By Lisa Hoehn
The Active Times
The Lance Armstrong doping scandal has not been one that's easy to stay on top of. From a large cast of players to ping-pong style lawsuits, “blood doping” to alleged conspiracy and coercion, "breaking news" in this saga happens almost on the daily. And given that, until very recently the pro cycling community was dominated by a Code of Silence, the world is one that we, the public, had known very little about.
But as of this week, it's confirmed -- Lance Armstrong, the public's ever-fighting, ever-denying, ever-Tweeting cancer hero, used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) throughout his cycling career. He told Oprah Winfrey, and the world will know!
This stark change in attitude came about thanks to a 1,000-plus page "Reasoned Decision" that was released by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in October, which lays out Armstrong's drug use -- what, how, when, with whom -- from his first Tour in 1998 all the way through 2010. This included sworn testimony from 26 people -- including 11 of Armstrong's former teammates -- and cited documentary evidence such as emails, scientific data, laboratory test results and even financial payments as corroborating evidence. And as sponsors dropped left and right, Armstrong was, seemingly, left without much choice than to come clean.
|
Slideshow: Lance Armstrong Myths Debunked |
Through all of the confusion, though, there has (unsurprisingly) been a lot of ... well, misinformation flying around. Myths, if you will. Some were started by Lance or his lawyers, others by his friends and still others just by the general public, but each of them seems to lend itself to a version of Lance that benefits exactly one person -- himself.
So, read for yourself. Lance Armstrong myths: Busted.
More Stories At The Active Times:
-- Cyclist Nicole Cooke Blasts The Sport -- Especially Lance
-- For Pro Cyclist Gillian Carleton, It's a Big Year
-- Bike Commuter Gear: 25 Essentials
-- Meet The Next Lindsay Vonn