What to do with a Lance Armstrong photo?
My moral dilemma of the afternoon is a prized photo that has followed me around for a number of years, shot by my AJC colleague Brant Sanderlin.
In the picture, a desperate 11-year-old boy named Samuel Douglas, wrapped in an American flag, urges on his hero Lance Armstrong during an uphill pull during a Rome time trial, part of the 2004 Tour de Georgia.
The photo sits in the office, next to a Sarah Palin movie bill. The question is, what to do with it? The young man and his passion were real. It is the cyclist who turned out to be fake.
On an opposite wall hangs an autographed photo of Levi Leipheimer, another cyclist, who has also confessed to engaging in doping as one of Armstrong’s wheelmen. The Los Angeles Times says Leipheimer, 38, has been suspended by his current team.
A bad day for people with heroes.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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124 comments Add your comment
Katherine Helms Cummings
October 11th, 2012
2:26 pm
Sometimes our heroes bring out the best in us. The challenge is to nurture what we find and make it stronger than the image we carry of the hero.
Patti Ghezzi
October 11th, 2012
2:34 pm
Of course, keep it! I remember that photo well. The focus is on the boy. Armstrong’s fall from grace just adds texture to the story.
ben
October 11th, 2012
2:35 pm
Keep it. He beat everyone fair and square because they were all cheating.
Tag
October 11th, 2012
2:41 pm
Sports heroes cheat, teachers cheat, politicians cheat, bankers cheat, judges cheat, children murder, even the priests molest children.
Maybe we need a Mormon to lead the country.
Fartavious
October 11th, 2012
2:42 pm
Swap it for a picture of Barry Bonds. Oh wait…
Steve
October 11th, 2012
2:42 pm
I say kill it with fire and the Sarah Palin movie bill.
Pat
October 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
Why is this still a story? How long has Lance been retired? Why didn’t they go after him this hard while he was still competing. This seems to be someone really dislikes Lance and it’s not really an issue of him cheating.
Gravy Train
October 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
Tag: You can keep him. We don’t need brainwashed magic underwear cultists in the White House.
Mitrebox
October 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
Hang it next to a smaller frame of an asterix.
MM
October 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
Hero worship is a risky thing to do. It says less about the “hero” and more about us wanting to see the world in a particular way.
Uncritical acceptance of anything is lazy and encourages fuzzy thinking. It’s how we individually and as a country have elected so many terrible leaders at every level of government and gotten into so many wasteful wars and much more. Hopefully Armstrong will be a lesson for the gullible and make us work harder to find the truth.
We must accept that often we will never know the truth of a situation or a person and if that makes us feel uncertain about what to think then welcome to something closer to reality.
Gravy Train
October 11th, 2012
2:47 pm
I agree with Patti, the picture is great because of the boy’s passion, not because of Lance.
oldfart
October 11th, 2012
2:47 pm
Let he who is without sin…
That being said, and I know that it is anachronistic of me, but I was taught that is no way to treat the flag.
Fartavious
October 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
Then swap if for a copy of Obama’s college transcripts. Oh crap!
Artie
October 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
All testimony-based “evidence”. With the exception of Hincapie, all the others are VERY suspect! Most randomly-tested athlete in the world (approximately 600 times) and NO positives.
North resident
October 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Keep it. He beat everyone fair and square because they were all cheating.
Probably more true than you might think. Nonetheless, I understand your pain jgalloway. in 2005, I won a TREK trip to ride with Lance in Texas during his annual century ride there . I am an avid cycling fan. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I got an autographed jersey and a picture taken with Lance. Now I look at my jersey and my photo with Lance and just wonder “WTF?”
Teri
October 11th, 2012
2:57 pm
Location, location, location! Move Lance away from Sarah and send the picture to Sam, frame and all! Burn the Palin movie bill!
Scott K
October 11th, 2012
2:58 pm
Regardless of whether Armstrong did or did not “cheat,” the millions of dollars donated by him to aid cancer research is reason alone to admire the man.
Streaker
October 11th, 2012
2:58 pm
Keep it, wether he doped or not his Livestrong organization has raise over 325 million for caner over the years, focus on the positive……..
Ginger
October 11th, 2012
3:01 pm
“Sports heroes cheat, teachers cheat, politicians cheat, bankers cheat, judges cheat, children murder, even the priests molest children. Maybe we need a Mormon to lead the country.”
sarcasm font/Of course that’s the solution. Because everyone but Mormons cheat./sarcasm font
Van Jones
October 11th, 2012
3:01 pm
Artie, I’m with you. Floyd Landis? Tyler Hamilton? At some point it is just not financially feasable to continue the fight. But was he found guilty? No. Did he admit anything? No. Was he tested hundreds of times without a single positive? YES!!!
Uncle Sam
October 11th, 2012
3:02 pm
Why is that kid desecrating my flag like that?
