Lance Armstrong to join 10,000 other cyclists in mass participation event in Iowa

Rumpo Kid,

Thanks, I think. Somehow understanding the process seems to make it sound even more fkd up.

Anyway, on the focus of the story - good luck to him. When known dopers are leading their own Gran Fondos, this seems like a less provocative way to still ride his bike...

jeeez amongst all the 'proper' athletes and even the doping ones, this guy really is a t*** isn't he ...

Jeeves,
Your statement was a response to the question about there being no clamour to strip other riders of titles and stage wins. As USADA is an American Agency, there is nothing they can do about foreign athletes. They were, of course, instrumental in bringing Floyd Landis to account. (A fact often overlooked by "Armstrong Witch Hunt" conspiracy theorists). Armstrong's punishment, which may seem excessive, is solely the result of his refusal to answer the charges USADA made against him. I'll agree that Armstrong was a big scalp. But what made him a big scalp was the fact that, until such time as a rider dopes to win the TdF eight times, he is cycling's biggest doper. Ever.

Rumpo Kid: Have you even read USADA's reasoned decision? Armstrong was not just another doping athlete. He was at the head of the biggest doping conspiracy in all sport.

Sorry, not sure what you mean by that. My point exactly was that the USADA - Travis Tygart - wanted the scalp of the guy at the top. The case was a grudge match between two massive egos, everyone else is just small fish to be thrown back in the pond.
Are you saying that it's acceptable to use drugs as long as you aren't in a conspiracy? That's what the 'double standards' are that annoy me about this situation.

Fair enough. The next time someone wins over five TdF's, I'll be equally suspicious.

...so far.

Doping still exists in the peloton even today – Contador, whom everyone seems to have totally forgiven & love again! Why?
He is no different to Armstrong on that point, how long before he got caught had Contador been doping, we don’t know,yet we batter Armstrong relentlessly? Because he doped? Or because whilst being an outspoken publicity seeking individual making a lot of money he continued to deceived us all so consistently?
Of that there is no doubt and very little ground for recourse but he inspired so many by his strength and resilience to come back from where he did and achieve what he did that no one in the cycling fraternity can deny he was still a serious athlete and gave all he had to achieve this – really the only thing dope did was help him do this quicker than his other dope using competitors - he probably just had better dope!

Does this mean he can never show his face in public again or do even just go out & ride his bike with other people in public - absolutely not.

How many of his counter parts raised as much money for charities as his name did – whether u now despite it or not that little yellow band of his done a hell of a whole lot!!
If his charity fund’s some research into cancer that saves your mother/fathers/sibling or your child’s live are you going to save NO don’t give them that drug because it was helped into creation by Lance Armstrong – hmm? So maybe we should just let him ride his bike like we all like doing?

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the reaction to dopers is riddled with ridiculous double standards.

That's what annoys me about the whole farce. Where's the clamour to strip Ullrich, Riis, Pantani, Virenque, Vinokourov of their results and stage wins?

You can't airbrush one character out of Tour history and pretend it never happened (or it started and ended with LA) while leaving the rest untouched.

Let him ride - who cares. What would be best for all is if they hadn't even announced it, just let him ride with no announcement, no publicity., Bet 90% of the other riders wouldn't even have known he was there.

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Armstrong, needless to say, has not been invited.

Yet another rider who was stripped of his TdF title is not only there, but will be riding into Paris...

I don't like him or what he did but the reaction to dopers is riddled with ridiculous double standards. The only reason Armstrong has been renounced is because that's the best PR strategy.

The guy is a born fighter. Drugs or no, you don't compete in the TDF at the highest level for so many years if you're a sensitive type of person.
Anyone who just expects him to go crawl under a rock seriously doesn't understand the level of determination that it takes to reach the pinnacle of (any) sport, and how that is inherent in the person's character.

Sounds fair enough to me. Not as if he was the only doper...

Not sure I would be giving him the high five though!

Wow. He still has this knack of somehow being able to stand above himself and treat himself like he's a product or a thing - something to be managed all the time. Witness his wanting to control and own the negative reactions to him.

A fascinating character that's for sure. He's both completely cold-blooded and also a raging torrent of ambition and hubris and (actually) naivety. It's quite a trick.

And for the record I was never a fan.