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      Olympics: Cycling

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      tezmac
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      Olympics: Cycling
      Feb 18, 2012 07:45:02 pm
      Anyone watching the cycling from the new Olympic veladrone, the are some realy close races very  interesting
      « Last Edit: Jul 28, 2012 05:05:10 pm by Reslivo »
      The Kopite91
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #1: Jun 14, 2012 10:59:18 am
      Lance Armstrong could lose Tour titles over alleged doping violations

      • USADA charges seven-time Tour winner over alleged violations
      • Armstrong issues a statement attacking the agency's action


      Lance Armstrong denies the allegations and says he has taken 500 drug tests and never failed one. Photograph: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

      Lance Armstrong could be stripped of his record seven Tour de France victories after the US Anti-Doping Agency charged him and five associates over alleged doping violations. Armstrong was banned from competition with immediate effect, including from the triathlons in which he has been competing since his second retirement from professional cycling early last year.

      Armstrong has spent almost a dozen years fighting off allegations of doping, and as the 2012 Tour comes into view he is facing potentially his most significant battle yet. This is the first time he has been formally charged by a national anti-doping body. The USADA confirmed in a statement that it had brought charges against Armstrong and five other individuals – none of them riders – who had worked for the US Postal Service team, for which Armstrong raced between 1998 and his initial retirement from cycling in 2005.

      The USADA statement said: "In response to numerous inquiries regarding the public statements made by Mr Lance Armstrong, we can confirm that written notice of allegations of anti-doping rule violations was sent yesterday to him and to five additional individuals all formerly associated with the United States Postal Service (USPS) professional cycling team. These individuals include three team doctors and two team officials. This formal notice letter is the first step in the multi-step legal process for alleged sport anti-doping rule violations."

      The USADA charges are not criminal but the agency can ban athletes and revoke titles.

      Armstrong had earlier issued a statement on his website which stated his innocence of doping, and attacked the agency's action. "I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned."

      Armstrong's first Tour victory dates back to 1999, and his last to 2005. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency's statute of limitations for amending results is eight years, USADA ruled this year that this can be overturned in specific cases. That applied in the case of the runner Eddie Hellebuyck, who confessed to doping dating back to 2001 and, in February this year, was stripped of his results from that date following a ruling by the American Arbitration Association. Armstrong has been the subject of several inquiries relating to alleged doping, most recently an US Federal government inquiry headed by the Food and Drug Agency investigator Jeff Novitsky.

      That inquiry, centred on allegations of fraud, was abandoned in February after nearly two years, with no charges brought, after which the USADA stated that it would continue its own inquiry.

      Armstrong's statement highlighted the link between the two inquiries, reading: "These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity. Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA's malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play."

      Armstrong has maintained he achieved his seven victories in the Tour de France without the use of banned drugs, and all the inquiries into alleged doping over the years by him and his team have ended up being abandoned, beginning with a French prosecutor's probe in 2000 and concluding with the FDA inquiry this year. His statement closed with: "I have never doped and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one. That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence."

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/14/lance-armstrong-alleged-doping-violations

      A lot of people seemed pretty pissed off when this news broke last night.

      Can't see them bringing it up again without fresh if not concrete evidence against him.
      Bier
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #2: Jun 29, 2012 12:03:35 pm
      Anyone going to watch the Tour de France? One of my favourite sports events of the year.
      therealjr
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #3: Jun 30, 2012 08:45:29 am
      Anyone going to watch the Tour de France? One of my favourite sports events of the year.

      Yep. Can't see the Manx Missile winning so many stages this year because Sky's main aim has to be the GC for Wiggo. Would be nice though if he could register 3 wins and move himself into 4th on the all time list.