Light
October 11th, 2012
3:02 pm
I like the photo and would not discard it. I don’t know what really happened because he says no and they say yes. But I what I do know from this pic is that Lance inspired hope and pride in the young lad and I think that’s what the pic represents. And that’s really the role of a hero whether they turn out to be legit or not. So, it boils down to your perspective in how you see the photo.
Circle R
October 11th, 2012
3:03 pm
Keep the photo, it is a great shot. If he doped, it was because everyone else did and he had to keep up…and won an unprecedented seven Tour De France titles (and never ONCE tested positive, BTW). And if he never doped (which I wish I could believe), he is even more awesome to have beaten all the cheaters!
Marc
October 11th, 2012
3:04 pm
How much do you want for it?
Who cares about the past of cycling. Let’s move on. Maybe USADA can get their obviously lousy testing procedures figured out. Lance is still the 7-time champion of Tour de France, especially considering the entire peloton was doping.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:06 pm
A lot of my medical friends thought his cancer was probably related to his early doping shenanigans. People will give him a pass because of his charity work, but in most celebrity charities the percentage of the money that actually goes to the “cause” is pretty small. The “overhead” costs on those are sky high, mostly to pay the appearance fees for the celebrity themselves and their cronies who run the charity, and they are more about tax breaks than actually helping people. I guess some of the money does eventually trickle down, but a lot more of it would reach the intended target if people would just give to legitimate mainstream charities instead.
You don't say
October 11th, 2012
3:07 pm
Circle R
I don’t believe Barry Bonds or Roger Clemons ever tested “positive” either………
Do you believe either one ever “juiced”?
FCme
October 11th, 2012
3:10 pm
There has been no trial except in the court of public opinion. At the end of his races, he passed all the mandatory drug tests. But many years later, he must fight the “witnesses” who were dirty/given immunity/”retired” and also stand to gain from USADA financially from their own testimony. Does that sound fair?
Before you completely throw in the towel on Lance Armstrong, I urge you to go to http://ironmomma.com.
Scroll down and take a few minutes to read “My Position On Lance Armstrong”.
Maybe you will still have your hero.
cc
October 11th, 2012
3:10 pm
By all means, keep the photo. You might want to hang it next to your photo of Obama.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:12 pm
He wasn’t just some poor schmo who felt he had to dope, he was a ringleader who got his whole team to do it so they could help him win. TDF is all about team, nobody wins it on their own. You guys are so caught up in celebrity worship that you can’t even call a cheater a cheater. I guess changing test scores in school is OK because it let the kids move on? The end justifies the means? Seven TDF titles revoked and a bunch of worthless diplomas for kids that cant read or do basic math…awesome accomplishments!
Andrew
October 11th, 2012
3:19 pm
Keep it. Cheating or not, he still won 7. He was just the best of the cheaters, which is still an accomplishment whether it be ethically right.
justduckie
October 11th, 2012
3:21 pm
Doping doesn’t guarantee athleticism. The guy still is a great athlete regardless, and beat cancer. If you don’t want the photo I’ll take it!
.Fla Fla Flunkey
October 11th, 2012
3:21 pm
You should give it to my buddy Jeremy. He has a ranging banger in his pants for Lance!
single white dove
October 11th, 2012
3:22 pm
Ill give your $20.00 for it.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:22 pm
By that logic, Bernie Madoff is a hero because a lot of people who worked for him and who he bought stuff from made a lot of money…so what if he cheated to get the money! Also he paid a lot if income tax, so the government benefited from his ponzi scheme. What about those who got cheated out of their money or their chance to win just one TDF? Some Croatian ex-biker is flipping burgers somewhere because his team couldn’t afford the technology to dope without getting caught, yet you toadies want to keep worshipping Lance.
Pompano
October 11th, 2012
3:22 pm
@You don’t say – great point. In the case of Bonds, MLB actually encouraged it with the whole “Chicks Love the Long Ball” campaign featuring McGwire & Sosa (both who were juicing). If my league is actively promoting a couple of guys that players at the time suspected of usage – what kind of signal does that send? Kinda like the NFL back in the 70’s shooting guys full of pain-killers to get them back on the field & then treating them like lepers when they became addicted.
MLB got the Home run king it deserved – cycling the Champion it deserved. I’d keep the picture.
brian
October 11th, 2012
3:23 pm
Ben is right. I would bet that almost the entire field of cyclists were using some sort of enhancer. Lance happened to be the best of them.
JIMBOB
October 11th, 2012
3:25 pm
How does anyone know that he cheated? If we’re going to believe these conspiracy theories then I guess we should also think that Obama’s a Muslim.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:25 pm
And don’t forget that it was the tax-payer funded USPS that was funding him for all those years, so your tax money was buying dope for Lance…yeah, that’s the kind of hero we need. If the kid in the flag read tis blog, he woulod assume that doping was OK if that is what it takes to win, because you nut-jobs are all defending Lance Armstrong.
