Lance Armstrong, big-time trou-du-cul!

[Flagg]

On Sunday during the ESPY awards, Lance Armstrong tried humor at the expense of the French World Cup team:

“All their players tested positive… for being assholes,” he said!

Hilarious!

Well, surprise, but Armstrong’s shtick no longer seems to be working! I have been following the HuffPost blog on Armstrong for a while. A year ago, comments in favor of Armstrong were running something like 9 to 1. In this latest installment, it’s more like 50/50.

Maybe Americans are finally realizing that in order to believe Armstrong, you have to disbelieve quite a few people, most of them being American themselves, and very few being French. Most of them were also under oath and under penalty of perjury, with absolutely nothing to gain from testifying against Armstrong.

People like:

• Greg Lemond, an American, 3-time winner of the Tour de France, who testified against him under oath.

• Frankie Andreu, an American and former teammate of Armstrong, and his wife Betsy, also American, who testified under oath that Lance confessed using EPO.

• Emma O’Reilly, an Irish physical therapist, who said that she helped him cover needle shots with make-up.

• Mike Anderson, an American, and former Armstrong employee, who said he helped him cover up his tracks.

• Dick Pound, a Canadian, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, a Montreal-based worldwide organization, who accuse him of having used EPO.

• David Walsh, an Irish journalist.

• And, yes, some French journalists, who had the guts to investigate and report all this!

A worldwide conspiracy, maybe…

http://superfrenchie.com/?p=843#comments

[hobbit709]

1. Give it a break

If he did, give him credit for being smart enough to get away it it. If he didn't then it all looks like sour grapes from the competition. Not one of the allegations have been proven, most have been disproven and I can testify under oath that I "heard" something too but it won't be allowed in court because its "hearsay". Personally I think Lance is a jerk but that's my opinion, but that doesn't make me spread bs about him.

[tuvor]

4. "Give him credit for being smart enough to get away with it"?

In other words, it's fine as long as you don't get caught.

Very GOP of you.

[hobbit709]

7. Very GOP of you.

Around my house that would be considered "fighting words"

Thank you so much:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[tuvor]

13. Spare me the outrage.

You're fully prepared to give credit to a potential fraud simply because he may have gotten away with it.

That's a trait that is inextricably linked to the GOP, and I'm truly sorry if the shoe fits so well that you're prepared to "fight" over it.

[hobbit709]

16. Oh well

"Insults are like drinks, they only affect you if you accept them." Her Wisdom Empress of the 20 Universes.:rofl:

[KoKo]

5. Smart enough like BushBots to Steal elections, Smart like Ken Lay

who stole money from stockholders and employees and got away with it, smart enough like Wall Street Crooks who cheat and steal and get away with it.

[truebrit71]

6. The people that installed bush were smart enough to get away with it...

..should we give them credit too?

:eyes:

[durrrty libby]

2. I can't blame him for the joke

He has been trashed for so long. It is ridiculous.

[MrPrax]

3. America Hater!!!

Who's next in your leftwing America bashing...Carl Lewis???

:sarcasm:

[Magrittes Pipe]

8. "Dick Pound"

:rofl:

[long_green]

9. I salute Lance on his struggle with cancer

I won't get too huffy over any doping he may have done; it appears there's rather a lot of it in cycling (and a whole lot of other sports). But he is verging over into Rafael Palmeiro territory. I won't shed any tears when he is exposed. When, not if.

[LostinVA]

11. There's no way he WILL be exposed

He's always tested clean.

[Flagg]

22. ....

Testing Lance was not quite as easy as testing the other cyclist. Lance’s goal was winning the TdF and he never went through a full cycling season (which is why, in my mind, he is not as great a cyclist as Eddie Merckx, winner of all the classics and world championship)

His testing was less frequent, and thus had ample time to do his doping and stop before the event he participated in. Nothing new, decades ago, the east german swimmers’ “trainers” had already established doping schedules, stopped 6 weeks before the Olympics ensuring negative testing while retaining all the benefits from doping at the time of the competition.

That is not to say he did it, but that it would have been easier for him than for any other due to his narrow racing schedule. That said, I think he did it (discount that based on my frenchitude)! Even the lanterne rouge is on dope!

[LostinVA]

26. He was tested year-round, very randomly

He never knew when they would show up, literally, at his front door. Again literally, they would sometimes showed up at 3 am, etc. He was factually THE most tested cyclist ever. That was brought out in depositions concerning the French court case. His testing was thus more frequent, more random, and more thorough than other cyclists.

I personally don't like Armstrong much as a person, but I admire him very much as a survivor and as an athlete. I think it's probable he EPOed prior to his cancer. I think he was clean after he came back.

[k_jerome]

44. yeah...

just like Barry Bonds.

[LostinVA]

10. Lemond is more than a bit of a jerk where Armstrong is concerned

A bit of jealousy there, methinks.

There is ZERO proof Armstrong doped. I personally have no idea ifs he did or not, but... he, unlike many other cyclists (including all the TDF front riders this year) has NEVER tested positive... even after being the most tested athlete of all time. This vendetta against him by certain members of the French cycling establishment is truly bizarre.

They are plenty of real physical reasons why Lance was the best: a large and efficient heart, extra weight stripped away completely, an abundance of slow-twitch muscles, an incredible mental attitude.

So, lack of ANY positive tests and/or lack of any obvious physical abnormalities, allow me to give Armstrong the benefit of the doubt.

Not everyone has to cheat.

[Monk06]

42. Lamond should stick to selling goofy triathelon bikes. What a geek.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. C'mon. The guy rides a bicycle for a living.

