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After months of speculation and waiting, the US Anti-Doping Agency released a 200+ page report outlining the case it has against Lance Armstrong yesterday. In the report, the USADA claims that not only did Armstrong use performance enhancing drugs while competing as a professional cyclist, but that he was also at the center of an extensive doping ring that permeated throughout the U.S. Postal squad and cycling in general. To back-up their claims, the report cites 26 witnesses, including 11 former Armstrong teammates.

The document released yesterday is just a synopsis of the vast amounts of evidence that the USADA claims to have on Armstrong. It references eye-witness reports, emails, lab tests and financial documents, and includes details a strict doping regimen that included PED's and blood transfusions, and even says that Armstrong's ex-wife Kristen would wrap cortisone pills in foil and hand them out to riders on his team. Travis Tygart, the head of the USADA,  called it "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

Perhaps the most damning evidence of all comes from the list of cyclists who have testified against Armstrong, including several riders that were close friends. That list includes George Hincapie, one of the most respected riders in the sport, Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie, Tyler Hamilton and others. Each of them admitted to doping and implicated Armstrong in the process.

As if that wasn't enough, the report also claims that retroactive testing of Armstrong's blood samples taken in the 1999 Tour de France test positive for EPO. Not just one sample, but six. For years Armstrong has used the defense that he never tested positive for a banned substance during his career, but what he doesn't really mention is that a test for EPO didn't come along until a few years later. He would also often dismiss those who spoke out about potential doping by discrediting them in the media, often claiming they had some grudge or axe to grind. The list of people on this list will be much harder to dismiss so lightly.

So what happens next? The UCI now has three weeks to review the report and decide how to proceed. It is that body, along with the Tour de France, that can elect to strip Armstrong of his seven titles. Because he chose to not fight these charges, Lance already faces a lifetime ban from competition, it is just a matter of whether or not his wins will continue to be considered official.

For anyone who has followed the sport of cycling or the Lance Armstrong saga, these results probably aren't much of a surprise. Considering the era in which he competed, it seems virtually impossible that he could have won all those races while competing completely clean. It's a shame that Armstrong's reputation now seems destined to go down in flames, as he has done a lot of good things outside of the sport that made him famous. He is also a tremendous athlete whether he was doping or not, but his legacy will be forever tainted by this scandal.

The Secret Race, the new book from former pro-cyclist Tyler Hamilton, was released today and in it he talks about his career and how he personally used performance enhancing drugs and other methods to help him compete. He also talks about his time riding for the legendary U.S. Postal team, led by Lance Armstrong. Hamilton alleges that Armstrong and the entire U.S. Postal squad were using EPO and other banned substance to win major events like the Tour de France.

None of this is really all that new of course. Hamilton has been discussing Armstrong and doping for some time. But the book, which I haven't read yet, supposedly goes into great detail about the system that cyclists use to stay one step ahead of the drug testers and continue to compete in the sport without getting caught. The book blows the lid off a culture that is prevalent in cycling that for a time made it okay to use PED's because it was what everyone was doing. What Hamilton and co-author Daniel Coyle detail in the book caused Outside magazine to proclaim that is now "impossible to believe Lance’s story anymore."

Earlier today, Hamilton and Coyle sat down with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show and spoke about the book, doping and Lance Armstrong. The video of that interview is below.

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By now I'm sure everyone has heard the news about Lance Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France winner has decided that he no longer wants to fight the allegations that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is bringing against him. In a statement released on his website last night, Armstrong said "Enough is enough." He knows that this fight will probably go on for months and that even if he manages to clear his name yet again, he'll probably continue to be dogged by allegations and charges for years to come. Rather than face that ongoing battle, he has decided against taking his case to arbitration and simply accept the USADA's decision. He'll almost assuredly get a lifetime ban from competition and could potentially lose all of his Tour wins as well.

There has been a lot of hyperbole tossed around in the press over the past 12-hours or so, thanks in no small part due to statements made by Travis Tygart, the Chief Executive of the USADA. Tygart says that he can and will strip Armstrong of his seven Tour wins, despite the fact that he has no jurisdiction to do so. Only the International Cycling Union (UCI) or the Tour has the ability to do that and at this point we have no idea if or when they'll do that. The UCI has been in contention with the USADA over this investigation for some time and have spoken out against the process. They don't seem likely to want to cooperate with Tygart and his team. Officials from the Tour de France on the other hand, may see things differently.

Despite never failing a drug test throughout his career, reports indicate that the USADA has found two samples from 2009 and 2010 that indicate that there may have been efforts to mask the use of performance enhancing drugs. Lets be clear here. The samples don't show PED's in Armstrong's system, simply that there may have been steps taken to hide their use. Tygart is also said to have ten former teammates of Armstrong lined up to testify that he was doping while winning all of those races, although some believe that those other riders had little choice but to testify or face their own inquiries as well.

More than one critic of the USADA's investigation have called it a "witch hunt." Some have even hinted that there is a bit of a personal vendetta on the part of Tygart. His battles with Lance go back a number of years and his desire to catch Armstrong have continued despite the cyclists retiring. Twice. It should also be noted that the USADA moved ahead with it's investigation despite the fact that the U.S. Attorney General's Office dropped its case against Armstrong back in February. That investigation lasted for two-years and was abandoned for lack of evidence.



