Thread: Say it ain't so Lance

Originally Posted by Bruno

Everyone cheats because all the others cheat too

I can still hear my parents say, "so if everyone is jumping off a cliff and you want to do that too". Seems having principles costs money and darn few are willing to loose money.

Bob

Originally Posted by straightrazorheaven

Just a note ... in medical terms doping isn't taking drugs. it's giving yourself more blood than you ordinarily have, often by blood transfusion (illegal). this can also be achieved by altitude training (the legal way).

Just a thought ,but if doping with your own blood, what is the difference than if you blow out a knee and they take other parts from around your body to repair it? Or use screws to repair your bones that can't handle the stress?

Another thought. Sports are entertainment. Professional sports are concerned about their audience. Breaking records or creating a controversy to keep your sport in the news is good. With Lance they have done both. Lots of money in it.

Originally Posted by 32t

Just a thought ,but if doping with your own blood, what is the difference than if you blow out a knee and they take other parts from around your body to repair it? Or use screws to repair your bones that can't handle the stress?

The difference is that with a broken knee, they fix the knee to get it back to the way it was, or at least approximately so. You repair something that got broken. With blood doping, they take the efficiency of blood artifically high, way beyond what can be achieved by normal conditioning.

As for Lance really being innocent after all... highly unlikely. For such explanations you get into conspiracy theory realms. After all, they found the stuff in his blood / urine. At the time he was lucky enough that they did not have the means to test well enough. Newer lab tests nailed him. Add to that the testimony of 25 others, and the fact that over time so many of the top racers have been caught. His own team mates have been caught and confessed. The doping program within US postal was already in place before Lance joined.

what I do believe is this: they did it to surive. Use of EPO and other substances was and perhaps still is so widespread, that you either go along, or drop out of the top.

IMO, all professional sports have it to some degree. Every once in awhile they feel the need to knock out the best guys to make an example.

Ever see football players get nabbed for this? Rarely. It would damage the ridiculous amount of money professional football brings in.

Originally Posted by Bruno

As for Lance really being innocent after all... highly unlikely. For such explanations you get into conspiracy theory realms. After all, they found the stuff in his blood / urine. At the time he was lucky enough that they did not have the means to test well enough. Newer lab tests nailed him. Add to that the testimony of 25 others, and the fact that over time so many of the top racers have been caught. His own team mates have been caught and confessed. The doping program within US postal was already in place before Lance joined.

what I do believe is this: they did it to surive. Use of EPO and other substances was and perhaps still is so widespread, that you either go along, or drop out of the top.

I don't think my explaination is getting into conspiracy theories. If I were in his situation I would tell the media that the doping allegations were true. Why would I do that? honestly, I don't care what people think. In the beginning I too would deny it, because I would want truth to proveil (for the good of the game, and humanity), if I saw that people weren't listening, I would admit doping to get them off my back, and to leave my family and friends alone. I think he had a duty, whether or not he actually doped, to admit he did dope, if only to remove this pressure from his family.

A question to all of you, would you admit doping if you didn't dope, to protect your family?

Originally Posted by straightrazorheaven

I don't think my explaination is getting into conspiracy theories. If I were in his situation I would tell the media that the doping allegations were true. Why would I do that? honestly, I don't care what people think. In the beginning I too would deny it, because I would want truth to proveil (for the good of the game, and humanity), if I saw that people weren't listening, I would admit doping to get them off my back, and to leave my family and friends alone. I think he had a duty, whether or not he actually doped, to admit he did dope, if only to remove this pressure from his family.

A question to all of you, would you admit doping if you didn't dope, to protect your family?

No. If you are worried about protecting your family don't get famous in the first place.

Originally Posted by straightrazorheaven

I don't think my explaination is getting into conspiracy theories. If I were in his situation I would tell the media that the doping allegations were true. Why would I do that? honestly, I don't care what people think. In the beginning I too would deny it, because I would want truth to proveil (for the good of the game, and humanity), if I saw that people weren't listening, I would admit doping to get them off my back, and to leave my family and friends alone. I think he had a duty, whether or not he actually doped, to admit he did dope, if only to remove this pressure from his family.

A question to all of you, would you admit doping if you didn't dope, to protect your family?

That question is neither here nor there, because they actually found dope. It's not like the accusations were baseless. There is proof that he did what they said. The only difference is that now he is admitting it too, likely because he wants to get out from under the lifetime sports ban. Sure I might confess to something for the sake of my family, but that does not take away the fact that they could already prove he doped up.

They should allow doping in all major sports. I think it would make them even more interesting to watch

It is unfortunate that Lance did dope, because with or without it he was an incredible Cyclist. But he was just that, not that great of a person. Cheated on his wife to go after a rockstar..... Even with out the doping, it would not surprise me if he would have won. Oh well, still going to watch the Tour this summer!