Sportsbook Fans Not Surprised by Landis Admission. Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for failing a drug test. The admission made big sportsbook online news on Thursday as Landis not only admitted his own use but said that other athletes including Lance Armstrong were also using.
Lance Armstrong has long been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs but he has never tested positive. “I have nothing to hide … history speaks for itself here,” Armstrong said. “It’s his word versus ours … we like our word, we like our credibility.” Landis did not stop with Armstrong as he also accused American riders Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie and Armstrong’s coach Johan Bruyneel. The World Anti-Doping Agency said they will investigate the statements made by Landis. “WADA is aware of the serious allegations made by Mr Landis. We are very interested in learning more about this matter and we will liaise with the United States Anti-Doping Agency [USADA] and any other authorities with appropriate jurisdiction to get to the heart of the issues raised. WADA looks forward to these further investigations and enquiries by those responsible.”
The confession made by Landis is just another black eye for the sport of cycling. Doping allegations have surrounded the professional tour and even the cyclists who are clean are under suspicion. Landis did finally take responsibility for using PED’s. “I take responsibility for all the stuff I did,” Landis said, “No one gave me something and said, ‘Don’t ask what this is, just take it.’ I would never have done that. The things I took, I knew what they were, and I spent the time researching what the risks were, and the decisions I made were mine.” Landis made a number of other allegations that reflect badly on Armstrong and on the sport of cycling in general. He talked about a number of things including blood being stored for future tests.
Lance Armstrong is still racing but he is no longer the dominant force he was years ago. There will always be a cloud of suspicion surrounding him especially with the new allegations made by Landis. Unfortunately for the sport of cycling there are really no positives from the statements made by Landis or from the denials made by Armstrong.