Lance makes statement about USADA charges.

The lifetime ban and him being stripped of all titles just hit the wire.  Unless that wire is wrong, which chances are it could be, that's a pretty steep penalty.

EDIT - and of course that headline was just media sensationalism and not an actual punishment handed down.  "Armstrong could be stripped of titles" is a lot different than the headline of "Armstrong stripped of titles and banned for life" (something like that)

100% agree.  There is no mention of this.  He is not going to fight the arbitration anymore.

The USADA now needs to prove their case but only the UCI can prove the lifetime ban and strip the titles.

I'm not sure when he says he's not fighting.. does that mean he will allow the arbitration to be a public hearing so everything comes out or will he elect to keep it private so evidence is sealed.

Or does it mean that he will not even submit to the arbitration process so the evidence can never reach the public

Edit.. hit send to soon.

I agree with everything you say........but I read his statement, and I have interviewed hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in criminal investigations.....nothing he wrote led me to toward a different conclusion than I've already had.....he used.  In fact, I'm even more convinced by reading his own words.

That being said, I don't care, anymore than I care about baseball's bad boys......it was an era.....hopefully it's over.

You drew the conclusion that he used based on what facts? 

And the UCI supported Lances lawsuit against USADA if I recall correctly.

Lance has complied with every test.  He has never skirted a single one.  That's his mantra....and it's valid.  Where has he said he never doped?  I admit I don't look for it, but it's not in anything I've read.  It certainly isn't in this statement.  My experience tells me that this is plausible deniability.  It sometimes works in court......it is eventually exposed for what it is.  That's where we are now.....he's caught.  

His position now is the right one for him.....but it doesn't pass the smell test for me.

Lance won 7 during the biggest doping era of sports....but he didn't?  His best reasoning is "I passed all of your tests".  

Nope....sorry.

Again, I'm a Lance fan.  Hell, I'm a McGuire and Bonds fan.....just come clean.....it is what it is.

The other "facts" that will come out if Lance chooses to go forward is the eyewitness testimony of teammates willing to say they saw him dope.  It's bad for Lance....eyewitness testimony convicts everyone in our system.  You don't have to like it, but it does.

That being said, I hate that the testimony comes from people who have already admitted their guilt.....still, what motivation do they have to lie?  They are already done. Trash Lance why? Are they getting leniency....not that I've seen.

Once again.....I'm a Lance fan.  I watched each Tour win....great stuff by a gifted athlete.

He said a while ago in a Men's Fittness article that he was done fighting doping charges. That was before USADA charged him. Then he fought it.

The case he brought in U.S. court was weak. Even I knew he did not have a case. It has nothing to do with criminal charges and the Constitution. The court had no jurisdiction in this arbitration between him and USADA that he agreed to as a proffessional athlete.

As a strategy, one of the best ways to defeat an opponent is not to fight. USADA rules guilty in his absence. No testimony is aired, no evidence is presented and validated. Lance hopes that ICU does not strip his titles and the other agencys do not side with USADA and uphold the decision.

The most intriguing thing of all of this to me is the current failed passport test. The process that it goes through and the way they come up with a "false" so to speak, is really good... and it is what is being used right now.... the fact that USADA wants to go back to strip titles overshadows the fact that they got a "positive" on the passport. If they would have just left it at that... just a "results consistent with" and then handed out a current penalty to his current standing as a pro athlete... they could have won that. But they got greedy and tried to leverage that into the whole kitchen sink from 12 years ago. BS if you ask me.

Not much to argue with there.......still, he's screwed, and he knows it....and as much as we can call BS.....we know, because it doesn't pass what WE KNOW......ask Barry Bonds.

The best play is the one he's making....it may save his foundation....I certainly hope so.  I will continue to contribute.

Pretty much. We already know the evidence. The trial of public opinion has already been held and it just does not matter. The case against Lance by the USADA does absolutely nothing for Cycling... nothing what so ever. What does it do.... if you win the TDF 7 times and are later found guilty of doping you will be striped... OK... currently that only applies to one human being out of 6 billion.

So ya, Lance doped and he is screwed... what is the point? What does it accomplish now? The baseball players were still active when they testified... and they still do not know what to do about the records set. Lance can be stripped... but he will be the only cyclist to win the TDF 7 times and later be stripped. So what? It's just all so pointless now.

Yep...very well stated.

Here is a bit of the story from the judge dismissing Armstrongs case Monday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/20/sport/lance-armstrong-lawsuit/index.html

Well said.  The whole thing makes me sad.  It doesn't accomplish anything for USADA to keep going after him.  No one wins in this: not cycling, not Lance, and not the USADA.

bjarn riis came clean 10 years after his last TDF title and didnt get striped because it had been too long for the governing bodies to take his titles. For some reason 7 years rings a bell as the limit and it's been 7 years since Lances last TDF win. If nothing else it will tarnish his record, as it should if he did cheat.

ETA nope i was wrong

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/lancearmstrong/9496174/Lance-Armstrong-to-be-stripped-of-Tour-de-France-titles-and-banned-for-life-as-he-gives-up-fight-over-drug-charges.html

It's 8 years... but USADA claims that since it was an ongoing conspiracy to cover it up that the limitations does not apply.

Plus... what record does it tarnish? That in an era of doping lance did too and beat them all... that Lance's titles will go to know dopers that came in second and have at some point in their careers doped?

You know what would have been really awesome... that say 10 years later if everyone would have just left him alone and Lance just came clean. That he had no other choice but to deny it from day one because they were on him from day one. That he was just trying to ge the foundation started. That he and every other proffessional cyclist doped... this is how we did it, this is what will help, and this is what will make it better. But now, this will just end with a middle finger.

the bad thing is, doping will never stop until the athletes want it to. It really benefits them. You should not have to be a science experiment to be a pro. They are all still incredibly gifted athlete and we would still love watching them if they were all clean... but then the real cheats start the arms race and then everyone has to do it. Such a shame.

So what jurisdiction does USADA have in this? The ICU has yet to weigh in and the TDF isn't a USADA event. Do you know if the USADA has the authority to take his titles, or is it just then taking his eligibility and therefore not recognising his wins?