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As a dedicated cyclist, I shared with most the desire that the seven victories at the Tour de France were real and clean. Travis, an alum of SMU Law, sought the 'real' truth and incredibly got it revealed, despite opposition and pressure from the cycling establishment and, of course, Lance.

He spoke at SMU this week:

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/head ... g-case.ece

They were real in that Lance Armstrong really is that dominating. His other real competitors, Jan Ullrich for instance, were also doping. Lance was the greatest cyclist of all time -- and it's not even close. That's the tragedy of all of this. In his prime he'd straight up beat anyone else in their prime. A great, great athlete of the highest order.

I will concede that Lance was a terrific cyclist, but his and his major competitors' behavior during this period essential wiped out a decade of results. More to the point, Tyler Hamilton's book, "The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs" is an incredible read. It outlines and describes a culture of pressure on teammates to use drugs or get pushed off the team. A black eye for the sport, which damaged many cyclists and their families.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

Ok, even if all of the accusations are true, it was very wrong behavior that should never be condoned. But was it atypical of teams? Is it atypical now?

ponyboy wrote:Ok, even if all of the accusations are true, it was very wrong behavior that should never be condoned. But was it atypical of teams? Is it atypical now?

Doping was typical then, atypical now. Cycling is the most monitored and, as a result, a predominantly clean sport today.

Baseball's home run era and football with its human growth hormones (HGH) still have a long way to go. Cycling penalties last for 6 to 24 months, depending on level of cooperation. Baseball and football are more slaps on the wrist with the Unions fighting or demanding negotiations to resist routine testing routine and limit penalties that should be real deterrents. MLB and NFL have a long way to go.

Water Pony wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Ok, even if all of the accusations are true, it was very wrong behavior that should never be condoned. But was it atypical of teams? Is it atypical now?

Doping was typical then, atypical now. Cycling is the most monitored and, as a result, a predominantly clean sport today.

Wasnt Lance the most tested of all of them for years and years? Cycling testing has littke credibility. Dirtiest sport there is.

Half a billion dollars was raised for cancer, largely b/c of Lance. The man'd have to do something a [heck] of a lot worse for me to stand behind those who try to take him down...

couch 'em wrote:

Water Pony wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Ok, even if all of the accusations are true, it was very wrong behavior that should never be condoned. But was it atypical of teams? Is it atypical now?

Doping was typical then, atypical now. Cycling is the most monitored and, as a result, a predominantly clean sport today.

Wasnt Lance the most tested of all of them for years and years? Cycling testing has littke credibility. Dirtiest sport there is.

That was Lance's spin. Actually they knew exactly how to avoid detection and had a very sophisticated drug program. MLB and NFL have a long way to go to claim they have something nearly as effective as cycling is today. Yes, cycling WAS dirty, but today the penalties for discovery are two "years" out of the sport, unless they cooperate to get a reduction. The race results show a slower Peleton with much less predictability by the racers.

Until the NFL and MLB Unions permit stronger testing with harsher penalties, these sports still need to be held to a higher standard.

I admire Lance's charity works, but he damaged cycling and, more importantly, slammed critics and bullied teammates to maintain his brand.

Yes, he slammed critics and bullied teammates. But he was the greatest cyclist ever. His victories were real. Name one guy you'd put up against Lance in his prime. We act as if his atricious behavior somehow erases what an amazing athlete he was. He is a seven time TDF winner.