George Hincapie: Lance Armstrong not to blame for Cycling's dope culture

[wilt the stilt]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by azurnoir (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Examiner

Lance Armstrong said he is still a seven-time Tour de France winner despite being stripped of his titles for doping because the cyclists he had competed against also cheated, AFP reported.

"Yes, I feel that I won the races," said Armstrong. "I know that is not a popular answer, but the reality is, it was just a messy time. It was basically an arms race, and we all played ball that way."



Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/lance-armstrong-says-he-is-still-a-seven-time-tour-de-france-winner

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To everyone who dissed lance please learn something about this sport. Hincapie is one of the most respected cyclists around. This was a witch hunt by the anti doping agency. EVERYONE DID IT.
Learn something about the sport before you criticize about it.

[ret5hd]

1. Sir Yes Sir!

[frazzled]

2. Doesn't change my mind

"Everybody did it" is a lame excuse. I'm not saying Armstrong wasn't a great cyclist. But he was also a liar, a cheat, and (according to teammates) a bully.

Sports should be free of doping. Then everyone can compete on an even level, using their natural talents and hard work, and we'll still have a winner. The faster times are for making money, not for athletic prowess.

[Paulie]

3. Ok. They are all cheating lying scumbags.

Some are bigger cheating lying scumbags than others.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. Everyone did it? Assumes facts not in evidence.

[Skittles]

5. LOL

"everyone did it" does not relieve Mr. Armstrong of responsibility; it makes them ALL cheating scum

[geomon666]

6. Of course he's not to blame.

He's still a cheater though.

[Mika]

7. The more I learn about pro cycling, the less I like it.

No, I'm not a cycling hater. I'm a road cyclist.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. So after years and years of lying about doping, Armstrong is finally admitting it

If he was this great man of character as he was supposed to be, he would have come out and admitted it before being stripped and charged the entire sport with doping, for the good of the sport. Once you start doping and trying to dodge tests, you are throwing a monkey wrench into the works. There's no way to know if everyone is doping or doping to the same extent. There's no way to know if it's a level playing field. Lance Armstrong was just a selfish individual like everyone else; not the great hero.

[groundloop]

9. I'm sorry, but 'Everyone Did It' is not justification

If society accepted the 'everyone did it' excuse there's a hell of a lot of bad out there that we'd let slide. Nope, I'm not buying that lame excuse.

[wilt the stilt]

10. The Cycling community erected a statue in 1967

for Tommie Smith who died from speed. It's the culture. If you competed at the highest level and everyone was doing it "you wouldn't"? give me a break.

[Democracyinkind]

11. 1. He's to blame for participating in it.

2. He's to blame to have taken doping to a whole new level, thereby intensifying the race-to-the-bottom that was going on before he started doping. Armstrong was the first to use science and money to take it to a whole new level and he was instrumetal in establishing the Doping, Inc. culture. To say nothing of the pressure that he exerted on his teammates.

Being a turd in a bowl of turds does not unturd you, Lance.

[wilt the stilt]

13. if you read the article

they weren't even as sophisticated as alot of the others. It would be a good idea to read the article.

[Blue_Tires]

12. I don't care if "everyone did it"

because that still doesn't excuse all the people Armstrong slandered, threatened, intimidated, and blackballed out of the sport while trying to keep his secrets safe...

[freshwest]

14. I hadn't heard about all of that. Sounds nasty. n/t

[azurnoir]

15. sorry locking article is dated 4/25

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