breadbin

i agree the tour de france is so much bigger than the US and lance armstrong

Racer Ex 

Then without looking it up, who won it the last three years?

It's not a Zen riddle BTW. It has an answer.

99.9% of cycling people you ask could tell you who the GC guy was. Same number couldn't tell you who the team was. And that would be in Belgium. The number would be higher in the states for the latter, and obviously lower for the former.

It's a consolation prize BTW. Teams with a real GC guy blow their guys up in service, they don't save them for the 18th or whatever.

On topic, you wonder if Hamilton will really come clean.

merlinextraligh

I think there's a good chance he will.

The Balco prosecution really gives a road map to defense counsel how to advise their clients.

1) I'll be glad to cooperate in the appropriate forum, i.e. I'll only talk under subpeona before the Grand Jury.

2) When subpeonaed and questioned before the Grand Jury, assert the 5th.

3) Negotiate immunity with the Fed's, and then testify honestly.

If the Feds are willing to give you immunity, your only choices are tell the truth, lie (and risk perjury charges), or refuse to testify, (and be jailed for contempt.)

So if the Feds are willing to give you immunity, you'd be foolish not to tell the truth.

SamDaBikinMan

Every TDF winner/contender is a drug addict using something. Plain and simple. Lance has just done the best job of covering it up.

Pro cycling is nothing but a dopers country club with varying degrees of addicts swapping titles in grand tours depending on whose dope is best at any given time.

I don't idolize drug addicts so my interest in cycling is primarily to see who gets slam dunked next.

gsteinb

Your signature is intended as irony to offset your misguided usage of the term addict?

Racer Ex 

We are talking about Hamilton though. I'm not sure he knows what the truth really is at this point.

gsteinb

There's definitely a son of sam angle. Wait for the book.

merlinextraligh

If you consider the geographic location of the signature, the negative implication would be that the stupid people are above the signature line.

Which would also imply that he's not allowed to post twice in the same thread.

Racer Ex 

It's the Polish joke of signatures. Nice catch.

Mr_Christopher

GQ has an article on the subject in this month's issue that's worth reading. It's more of an editorial piece and Time just published https://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2005820-2,00.html Lance Armstrong: Has Drug Probe Gone Too Far?

This is going to get very ugly before it's all over. The Fed's investigation is going to make all the previous anti-doping agency's efforts look like a weekend in Cabal, with Jessica Simpson no less.

SamDaBikinMan

"Pull the pins on those grenades and throw em back!" yelled the German officers when fighting the Poles....

gruffydd

Wow, this is really quite nasty. I bet you're a Breitbart fan too.

tridavis

Everyone points to LA as being a great roll model......yeah he beat cancer and went on to win 7 tours and has a foundation for cancer, but would you want him as your father********** The guy is about to have his 5th kid with 3 different women and has been racing/training for one thing or another for the last 12 years on a "full time" basis. Now, there is talk of him leaving bike racing and setting his sights on the Ironman. So he will be just as involved in this effort and I am sure will give it 100%. So where does that leave his 5 kids as far as a father is concerned??? Sure the kids have everything they want and need, but what about any meaningful time with their dad??? How many look back and remember what your parents gave you vs. the time they spent with you??? I don't know about about you, but this is why I have a problem with LA. He seems to want to "play" all of the time and do all of the fun stuff, but yet he keeps having kids (which is no easy task for him) and he can not possibly be there for them like a real father should.

cyclezealot

Don't want to hear it. Yes. Is there a source. We all know about the dopping thing..
This goes on, you know how those who want to deny reality. They put their fingers in their ears and say enough..
All lance's good work with Livestrong and how he's elevated cycling in America.
Yes, the DOJ is a political organization to a great extent. After all, they did not go after Cheney. When the current Attorney General reigned in the career lawyers at DOJ who wanted to go after Cheney and Alberto Gonzales's "attorney -gate " scandal.
So , what can we do about it.. !

Howzit

you must not know me, i was being sarcastic, pulling a Steven Colbert.

By the way, sometimes when an investigator is already convinced a suspect is guilty, they can easily "fit the clues together" to prove them guilty. Perhaps this is the case with Lance. He has been dragged through so much, all the while achieving a lot in the face of it all. This is simply remarkable and should be a highly commendable characteristic that should weigh in on the judges discussion for a sentence should it, gawd forbid, come to it.

The golden boy being accused by those who have gotten stuck in the molasses.
Even though through making so much money with his cancer card, and setting up a charity like any rich person pretty much HAS to -to defer tax write-offs, he has done good for a lot of people and you can never take that away from him.
Even though jail time in executive prisons may be a good time to kick back and enjoy the days writing an autobiography book while being supported by tax payers money for the experience, and having been given plenty of warning time to hedge a bunch of money before a trial, I still say this is devastating news. Celebrity visits to help him keep a pulse on whats hot, and fellow silicon valley elitist cell mates to keep brushed up on chess skills, its going to be the most horrific experience for him. And doing a year of time in this minimum luxury security facility will take away decades of his life. Imagine the small price of spending a year in minimum security in exchange for all the money, endorsements, honors and celebrity status he has so enjoyed for almost a decade. I mean, Iv spent a good part of my life trying to maintain being middle class and earn an honest living, and this makes me feel glad to know that cheating and gaining so much for such a small price is totally not worth it.

mymilkexpired

Anyone catch the bit on GMA with Landis. He has gone on camera and made claims of: Armstrong giving him drugs and taking drugs with Landis as witness.

