Gregg Doyel

If you want to stick your head in a hole and still think that that yellow wristband wearing, philandering, douche bag was clean than thats just fine.  Ignorance is bliss, or so I've been told.

S_face, thanks for clarifying your position on the matter... I also applaud your choice of attempting to bait me into a juvenile tete a tete, rather than an educated discussion about facts.  When did you decide what is truth?  Cycling has made great strides in cleaning itself up, by first admitting it was dirty.  That would be a good example to MLB, NFL and NBA leadership.

I don't need to defend Lance Armstrong, his record speaks for itself.  He was the MOST tested athlete in the world, and was clean.  By the way, those yellow bands represent one of the most brilliant charity driven marketing plans of our era, raising MILLIONS in the fight against cancer.  Whether you think he is a douchebag or not is up to you.

What is your definition of sport, anyway?

EP-No,

Ignorant rants?  Its funny how the truth is sometimes misconstrued as ignorance.  Cycling is a filthy, dirty sport when it comes to PEDs.  I've heard commentators even refer to it as professional wrestling on wheels.  If you want to stick your head in a hole and still think that that yellow wristband wearing, philandering, douche bag was clean than thats just fine.  Ignorance is bliss, or so I've been told. 

Oh, and if you want to check out my other thoughts on sports, it isn't hard.  I have a long track record of pounding baseball and their goofy commissioner for ALL of their misguidedness during the steroid era.  My profile is right there for ya. 

Oh, and also, cycling isn't a sport.  Its a way of getting from point A to point B without walking.  Nothing more, nothing less.  These goofs just do it in a silly looking yellow shirt.............. 

Now a days whenever an athlete dominates in any sport we have to question if there is any foul play involved.  Just take a look at Marion Jones for instance.  It was, give or take, four years after she obliterated the competition in the Olympics and we found out just why she did!  When will everyone get it through their head that the more drugs we test for the more advanced the drugs will get to beat the tests.  Pharmacists want to be billonaires too!

Just because cycling maintains a popularity level in the U.S. somewhere around prairie dog watching doesn't mean it isn't a great sport.  It's hard to watch a 6-hour mountain stage just like it's hard to watch 120 minutes of scoreless soccer.  Still, it is one of the most difficult sports on earth, and these athletes deserve a certain level of respect.  I truly believe that the majority of cyclists over the past decade have been clean, including Armstrong.  These guys are tested more than anyone in any sport, and well over 90% are passing their tests.  If NFL players were tested as stringently I would imagine that a majority would fail.

So what' the solution?  The UCI needs to establish an independent drug testing organization with a proven and reliable chain of custody on specimens.  The integrity and reproducibility of drug testing needs to be equally reliable.  Fans and athletes must have faith in this system.  As a fan I'm still incredulous that the Mennonite cyclist from Murrieta, California took testosterone for one stage during the Tour, which he knew wouldn't help, especially knowing that the 1st place rider would automatically be tested.  Yeah, the Landis thing felt like a setup, and still does.  Even though his appeals were lost, every independent agency and judge who heard the case conceded that the UCI's drug testing, sampling equipment, and chain of custody on specimens had multiple deficiencies.  Until they can prove that these holes have been filled, athletes will try to cheat, and those who don't could get screwed.  Why do you think Lance Armstrong had an independent agent keeping track of every specimen he provided?  He saw the potential for abuse, and knew the French would love to see him hang.  I think Landis was a bit too naive.