A little off topic, but "reportedly" he's being sampled daily during this tour....sometimes multiple times daily. I have to wonder if they're both trying to catch him and stocking up samples for when testing methods are perhaps "better". I have a feeling they'll be making sure they have plenty for testing and are paying very close documented attention as to how they're stored, identified, etc. I suspect if we hear of positive results on one of Lances samples again, there will be plenty of B sample to back it up.
There's certainly a lot of evidence that he did. Some of it is circumstantial yes, but some of it is evidence of a purely scientific nature. The current protocol for what is accepted as "official" fell short without the B samples. A technicality that provided a slim loophole to slip through, but the test is the test..and the results say what they do regardless if he could have been officially sanctioned.
Some of the arguments against LA don't hold much water with me. His improvement after cancer being one of them. One side says dope, the other side points to pretty dramatic changes in his body structure. Taken alone, it could be for either reason. Just the other day there was discussion of a rider that has "transformed" himself from track to climbing. Much of that attributed to a 8kg weight loss, although I'm sure a heavier focus on road endurance racing certainly had a lot to do with it (Wiggins isn't it?) Lance was a least a good classics one day type guy before cancer, which I would judge to be a closer relative to grand tour riding than I would track riding. 🙂 If a physical/training focus change did that for Wiggins, how could it not possible for the physical change in LA to have had those results? I just don't think this "argument" is close enough from either side to be convincing.
The Andreu story. In my opinion there is a lot of he said/she said with this one, but in my opinion favors her version of it. Another loophole "for the official side" here as well as doping was deemed to be irrelevant to the contract.
One more thing that I see in his "favor" if you will. There's never been enough "accepted" evidence to officially sanction him..or they would have. I didn't use to think that meant much, but he retired and you saw the carnage that almost immediately happened. You've either got to believe that he got out for a while because he knew that was about to happen, or that the cycle gods where looking out for him as he seems to have been relatively absent from cycling while the majority was going on. Vino, Rass, Landis, Basso...etc, etc. where all caught with apparently enough evidence to do something about it. As much as they have tested him, you think they would have caught Armstrong as well, but they haven't.
Overall, I don't know. I have no idea if he did or not, but I also believe where this is smoke there either is, has been, or about to be... a fire.
I think the bigger question is.. does it matter? There is plenty of evidence, and certainly opinion.. that they all do. Assuming indeed that is the case
a) from a professional cycling standpoint and being purely objective, it was a level playing field. His accomplishments in that area are what they are and should be respected as such.
b) from a ethical standpoint I find it deplorable. That is somewhat mitigated by the fact that everyone is/was doing it. That being the case, I think your anger has to be directed at the sport in general, and specifically the governing bodies of that sport. The problem has been proven to be much larger than Armstrong.
While I find the topic interesting, I also take notice of the millions of people following the race and enjoying it without much thought of doping in their minds. Perhaps ingnorance is bliss, or perhaps they choose to enjoy cycling for what it is. I guess I fall into the latter part. Of course I'd like to see the sport cleaned up, but it's not as of yet..so I can either choose to watch it, or not watch it. That's a simple answer for me.
Yes, the question always remains in the back of my mind "is that guy doping?". That is usually after the thought... "wow, I wish I could ride like that". I don't wish it that bad however. 🙂 If doping is truly what it takes, I can at least sympathize with the riders that have made professional racing their way of living. That would be one hell of a decision to have to make.