Like, this is important, how?

[Javaman]

15. Here, here...

I live in Austin and quite frankly, I sick of lance.

[TlalocW]

14. Dopers parse their words carefully

It's never, "I've never doped," it's, "I've never tested positive for doping." The former may or not be true, but the latter usually is because it's a neverending race between dopers and those that make the substances finding ways to fool tests and the tests constantly being updated to catch new methods, and the tests are always a little behind.

TlalocW

[k_jerome]

17. It is interesting to note...

the adulation Armstrong gets despite mountains of circumstantial evidence against him. Meanwhile, Barry Bonds is vilified.

[xchrom]

18. hey i love barry bonds -- and plenty of others

here in the bay area do too.

[k_jerome]

19. i am a fan as well...

just noting the disparity in treatment with similar amounts of circumstantial evidence.

[Blue-Jay]

20. ..but ZERO actual evidence.

[k_jerome]

24. for both? correct. nt.

[xchrom]

21. allegations like this prove one thing --

you can say whatever you want -- you can create evidence and all of it circumstantial.

but no hard evidence.

and there are plenty -- kind of like right wing christians -- who will believe it.

doping scandals are really something i could give a shit about -- and i wonder how many times european cycling winners and irish cycling winners have used/are using epo as well?

[Swamp Rat]

23. "Where's the beef?"

I've been reading allegations against Lance Armstrong by French tabloids for years.

You are repeating the same talking points.

WHERE IS THE PROOF?!?

[Flagg]

25. That's funny since there are no tabloids in France

l'équipe is anything but a tabloid

[LostinVA]

27. It is definitely a tabloid -- very much its owner's mouthpiece

And, journalistically very much a tabloid due to it's sensational and lurid coverage of Armstrong.

And... who owns L'equipe? Hmmm?

[Swamp Rat]

30. Bullshit... so how about the evidence I asked for?

You made allegations, based on heresay. Now back it up with facts.

[Flagg]

31. There are no tabloids in France

that's a fact

"You made allegations"

no those guys did


• Greg Lemond, an American, 3-time winner of the Tour de France, who testified against him under oath.

• Frankie Andreu, an American and former teammate of Armstrong, and his wife Betsy, also American, who testified under oath that Lance confessed using EPO.

• Emma O’Reilly, an Irish physical therapist, who said that she helped him cover needle shots with make-up.

• Mike Anderson, an American, and former Armstrong employee, who said he helped him cover up his tracks.

• Dick Pound, a Canadian, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, a Montreal-based worldwide organization, who accuse him of having used EPO.

• David Walsh, an Irish journalist.

• And, yes, some French journalists, who had the guts to investigate and report all this!

*************************************************************************************************************


one French paper reporting those allegations does not give Lance Armstrong the right insult the French national soccer team.

[Swamp Rat]

37. Je n'y crois pas!... and like a parrot you repeat unfounded accusations.

:eyes: Néanmoins, je m'en fiche complètement... cheulou

[Kellanved]

28. Ah well, I have trouble believing that there's a single honest cyclist

in the top 100. Things like drivers supposedly being asthmatic just seem strange.

[Flagg]

29. l'équipe is not a tabloid

I have read l'équipe everyday for 15 years and it has nothing in common with a tabloid. It's a very respected sport newspaper.
Here's a link to l'équipe's website
http://www.lequipe.fr/

another link to download today's edition
http://www.mininova.org/tor/370164

Judge for yourself.

There are no tabloids like NYPost or theSun in France.

[stop the bleeding]

32. The French riders still suck in the Tour and in cycling in general

yeah there is a Calzati, Voeckler, or even a Rous(laughable), but in the end the French still blow when it comes to winning the big ones. No one in the Peloton pays any attention when they go up the road - cause they are no threat.

Maybe the French cyclists are the only clean ones(laughable once again):shrug:

BTW the ME is burning:hi:

this thread is based on hearsay and conjecture :puke:- it should be moved or locked

[Flagg]

34. Well only the elderly is interested in Le Tour in France

nice landscapes and all that
but otherwise it's boring as hell
But I'm glad to see foreigners taking the thing seriously.
Keep the dream alive, guys.


The French are much more interested in football, rugby or basketball nowadays.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

33. Sorry, it's a great joke

Just in general as ripping on the French, it's hilarious.

[Flagg]

35. what's the joke ?

French = assholes
that's indeed hilarious.

The French are referred to as quasi sub-humans in the American press on a daily basis.
I'm glad you find that hilarious. Won't change the fact that most of the world now thinks of Armstrong as cheater.

[idgiehkt]

36. oh I get it.

I kind of missed the GOP connection and the freedom fries thing in relation to this, but you are right. Reminds me of Armstrong riding past Cindy Sheehan last summer with W. on the bike next to him. I personally think Armstrong is a little shifty and a little squirrely. Even around Sheryl Crow he seems this way. One of those people you like less the more they open their mouth. I watched him on Jay Leno the other night and even the way he answered when Leno broached the topic was kind of shifty. I am a fan of Greg Lemond; I wish he'd join PETA and talk about the karma for shooting turkeys, though.

[RedStateShame]

38. It takes ball to make that kinda joke.

[Flagg]

39. A joke against the French doesn't take balls

Especially in the US where the French is one of the few ethnic groups you can attack without fear of repraisal.
A joke against the French is actually as cowardly as it gets.

[Godhumor]

40. You missed the poster's joke

He wrote ball singular...

[Flagg]

41. lol

sorry

[idgiehkt]

43. Roflmao!!!

good one.