This news is everywhere and it's almost impossible to ignore if you keep up with triathlon and cycling news. Its a shame since I would have liked to see Lance in Kona.
First of all, I don't care whether he doped or not. Given the people he was associated with, he more than likely did. The problem I have is with the process USADA has put him through.
In short, it seems this is how a conversation between LA and USADA would have gone:
USADA: We say you doped and we want to suspend you.
LA: Did I fail a drug test?
USADA: We're not telling but we have evidence.
LA: What is your evidence?
USADA: We're not telling. You should already know.
LA: That hardly seems fair.
If an unregulated quasi-government body was attempting to "convict" you of something but refused to turn over any evidence wouldn't you feel the same way? Even though it's not a criminal court, doesn't this completely go against everything our legal system stand for? Shouldn't any process in the US wherein the outcome is guilty or not guilty of something be held to the same due process standard of a criminal court? Who oversees USADA? No one...unless WADA decides what they did was unfair. USADA is like a Monarch. They have policies and rules but it seems they chose to ignore them.
Maybe this is already out there but, I would also like to know how the USADA has the authority to strip him of TdF victories from before the USADA even existed; how they can ignore the statute of limitations and how they can strip him of victories from a race in France?
What if you were accused of murder and the DA came to you and said: We know you killed someone but we're not going to tell you who you killed, who saw you do it, what the penalty will be, how you killed them or any other evidence we have until the trial starts. How could you possibly defend yourself?
Maybe I'm completely wrong.
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