Some have wondered why this case is moving ahead now when Armstrong is no longer cycling competitively. While he was no longer on the international cycling circuit, Lance was competing in triathlons and doing quite well. He had planned on racing in the Ironman Championships in Hawaii this fall and by many accounts he was poised to have an impact on that sport as well. Despite the fact that he was retired from pro cycling, Armstrong was competing, just on a smaller stage. The lifetime ban from competition will ensure he doesn't take part in any sanctioned events again.

As a huge cycling fan I realize that the era in which Armstrong raced was one in which nearly everyone in the peloton was using some kind of performance enhancing drug or other method to gain an advantage. That doesn't excuse their use of course, it is just an acknowledgement that it was a different time for the sport. The UCI has taken great strides to clean up cycling and while they're not completely there yet, things have certainly improved over the past few years.

We'll have to wait and see how everything falls out with this case. The USADA will likely pass their brand of judgement very quickly. How the UCI and the Tour de France responds will be very telling. Either way, I'm sure Armstrong is looking forward to turning the page and moving forward. He still has a lot of good work to do with his Livestrong Foundation and I truly believe he is just plain tired of fighting these charges.

Whether or not he gets to keep those seven Tour wins remains to be seen. But fans of the sport and of Armstrong know who won those races out on the road. The results of this investigation won't change that.

Yesterday I posted the story about Lance Armstrong filing a legal suit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in an attempt to block the organization's attempts to move forward with charges against the former pro cyclist. Turns out Armstrong's case didn't hold up for very long, as the judge reviewing the filing tossed it out within a matter of hours.

United States District Court Judge Sam Sparks took Armstrong's legal team to task for filing a complaint that was filled with inflammatory language designed to generate media attention (Ha!) and allegations that were completely irrelevant to the case. Sparks went on to say, “This court is not inclined to indulge Armstrong’s desire for publicity, self-aggrandizement or vilification of Defendants, by sifting through 80 mostly unnecessary pages in search of the few kernels of factual material relevant to his claims.”

Pretty strong words from the judge and I applaud him for taking this stance. It's hardly the end of the story however as Lance and his lawyers can refile the case in another 20 days. I'm guessing we can expect an edited version with more direct language at that time.

I think I mentioned yesterday that this was going to get really ugly. Looks like we're just beginning to see where this will all lead.

While the 2012 Tour de France continues across the pond, seven time winner Lance Armstrong has filed suit today agains the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in a bid to halt the organization's case against him.  The lawsuit was entered into federal court his morning in Austin, Texas amidst allegations of civil rights violations and a personal vendetta against Armstrong on the part of the USADA's Chief Executive Travis Tygart.

You may recall that last month the USADA brought charges against the legendary cyclist, claiming that the organization had proof that he used performance enhancing substances during his career. Armstrong responded in typical fashion, pointing out his spotless record in all of his years of competitive cycling and noting that he was one of the most tested athletes of all time. He pointed out that over the course of his 25 year athletic career he never had a spike in performance and never failed a drug test in over 500 samples.

Today's lawsuit says that the USADA's approach to handling his case has left Armstrong with few alternatives in how to respond and that that case ignored a number of his rights. He claims that he wasn't given due process in the investigation and that he was a "big fish" target that Tygart had on his hit list as a means for the organization to justify it's very existence. Armstrong's lawyers also point out that the USADA is designed to hold arbitration hearings for an athlete who has already tested positive for a banned substance and not charge someone without a pre-existing positive test. The filing also says that jurisdiction of any positive test would fall under the domain of the International Cycling Union and not the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

This news comes after a report over the weekend that several of Armstrong's former teammates and acquaintances are set to testify against the legendary cyclists in exchange for immunity. Some of the riders that were named include Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie. Tygart says that he has more than ten cyclists lined up to testify about first hand knowledge of Armstrong's alleged doping while he was competing professionally.

If Lance is found guilty of the allegations he could be face a lifetime ban from competition and could also be stripped of his seven Tour wins. He has already been forced to withdraw from the Ironman Triathlon championship in October, a sport that he has started to excel at over the past year.

Stay tuned for more. This one is going to get really messy.

By now I'm sure everyone is aware of the charges against Lance Armstrong by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The allege that they have blood samples from 2009 and 2010 that show the signs of possible tampering, including the use of EPO and blood transfusions. The story of these charges was big news in the cycling world, and beyond, yesterday and as you could probably guess, Lance had a few things to say on the matter.

Not long after the story broke yesterday afternoon, Lance posted the following statement to his website:

I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned. These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity. Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA’s malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play. 

I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one. That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence.

 So there you have. Lance once again maintains his innocence and points to his MANY drug tests over the years as evidence. He is right in pointing out that he has never failed a test and he is quite possibly the most tested athlete in history.

I find it interesting that the USADA is dredging up blood samples from 2009 and 2010, which is when Armstrong came out of retirement to ride. The allegations against Lance were already out there at that point and it would seem foolhardy for him to try to ride again while doping. He had to know that he would be under even more scrutiny in his return than he had been before.

I'm also disappointed that this could mean that Lance won't get to compete in Kona in October. I was personally looking forward to seeing how he would do at the Ironman Championships and it now seems unlikely that this situation will be resolved before then.

This is probably going to get very messy before we're done.