      As for Armstrong there's been too much smoke over the years for there not to be a fire somewhere. The crazy thing is though that if you go back and look at the results when Armstrong won if you retrospectively ban him you'd be promoting people like Zulle and Ullrich who themselves have been banned for doping.
      Bier
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #4: Jun 30, 2012 12:06:51 pm
      Well, might be Cav's last chance to really win alot. I think Peter Sagan is going to become the best sprinter at some point, but he's just 22 still. Will be interesting to see this Tour how they match up.
      therealjr
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #5: Jun 30, 2012 12:46:20 pm
      Think Sagan will be a threat next year after he has experienced the whole Tour razzmatazz and hype for a year.
      Will also be interesting to see who on the Sky team leads out Cav and if he misses Renshaw. If Sky were serious about stage wins I think they should have signed them as a package. Dont think Boasson Hagan is good enough and Geraint Thomas has chosen the Olympics over the tour.
      Finally sad to see that Norman Stanley Flecha didn't make the Sky team cut.
      Bier
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #6: Jun 30, 2012 03:11:19 pm
      I'm not fully aware yet of all the team dynamics this season, and who's in form etc. I'm not as much a cycling fan as I am a Tour de France fan. I don't really follow cycling the rest of the season, but I watch almost every stage of the Tour de France ever year from since I was a kid. So the Tour is basically how I get informed about the current state of affairs in cycling. But I think this should make a very interesting Tour for me, with Andy Schleck and Contador out all bets are off. And there's 3 Dutch teams this year, more Dutch riders than ever.
      therealjr
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #7: Jul 02, 2012 04:11:03 pm
      Think Sagan will be a threat next year after he has experienced the whole Tour razzmatazz and hype for a year.
      and the winner of stage 1?
      Just shows what I know!!!!
      therealjr
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #8: Jul 02, 2012 10:17:53 pm
      But when it came to a full blown sprint the Manx Missile came though.
      whyohwhyohwhy
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #9: Jul 07, 2012 05:25:30 pm
      and the winner of stage 1?
      Just shows what I know!!!!

      :D  Your prediction was a year early!  He's been very impressive so far.

      The race reached the minor mountains today with an absolute killer final climb.  They reckoned it was 22% in parts  :o and ouch!  Not been such a great tour for Cav so far, he's been unlucky with crashes.  Still, at least he has avoided any serious injuries which is more than be said for a lot of riders.  Eight riders didn't start today, and one withdrew during the stage thanks to the carnage of yesterday's crashes.  That's 17 riders who are out in total so far and a number of riders who are carrying on with various broken bones and lacerations.

      On a positive (for me), it was a great day for Team Sky today, Froome won the stage and gets the polka jersey, and Wiggo is in yellow.  Cadel Evans moves up to second.
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #10: Jul 13, 2012 08:11:02 pm
      Top 2 british riders and 4 stage winners  including David Millar today.
      For nearly 100 years we have tried and failed to win the TDF but failed miserably and in 1967 Tom Simpson died trying 45 years ago today.
      But how noticable is it now that drugs are being eradicated from Cycling that we are at last able to compete on equal terms.To be honest its a bit wierd as during my life time just having someone win a stage was awesome to have a local lad like Chris Boardman in Yellow was fantastic.
      If Brad wins it will be possibly the greatest sporting achievement I have seen by a rider.
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #11: Jul 13, 2012 08:15:17 pm
      Lance Armstrong could lose Tour titles over alleged doping violations

      • USADA charges seven-time Tour winner over alleged violations
      • Armstrong issues a statement attacking the agency's action


      Lance Armstrong denies the allegations and says he has taken 500 drug tests and never failed one. Photograph: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

      Lance Armstrong could be stripped of his record seven Tour de France victories after the US Anti-Doping Agency charged him and five associates over alleged doping violations. Armstrong was banned from competition with immediate effect, including from the triathlons in which he has been competing since his second retirement from professional cycling early last year.

      Armstrong has spent almost a dozen years fighting off allegations of doping, and as the 2012 Tour comes into view he is facing potentially his most significant battle yet. This is the first time he has been formally charged by a national anti-doping body. The USADA confirmed in a statement that it had brought charges against Armstrong and five other individuals – none of them riders – who had worked for the US Postal Service team, for which Armstrong raced between 1998 and his initial retirement from cycling in 2005.

      The USADA statement said: "In response to numerous inquiries regarding the public statements made by Mr Lance Armstrong, we can confirm that written notice of allegations of anti-doping rule violations was sent yesterday to him and to five additional individuals all formerly associated with the United States Postal Service (USPS) professional cycling team. These individuals include three team doctors and two team officials. This formal notice letter is the first step in the multi-step legal process for alleged sport anti-doping rule violations."

      The USADA charges are not criminal but the agency can ban athletes and revoke titles.

      Armstrong had earlier issued a statement on his website which stated his innocence of doping, and attacked the agency's action. "I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned."

      Armstrong's first Tour victory dates back to 1999, and his last to 2005. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency's statute of limitations for amending results is eight years, USADA ruled this year that this can be overturned in specific cases. That applied in the case of the runner Eddie Hellebuyck, who confessed to doping dating back to 2001 and, in February this year, was stripped of his results from that date following a ruling by the American Arbitration Association. Armstrong has been the subject of several inquiries relating to alleged doping, most recently an US Federal government inquiry headed by the Food and Drug Agency investigator Jeff Novitsky.