Pretty bold claims to make. While I like to hold on to the ideal that he is clean for the sake of US involvment in the sport, making the claims on live TV is a huge legal disaster for Landis if untrue. Which ultimately makes me believe Landis a little more. Thex next few weeks are going to be crazy.

1slowbastard

I also have been working on a "full time" basis. My family doesn't seem to mind.

guadzilla

I dont particularly like LA, but are you for real with the above? It is one thing to talk about a public person in the context of what he does as part of his public persona (all things cycling-related, in this case), but on what basis are you going off about how he is as a father?

Lay off the Haterade, dude.

waikikihei

Oh man, that type of humor really bugs me. Time to seek out the ignore function. Not a fan of censorship, but this is just so wrong.

Goodbye Sam, best of luck.

The Weak Link

Ever since the Solidarity Movement stood up to the Communists, Polish jokes have seemed as topical as making fun of the Boers. They are great friends of the US of A and brave people as a whole.

Not much else to say about this topic but I think it will get uglier by the week.

Jed19

I caught the interview with Landis on Nightline last night. Did you see the Soigneur saying she was once asked to dispose of syringes? I think other USPostal riders are gonna corroborate what Landis affirm, albeit after getting immunity.

It does not look pretty.

buddy

https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...hyTMgD9HBHH4G0

Armstrong lawyers say USADA offering riders deals
By JIM VERTUNO (AP) – 18 minutes ago


AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong's attorneys say the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is offering cyclists a "sweetheart deal" if they testify or provide evidence that the seven-time Tour de France winner cheated by doping.
Attorney Tim Herman told The Associated Press on Monday that if riders have been caught doping themselves, the deal from USADA could result in a reduced ban from competition and other incentives.
Federal investigators in Los Angeles are looking at cheating in professional cycling. They have shown interest in Armstrong since former teammate and 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis alleged this spring that Armstrong and others took performance enhancing drugs, which Armstrong strongly denies.
In 2007, Landis said USADA offered him a similar deal to finger Armstrong. At the time, Landis called the offer "offensive."
USADA spokeswoman Erin Hannan said Monday that the agency cannot comment in detail about any investigation.

Mr_Christopher

I live in Texas yet I think LA's hick lawyer is not doing him any good. Using hick slogans "Down in Texas we says ______________" is fine when you're running for governor, we expect buffoons in our elected officials, but he'd be wise to get a lawyer who sounds educated and legally astute.

Hezz

Can anyone offer us any insightful speculation on why the feds are so interested in Ball. It's obvious why they are interested in Tyler Hamilton.

Is it because Ball has questionable financial dealings and they can lean on him for information. Do they suspect that he is one of the inside drug distributors. The only thing is that most of Balls dealings seem to be in Mexico. My understanding is that most of the doping drugs come out of Belgium, Switzerland and Holland.

The other issue is that most of the drugs probably come from small labs that are illegal clones of drugs the big pharma companies manufacture. It is pretty well known that most of the big international pharma companies are illuminati controlled and very corrupt. And they may be pissed off that some small clandestine labs are stealing their profits.

We know that the FDA is in with big pharma, and wall street, which are illuminati controlled and or influenced industries.

One theory circulating the internet is that the illuminati wanted to use Armstrong as a political pawn. He was at one time thinking about political office. He's just the kind of person that the illuminati and new world order people want to control as a political pawn. They know they can get him elected and use him to further their plans. He may have snubbed them and now they are seeking revenge through the FDA.


Even though they are investigating Armstrong for misuse of federal funds, tax evasion and possible racketeering. Even if he is not found guilty of these crimes they can ruin his reputation in the mean time.

It also looks like USADA knows that he is dirty and want to get him.

bellweatherman

It's been reported that the investigation regarding Michael Ball was well underway even before the Landis' allegations and subsequent inquiries regarding Bruyneel and US Postal. There is no confirmation from the Feds on the purported investigation into Armstrong, since they don't comment during an investigation anyway.

Armstrong's PR company has a new ally in Jim Vertuno and one or two other AP sportswriters. These sportswriters will be the new mouthpiece for Armstrong spreading more and more fallacies and spin. For example: the latest article submitted by Vertano to AP news services and later picked up by ESPN. The article questions USADA's rights to seek and reduce bans for athletes who testify and offer information regarding doping by other athletes. Vertuno should have done more research before publishing. He would have found out that the USADA bylaws clearly outline provisions for seeking assistance in the discovery process of doping practices amongst other athletes, coaches, management, etc.

There are other AP sportswriters and news agencies with a sympathetic side for Armstrong. Let us not forget Velonews.