Was Lance Armstrong Drug assisted?
Poll: Was Lance Armstrong Drug assisted?
Total Members Polled: 146
Discussion
I've just skipped through Lance's "It's not about the Bike", what a guy, what a life! He comes across as a bit of an a-hole at times, although he has been through the mill, and you don't get to be a 7 times Tour winner by being nice to people. One thing he really rails against in his book is the accusations of him drug taking. I'd never picked up on this before, but of course now, thinking about it, it makes sense that he "could have" taken illegal drugs to do what he did. Especially as it was so rife as to be normal in the sport at that time. There is also speculation that removal of a testicle gives him a sporting advantage - as hormone levels in his body allow him to train/endure more than usual.
I still like to think he got where he did out of brute force, unnatural ability and bloody mindedness - added to which teh cancer experience focussed his mind to be a champion. What do you guys think?
I still like to think he got where he did out of brute force, unnatural ability and bloody mindedness - added to which teh cancer experience focussed his mind to be a champion. What do you guys think?
Unfortunately the spectre of doping will always hang over him as his performances were so extraordinary. However, the only credible stance to take is that he never failed a drugs test so therefore was clean according to the rules of the sport. People can go on (and on and on...) about their suspicions but unless they can prove them, what's the point?
We have to remember that the people who get to the top of endurance sports are freaks. They are not normal human specimens. Their physiology is genetically pre-disposed to handle the huge levels of training and exertion required.
We have to remember that the people who get to the top of endurance sports are freaks. They are not normal human specimens. Their physiology is genetically pre-disposed to handle the huge levels of training and exertion required.
Well, he was getting EPO to increase his red blood cells during Chemotherapy, but the way I see it, that was only a short term fix and would not have long term performance benefits. As he says in his book, the total toxicity of the chemo drugs were enough to nearly kill him, so to get any benefit from them would be virtually impossible.
As mentioned before, the loss of one testicle might have helped with the lactic acid processing, but I still feel.
Thsi whole thing does give you an insight into how the press can become completely manic when they want to. Wikipedia has a whole list of "possible" accusations, but at the end of the day, the only time he was ever found with anything his system (during competitive years) was an acceptable level of a steroid Armstrong claims to have absorbed from saddle sore cream. (like domestic help repoirting she saw plenty of drugs and needles around the home etc).
As mentioned before, the loss of one testicle might have helped with the lactic acid processing, but I still feel.
Thsi whole thing does give you an insight into how the press can become completely manic when they want to. Wikipedia has a whole list of "possible" accusations, but at the end of the day, the only time he was ever found with anything his system (during competitive years) was an acceptable level of a steroid Armstrong claims to have absorbed from saddle sore cream. (like domestic help repoirting she saw plenty of drugs and needles around the home etc).
If you saw that documentary a few weeks ago entitled "The Science of Lance Armstrong" I think you would agree that he was the best due to his unique physical attributes. Monsterous heart, HUGE VO2 Max, Minute levels of Lactic Acid present, Mental ability to beat cancer and bounce back in next to no time. He improved his muscle efficiency from 21% (average) to 23% (much better) over a year. Now add the financial backing of the Discovery team and the R+D and you have a world beater.
Just because others have tarred the sport with the drug brush, it seems that the authorities are hell bent on proving that Lance was somehow doing it too.
That he passed every test he took, and he accepted begrudgingly the impact on his life these tests took made him even more of a hero to me.
Its interesting to note that its the french who seem to be most pissed off about this...
The man, in my eyes, is an example to us all, as a cyclist, but also as a man.
That he passed every test he took, and he accepted begrudgingly the impact on his life these tests took made him even more of a hero to me.
Its interesting to note that its the french who seem to be most pissed off about this...
The man, in my eyes, is an example to us all, as a cyclist, but also as a man.
A small number of individuals in the media who find a willing audience.
The Armstrong/Discovery/Trek/Nike machine brought previously unheard of levels of management, control and development resource to the sport, all focussed on achieving one thing each year and all built around an athlete who had the necessary wherewithal to justify the effort.
The Armstrong/Discovery/Trek/Nike machine brought previously unheard of levels of management, control and development resource to the sport, all focussed on achieving one thing each year and all built around an athlete who had the necessary wherewithal to justify the effort.
If he did or did not is no longer of interest i feel.His funding of cancer research is worth more than satisfaction to someone that he used performance enhancing drugs.Lance will never be found guilty of this, he's just worth too much in the cancer fight in sheer dollar terms.I hope and feel it was a fairly clean series of wins ,although the limit of 50 for a heamocritic levels are in the real world average are very high and most top pros tested very close in those days.
I've read the book and watched the documentary.
To my mind, it seems clear that his starting point was an incredibly efficient body and a scarily focussed and determined mind.
Once he'd regained his fitness post-cancer he had completely rebuilt his body in a way most athletes simply cannot do, i.e. strip it down to bare minimum to support life and then start again with the advantage of building up only those muscle groups that are going to be useful in competitive cycling. His power to weight ratio jumped a huge amount as a result.
Also, re: the cancer, it wasn't just chemo and loss of a b
k; he had brain surgery to remove tumours as well. He refused a more aggressive and more-likely-to-save-his-life form of chemo in order to spare his lungs. The alternative was more likely to offer a decent chance of recovery but at the expense of his cycling career. Takes a huge amount of balls (no pun intended) to make that decision when you're at death's door and says a lot about his mindset.
An inspiration to us all.
To my mind, it seems clear that his starting point was an incredibly efficient body and a scarily focussed and determined mind.