B
October 11th, 2012
3:28 pm
Keep it as a reminder.
East Cobb RINO, Inc. (LLC)
October 11th, 2012
3:28 pm
I find it incredible that the US Postal Service which has had cash flow problems even going back then spent the millions it did sponsoring his team. Where is the ROI on that? Oooooh, they sponsor Lance Armstrong so I will put a stamp on a handwritten letter instead of sending an email. And yes there was email way back then.
cc
October 11th, 2012
3:30 pm
” If we’re going to believe these conspiracy theories then I guess we should also think that Obama’s a Muslim.”
. . . but Obama IS a muslim!
Zeeb
October 11th, 2012
3:32 pm
_If Lance took performance enhancing drugs; so what? I’m familiar with the types of doping they claim he had in his system, and they wouln’t make a person win 7 tours de france. He still rode and sweated and bled for each title. It’s not like they turn you into superman, you know… In my opinion, the guy is no hero either way, but he’s a person I admire.
If he, didn’t do it, as he claims, more power to him. We all wish we had a person to look up to, and if he was able to achieve these amazing goals without doping, when others did… then he really is a superman.
On a separate note, nobody seems to allege that he doped in 2009 when he finished 3rd in the tour de france_ How many people can even FINISH a tour, and he finished 3rd at 38?
USADA is just looking for ways to make headlines and improve institutional funding.
Live Large Lance!
North resident
October 11th, 2012
3:33 pm
In the realm of sponsorships, a cycling team is relatively inexpensive. Much less so than sponsoring a single Tiger Woods, or holding a golf tourney, etc. The real question is, “why does USPS need to sponsor anyone/thing?” People are going to use their services, regardless.
JIMBOB
October 11th, 2012
3:34 pm
cc,
Good catch. If our big-lie mass media is going to lynch Lance, it should really be lynching Obama too.
The Obama stuff is no less believable or grounded in reality than the Lancephobic allegations.
Elliot Garcia
October 11th, 2012
3:38 pm
what Ben said!! LOL!
East Cobb RINO, Inc. (LLC)
October 11th, 2012
3:38 pm
The real question is, “why does USPS need to sponsor anyone/thing?” People are going to use their services, regardless./
That was pretty much my point.
Elliot Garcia
October 11th, 2012
3:38 pm
Get some football heroes!!
Keeping it real
October 11th, 2012
3:39 pm
Artie,
You’re an idiot. Joyner never ever never tested positive and she confessed. Bottom line, Lance knew how to cheat the tests.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Jones
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:39 pm
JIMBOB: How does anyone know Hitler ordered the Jews to be killed…Iran says that is just a kooky conspiracy theory also….what are you, some kind of idiot? 26 bikers say he did it, and he says he didn’t. Were you on the OJ jury by any chance?
Keeping it real
October 11th, 2012
3:40 pm
check that. I said joyner, meant Jones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Jones
Sports Facts » Armstrong’s former teammates banned – FOXSports.com
October 11th, 2012
3:42 pm
[...] at center of doping ring, agency saysNBCNews.comDenver Post -Reuters -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 4,752 news [...]
Van Jones
October 11th, 2012
3:44 pm
billyBobjacket, so I have a few folks here that say you wear ladies undies. You deny it and have been inspected many, many times confirming that you do not, but a few of us still say you do. So, based on your logic, doesn’t all that lace chafe your man parts?
UGA89
October 11th, 2012
3:46 pm
He was tested more than any other cyclist and not one positive test…
I believe Lance.
GaBlue
October 11th, 2012
3:46 pm
I think it’s part of the natural human condition to seek heroes, somebody to look up to, somebody who wows us by being better at something the way we wish we could be. Somebody stronger, smarter, more courageous, or incredibly talented. It’s our way of looking up, of confirming that it is possible to be something better than what we are. Everybody does it at some time in our lives. There’s no shame in it.
Of course, the REALITY is that all humans are merely human, no matter how high the pedestal upon which someone else has placed them. Every man falls, somewhere, some time. Then people are doubly angry, because they want to believe in a purity of spirit that does not exist.
EVERY hero, in the end, is still just a man, woman, or child. Let it go and find another. It’s okay.
Exrider
October 11th, 2012
3:46 pm
Well, Ben, you said it for me.
They all dope and they have for decades. ALL of them. Lance is the best to have ever ridden and he accomplished what he accomplished after cheating death. And with only one nad.
