You should see a shrink, for OCD treatment.

no that would be democrats...who love to support druggies. whatever the case, stop hating. lance has never failed a drug test. nuff said!!!

good one

Because he loves the sport and doesn't want people bringing it down through doping.

Or could it be that he is jealous that Armstrong has been the more successful American cyclist.

He is just jealous nothing more or less.

If that's the case you'd think he'd be a bit more consistent. Doesn't really come across as a guy protecting his sport so much as nursing a grudge and smelling blood in the water.

The fact that he's happy to recieve a summons and testify says volumes. Nobody should take pleasure in having to do a hard but right act. I suspect this is about professional jealosy more than aything. He just wants to help bring down the big man.

Yes yes, it's all a big conspiracy.

LeMond would've won the tour more times than anyone currently alive if it weren't for Lance... must suck to do so much, then not get any advertizing revenue or media attention because no matter how much you do you're always second fiddle to someone that's done twice as much as you.

Lance only has one grape left, but both of LeMond's grapes are sour.

Ben - LeMond is 'way down on the winners list. Hinault and Indurain, both racing when Greg was around, won the Tour five times. Greg won 3. Armstrong didn;t race his first Tour until after LeMond had retired.

HoustonDave, should I remind you that Lemond was out in 87' and 88' because of the gunshot and illness? He would have won those 2 easily which would have meant a tour tally of 5. Also, he was on the way to win the 85' tour easily when he was told to help Hinault in the end, with the promise that Hinault would help him win the next year, which he didn't...but LeMond won anyway.

When LeMond came back, he won 2 more tours without the use of a portion of a lung that was damaged in the shooting. How many cyclists do you know won a tour not being able to use 100% of both lungs??? By 91' a bunch of cyclists were doping and even though he was in the best shape ever, he wasn't able to compete, but finished in the top 10 anyways. By the way, Armstrong did compete in the Tour before LeMond retired in 94'. I'm wasting my time talking to people who know nothing of the sport.

LeMond got shot by his cousin in a hunting accident, that effectively ended his career.

I have no respect for these well timed press releases; either by Floyd Landis during the Tour of California, or LeMond during the Tour de France.

If the evidence against Armstrong is soooo overwhelming why hasn't he been caught? He's passed every test they've thrown at him. The tests required to race in The Tour is set by ICU. They decide what is "clean".

So by International Cycling Union standards Armstrong won fair and square.

Landis and LeMond need to STFU

LeMond is a hater. Nothing in it for him but he'll try to knock Lance down.. Ego/jealousy issues. He has never been loved and cheered and followed like Lance.

What the 81 - you are correct, LeMond retired in '94 - my intent was to say he was out of the Tour before Armstrong ever rode in it in '93. Unfortunately, saying"he would have won had he not been shot" is equivalent to saying "Armstrong could have won one or two more had he not retired." No way to say. No need to respond.... you'd be wasting your time.

HoustonDave, there is no comparison to saying "LeMond would have won 2 if he didn't get shot" and "Armstrong would have won 2 more if he didn't retire". They are both entirely different scenarios and nothing to do with the topic here. The point I was trying to make was that LeMond wasn't just lucky to win just 3 tour de frances and 2 world championships, he had a fantastic career in cycling and his impact is vastly underrated in the sport. He made the sport what it is today, not only in the US but in the world. The topic here is that all of Lance's 7 tour wins are questionable based on the comments I've made on this board. I think LeMond deserves at least 10% of the respect that people give to Lance blindly.

LeMond accuses Armstrong of trying to sabotage his relationship with Trek bicycles. He also alleges that Trek made him to publicly apologize to Armstrong for comments he made ... if he didn't then the LeMond brand would suffer.

He has an agenda and a hater. He also influenced Landis to start this witch hunt.

LA has been followed all over the globe by the doping-testers, he has passed every single time.

HoustonDave, I thought LeMond was the #2 American cyclist of all time in the Tour... am I wrong?

I guess in my original post I did say anyone and not any American... my mistake.

I don't know... The truth maybe?!?

Ben-1268009, what a pointless question. Seriously, if you guys don't know about the topic at hand, don't comment, go back to watching porn.

Mandy, just because you've seen Lance in some movies, in paparazzi photos dating hot chicks or drinking your favorite beer in commercials doesn't mean he isn't above cheating. Greg has been speaking up against dope in cycling even while he was still competing professionally, this is nothing new, he's against dope and people who are behind the cover-up.

Yes, LeMond has spoken out against doping in cycling for ages, however, recently this has become more of a vendetta than a crusade. I agree with others who have noted LeMond's apparent glee at bringing down Armstrong. This speaks more of LeMond's character than it does on Armstrong's. LeMond is becoming a sad, even pathetic, embittered man and is a far cry from the cyclist I once admired.

