Big name sponsors dump disgraced drug cheat .. GUESS WHICH RACE?

[Rogue Trader]

Bicycle race!!


Lance Armstrong case: Nike about-turn completes the disintegration
• Backer drops Texan as he stands down as charity chairman
• 'Nike does not condone use of performance-enhancing drugs'
William Fotheringham
The Guardian, <time itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2012-10-17T17:57BST" pubdate="" style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Wednesday 17 October 2012 17.57 BST</time>

Lance Armstrong has stood down as chairman of his cancer charity, Livestrong, which he founded in 1996. Photograph: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

One week after the publication of the Usada report that revealed the gory details of Lance Armstrong's doping, laying to rest any remnants of his sporting credibility, the public persona of the former seven-times Tour de France winner began disintegrating. With damage limitation clearly their goal, Armstrong's long-time backer Nike dropped the Texan.

By the end of the day a number of other long-time sponsors followed suit. Anheuser-Busch, brewers of Budweiser, cut their ties as did Trek bicycles and Honey Stinger, a maker of foods and gels for athletes. Radio Shack were reported to have dumped Armstrong while sunglasses maker Oakley said they were "reviewing their relationship" with the disgraced cyclist.

Almost simultaneously to the Nike announcement, Armstrong stood down as the chairman of the cancer foundation Livestrong, which he had founded just over a year after his diagnosis for testicular cancer in September 1996.

Armstrong's resignation from Livestrong came in advance of a ball on Friday in his hometown of Austin, Texas, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the foundation's inception, with thousands expected to attend, including stars such as the actor Robin Williams, a longstanding Armstrong fan. A statement from the charity said that "to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship". Explaining his decision to employees in a conference call Armstrong reportedly told them "I've been better and I've been worse" when asked how he was feeling.

Following publication of the massive Usada report condemning Armstrong as a serial drug taker – who coerced team-mates into blood doping and bullied witnesses who attempted to blow the whistle on him – Nike had stated only a week earlier that they would stand by their most prominent athlete. This was an abrupt U-turn, citing "seemingly insurmountable evidence that [Armstrong] participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade". That brought to an end an association which had lasted since Armstrong's first Tour win in 1999, and at one time seen the US company produce the Tour de France leader's celebrated yellow jersey. The Armstrong sponsorship had spearheaded the company's move into cycling clothing on the back of his Tour successes, and he was said to earn about $7.5m (£4.6m) annually from the connection.

The sponsor added: "It is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer." A spokesman also confirmed Nike will change the name of the Lance Armstrong Fitness Center at its world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

Livestrong, Armstrong and Nike are a closely-knit trio thanks to the sportswear company's production of the yellow silicone Livestrong wristband which was introduced in May 2004. It has sold more than 80 million units, and having been initially launched to raise $25m (£15.4m)for the cancer charity, achieved its target within six months.

It was worn by many of the riders in the 2004 Tour, which was won by Armstrong, and has been seen on the wrists of celebrities as diverse as the actor Matt Damon and various US presidential candidates. Recently, there have been reports of wearers crossing out the "V" to create the motto "LieStrong".

As well as possible moves by these sponsors, Armstrong faces other issues in coming weeks if the UCI ratifies the Usada decision to strip him of his Tour titles. The Sunday Times will look to recover around £1m in costs arising from a libel case in 2004; Armstrong could also face a counter suit from promotions company SCA which insured bonuses for four of his wins to the tune of $12m (£7.4m).

 

[erection2015]

ya too bad he got caught. This sport is really very contaminated.From the 80s as far as i know they used EPO.

BosSam would know more about this though.

 

[yellowarse]

Dopestrong. Liestrong. Diestrong.

 

[wendychan]

it has taken SO many years for the majority to accept the truth. at least some vindication for his personal masseur whom Lance labelled a prostitute....

 

[blur sotong]

Anybody donated to Livestrong - to fund their cancer research. I am one of them. :p

 

[yellowarse]

it has taken SO many years for the majority to accept the truth. at least some vindication for his personal masseur whom Lance labelled a prostitute....

The problem with Armstrong is not that he doped. Practically everyone in the peloton was doping. If you didn't, you wouldn't finish on the podium.

The problem was that he not only doped, but was also the ringleader of the most organized systematic doping in sporting history. And he bullied his teammates into doping with threat of dismissal if they didn't comply.

On top of that he sued and attempted to destroy the lives of all who even dared hint that he doped, including his closest friends and their wives, denied taking PEDs vehemently in the face of mounting evidence, and lied in sworn testimony in court.

And now, in the face of a 1,000-page report full of damning evidence, he still doesn't have the humility to confess and ask for forgiveness, as many disgraced athletes before him have in a stab at redemption.

His arrogance is mind-boggling, if it weren't so stupid and self-defeating.

Bully, liar, cheat, and an arrogant bastard. He got his comeuppance.

 

[wendychan]

The problem was that he not only doped, but was also the ringleader of the most organized systematic doping in sporting history. And he bullied his teammates into doping with threat of dismissal if they didn't comply.

pot calling the kettle black BULLY..... now see karma in action

 

[wendychan]

\
His arrogance is mind-boggling, if it weren't so stupid and self-defeating.