RobbE33
October 11th, 2012
3:50 pm
Answering should”ve stopped with KHC’s initial post.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:52 pm
Van Jones: If you have 26 people willing to swear under oath with nothing to gain, there is an internationally recognized and accredited agency that is charged with determining whether people wear ladies underwear, they undertook a multi-year investigation with plenty of other evidence, and I was smart enough not to be wearing ladies underwear the few times anybody in an official capacity looked (or was rich enough to pay them off if I was), then a REASONABLE person would conclude that I probably wore them on occasion. What the #&!! do you think the burden of proof has to be…the guy isn’t going to jail, he is still a gazillionaire, and there are enough numbskulls like you who still worship him…
JIMBOB
October 11th, 2012
3:53 pm
billybob,
if the mass media is going to cover for Obama, it’s only fair that it does the same for Lance. Unless it’s racist, of course.
billyBobjacket
October 11th, 2012
3:58 pm
I guess I should have realized that I was on a blog with a bunch of liberal democrats who are used to swallowing whatever lie their celebrity heroes feed them and then deny wrongdoing when it is alleged, and once it is proven just say “Oh well, it didn’t matter, he/she did a lot of good anyway…” If left up to you guys, Mike Vick would still be the Falcons QB, Elliott Spitzer would still be the NY AG, etc.
I'll take it!
October 11th, 2012
3:59 pm
I will take that photo if you really wanna take it down!
Duh
October 11th, 2012
4:00 pm
Inject it with HGH – see if it gets bigger!
bob the cat
October 11th, 2012
4:01 pm
In one of the years Armstrong won you will have to go down to 5th place to get a guy that has yet to be caught to give him the yellow jersey. Armstrong wasn’t alone, just the target with the best prize.
GaBlue
October 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
billyBobjacket,
I’m wondering why you concern yourself with what other people “swallow.” Why do you care? Are you going to tell the good folks here that you’ve never looked up to anyone? Never had a hero of any kind? Or do you allege that you have, but that none of these people have ever sinned, fallen, or failed in any way? Or have you, like everyone else, had to reconcile your admiration with the reality that there are no unflawed people?
Unless…. you are unflawed? In that case, are you running for the Office of Hero? There’s a vacancy, I hear.
The Mirror
October 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
How about you keep him up as a reminder that lying is not tolerated by society in the long run, and that ultimately you will pay for it if people are determined enough.
Auntie Christ
October 11th, 2012
4:09 pm
cc
October 11th, 2012
3:30 pm
” If we’re going to believe these conspiracy theories then I guess we should also think that Obama’s a Muslim.”
. . . but Obama IS a muslim!
***********************************************************************
Considering the sorry history of the christians, from the slaughter of the crusades, the inquisition, enslavement of Black people, extirpation of the Native Americans, the holocaust, and other atrocities, and the hatred and intolerance you billy bob redneck ‘christians’ display here every day, with your misogyny, homophobia and war mongering, having a few muslims around might be a refreshing change for the better.
rico
October 11th, 2012
4:12 pm
What is more American than doping in sports? Cheating for success at sports or business is embarrassing, but that doesn’t seem to stop it from happening here.
AFDawg
October 11th, 2012
4:13 pm
The Tour de France is in a horrible position right now — thus no words from their governing body yet. If they strip Armstrong of his titles, they will be declaring the Tour de France a fraud because it will signal that there was a way to cheat the system. If they spent the time and money interviewing and investigating all of the winners the way they have Armstrong — they would all be declared cheaters (guaranteed). Remember, Armstrong never failed a test and has already been declared innocent on criminal charges. He’s being prosecuted on heresay — no proof whatsoever. Is it possible all of his accusers are collaborting? With so much at risk — absolutely! The sport of professional bicycling is now finished. If I were Armstrong — I wouldn’t give anything back until each and every winner is investigated to the same degree he was.
GG
October 11th, 2012
4:13 pm
I love when people say that he is innocent because he never tested positive. Tatyana Tomashova a famous Russian 1500m runner never tested positive either, but everyone knew (and now they know for sure after her admission) that she constantly used EPO. She was caught only because a DNA analysis of some of competition samples showed conclusively that there were inconsistencies in her samples.
Now as a far as the dilemma that everyone cheats…well maybe so, but those that get caught get punished. Contador was stripped of his titles, so was Landis and so was Tomashova. Every time you take a risk. Sometime you come on top and sometime you don’t. Armstrong took his risks and lost.
anonymous
October 11th, 2012
4:15 pm
Photographers, thier colleagues, have tremendous pride in their published works. Alas, personal bias inhibits their good judgment.
Find the boy, if you can, ask him how he now feels about that photo.
AFDawg
October 11th, 2012
4:16 pm
By the way — if you no longer want the picture, I’l be more than happy to take it off your hands.
AFDawg
October 11th, 2012
4:22 pm
GG, Tatyana was proved through laboratory analysis — Armstrong never has been. He’s been torn down by story telling. Whoever thought Dan Rather would try to bring President Bush down with forged documents — it was story telling. All I’m saying is that if you go after one competitor with this much time, money, and interviewing — then you have to do it for all of them. You’ve raised the bar now, so eberyone has to play from a level playing field. Obvioulsy they were out to get Armstrong, otherwise thye wouldn’t have gone to these huge extremes.