That's how he got the cancer in the first place. You guys are blind. I can't wait until the hypocrisy comes out. Livestrong? Livealieandneverbackdownandyou'llfoolallthegullible. Too long to fit on a wristband though.

mike, are you trying to say that anyone that gets cancer must've been on drugs or steroids? What an insensitive jackass thing to say.

Naw, he's just a hater who can't wait to see his anti-hero torn down.

Either way, it doesn't really matter a hill of beans to starving children the world over. Get your priorities straight people.

Lance's Livestrong has raised $243,000,000 to fight cancer.

What have you done?

I hear LeMond and Landis are dating now.

Armstrong's lung capacity is right at the top, his heart is 1/3 larger than average, he produces less lactic acid, and recovers more quickly. In short, his body is ideal for cycling.

Lance was a contender before his illness. He was ranked seventh in 1996, when he was 25. Usually, cyclists do not reach their peak until after 25.

You are either extremely jealous, or sure like conspiracies.

"A good cyclist is born good." There's just a hint of truth to make the claim somewhat plausible. Yes, you need to be endowed with fast twitch muscles, good VO2max. etc.

But you've selectively left out a few facts. Lance became a world champion before he was struck with cancer. Also, he was an excellent triathelete - an excellent swimmer among other things. But swimmers need lots of upper body strength, which is a liability on the bike. The chemo took care of that for Lance. He lost a lot of upper body mass so when he got back on the bike, he became better proportioned for bike racing.

You've also conveniently neglected to mention that Lance has been very anal about his training as well as nutrition. He trained for months on the courses leading up to the TdF.

I don't know why Greg has all of a sudden decided to come out of the woodwork like this - seems to me if he had any hard evidence he wouldn't have waited until Floyd came out and proved that he was a cheat and a liar.

To be honest, I don't know if Lance has cheated or not. All I do know is that so far, NOBODY has produced any tangible evidence. If Greg has any, he better produce it, otherwise, I hope Lance sues him for slander.

Spike-322306, you have NO idea what you're talking about. All our hearts actually grow in size and strength as we exercise just like any other muscle. And I say again, No, Lance doesn't have one of the largest lung capacities. do a little research in what VO2 max is and you'll see that he doesn't stack up to the top cyclists of the modern era.

You also don't know much about cycling rankings, you brought up Lance's 7th ranking. Those rankings apply more for sprinters and succesful 1-day racers more than a cyclist of tour de france caliber. Those rankings hardly mean anything in the grand tours like tour of spain, italy, switzerland and france.

Oh yeah, this is all about jealousy, I could have been the 7-time tour winner and have one of the olsen twins as my girlfriend. I love the sport and followed it since I was 5 and hate to see what doping has done to this sport. This is a conspiracy, do you think the UCI is honest? do you not think they wouldn't pounce on any opportunity to propel the sport to make more money? There is evidence that they have taken bribes. Just because Lance is american doesn't mean he's not capable of cheating, open your eyes to reason.

Armstrong's VO2 is 85, reported in many places. You show me the top cyclists that are measurably higher.

Armstrong was "a cyclist of tour de france caliber" before he became ill. He won stage victories in '93 and '95.

You must be a myopic jealous Frenchman.

Spike-322306, Lemond and Indurain's VO2 max was reported 10% more than Armstrong's. And I didn't even check Pantani's, I'll let you do that, I remember it was one of the highest recorded. And when Lance came back he made Pantani look like a toddler on a tricycle. hhmmm...

Armstrong was not tour de france caliber in 93' or in 95'. Do I need to remind you that he dropped out of the 93' tour? He won 1 stage in 95' but he was nowhere close to Indurain that year in the final standings. That's why he won the stage, he was soooo far back in the standings that nobody bothered chasing him down when he did the solo breakaway, also people knew he was racing for his teamate that passed away, nobody wanted to take that from him. That's the only reason he was able to win the stage. Though, winning stages doesn't mean much in the tour Spike, it's how close you are to the race leader in the final standings in the end of the tour that counts.

I knew you would assume I'm a frenchman. I'm American and I support dope-free american cycling, like that means anything to you, but I know you'll come back and call me a traitor. This has nothing to do with nationalism. This same nationalism is what is putting all the americans in denial that Lance did not cheat. Again, open your eyes to reason.

Gee 81 - Maybe we should just throw the whole UCI testing program out and replace it with Greg LeMond's suppositions.

You know, Greg could wag his finger in this direction or that and just ruin people's reputations. The up side for LeMond is he could boost his own reputation because no one caught him at it.

But wait, LeMond can't prove he didn't dope right? No matter. By LeMond's standards, anyone can say anything, and that's apparently all that's needed, right?

