cydewaze said:
So what's the basis of the suspicion? His performance? By that standard, the last four 5-time winners are also suspect.
Armstrong has incredible genetoc potential, so it makes sense he could tie the four other 5-time winners. Everyone seems to be doping crazed these days. Sheesh.
The basis of his suspicion was Lance Armstrong's association with Dr. Ferrari. The basis of his knowledge, if you believe his story (and his wife's story), is that Armstrong basically admitted to it and threatened them.
I don't see where Lemond has anything to gain by making this up. He does have everything to lose. Perhaps the only motivation would be jealousy, but Lemond never struck me as that type from what I know and have read about him. He was a big supporters of LA at one time. Notice Lance is not filing a lawsuit for defamation agains Lemond. Maybe he just wants it to go away or maybe he has something to hide. Think about that.
I don't know if Lance Armstrong dopes, but he has brought the conversation to the forefront again by his childish behavior towards Filippo Simeoni. If Lance really wants to clean up cycling, why would he act like this towards a man that is testifying against someone who almost openly admits that he advocates performance enhancing drugs, Ferrari? Ferrari's pharmacist is already in jail for supplying the drugs so why should we believe Ferrari is innocent.
Armstrong claims that Simeoni is a liar because he changed his story. Claudio Chiapucci also changed his story. At first he implicated Ferrari and then pulled back on his claims. Is he a liar as well just because he changed his story? By Lance's own reasoning that would make Ferrari guilty.
I was a big fan of Lance Armstrong's until I read his books recently and until his latest behavior in the Tour. I don't see how Simeoni is out to destroy cycling by testifying in a courtroom. Wouldn't he be helping cycling?
On the Greg Lemond side of things, I have seen many people say he was not the cyclist Lance was. I disagree. Lance has 8 other riders with no ambitions working for him all the time. Lemond won in 1986 with 2 riders from his team working for him and 5 or 6 working against him, including a 5 time winner of the tour. Not to mention that he was ordered not to win the Tour in 1985 when he was clearly superior to Hinault. Hinault is in denial if he thinks he really beat Lemond that year. Lemond came back from near death to win two more tours.
Armstring may or may not be doping, but he is not someone to be held up as a paragon of everything that is good as the American Media has been doing. I read his books and by his own pen I see a bitter little kid inside that incredibly strong rider. Bitter and unforgiving towards his step-father and his real father. He was probably a little pain in the rear that needed a beating. My Dad beat me when I deserved it, but from what I read of Armstrong's self-serving book is that he has no capability for self-introspection or the ability to see that maybe his own behavior and attitudes were the problem. At the very least, it is classless to use your bully pulpit to make charges someone else cannot deny. I wonder if Terry Armstrong could take Lance to court to print a rebuttal in his book, as he wanted the luxury to do with the LA Confidential book.
He judges his own father and cannot forgive him. He should think about that. How does he think his own children feel when they see Daddy kissing his new girlfriend after every stage? Maybe someday they will not forgive him for leaving their Mom. Maybe then he will learn. We reap what we sow.
I see that same bitter behavior in the way he treats Filippo Simeoni. If Simeoni is really lying, why bother giving him the time of day. It will be shown in court that he is lying.
I never believed that Lance was a doper, but his behavior towards Simeoni actually has me questioning it. Simeoni never accused Armstrong of anything.