Pete
October 11th, 2012
4:23 pm
Keep the picture. I have a picture I took of Lance on one of his “victory” laps of the Champs-Élysées.He won. I was there. It is highly unlikely that any cyclist at that time at that level was not doping. Too bad, but it’s true. If they strip him of his Tour de France titles, the next person in line probably doped as well. And doping is not limited to cycling. Most sports at the top levels are highly suspect – look how big football players are today compared to 1965. And there’s Barry Bonds. Most sports have become ultra-commercialized and the rewards for excelling at the top levels are so great that it is not hard to imaging that people are willing to risk their health by taking these medications. Look at the big business of college football. Clemson this year eliminated their swim team because it was too expensive to compete at the Division I level – football and basketball take all of the money that is available. So it is not just cycling, or any one sport. It’s money.
Hamad Meande
October 11th, 2012
4:23 pm
I believe that everyone of Tour de France’s second place finishers to Armstrong was caught or confessed to doping, so let’s assume that basically everyone of means that competed in cycling at that time was doping. That still makes Lance Armstrong the best cyclist.
What bothers me about the whole thing is the denials. If he was doping, and I believe the evidence and statements by his teammates points to it, then why vilify the people charged with keeping the sport clean? At some point, why not admit it, and state “To win in this sport, you must dope, because everyone of my competitors was as well”.
At what point does cycling allow doping so that everyone is on the same playing field? At least they could be safer about using PEDs if they didn’t have to hide it.
Hamad Meander
October 11th, 2012
4:26 pm
Have you noticed that baseball players look like real human beings again now? The 1990s was the decade of the He-Mans in baseball – dudes so freakishly big and strong due to doping. Bonds, McGuire, Bagwell, and on – those dudes were not just eating healthy. I don’t think baseball as a sport has been hurt with players being tested……the infield fly rule and stupid playoff scheme has done more damage.
AFDawg
October 11th, 2012
4:28 pm
GG, Also — you’re comparing apples to oranges. Landis and Contador were stripped and suspended because they “tested” postive. Armstrong never did — not once. That’s a big difference than someone saying I saw so and so taking something out of his bag, and so and so said we should all be taking supplenments to be competitive, etc. This is why heresay never holds up inmurder trials. I want some concrete evidence — which no one has been able to produce.
rabblebabble
October 11th, 2012
4:29 pm
Yeah – what Ben said — it is a bit of a quandry, but you can’t deny all of the effort he put into training/etc…I mean, it’s not like he just hung out on the couch all season, got juiced, then cheated his way to victory… It is the culture within cycling that is at issue here — we are the USA, I mean – we are the BEST…and, as such – I guess we had the best doping program too.
Matthew
October 11th, 2012
4:30 pm
He’s not fake, he just had help, and truth be told the majority of his competitors had the same or similar “help”. If they were all clean, he just might have pulled off the same number of wins, just with slower times and slightly lessor stats. Keep it.
rabblebabble
October 11th, 2012
4:32 pm
anyone who knows anything about Lance’s personality type and the facts at hand is just kidding themselves if they still stand by his “didn’t do it” BS.
GG
October 11th, 2012
4:33 pm
She was proved by laboratory analysis only after those sample were retested with more modern methodologies. Not when the samples were initially provided. The USADA has also stated that they have old samples of Armstrong that have been retested and show he was doping.
When you introduce drugs in sports, they play-field is never equal. Drugs are not like Popeye spinach. Only that know the science of what they are doing get maximum benefits. Armstrong had the financial backing to have an army of doctors and scientists to be part of his program. Also because a drug works really well for an individual doesn’t mean it works that well for everyone. One person might get great benefits from a drug, while another person might get only a fraction of them.
The bottom line is that drugs will always be part of sports. I agree with the philosophy that you get caught you pay. If don’t get caught….good for you.
bubs
October 11th, 2012
4:34 pm
This whole argument about “ooh, they’re all doing it, so he should keep his titles” is a bunch of crap! Yes, everyone on the American team was doing it, but we haven’t proven that the riders from other teams/countries were doing it. Lance is a disgrace to America….the epitome of a cheating loser.
rabblebabble
October 11th, 2012
4:35 pm
think it’s about time I started my own line of yellow bracelets to compete with Lance’s “livestrong”… gonna be either “cheatwell” or “dopefiend”
Mad Dog
October 11th, 2012
4:36 pm
I’m with Van: he never failed a drug test.
chamblee54
October 11th, 2012
4:37 pm
1-s there anyone else who doesn’t think steroid use is a big deal?
2-The major sponsor of most sports telecasts is alcohol pushers.
3-Even if he did use chemicals to enhance his performance, that does not make him a fake.
4-It does not mean his ex gf should be called before the grand jury.
chamblee54
rabblebabble
October 11th, 2012
4:39 pm
I never failed a drug test either….winkwink nudgenudge.