If LeMond thinks the UCI's standards aren't high enough, he should push to have them changed. In the meantime he needs to leave alone those who passed under the current rules.

The ironic thing is, LeMond pretends to be dispensing unassailable integrity about doping in cycling, when in reality he shows little of it based on the way he's conducting his crusade.

what the 81,

You are possessed with your hatred of LA. Why? I cannot comprehend.

Just pray that you are never accused of a crime, and the jury decides your fate on rumor, rather than actual facts.

Since you are such an expert on TdeF competition, I assume you are, at very least, a team director?

So, any winner, of any stage in the TdeF, is not TdeF "caliber", unless YOU think so? Such pretension is beyond belief!

The bottom line: LA won seven TdeF, was tested innumerable times and passed, other racers were caught cheating in the same time frame, and yet you are sure LA cheated. Untold hundreds would have had to been in on the conspiracy, yet there are no facts--merely accusations and hearsay.

Yep, OJ is innocent, 9/11 was an inside job, Tonya Harding was framed, JFK's assassination was a CIA plot, FDR allowed the Pearl Harbor attack, etc..............

don't forget the moon landing conspiracy. that's up there on these morons' lists. what_the_81 - you are a skeptic, and that's fine. Many people are. The difference is, your skepticism (i'd wager) overwhelms your capacity to think logically. Even after this whole inquisition is conducted (and Lance's integrity restored), you will hold your doubts and conspiracies close to your pathetic excuse for a heart. The man saves men, women, and children for christ's sake!

No experts, just fans. google VO2/armstrong. It is there.

Jimster, LeMond has been fighting with the UCI even while he was still racing professionally to improve their drug testing methods, but they didn't want to listen to him. Do some research on their fight and you will see there are a lot of loopholes. Yes, no one can say for sure that LeMond doped but as I said while he was racing he wanted the UCI to do a better job catching dopers. Shouldn't he deserve some credit for that from all you Lance worshippers? Marion Jones and countless other athletes tested negative for drugs but later admitted to doping. I don't know if Lance will ever admit.

Spike, again with the assumptions, no I'm not a director just like I'm not a frenchman. About the "caliber" issue, if you followed the sport, you would know winning stages does deserve merit but it doesn't mean much for top cyclists of the "higher caliber". The top cyclists aim for being as close as possible to the race leader in the end of the tour. When have you seen the top contenders just worrying about getting stage wins? It's the yellow Jersey they want on their backs when they ride into Paris. Not any cyclist can win the yellow jersey but getting a stage win isn't nearly as difficult. That's like an nba team only worried about beating the lakers once before the playoffs than taking the championship in June.

Dano, this issue here isn't skepticism, it's suspicion. Why did Lance have to meet Michele Ferrari, coke dealer of sports? Do you think they were talking about french wine? Why does the UCI want to go hard on people who question their practices and try to expose them? Do some research on that. Just because you see him in movies, dating actresses on tv and drinking your favorite beer in commercials doesn't mean he isn't above cheating. The UCI wanted to propel the sport and they saw that hope in Armstrong, so they looked the other way while he did what he needed to do to win. It's all about money in the end, at the expense of the sport. Do you think the UCI cares about tarnishing the sport if they could make some extra money off someone's name?

He can be the most tested athlete in history but it won't mean much to me and other people who know the testing loopholes that exist through the UCI and their partner organizations. It's the quality of the drug testing that should count, not the quantity. People who don't belive that are truly in denial and fooled by the hype.

So many evangelists are guilty of the sins they proclaim to be against.

Cycling is way more than VO2. Lance also had teams entirely devoted to one purpose too. I think conjuring up conspiracy theory when the dirt doesn't stick is grasping for straws...

Tim-2036726, you didn't get all my points if all you got out of it was the VO2 issue. I can't keep on repeating. I never said he did drugs, only that the people he has associated with and how quickly he turned from a mediocore cyclist to making pantani, ullrich and beloki(if you even know who they are) look like toddlers on tricycles makes me question the validity of him being able to win 7 consecutive tours clean. And it's amazing nobody else does, it must be that everyone is brainwashed that he would never cheat since people see him on tv partying and drikning beer and that he's a household name now.

Keep smokin that crack pipe!!!

Greg has been speaking up openly against dope while he was still a professional cyclist.

I don't think it was against Lance specifically. There have been drugs for a long time, and as I've stated, Lance has been tested far more than any other athlete in the field, and year after year he has shown not to be using. He might be able to fool them most of the time, however, I doubt, he can fool them everytime. Could I be wrong, sure. I don't know him personally. The fact that every conceivable test to detect drugs has been used on him, and all negative as far as I know, and yet he still has to defend himself.

