Thursday, August 23, 2012

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012


Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.
I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.
If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?
From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.
The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.
USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.
Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

Monday, August 13, 2012

2012 Levi's Gran Fondo Donation Request


Thanks so much to everyone who gave so generously last year to the charities of Levi’s Gran Fondo. 

I promise this year to not bombard you with a ton of emails - time is short and I know a lot of people are tapped out
.
As you may know, I am riding in this event again this year, and would greatly appreciate your donation on my behalf.  Last year I had a fun gimmick to offer in return for your donation.  This year, I don’t have anything as interesting.  Although if you all help to reach my goal, I will randomly draw a name to decide how I will grow my Mo for Movember ( http://us.movember.com/ ). The money raised goes to help many important activities, including support for Cancer patients, a project to help at risk youth and rural schools and fire departments in the Santa Rosa area.  See the bottom of the email for information on the charities.

I have stepped up the length of my ride this year from 103 miles versus the 65 miles I rode last year.  Similarly I raised my fundraising goal to $2800, from the $2120 you all provided in 2011. 

I need your help though.  Time is short as all fundraising for this year must be done by the first week of September.  The fastest way to donate is to go to my personal donation page and donate via credit card http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fund-raiser?uid=ccallana. Please click now! :)  You can also donate by Cash or Check.  The fastest method here is to send it to me, and I will donate on-line in your name (I know, this sounds fishy, but it’s not).  If this makes you uncomfortable, you can make a check out to VeloStreet Inc and send it either to me and I will forward it, or directly to them.  However this option takes a bit longer to sort out.


Please forward to all your generous friends! :)

Thank you again! Levi, VeloStreet, the supported charities and I very much appreciate your continued support.  

--Chris

VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program

VeloStreet, the non-profit arm of the GranFondo, has a series of hands-on initiatives that aim to directly improve cycling resources in the communities in which the GranFondo operates and throughout California. The current program changes with the cycling needs of the area, but is currently working on the following projects:
  • Support and further fundraising for emergency management of local mountain bike-friendly State Parks threatened by closures due to budget cuts.
  • A cycling-specific signage program for favored bicycle routes throughout Sonoma County to facilitate lawful cycling for tourists and to increase awareness amongst local residents.
  • A competitive grant program to fund cycling infrastructure and education in California and beyond.

Forget Me Not Farm

Since its inception in 1992, Forget Me Not Farm has helped thousands of at-risk children and youth break the cycle of abuse. Located on the grounds of the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, the Farm offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities that provide a haven for children, plants and animals to bond, learn, and heal with one another.
  

Community Giving

Much of the GranFondo course traverses beautiful rural scenery with little to no development. Looks can be deceiving however, for there are folks living in these fine stretches of country with kids that need as good a dose of learning as their city dwelling brethren. Problem is, much of these school districts have to spend more money to educate fewer students across these widely spread areas. On top of that, since there are less kids in the classroom, less money comes down from local, state, and federal coffers. The GranFondo is working with schools along the route to identify needs and support this community as we enjoy the views and terrain in their backyards. Additionally, this gets these kids excited about cycling at a young age and in a time where childhood obesity and nutrition are major problems for developing children.
This same geographic and financial situation extends to emergency services and other community services, not just schools. The GranFondo supports these vital local resources so that folks who make their life in further flung areas of the county can continue to have the same opportunities as their urban comrades.

LIVESTRONG

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and based in Austin, Texas, LIVESTRONG supports the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. LIVESTRONG connects individuals to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive social change. Known for the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG’s mission is to inspire and empower anyone affected by cancer. For more information visitwww.livestrong.org.