EJ Moosa
October 11th, 2012
4:44 pm
The fault is with us. We should not elevate any man to the status of a god. For in the end, they shall all fail to meet our expectations.
rico
October 11th, 2012
4:44 pm
Anyone who has played any competitive sports at any level knows that cheating has and always be apart of most sports. Pushing, holding, tripping, flopping, etc. Same for business, really, just different techniques. You take any advantage that you think you can get away with and try not to get caught. Winning is the goal for most sports and business, not playing fair. Until that is ingrained into world culture, it will continue to exist. Sure, some competitive events stress it more than others but it is not an overall popular thing until someone is caught.
Alana
October 11th, 2012
4:54 pm
All of you saying he was the “best cheater” are really screwed up. Why are we comending someone who was the best cheater? That’s like saying the Gang Leader was the best murder, so he should get off. WHAT??? I mean, sure the rest may have been doping too, but what about the few that weren’t? They struggled through the hard times WITHOUT the dope, and what do they have to show for it?? NADA. And just because he never “tested” positive, doesn’t mean he wasn’t doping. With the millions Lance was brining in yearly, you don’t think he hired a team of doctors/scientists/etc to devise a cover-up?? Come on people, use your brains and stop promoting someone who won’t even defend themself anymore…
CS
October 11th, 2012
4:55 pm
Losing Command Sergeant Major Basil Plumley is losing a real hero or legend; not some doper fraud jock – http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/10/basil-plumley-retired-veteran-whose-book-became-were-soldiers-movie-dies-in/?intcmp=features.
GG
October 11th, 2012
4:58 pm
Exactamundo rico. This idea that sports should be fair cracks me up. The simple idea of competition has never been fair and no sport will ever be. When you get caught you accept your losses and move on. The biggest mistake that Armstrong made was to turn his shoulders to those that helped him. If had taken care of guys like Landis and Hamilton, none of this would have even started. As soon as the first person blows the whistle…game over.
puhlease
October 11th, 2012
5:00 pm
I say put it in the toilet, along with the Palin literature which is just where they both belong.
Tap Out
October 11th, 2012
5:05 pm
Cool picture….keep it.
Fred
October 11th, 2012
5:12 pm
@billyBobjacket – Your arguments might have more credence if you had bothered to do any research on the first one. As it is, your lack of easily verified theories don’t hold much water. Charity Navigator rates charities on several criteria including how much they actually give to the charity they support. Livestrong was at 80.2% last year which is pretty high. Trying to paint his organization in a bad light by using a sweeping generalization backfires on you. Check out the report yourself – http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6570 .
2DPointAtlanta
October 11th, 2012
5:27 pm
First decide whether you believe in a doping detection agency that waited until the man’s career was over before they started producting “proof” (through statements) that he cheated – OR you can believe in Lance Armstrong and that he wasn’t a cheater then or a liar now. Let your consience be your guide.
East Cobb RINO, Inc. (LLC)
October 11th, 2012
5:29 pm
Lacey things, the wife is missing.
Didn’t ask, for her permission
I’m wearing her clothes,
her silk panty hose.
Walking around in women’s underwear.
In the store, there’s a teddy.
With little straps, like spagetti.
It holds me so tight,
like handcuffs at night.
Walking around in womens underwear
In the office there’s a guy named Melvin.
He pretends that I am Murphy Brown.
He’ll say “Are you ready?”
I’ll say, “Woah man! Lets wait until the wife is out of town.”
Later on, if you wanna,
We can dress, like Madonna.
Put on some eye shade, and join the parade.
Walking around in women’s underwear.
Lacey things, missing.
Didn’t ask, permission.
Wearing her clothes, silk panty hose.
Walking around in women’s underwear.
Walking around in women’s underwear.
Walking around in women’s underwear……”
BB
October 11th, 2012
5:32 pm
Lance Lemmings. Why on earth would all of those people lie? Read the documents. If you don’t, you have no idea what you’re talking about. And it does NOT LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD! This is the biggest misnomer. PEDs affect others differently and they weren’t all on the same PEDs. Lance was the best. The best DOPER.
Johnjon
October 11th, 2012
5:32 pm
send the picture to sarah. they are two of the phoniest people to come to the public’s attention in the last 20 years.
North resident
October 11th, 2012
5:34 pm
Considering the sorry history of the christians, from the slaughter of the crusades, the inquisition, enslavement of Black people, extirpation of the Native Americans, the holocaust, and other atrocities, and the hatred and intolerance you billy bob redneck ‘christians’ display here every day, with your misogyny, homophobia and war mongering, having a few muslims around might be a refreshing change for the better.
Which Muslim dominated country is NOT misogynistic or homophobic? By all means, enlighten us!
Middle eastern countries were slavers a thousand years before the U.S. existed, and continued after the civil war. The leader of Iran insists he wants another holocaust. In short, nearly every claim you ascribe to billy bob redneck ‘christians’ can also be ascribed to Muslims.
