Lance. ESPN

I thought he was offered a deal by Tygart quite early in the process so he could keep 5 TdFs if he came clean to the grand jury?

Iā€™m really conflicted by LA.

In the day I loved watching him race, the way he attacked the raceā€¦ and his rivals.

As Iā€™ve grown older and reflect back, I do think he epitomises everything thatā€™s wrong with not only cycling but also dirty sport. The way he went after his critics bordered on psychotic, even when he knew he was living a huge lie.

I listened to a David Whittle podcast a few weeks ago. He had some fascinating news on Armstrong, and how he has supposedly changed (or not). Apparently Whittle reiterated a fact that Armstrong had previously admitted. Whittle received a word sentence email: Who is your legal counsel?

What a dickā€¦

ā€¦ that said, he is still strangely charismatic and engaging. Even if it is a front.

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I always seem to go back to this article. It was written years ago but it is still so relevant.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cricketcountry.com/articles/lance-armstrong-hansie-cronje-and-fascinating-insights-into-psychopaths-in-sports-business-and-politics-22130/amp/

I realise I was so naive when I first read it. Now Iā€™ve worked for a corporate psychopath I really understand it. And itā€™s now so obvious how much Lance (and his mother) manipulated everyone. Except david Walsh :thinking:

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Watched the first episode. Nothing new if you have watched & read whats gone before.

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i doubt he was completely cleanā€¦

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thy had him too at the start iirc

Iā€™d agree with that largely. Although having some other characters in the mix like McQuaid was new to me. Iā€™ve heard a lot from Hamilton, Betsy Andreu, etc, but havent read anything by Vaughters or Julich yet, so their comments were new. Little titbits like the specific type of cortisone he was taking allowing for the lucky ā€œoutā€ was also not something Iā€™d heard before.

Iā€™m guessing part 2 will have more info in relation to a lookback to the ultimate downfall and aftermath?

Yes, hoping part 1 sets the scene & thereā€™s more substantial content in part 2.

There may not be any earth shattering new information but thatā€™s like saying youā€™re not watching Titanic or Apollo 13 because you know it sank or they got back. (Spoiler alert, sorry!)
Having all the main protagonists (including Walsh) in the same program is quite an achievement and being able to play off their versions in the editing is something new and adds to the story. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the 2nd part.

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Must try to find a way to watch this, I was, and remain a huge fan of the man.

Iā€™m still waiting for Track & Field to have itā€™s ā€˜Lance momentā€™.

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And football.

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They had the chance with Balco IMO but werenā€™t interested. Look at the UKA response to Dwain Chambers offers of help. Again with NOP but NIke have way to much sway over USATF and World Athletics for that to happen. Without an insider (or hackers) getting all the dirt it wonā€™t happen. There would need to be an athletics Floyd, etc. for it to happen.

@joex it wonā€™t happen in football for the same reasons as above, thereā€™s just too much money at stake and it is in no ones interest to expose it. Look at Fuentes starts blabbing about Real and Atleti (iirc) and a young male tennis player ( :thinking:), it got incinerated. Dr del Moral worked for Barca and USPS but again no one wanted that looked into it.

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On the NOP, isnā€™t that largely what has happened though? USADA have hit Salazar in a similar way to Bruyneel and LA? Although it is correct to say theyā€™ve achieved that without also taking down, and nullifying, the results of the (potentially) impacted athletes themselves at the NOP.(so far).

The other difference with sports like football is that the athleticism is not the largest part of the game. The skill based nature gives them a natural ā€œoutā€ for why breaches are not such a big hit to the integrity of results. Not saying thatā€™s right or wrong, but if a professional footballer was found to be on steroids, or taking EPO, the general public are largely going to say ā€œwell, in reality, one players ability to run a bit faster or longer probably doesnt completely undermine the resultsā€. Whereas in sports like cycling and athletics, thatā€™s the physical attribute the sport itself is fundamentally based upon.

I still cannot believe that sprinter bloke was clean all those years. If it looks like a duckā€¦

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Yes but I think there was a lot more going on than came out. There was a clear misuse of prescriptions but having read the extent too which Salazar will go to get his athletes to win that he stopped at using corticosteroids and thyroxin.

ETA: I agree with you on football and that extends to games like tennis but that peoplesā€™ perception is like that doesnā€™t make it accurate or correct. In the recent programme about Chrisitano Ronaldo, Gary Neville says he (CR7) went off to compete with Portugal in the summer and came back a completely different physical specimen, the S&C guy at Man Utd was shocked at the transormation and his improvement lead to massive increases in acceleration, jumping, etc. That makes you a better footballer. But I agree with your wider point.

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Come on @Jorgan itā€™s not like the 100m has a long history of everyone cheating is it? Also, thereā€™s no one in his training grouup who tested positive or a link to his coach to Angel Heredia.

I donā€™t disagree, but Im hoping one day the lower leagues will be motivated, or a disgruntled employee blows the whistle on a big name.

I have no skin in the game but it really bugs me that people think cheating os restricted to certain names and certain sports. I just want people to know the truth! :joy:. Lord I sound like a missionary.

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ftfy

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He wanted to race Kona. Could he have won it (I think not but he did win the Hawaii 70.3 before he was banned). Would he have races clean? I suspect doping in Ironman would be easier than in cycling after he retired from cycling a 2nd time. Wasnā€™t he trash talking with Macca about a 1 on 1 Ironman race at one stage?