\.

its NOT. he has millions. somehow that makes all all right to people like that

 

[hairylee]

I say let everyone dope to equal the riding field and we get to see the greatest race on earth.

 

[wendychan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b01ngqxd


interesting programme

 

[cantbeassed]

Lance Armstrong is an unrepentant doper and worse, playing the victim all the time, for so long too.

 

[wendychan]

Lance Armstrong is an unrepentant doper and worse, playing the victim all the time, for so long too.

you mean people accusing him of things he apparently is not, or people defaming him?? and 'forcing" him to take legal action?
hmm

 

[yellowarse]

I say let everyone dope to equal the riding field and we get to see the greatest race on earth.

It would make cycling a great spectator sport, to be sure. But the consequences are horrendous.

Already professional cyclists were dropping dead like flies, many in their 30s, even with drug testing. Can you imagine what will happen if we allow a free-for-all, from a health point of view?

 

[scroobal]

But he did pass 500 plus tests and that he did not a single tests - according to some.

When it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and qucks like a duck, its probably a duck.

The issue is not that everyone else took drugs. The issue is that he took drugs and made a fool of his supporters.

 

[Kinana]

How did he manage to pass all the test? Thats what we are interested to know.

 

[wendychan]

download and read "Reasoned Decision"

http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/

 

[scroobal]

Let me save everyone the trouble and list it down;

- everyone else did it
- people are jealous of his achievement
- those witnesses did not gain as much glory and money as him and turning against him
- its a conspiracy
- he was still the best cyclists as everyone in Tour de France were doped
- he did not admit
- he was fixed
- because of his cancer, he took it but could not give up
- he has the best cycling mind
- everyone of the Tour de France winners over the years were also doped
- but he brought cycling to the masses
- you got to admit that he popularised the sport
- he also contributed directly to the cycling industry
- anymore.
-

 

[liongsam]

Did Lance Armstrong dope? The science says Yes

I said of the original USADA statement in my blog of August 24:

“I personally would like to know what was the basis for the USDA statement ‘Additionally, scientific data showed Mr. Armstrong’s use of blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions during Mr. Armstrong’s comeback to cycling in the 2009 Tour de France’ ”.

True to my request the scientific evidence against Armstrong is clearly presented, though somewhat buried in the report (only 6 of the 164 pages go into the tests). The controversy of the 1999 Tour de France EPO test is discussed of course. It pains an Englishman to admit that a Frenchman and Australian were right, but I think this is pretty unequivocal now. The French journalist, L'Equipe's Damien Ressio, correctly identified six positive samples as Armstrong’s [1] and the Australian blood doping expert, Michael Ashenden, got the details of the story spot on in this interview [2].

Interestingly Armstrong’s samples accounted for 46% of all the EPO positive samples found. It does look like he was taking EPO throughout whilst others hoped their pre-tour red blood cell increase would be enough to last the Tour.

The second piece of evidence – and this is new – is the blood samples taken from Armstrong during his comeback. Again an Australian – in this case Chris Gore – analysed the data in detail. Endurance cycling, day after day, increases your plasma volume and decreases your red blood cell concentration. This happened to Lance Armstrong through the 2009 Giro. However, in the subsequent Tour de France, the situation was different. His plasma volume rose, as expected, on days 1-7 of the Tour, But rather miraculously this volume decreased over the next three days and the red cell count increased. The only sensible conclusion is that he had a blood transfusion on or around day 7.

Gore also concluded that in many of Armstrong’s blood samples there was a dramatic reduction in the number of young red blood cells. These young cells, called reticulocytes, are formed when you are in the process of making new mature red cells. If you transfuse blood to supermaximal levels, your body tells you to stop making new cells. Therefore there is a large decrease in the number of reticulocytes. Armstrong showed exactly this effect on a number of occasions. This is the relevant quote from the report "Prof. Gore concluded that the approximate likelihood of Armstrong’s seven suppressed reticulocyte values during the 2009 and 2010 Tours de France occurring naturally was less than one in a million”.

The final piece in the analytical jigsaw comes from the 2001 Tour de Suisse. Here there are a number of suspicious EPO samples attributed to Armstrong. UCI have not released this data for further discussion. So this part of the story remains unfinished business between USADA and UCI.

In short, I don’t thing Armstrong’s supporter’s can realistically claim that he has not failed a doping test. He may not have been officially sanctioned due to a test, but the circumstantial evidence is far more damning than several people I note in my book who have lost medals due to positive tests through no fault of their own e.g. the Rumanian gymnast, Andreea Răducan.

 

[eatshitndie]

if he were to retire completely from competitive racing back in 2001, usada might have not pursued the case so vigorously and very possibly allowed him to retire in peace and glory. it was the 2009 comeback that re-opened up the whole enchilada and caused usada to press ahead. why retire for almost 8 years and decide to come back? defiance and the make belief that he was unreproachable, untouchable, and above everybody else. the latter attitude truly pisses a lot of people off, especially folks in usada whom he scoffs at and ridicules. in other words, he baits his enemies and defies them to get him. he was asking for it.

 

[scroobal]

Forgot - thermos is to keep the milo warm.