As to Obama: I think he is an atheist/agnostic. I think that he went to a Christian church only to gain favor in the community where he ran for election.
Auntie Christ
October 11th, 2012
5:50 pm
North resident
October 11th, 2012
5:34 pm
In short, nearly every claim you ascribe to billy bob redneck ‘christians’ can also be ascribed to Muslims.
*********************************************
Exactly, so if Obama is muslim, christian or wiccan is irrelevant, yet some commenters here make the accusation of his being a muslim as if there is some inherent evil in being muslim as opposed to christian. My assertion that having a muslim would be a refreshing change for the better was tongue-in-cheek. My real position is that believing in fairy tales whether it is little red riding hood or virgin births or visitations by heavenly beings, should qualify one for mental health care instead of public office.
mojo322
October 11th, 2012
5:54 pm
Umm…what kind of morals do you have making sure this article gets published? Move on and I SO hope you son is the angel you think he is!
NullOp
October 11th, 2012
5:55 pm
Actually, 500 random tests said he didn’t do it! It would be impossible to fool the tests that many times. They are random and can come any time, day or night no matter where you are. This whole case is a matter of axe-grinding against Armstrong. Nothing more. The American Anti-Doping people have no authority regarding a French race in the first place.
NullOp
October 11th, 2012
6:00 pm
Oh, just so you’ll know. Pro cycling is not full of saints that just happen to ride bikes. More often than not cycling is the only things these guys have and in the world of competitive sports, sports entertainment, no publicity is bad publicity. Also, it would be a good way to “pay back” some perceived wrong doing in the peloton.
David
October 11th, 2012
6:05 pm
Lance Armstrong is still a great biker. I don’t believe him to be guilt, just tired of fighting the lynch mob that was after him from the beginning of the investigation. Don’t forget he passed every drug test, yet the lynchmen still went after him.
26 people testified...
October 11th, 2012
6:27 pm
and many of them were among his best and closest friends on the planet. i read some of the the report, and it’s over 200 pages of circumstantial evidence and first hand testimony. I now think he’s guilty. put the photo in a box and remind yourself to be true to the fight
Richard
October 11th, 2012
6:28 pm
Even without performance enhancing drugs he could still kick most people’s ass on a bicycle.
Lance: My Hero
October 11th, 2012
6:28 pm
All these naysayers could be juiced with all the EPO in China and they still couldn’t beat the slowest rider on the TdF. Shut up and ride.
David Ingram
October 11th, 2012
7:00 pm
There are some crazy political and religious comments in these responses! This is Greek tragedy stuff. Remember King David and Bathsheba, President Kennedy, President Nixon, President Clinton and others who achieved greatness and fell from grace. Other sports figures (Barry Bonds and others) have followed suit. Lance has done much good in supporting cancer research, but all the evidence points to him being a fraud and cheat when it comes to pro cycling. He did in fact test positive once, something everyone has ignored, in the 90s, so with all the testimony and evidence I am convinced he doped and is a human with faults. He’ll face the consequences. Get over it! And save the photo, Jim.
Lynne
October 11th, 2012
7:16 pm
Samuel Douglas…..Please keep on going with the same passion you expressed in the picture….with your own goals! The young Mr. Samuel Douglas will do us proud!
Mr Bill
October 11th, 2012
7:21 pm
Mail it to Wacko Palin.
Skeezix
October 11th, 2012
7:27 pm
I’m with Lance. This has been a witch hunt. Lynch mob mentality at work here. The USADA “evidence” would not pass muster in a court of law. It is mostly hearsay and some it of is from already discredited liars. Lance, despite being tested hundreds of times, never had a positive result. That is the hard evidence USADA chooses to ignore. The Federal investigation was dropped because they couldn’t find any hard evidence. Why does USADA think they have jurisdiction over a sporting event in Europe? The Euros haven’t revoked his 7 tour wins.
Dawgaholic
October 11th, 2012
8:33 pm
Jim Galloway, mail it to me, I would love to hangit on my wall, Lance was the best and so is the flag, I will send you my mailing address and even pay the shipping,u
GG
October 11th, 2012
8:37 pm
I love the witch hunt comments. Who cares how long it took. How long did he take to incriminate Sandusky? He must be innocent too. Personally i don’t have a problem with drugs in sport. I played competitive sports all my life and I know drugs are always going to be in it. Every time you decide to dope though there is always a chance you will get caught. It might not happen right away but eventually it might. If it happens take it like a man and move on. Like I said….Armstrong should have never turned his shoulder on the disgraced that helped him. Cardinal rule number one. Always take care of your minions and they will take care of you.