Just like what_the_81 said. Open your eyes to a reason. Think. If i were you i would not buy any of that passing all the test bs. Look at Marion Jones & so many others - they passed all the tests & nobody would have known unless they admitted in the end. As Lance said he will never admit it. Which means he'll take it to his grave even if he's proven ...Lance takes his health very seriously? I don't know about that. He drinks a lot of beer, goes to a lot of bars (smoke) & lots of women (stress). Drinks coke while racing. That's not too serious anymore is it. Greg Lemond (sounds like french) was very much loved in France in his time & even now. More than Lance. Greg was campaining against cheating from the day he competed. He wants the American public to know that if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Think. Lance visited Ferari, a dope doctor. For what? Just to chat?

http://www.slate.com/id/2260464/pagenum/2

Jamba, finally someone on here who is thinking straight!!!! People forget that athletes have passed tests and then later admitted to doping. Lance being the most tested athlete doesn't mean much to me. For people who know about cycling and followed Lance since 92', something was not right when he came back in 99'.

I'm a skeptic at heart, however, explain to me if he allowed tissue samples to be taken for future testing when new and better testing procedures would pick up small trace amounts of drugs, why would he leave those samples? This sounds like someone who has absolutely nothing to hide.

keep in mind that he doesn't have 2 anymore

You're a moronic twit. And I suspect you have unhealthly inclinations.

just a joke gumps

No, he has every right to speak up about these doping allegations, he's done so for years even before Lance won his 1st tour. The sport has been tarnished enough by drugs and people like Greg LeMond are fed up and want to do something about it.

Why does everyone think that Lance's fantastic cancer recovery & cycling comeback story means he's the best cyclist in history?

He's not, by any measure except TDF overall. He's not even in the same league as Eddy Merckx, who won hundreds more stages & important races than Lance, won multiple Grand Tours in the same years, won the yellow, green & polka dot jerseys in the same TDF, blew the Hour record away & just generally dominated ALL of cycling, not merely one category of a single race. He even had to sit out the TDF one year because the French were so pissed at his boring dominance.

Armstrong shouldn't have been such a lame bully throughout his career. Lemond is just one of many people who Lance sabotaged on his way up that he's now facing on the way down. Jealousy has nothing to do with it--Lemond's accomplishments speak for themselves.

And the fact that Lance HAS tested positive 6 times doesn't help.

whatever_dude, finally another one who sees the light!!

That bottom line smells like it did come from your bottom. LeMond has been crusading for the UCI to improve its drug testing methods even while he was winning tours. Shouldn't that stand for something? Maybe the lead in his body made him think that cycling should be more fair and closer to being dopefree, I'm ok with that. I'm wasting my time talking to someone who knows nothing of the sport but he won 2 tours (89' and 90') with lead in his lungs and didn't have full use in one of them because of that.

Did you ever meet him to know that he's crazy and mean? I met him, 3 times, and I can tell you he wasn't mean with me at all and I loved biking with him when he would visit my town. We even shared water when I ran out.

Not hearsay.

Armstrong's 1999 samples tested positive for EPO 6 times. Stop being such a sycophantic worshiper.

I think retesting samples, as done here, is not scientifically correct. You have to store blood at fridge temperature, you can't freeze it because it crashes out and all those cells blow up. You can't trust old blood much like you can't trust old chicken... it won't last you years...

"They nearly caught Armstrong last year." - What facts do you have to support your baseless claim. Put up evidence or shut the hell up! Lance is the most tested human being in the history of sport. In 20 years, not a single shred of evidence has emerged that he has doped.

If you actually were following the investigation as it has been leaked, it is about him potentially knowing that his teammates were doping and him not speaking up. I certainly was not in that locker room or team bus, and I doubt if anyone taking the time to write on this blog was. It is reported that he did kick guys off the squad that he knew were doping when he was captain. I believe Lance was and is clean. The record will show this again...

DCRider, he can be the most tested athlete in history but it won't mean much to me and other people who know the testing loopholes that exist through the UCI and their partner organizations. It's the quality of the drug testing that should count, not the quantity. People who don't belive that are truly in denial and fooled by the hype.

LeMond had been pleading with the UCI to improve their drug testing methods for years even while he was cycling professionally.

I couldn't agree with you more R K, if not for all this mess, it would have been nice to see LeMond and Armstrong working together to advance the sport in the U.S., they would have been unstoppable. Now, we have to deal with this...

@what_the_81 ... great point. I hadn't even thought of that. Man, that would have been a powerful team and would elevate the sport in this country, no doubt about it.

I was going to write this but you have said it all and there's nothing to add. Bravo to you and show us both the evidence. Innuendo is not evidence.