Say it ain't so Joe. Genuinely unsure how to feel about this - as far as I can ascertain he never failed a drug test - of which he has had hundreds. I'm not defending cheating - but how do you separate what is cheating and legitimate advantages. Surely if you pass tests that caught others, and he must have been tested more than anyone else in history, that is enough (the US drugs guys are pointing at abnormalities in 2009, 2010 - years after the Tour wins). I agree 7 tour wins is an amazing feat - but then surely beating cancer as he did (he had secondaries in his lungs and brain and given a less than 50% mortality rate) and then go on to win those tours is a superhuman achievement in itself. I don't know - I've decided that the man to me was and still is a legend - I hope that the $500 MILLION dollars his organisation raised isn't forgotten in all this.
Assuming that he did cheat: I suspect its only the cancer [glow=red,2,300]FACT[/glow]or of the story that gives any sympathy to the story. Take the cancer away and he is just a cheat, so deserves not to have the accolades that he 'won'. 10 team mates testifying that he cheated is a bit damming. If on the other hand he didn't cheat then this is a travesty!!!!!
If he gets the wins revoked does everyone move up a place? If so, will there be any Brits in 1st place as a result?
Lance is a 7 times tour winner regardless of what they do now....... when you drag race a nitrous'd car you can only beat it if you are running nitrous..... I think seeing how endemic it was to use enhancers epo etc in the big teams [according to David Millar's book] raced on an even playing field. The team Sky and new drug free teams will hopefully ring the new changes. Everyone knows that if Lance had raced drug free against drug free competitors he still would have won. The French must be delighted the whole witch hunt is down to how they hated his dominance. Despite Millar, Contador, Pantani, Ullrich all being caught its interesting they never caught Lance.........just suppose he did'nt dope??
Just seen the news and he's decided to call it a day, question is.... Is he quitting cos he doesn't want everyone knowing he's cheated or is he just the one of the rare people hat says... You know what I really have just had enough of all you all doubting me and actually I've nothing to prove?
