Accept it: Lance Armstrong has used illegal performance-enhancing drugs
April 9, 2009 by William K. Wolfrum
When the subject of drug testing professional golfers came up, one wag had an interesting idea: “Why not just test Tiger Woods? If he’s clean, it doesn’t matter if anyone else is.” The same could have been said for professional cycling during Lance Armstong’s reign of terror over the sport. And once again, there are accusations about whether Armstrong is on the juice or not.
(CNN) — Lance Armstrong could face punishment after being accused by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) of breaking its rules during an unannounced test last month.
According to a statement issued by the AFLD, the 37-year-old American “did not meet the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the tester, taking a 20-minute shower before giving samples of blood, urine and hair.
Armstrong, who was training in the South of France on March 17 when the alleged breach of the rules took place, has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he merely asked for the identity of the tester to be established.
“I had never heard of labs or governments doing drug testing and I had no idea who this guy was or whether he was telling the truth,” he said in a statement released on the official Web site of his Astana team.
“We asked the tester for evidence of his authority. We looked at his papers but they were far from clear or impressive and we still had significant questions about who he was or for whom he worked.”
With the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in the world of cycling, it is starting to take an extraordinary act of intellectual dishonesty to believe that Armstrong has been clean his entire career. So while I have a lot of respect for Armstrong as a man and an athlete, I’m not willing to keep my head buried in the sand. My opinion is that Lance Armstrong has benefited from illegal performance enhancing drugs in the past, and may very well be using whatever he can in this latest comeback attempt.
-WKW
So you are an expert? 24 tests none positive? Oh I see. Lance went and had all his hair and blood replaced for the test in 20 minutes. He is so sly and those French testers are above reproach! I feel Lance had every right to demand proper identification and verify it. What does taking a shower have to do with violating the rules? You ever ride a bicycle? Hard? You sweat, you stink, and you want a shower! Get a brain!
I think he’s clean.
And I wouldn’t put it above the French to do anything they could to sabotage him.
So William, my opinion is that you must be smoking crack when you write these blogs. I have no evidence that you are a habitual drug user, but using your logic in accusing and convicting Lance for performance enhancing drug use without solid evidence, I would say you are guilty as well. Just my worthless opinion…. like yours.
RS
If I were president, I have no doubt that I would bag “… and God bless the United States of America” and instead end every speech with this line. However, having placed (when last I checked) a few hundred electoral votes of achieving that goal, @ the very least I’m changing my voice mail message to this as soon as I finish typing this.
Re: Lance, my stinky sweaty opinion is that pre-cancer he was almost surely using illegal substances. Just about account I’ve read of him from those days describes him as immature, egotistical, hyper-competitive, & convinced of his invincibility. His teammates from those days doped (as, I believe, did everyone over the age of 11 who hopped on a bike, apparently), so I can’t imagine him having any reason for abstaining.
As for post-cancer Lance, I’d like to think he did it all on the up & up — & again, accounts of his obsessive training regimens & the fact that he benefited from the best of technology re: preparation & equipment attests to the fact that he had lots of non-drug-related advantages. But part of being an eyes-open sports fan in the 21st century is realizing that there ain’t no such thing when it comes to “purity” in big-time athletics.
Final verdict: Most likely dirty pre-cancer, 65% likely clean post-cancer. And either way, the French are really out to get this guy.
Now I’m off in search of a shower & a brain.
Let’s not confuse the issues R. Shockley. I think it is well known that Bill uses blogging enhancing drugs.
He may even admit as much.
Use of performance anhancing drugs could very well have been a large part of Lance’s ability to have such an obsessive training regimen. If someone takes steroids for example, without working out, gains will be minimal. Steroids allow the user to workout more intensely and more frequently. In my opinion, besides the french accusation, Armstrong has used PED’s and personally I have lost a ton of respect for him. He’s a fraud. Shame on him. Loser.
Lance is still the greatest! Even if Contador does beat him.
[...] dominated fields full of guys who cheated while not cheating himself is unreasonable. In 2009, I wrote this: With the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in the world of cycling, it is starting to [...]