      That inquiry, centred on allegations of fraud, was abandoned in February after nearly two years, with no charges brought, after which the USADA stated that it would continue its own inquiry.

      Armstrong's statement highlighted the link between the two inquiries, reading: "These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity. Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA's malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play."

      Armstrong has maintained he achieved his seven victories in the Tour de France without the use of banned drugs, and all the inquiries into alleged doping over the years by him and his team have ended up being abandoned, beginning with a French prosecutor's probe in 2000 and concluding with the FDA inquiry this year. His statement closed with: "I have never doped and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one. That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence."

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/14/lance-armstrong-alleged-doping-violations

      A lot of people seemed pretty pissed off when this news broke last night.

      Can't see them bringing it up again without fresh if not concrete evidence against him.
      I would be gutted amazed if he was drug taking.He was already a World Champion before his illness and after he was so much lighter and stronger it all added up to make him the rider we all saw.Added to which he has been so visible with his foundation work I just cannot see him putting that in danger.
      He may have had some dodgy people helping him but you cant be charged with drug taking merely by association.
      I would be gutted if this turns out to be true.
      Greg Lemond through to Armstrong Amercian cyclists changed the whole sport in Europe and brought a proffesionalism to it not seen before.
      whyohwhyohwhy
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #12: Jul 15, 2012 04:19:16 pm
      Incredible number of punctures in today's stage of le tour.

      Cadel Evans has been very unlucky, punctured at the top of the last climb which was so narrow that only the Mavic service car was allowed to follow, and it took an age to get to him.  Steve Cummings was the first team mate to reach him, but he had also punctured.  Folloowed by two more punctures for Evans on the descent.

      Eurosport reporting tacks and pins all over the road.  Sabotage?!
      HeighwayToHeaven
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #13: Jul 15, 2012 04:23:40 pm
      rebecca allison ‏@rl_allison
      Tour de France -French TV is reporting that somebody has thrown a load of drawing pins on the road, hence all the punctures.
      whyohwhyohwhy
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #14: Jul 15, 2012 05:04:54 pm
      Real shame for Kierserlovski of Astana who crashed just after the top of the climb and broke his collarbone.  Hope that wasn't caused by a tack.

      Good win for Lulu Sanchez, and another brilliant ride by Sagan to hang in on the final climb and take second.  That young man has been amazing so far!
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #15: Jul 15, 2012 07:26:55 pm
      Another good day for Wiggo only a couple of really hard days left and I expect him to fly in the Time trial on Saturday finished off by Cav on Sunday.
      HeighwayToHeaven
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #16: Jul 19, 2012 12:46:03 am
      It's Wiggins' Tour to throw away now. He has a comfortable lead and hopefully he can hold on to it and win. That would be a fantastic achievement.
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #17: Jul 19, 2012 09:19:20 pm
      Another great day  for Wiggo. Still not in Paris yet and a good TT on saturday would really cap a fantastic few weeks,
      HeighwayToHeaven
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #18: Jul 19, 2012 11:59:26 pm
      JFT96 sprayed on the road on today's stage of the TdF.

      whyohwhyohwhy
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #19: Jul 20, 2012 03:22:30 pm
      JFT96 sprayed on the road on today's stage of the TdF.



      Quality!

      Cav won today.  Amazing burst of speed and power to overtake Roche and Sanchez before the line.

      Two days to go, and a nice long time trial tomorrow!

      Mon Brad!  Mon Froomey!
      JC16
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #20: Jul 20, 2012 06:40:55 pm
      Nice job by Wiggans to help spring Cav up to get into the position to do his thing.  Been a pretty good tour this year.
      Bier
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #21: Jul 20, 2012 08:13:15 pm
      Been the least interesting Tour for me in about 20 years since I started watching it. Normally I watch it from the start till the end, but this year I already lost interest in the first week.
      whyohwhyohwhy
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      Re: Cycling
      Reply #22: Jul 22, 2012 04:17:02 pm
      Been the least interesting Tour for me in about 20 years since I started watching it. Normally I watch it from the start till the end, but this year I already lost interest in the first week.

      Least interesting but possibly the cleanest!  No dishonest "super heros" out there this year.

      Although Brad did ride a brilliant TT yesterday.

      Enjoying the closing stages of todays stage in Paris.  Final lap!  Come on Cav!

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