why is just armstrong accused of doping?

wheresullrich?

I just cant help thinkin that if Lance was gonna dope n stuff wud he wana stand out so much.

If you were dopin and had a brain you wouldn't win the tour de france 6 times would you-it would make it obvious, you would be good but not great-not get carried away and always worry about being caught

personally if i was doping in a sport like cycling ide think the most obvious way for people to find out would be to make yourself the best tour de france rider ever- you would have to be thick! and lance doesn't trike me as the dumb type

His books aren't exactly on the same level as David Beckhams or someone he does show intelligence

antoineg

As I've pointed out elsewhere, this is just a ludicrous misuse of logic. If your "proof" is that he's too good, then here's a counter-example:

JUDGE: I have reason to believe you robbed the bank. We have witnesses who say they saw you, your fingerprints are on the gun, and we found bags of money at your flat.
LANCE: Your honor! If I was really trying to rob a bank, would I be so obvious????? Of course not! So I must be innocent!

grattorney

Nice try. I'll give you a better example from real life. An investor has insider information and decides to make illegal stock trades to get rich. In order to conceal these illegal trades (because he does not want to get caught), he "hides" his stock trades by submitting them along with thousands of other trades that come from his company's pension plan. As such, his trades do not stick out. Furthermore, he does not buy too much or sell too much of any particiular stock, so as to not arouse suspicion. He is successful, but not too successful. This goes on for years before anybody catches it. The investor makes millions before he is caught.

That is the way smart people by their nature hide illegal activity. They try to blend in and not draw attention to themselves. They do everything right. What they do not do - unless they are colossally stupid - is act such that even the dumbest person would say "Hey, what's that guy doing?"

Lance Armstrong is not stupid and he has acted very boldly for someone everyone suspects of doping. In this instance, and as long as we are dealing only in circumstantial evidence (which is much different than your bank robbery), then the manner in which LA acts is highly probative

limerickman

Nice Try.
If you look at Armstrongs training and performance program - he effectively competes for only three weeks per year.
In order to compete and to maximise performance, a doping program is developed around specific times - times which will maximise performance but which will avoid detection.

On the avoiding detection issue - if an athlete is not competing he, naturally,
will not be tested "in competition".
Thus the chances to catch doper who doesn't compete in many events during the year in formal competition, reduces.

antoineg

You've posted the reverse scenario: the original thesis was:

He can't be doping because he's been too good, and no smart person would intentionally try to stand out if they were cheating.

This thesis is unprovable.

A counter to your example is, um, I don't know....Enron? Biggest goddamn collapse in U.S. corporate history? Founded on....cheating!!!!

It cuts both ways. In either case it's unprovable and is just an example of you transferring the image of who you hope Lance is onto the circumstances.

wheresullrich?

why thank you! you can obviously understand the logic behind what I said unlike others.

The point is come on open your eyes lance is supposed to be a smart bike rider right? why on earth would he if he was dopin want it to be so god damn obvious.
You would seriously not want to stand out- but he does so

I'm not saying he doesn't dope cos he's too good I'm saying that if he had half a brain (which he does) he wouldn't make it as obvious as it apparently is

grattorney

I really have no idea what you are trying to say here. My point was that people who are trying to hide illegal activity act in certain ways so as to avoid being caught. One of the things they do is they keep their head down and try to blend in while still being successful but not too successful. Lance Armstrong has done neither. He has been incredibly successful and incredibly not quiet. Those are not the actions of someone who has something to hide, as they only make him more of a target (you being a great example).

Personally, the fact that LA has acted this way is not proof in itself that he is not doping. I have other, more important reasons why I believe he is clean. But it is a piece of the puzzle that, when put together, proves to me at this time that he is not doping.

wheresullrich?

Your so right this is just one of the many little things which make me think that the big think (lance doping) is not true.

As said this is no proof but seems logic does it not?

And I know you could say well the fact that his doctor he knows/uses has prescribed EPO to others would seem logic but I think as we've just heard people think Lance is intelligent and strong willed so I think he would be able to resist such a drug.

But no other cyclist found doping has been as successful as Lance Armstrong have they???
So I don't see why he would want to make his career as such a successful cyclist if he was doping.

As said before he would be successful like the others who have been caught but not too successful (like he is now)

gntlmn

You can have an incredible palmares and satisfy the likes of you and earn $250,000 a year or you can win the Tour de France and earn $25 million. This seems an easy choice to me.

I'm not surprised that Armstrong focuses on the Tour. An impressive palmares might satisfy naysayers such as yourself, but it doesn't put much bread on the table. If I had the choice, I wouldn't p##s much with the offseason wins. I'd stay focused on the prize. The very best riders who are in the running would agree.

gntlmn

But you then point to other Tour riders and say that they did it. But that was then, and this is now. The crown jewel of the Tour de France was a diamond in the rough then. Now it is cycling's premier crown jewel.

wheresullrich?

Exactly I think we understand any cyclist just focusing on the tour it is the main event in their calendar after all

And are you saying lance has chaged the tour for the better or something cos he certainly has no matter what those moaning frenchies think he has made 'their' sport more popular and has brought loads of souvenir purchasing americans to france in July surely thats one good point for them they can cash in on his fans!