Armstrong stripped from all tour-de-france titles & banned.

[Reece]

Lance Armstrong's reputation this morning lay in tatters after the United States Anti-Doping Agency labelled him a "serial" cheat who led "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

USADA yesterday released the reasons, which evidence from 11 of Armstrong's former team-mates, behind their decision to strip him of his seven Tour de France titles and hand him a lifetime ban.

Armstrong decided earlier this year not to contest the USADA charges, but he has always denied any involvement with doping and his lawyer Sean E Breen denounced the action as "a patently unfair, rigged process".

But According to USADA chief executive Travis T Tygart, there was "conclusive and undeniable proof" of a team-run doping conspiracy at Armstrong's US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team.

The 'reasoned decision' document said: "USADA has found proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Lance Armstrong engaged in serial cheating through the use, administration and trafficking of performance-enhancing drugs and methods and that Armstrong participated in running in the US Postal Service Team as a doping conspiracy.

"Armstrong and his co-conspirators sought to achieve their ambitions through a massive fraud now more fully exposed. So ends one of the most sordid chapters in sports history."

The former team-mates who gave evidence against Armstrong were Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.

USADA claimed Armstrong, 41, supplied banned drugs to other riders on the team, pressured them into participating in the doping programme and threatened to get them removed from the team if they refused.

The document said: "His goal (of winning the Tour de France multiple times) led him to depend on EPO, testosterone and blood transfusions but also, more ruthlessly, to expect and to require that his team-mates would likewise use drugs to support his goals if not their own."

It added: "It was not enough that his team-mates give maximum effort on the bike, he also required that they adhere to the doping programme outlined for them or be replaced."

Breen last night told BBC Radio 5 Live Armstrong had no wish to engage in the USADA process.

Breen said: "He didn't contest them (the allegations) in the USADA form because it's a patently unfair, rigged process and he was going to lose. There wasn't any doubt about it. They had the cards stacked.

"Lance came to the conclusion that he has many, many other positive things he needs to accomplish in his life and defending himself another decade and paying lawyers was not one of them that he wanted to do."

The only apparent reaction from Armstrong himself came in the form of a tweet, which read: "What am I doing tonight? Hanging with my family, unaffected, and thinking about this," with a link to his Livestrong website.

USADA claimed the evidence against Armstrong was "beyond strong" and stretched to more than 1,000 pages.

"It is as strong as, or stronger than, that presented in any case brought by USADA over the initial 12 years of USADA's existence," they said.

The organisation said they are sending their findings to the International Cycling Union (UCI), the World Anti-Doping Agency and the World Triathlon Corporation. Armstrong now competes in triathlons.

USADA alleged Armstrong's doping programme was organised by Dr Michele Ferrari, a consultant to the US Postal Service team.

Even though the cyclist announced he was ending his professional relationship with him after the Italian's conviction for sporting fraud in October 2004, USADA claimed this did not last long.

"USADA's witnesses and bank records obtained from Ferrari's company demonstrate that for Lance Armstrong it was business as usual with Ferrari in 2005," they said.

USADA claimed they had uncovered evidence showing Armstrong made payments to Ferrari's Swiss company totalling USD 1,029,754.31 (which currently equates to £643,000) between 1996 and 2006.

USADA confirmed Ferrari and Dr Garcia del Moral have also received lifetime bans for their part in the doping conspiracy.

Three others, Johan Bruyneel, who is now in charge of the RadioShack-Nissan team, a team doctor Dr Pedro Celaya and team trainer Jose Marti, have chosen to contest the charges and take their cases to arbitration.

[Ragdoll]

Ho...ly... shit. What happens to the titles now? Give 'em to the runner ups?

[Dolfagr]

The titles is the less I'd care since he made a fortune literally in his career. He is one of the biggest sports lie, I can only think of his fans right now and how angry they must be.

[Devin]

That's simply sad.

[Kirgiz]

Isn't this really old.

[Reece]

Isn't this really old.

No. The claims have been made in June, and charges placed in August, including the ban, however it has not finally been cleared, evidence presented and all confirmed until yesterday.

[[WS]Jacob]

Sad that someone can base their whole life on cheating.

[Taylor_P]

Meh this is the argo equivalence of saying FRANK HAWK IS RICH WTF HE BALLA ADMIN FRANK HAWK DM ME /ban Frank_Hawk DM

Until i actually said "Evidence" USDA GTFO and go back to making sure walmart meet is below average health standards and accept your fucking bribes.

[Gandalf]

Meh this is the argo equivalence of saying FRANK HAWK IS RICH WTF HE BALLA ADMIN FRANK HAWK DM ME /ban Frank_Hawk DM

Until i actually said "Evidence" USDA GTFO and go back to making sure walmart meet is below average health standards and accept your f**king bribes.

100 pages of evidence is not enough for people who do not want to see the truth.

The reactions of the fans are predictable.
He was never caught - he was but got out of it by bribery and clever lawyers
Everyone used so he is still the best - He used better dope so still cheated more

[Taylor_P]

100 pages of evidence is not enough for people who do not want to see the truth.

The reactions of the fans are predictable.
He was never caught - he was but got out of it by bribery and clever lawyers
Everyone used so he is still the best - He used better dope so still cheated more

So you have read said proof of does everything the news media say is true? Cause if you had I'd love to read and find out what they said, I still go back to my original comment the USFDA the most bribed and useless public service since all drug companies do is bribe them to push there products and same thing for large retailers, so for them to say "Oh we have proof" well Seeing is believing, i dont care if its 100 pages it just means they got lots and lots of BS and can make 1 cool story to the bros.

[Gandalf]

So you have read said proof of does everything the news media say is true? Cause if you had I'd love to read and find out what they said, I still go back to my original comment the USFDA the most bribed and useless public service since all drug companies do is bribe them to push there products and same thing for large retailers, so for them to say "Oh we have proof" well Seeing is believing, i dont care if its 100 pages it just means they got lots and lots of BS and can make 1 cool story to the bros.

As people here say, if it was a murder case Armstrong would be on death row. The report is open for everyone to read, just use Google. That it is a case of Armstrong deciding no longer to pay his yearly contribution I can imagine.

[Radagast]

Let me read through the logs. This will be one interesting unban request...

[Gandalf]

Let me read through the logs. This will be one interesting unban request...

No unban request. Player decided it would cost him too much reputation to make one...

[Radagast]

Aah okay. Player remains banned. Next time don't use stamina hacks.
Post Merge: October 12, 2012, 11:53:06 am

So you have read said proof of does everything the news media say is true? Cause if you had I'd love to read and find out what they said, I still go back to my original comment the USFDA the most bribed and useless public service since all drug companies do is bribe them to push there products and same thing for large retailers, so for them to say "Oh we have proof" well Seeing is believing, i dont care if its 100 pages it just means they got lots and lots of BS and can make 1 cool story to the bros.

Btw this is the USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency), not the USFDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration).

[yoske]

He should be jailed not banned from sport