understand is that the cheaters will ALWAYS be one step ahead of the tests. Lance is definitely a genetic freak, with a team built around him just to win the Tour, but it's simply impossible that year in and and year out, Lance was clean while he was crushing Ullrich, Basso, Pantani, and everyone else who were admittedly doping. The truth is that he was at his peak during a period when drug use was pervasive and testing protocols were evolving. Do people really believe that he is being honest, while everyone else, especially people with absolutely nothing to gain, are lying?

http://www.npr.org/t...storyId=5508863