Pathetic !

Maybe Arnsstrong did , just like all the rest , use perfromace enhancing durges , EPO , or something else ...? I don't know , but why bring 1999 race up now ?

The French simply can't accept the fact that this Yankee beats them over and over again at their own game at home !
Next thing you know they will offer to dig the dead from the grave .

Schick
Israel

Cycling - just like many other sports - is beautiful to watch. I think it's beautiful to watch Armstrong, Ricco, Contador, Valverde, Vinokourov, Basso, Simoni battle it out in the mountains! Think of Landis's solo! I think they're exceptional athletes. I just also think that given their record, all their associations, the culture, the doubts and the possibilites, that they're all extremely gifted athletes, extremely hard workers (not a lazy one in the bunch!), all have exceptional god-given talents AND they doped!

Why is it that every time an athlete performs well the entire world automatically assumes he or she must be cheating? There are extraordinary athletes out there and they get where there are not because they cheat but because of God given talent and Hard, Hard work.

I always think the best examples of how Lance could have cheated and not failed doping tests come from Ulrich and Basso's cases. Neither ever tested positive for EPO use or other performance-enhancing drugs, (Ullrich tested positive for amphetamines), but both stored their blood with Dr. Fuentes.

Look at Vinokourov. I find it incredibly suspect that Armstrong used Dr. Ferrari for years, the same doctor Vinokourov used.

Here's Lance's comments after Dr. Ferrari was charged in Italy:

"Dr. Ferrari has been a longtime... adviser to me and the USPS team, during which time he never suggested, prescribed or provided me with any performance-enhancing drugs."

Well, Lance technically could be telling the truth, that Ferrari "never suggested, prescribed or provided" him with performance-enhancing drugs, but he may have performed or supervised blood transfusions. The 1999 samples, Frankie Andreu's testimony, the Ferrari ties, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Roberto Heras, Manuel Beltran?... It's all circumstantial, but pretty damning to me.

Thinks about this. Most every person who has been on a Tour de France podium since 1999 have been implicated in a doping scandal, caught doping or admitted to doping. This includes Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Alexander Vinokourov, Joseba Beloki, Raimondas Rumšas and Alex Zülle. All these 2nd and 3rd places doped, but not Armstrong? No. Lance probably did it, too. And he trained very hard, too! And he performed. And he thrilled us all!

Here's the kicker, a quote from Ferrari I was amazed to find in Wikipedia:

"If it doesn't show up in the drug controls, then it's not doping"

I think that just says it all.

Can't wait to watch TDF again Lance Armstrong must be one of the few cyclists or athletes that has more puncture marks on his arms than most druggies have after all the tests he has been subject to, to try re test samples that have been subject to numerous tests is a waste of time and I believe they have become tainted the only thing that is going to have to happen two test will have to be done at a time and one test will have to be independent of cycling that way the two can be compared,somehow I don't believe he will be treated fairly too much media on him. Welcome back Lance will be great to see you once again.

its not because he took drugs its because the samples became contaminated! we know this from 2005 wen they tried the same thing. Armstrong must b 1 of the onli atheletes in ne sport hu puts his tests on the internet! he is not guilty if he was he wud b caught 4 it jus accept that he didnt. u cannot possible say he did wen he was tested so many times without a single positive!

It's obviously clear that he rejected because he knows he took drugs in '99!!!

Double standards. Rooting for Saxo Bank and their "admitted" drug using Director, while condemning Lance.

Hypocrites.

And who was the idiot that said this tour was the cleanest in years? Oh that's right, it was the tour director himself. Talk about bias and self imposed ignorance.

Bellingo, when you are loking forward to Lance trying to keep up with the Saxo Bank train. Is the the same team that is run by a self confessed drugs cheat who, along with some of his riders, is at this moment implicated in the Dr Fuentes affair with transactions as recent as 2005.

dardruba, what drug free cycling world I guess you did not watch the Tour De France this year. Nice try. And by the way they are not even done retesting all the samples from that TOUR.

Thanks for the info about Eddy Merckx's comeback, Maurice1958.
Well, you did say "Welcome back to the GREATEST cyclist in history."
And that was Eddy Merckx.

I do not share the same views as most of you, yes a few (and I mean few) of lance's teammates have tested positive (never while with lance ) but what about all the great cyclist that lance had on his team that didn't .. ? ? ? there are far more that road with lance that are ( and still are)CLEAN . than not ... don't get me wrong I'm not a huge LA fan .. but are far as I am concerned we live in a world that includes INNOCENCE until PROVEN guilty ... no FACTS have ever been brought forward(s) in regards to this ... as far as I'm concerned ... THE BEST EVER TDF CHAMP is BACK ... LETS RACE .....

Fair comment Maurice1958, my facts aren't quite straight and Manolo O also makes the point that none of them were caught while they were racing with/for Lance. Remember, however, that Ricco was supposedly not doping in the Giro - but are we really to believe that after the TdF? (Before everyone starts clamouring I know it may be true).
I guess the point I was really trying to make is that nobody will ever be 100% sure in respect of the Postal/Disco years and whilst the conspiracy theories will no doubt continue - we all might just as well wait and see what LA can do between now and August 09 in what (I sincerely hope and believe), is a clean(er) peleton.

Amazing. Just when I thought he would flinch, the man comes up with great statements like "the samples have not been maintained properly", "the samples have been compromised" and "There is nothing that I can agree to that would provide any relevant evidence about 1999." True or not, he has the capacity to sound very reasonable. I just wish, in an admittedly very naive outlook, that he had been able to say "Go ahead. Test my urine from 1999!". Oh, good point, bellingo. The only loophole I can think of to your argument is that I think none of those riders were caught while they raced for Lance. But I agree with your logic. If your teammates worked for you and they doped, you won in an unfair way.

bellingo
Can we just stick to the facts there are enough fictitious statements being posted.

IVAN BASSO NEVER RODE FOR LANCE ARMSTRONG,

Good we have comments on this post like "Guilty until proven Guilty" bet this person H.C likes and advocates fair play.
God help us.

Welcome back to the GREATEST Cyclist in History

The whole Armstrong/doping thing (and the Armstrong thing in general) is getting really boring.
I'm not particularly a LA detractor although I am deeply cynical/suspicious. Just focussing on facts; cycling is a team sport (particularly the long stage races like TdF); LA was pulled round France by a number of riders who were or have since been tested positive (think Tyler Hamilton, Ivan Basso, Roberto Heras, Gianpaolo Mondini, Floyd Landis) - In my view this is cheating as much as if LA himself had been doping anyway.
Let him get on with it and see if he can stay on level terms with the Saxo Bank train in 2009. (Alberto - please dump Astana)

Armstrong has been tested his whole professional life and people still have the nerve to judge someone who bases his cycling life on hard work and talent..not drugs! The world is full of doubters and we need people like Armstrong to prove the critics wrong. GO LANCE !! welcome back

Innocent until proven guilty and no one in their desperate search for guilt on Armstrong can find any wrong so get over it, he is clean and deserves credit for his great achievements. All you loosers that have no faith in hard work.

That's right Lance - Refuse a review cos you're so sodding guilty. Then you can blame it on the blood not being well looked after - I can promise you that your blood would very well looked after - They ain't gonna let this one go Buster.

Guilty until proved Guilty

I do wish he'd stay out of cycling and concentrate on his very worthy charity.
His name is like a red flag to a bull, whatever he does in cycling will be countered by adverse publicity like this.
So often in his interviews he was asked had he ever taken a performance enhancing substance and he replied
angrily that he'd never failed a test for that, which is hardly a 'vehement denial'.
We don't need that in our new drug free cycle racing world.