Once he'd regained his fitness post-cancer he had completely rebuilt his body in a way most athletes simply cannot do, i.e. strip it down to bare minimum to support life and then start again with the advantage of building up only those muscle groups that are going to be useful in competitive cycling. His power to weight ratio jumped a huge amount as a result.
Also, re: the cancer, it wasn't just chemo and loss of a b
k; he had brain surgery to remove tumours as well. He refused a more aggressive and more-likely-to-save-his-life form of chemo in order to spare his lungs. The alternative was more likely to offer a decent chance of recovery but at the expense of his cycling career. Takes a huge amount of balls (no pun intended) to make that decision when you're at death's door and says a lot about his mindset.An inspiration to us all.
Nick_F said:
A small number of individuals in the media who find a willing audience.
The Armstrong/Discovery/Trek/Nike machine brought previously unheard of levels of management, control and development resource to the sport, all focussed on achieving one thing each year and all built around an athlete who had the necessary wherewithal to justify the effort.
Agreed and if he wanted to dabbble it would have made more sense to base himself somewhere else - in fact anywhere else but franceThe Armstrong/Discovery/Trek/Nike machine brought previously unheard of levels of management, control and development resource to the sport, all focussed on achieving one thing each year and all built around an athlete who had the necessary wherewithal to justify the effort.
At my company conference in Las Vegas in Jan 07 they brought on the "motivational speaker"...and it was none other than Lance himself.
He was'nt the worlds best presenter or most fluid public speaker (but in front of 4000 people it's always gonna be tough). But the slight hub-bub murmour that you had heard in the main arena for a week of conference was gone, to be replaced with absolute utter silence as he told his story straight from the heart in an incredibly matter of fact way.
I kid you not everyone was sat forward on their seats hanging on his every word. Motivational speaker? Utterly inspiring more like and there were many, many hairy assed sales people who suddenly seemed to have a bit of grit in thier eye that afternoon...
Legend. End of.
He was'nt the worlds best presenter or most fluid public speaker (but in front of 4000 people it's always gonna be tough). But the slight hub-bub murmour that you had heard in the main arena for a week of conference was gone, to be replaced with absolute utter silence as he told his story straight from the heart in an incredibly matter of fact way.
I kid you not everyone was sat forward on their seats hanging on his every word. Motivational speaker? Utterly inspiring more like and there were many, many hairy assed sales people who suddenly seemed to have a bit of grit in thier eye that afternoon...
Legend. End of.
Hi folks,
Personally I reckon he was as clean as anyone else in the game. He may well have used stimulants or strange training methods, but as someone else has pointed out he was the most tested rider in the peloton and so I'd guess he stayed within the rules.
For example, in the program on Chris Boardman you saw him training by setting up a room in his house with a reduced oxygen feed. Now that's not "normal" training but the effect is to boost the cell count just as if he'd taken drugs, so is it cheating ? Nope, it's all legal and within the rules. Yet I've never seen any criticism of Chris, everyone I know is convinced he's the cleanest rider in the peloton (and that includes me)
What a lot of the critics seem to forget is that Lance was winning races as a kid, often against more senior riders, and I'd be fairly sure he couldn't afford courses of EPO or whatever then, especially when there was no cash at stake at the time.
Win one tour and no-one bothers, but to win a string and dominate the peloton so strongly just made him an easy target. So he's either so clever that he's scientifically ahead of all the combined sports doctors and officials that are gunning for him, or he's playing within the rules - now which is the more likely ?
An inspirational guy - one of the all time greats.
Personally I reckon he was as clean as anyone else in the game. He may well have used stimulants or strange training methods, but as someone else has pointed out he was the most tested rider in the peloton and so I'd guess he stayed within the rules.
For example, in the program on Chris Boardman you saw him training by setting up a room in his house with a reduced oxygen feed. Now that's not "normal" training but the effect is to boost the cell count just as if he'd taken drugs, so is it cheating ? Nope, it's all legal and within the rules. Yet I've never seen any criticism of Chris, everyone I know is convinced he's the cleanest rider in the peloton (and that includes me)
What a lot of the critics seem to forget is that Lance was winning races as a kid, often against more senior riders, and I'd be fairly sure he couldn't afford courses of EPO or whatever then, especially when there was no cash at stake at the time.
Win one tour and no-one bothers, but to win a string and dominate the peloton so strongly just made him an easy target. So he's either so clever that he's scientifically ahead of all the combined sports doctors and officials that are gunning for him, or he's playing within the rules - now which is the more likely ?
An inspirational guy - one of the all time greats.
Dont know much about this one, But i think he was the best cyclist of all times in my eyes and i think 99% of cyclists would love to be as fit and as good as he was..
If he was always tested and always passed then (Whats The Problem) Why try to dig deeper and look for any signs to say he took drugs when he always passed the tests.. Leave the guy alone and leave him at the top of the best cyclists board as he has been through enough.
If he was always tested and always passed then (Whats The Problem) Why try to dig deeper and look for any signs to say he took drugs when he always passed the tests.. Leave the guy alone and leave him at the top of the best cyclists board as he has been through enough.
I'd say clean, as mentioned above he showed great talent early on , went on to win world champs etc , personally I first noticed him the year Fabio died , a couple of days after the accident Lance attacked the peleton to win solo- the look on his face and the anger/fire you could see there was no way he was going to be caught. With determination like that I believe got him through his cancer and with a mindset like that how can you beat such a man.
I tend to agree with the comments above. The reason I started the poll was because knowing a bit about him then reading his book just recently, I was then amazed that to see there is a significant group who feel his success was artificially aided.
That stage win was just awesome - it just showed how passion could fuelled his performances and his desire and ability to take on anyone.
That stage win was just awesome - it just showed how passion could fuelled his performances and his desire and ability to take on anyone.
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