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Lance Armstrong Photo by Maryse Alberti, Courtesy of Sony Pictures ClassicsLance Armstrong pulls out of planned ride in Texas's Tour de Gruene time trial
Lance Armstrong pulled out of a scheduled participation in a time trial in the United States today, citing a back injury. His non-appearance at the Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic in New Braunfels, Texas, comes a little more than a fortnight after USA Cycling said he could not take part in last month’s Gran Fondo Hincapie.
Following his lifetime ban from sport imposed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in October 2012 and subsequently ratified by the UCI, the 43-year-old is banned from taking part in events sanctioned under the World Anti-Doping Code.
That was the reason USA Cycling, which had been asked by USADA to examine his eligibility to take part in the Gran Fondo Hincapie, gave for its decision that the Texan couldn’t ride in the South Carolina event arranged on behalf of his former US Postal team mate, George Hincapie.
According to the Will Rotzler, race director of the Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic, a two-man time trial founded 31 years ago, it is an unsanctioned event and Armstrong would therefore have been free to participate.
However, earlier this week, Armstrong told event officials that his team mate Will Black had a back injury and the pair would no longer be able to participate, says Bloomberg Business Week.
Rotzler said: "Many riders must withdraw for many reasons and we fill their slots with teams on the waiting list but this is a big team slot to fill.”
He added that race organisers had made contingency plans to cope with the interest that would have come with Armstrong’s appearance would have brought, but said resources would now be diverted elsewhere.
The cyclist has taken part in the event on three occasions, helping set what was then the course record in his last participation in 2008.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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18 comments
The drug taking was bad enough but in no way unique. Virtually the whole peloton was at it for more than a decade.
What is unique about Armstrong was the way he used fundraising for cancer research as a shield for his activities and the way he tried to destroy (and often succeeded) those around him who dared to tell the truth.
This is what makes him a prize cunt.
As for the TT? Who cares? A lifetime ban probably is too long but I couldn't really give a shit.
ldsknack: I'd condemn most of professional sport, and also a lot of amateur sport that has money swilling around indirectly through sponsorship (e.g. "amateur" athletics). Money corrupts.
Let's keep things in perspective: Lance Armstrong cheated his way to the top of his sport, and did his best to damage the careers of a number of a people.
(Schrödinger type post this, it's in a quantum super-position where it's either trying to damn him or point out he hasn't exactly been out robbing grannies, depending on which reader observes it.
)
Blimey. I knew he was a baddun, but I didn't know he poisoned cats too...
I thought the cycling motto was: if you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough. Armstrong gets a lot of stick for being a cheater and a jerk but he was a lot of fun to watch.
oh ye who live in glass houses.... what a joke you are. the sport is nothing but dopers. it is where the drug companies and Olympic teams turn to in order to find the best enhancing drugs and cocktails to make the body stronger and faster while not showing up on drug screens. Do you think any other sport doesn't use drugs to enhance performance? do you not see the money? you make me sick. if you condemn the greatest cyclist because he was the best at cycling and had the best team supporting him then you must disdain the entire sport as well as every other professional sport on the planet, as well as all Olympic competitions. pull your head out and smell the roses because they are genetically enhanced.
Not sure anyone is condemning Merckx?
Armstrong was a bad dick and im no apologist for dopers but ffs give the bloke a break.
I agree he should be punished but many of his generation arent being as ground into the dirt in the same way and the whole thing has a pitchfork and flaming torch feel about it.
He shouldnt be allowed to make money out of cycling but it seems overly punitive to stop him riding his bike.
There seems to be a lot of hypocrisy around Armstrong and his crimes.
If Armstrong held his arms up and said yes I am guilty, then tried to put right, advise, help etc. I think the reaction amongst some would be different. It is his constant lies, evasion and dismissal of facts that are hurting him.
He was the best cheat of a bunch of cheaters. Still a legend.
Yes, his drug taking was legendary.
Not news. Sociopathic cheats should be stigmatised and forgotten, not continually given more attention. I'm sure you could find something else more worthy of the column inches.
Time grow up....
Who is that police killer who is being released and being allowed to live the rest of his life with freedom? Oh it's not lance Armstrong for sure so let it go....FFS
He is a Legend, of his time.
You're an apologist for a terrible human being. Maybe you should grow up and let that viewpoint go. Maybe road.cc should also let it go and stop publishing non-stories about a disgrace who used to be a pro cyclist.
Give it a break …..
That's an interesting opinion you have there. How did you come to that conclusion? Did he treat you, personally, in a terrible way? Do tell.
As an outsider, all I can do is put emotions to one side for a moment and weigh up the relatively small number of people in cycling who he treated badly against all the people he has helped and inspired over the years. Does one cancel out the other? Absolutely not. Should he answer for the bad things he's done? Yes he should. Is he the monster some people like to portray him as? I seriously doubt it.
@EarsoftheWolf - Your posts suggest that you have issues.
News is not just news, but it is also what people click, comment on and link-to.
So opening the link to comment on the article is not going to make stories like this go away anytime soon.
Just saying.
Edit - I still like reading about what Lance is up to as I think it makes a nice soap-opera, so I am not ignoring my own advice.