Dawgaholic
October 11th, 2012
8:43 pm
Billy Bobjacket is a jackass or either a donkey , how do I know? You don’t swap kicks with either
Vashek
October 11th, 2012
8:55 pm
That boy runs after towards/after Armstrong, not the other way around. The question is what happened that at one time you considered Armstrong “a hero” and now “the cyclist who turned out to be fake”. What changed is your thinking. But there’s nothing fake about Armstrong, because he is still the same person, you changed. Bigger question is, can you accept that even heroes fall? Or, who will be your next fallen hero? We all are imperfect, aren’t we? Either doping or not Lance Armstrong still won TdF seven times, no matter if USADA takes those titles or not.
DawgNole
October 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
bubs
October 11th, 2012
4:34 pm
Lance is a disgrace to America….the epitome of a cheating loser.
___________________
Actually, he’s the epitome of a cheating winner.
Observer
October 11th, 2012
9:20 pm
Jim, keep the photo. The innocence of the young man cheering on Armstrong speaks volumes.
DawgNole
October 11th, 2012
9:27 pm
Fred
October 11th, 2012
5:12 pm
@billyBobjacket – Your arguments might have more credence if you had bothered to do any research on the first one. As it is, your lack of easily verified theories don’t hold much water.
___________________
His handle has “billybob” in it. And you expect him to conduct research?
My life is party
October 11th, 2012
9:40 pm
It is obvious that the Armstrong apologists don’t have much of a clue about drug testing. So let’s give a little insight. When you are tested for anabolic steroids, for example, they measure your ratio of free testosterone to epitestosterone. In normal human being that ratio is 1:1 or close to it. UCI regulations will allow you to pass the test as long as you test with a ratio of 4:1 or below. In other words the message is: We know you are going to take something, but as long as you don’t make it painfully obvious, we are going to shut an eye.
Armstrong’s tests were never clean. As a matter of fact they were always on the edge of failing. To the point that the UCI got so pi$$ed off that they couldn’t figure out how a guy could be so consistently on the edge of failing, without actually failing a test; that 2001, after the usual tests came back on the cusp, they forced him to retire, striking a deal with him not to pursue further analysis (that is something that the USADA did actually now and they have proof that he doped).
Now we know what everybody (UCI and USADA) always suspected. Armstrong was the best. At doping that is. If you read the entire PDF released by the USADA, you will realize that his doping program was so elaborate and so cutting edge that it allowed Armstrong to dope far longer than any of his competitor ever could (sometime even during a race) Armstrong was practicing blood doping techniques that no one else even knew how to use at the time. Landis tried to use the same drug protocols when he tried his impossible come back in the 2002 tour, but unfortunately he didn’t have the doctors at his disposal he had while he worked with Armstrong to help him mask the samples before they were tested and he got caught. As a matter of fact his samples were so faulty that it was almost laughable that he even tried to deny he doped.
Keeping it real
October 11th, 2012
9:41 pm
THE TESTS MEAN NOTHING. MARION JONES never tested positive and then in 2007 admitted you took enhancing drugs. I need no more truth. 11 teammates and Marion never testing positive. Lance is guilty as hell and that is why he gave up.
Yeah, right, I believe your reason for giving up. You never gave before.
Wiki Marion Jones.
Keeping it real
October 11th, 2012
9:50 pm
Vashek, no he didn’t win. When you sign the prerace papers, I just bet there is a little caveat somewhere that says that the organization has a right to strip you of the race results if you found to be chearting or blah, blah.
Paterno, same thing. He does not have 409 victories. He has 298. He too knew the rules going in and that his wins could be vacated. Ha. I said at the time that the NCAA would vacate at least 2 victories to give Eddie the record. Wow 111. from 1 to number 12. I just love it.
Captain Obvious
October 11th, 2012
10:05 pm
Of course Mormons don’t cheat! anyone with 5 wives doesn’t have time to cheat.
Samuel Douglas
October 11th, 2012
10:38 pm
Hey that is me on the left! Keep the picture. It can symbolize the next generation of cycling that it held to a higher ethics and does not dope. Email me and next time I am in Atlanta I will be glad to sign it for you.
Vashek
October 11th, 2012
11:49 pm
@Keeping it real; what is real is that those titles only matter for some history keepers, books; for Armstrong those things don’t matter, it matters to you ’cause you want to see him humiliated, beaten, debased; he’ll never be that; he won on the road, day after day, all those cyclists that testified against him know that. That’s all it is to it. That will not change.
Aunt Debra
October 12th, 2012
7:17 am
If you’re not going to keep it, send it to me! I’m Samuel’s aunt and I’d love to have it!
Lula lee
October 12th, 2012
10:52 am
Didn’t photo win a 2nd place award for your photographer? Keep it….that kid has already done a huge amount to introduce kids to cycling: he has had an article published in a middle school reader on cycling that is targeted for reluctant readers, he has made sure that a community of foster kids have bikes so they can participate in the sport, he is currently cycling on a college club team, and he has made friends all over Georgia through the community of cyclists…..he is passionate about the sport. I think you have a new hero in the photo!