Is Lance Armstrong A Prey For USADA?

Former world cycling ace and seven time Tour De France champion, Lance Armstrong is currently going through the toughest phase of his entire career. Doping allegations for Armstrong are not going away; instead they are starting all over again.

The champion who once dated Sheryl Crow has been re-charged formally with taking drugs to enhance his performance. Charges made by the US Anti Doping Agency if proved true would strip Armstrong from his victories achieved in cycling race. In an immediate move, the 40-year-old has been banned from competing in triathlons, a sport he engaged in following his retirement from cycling last year.

_{Image from: Lance Armstrong website}

Armstrong was notified about the charges made by USADA in a 15-page letter which stated that the investigation included evidence dating back to 1996 and accused Armstrong of a "pervasive pattern of doping" for many years. The report further said that blood samples collected in 2009 and 2010 were fully consistent with blood manipulation. In response to the allegations, Armstrong dubbed them as ‘baseless’ and ‘spiteful’. To some extent Armstrong’s strong reaction towards the report does make complete sense.

USADA seems to be in mood of opening the Pandora’s Box and this time Lance Armstrong is likely to be their prey. Otherwise, there seems no reason as to unveil blood reports of dope tests that were conducted 16 years ago.

Moreover, another important fact that needs to be pointed here is that during all these years USADA has been involved in its conspiracies against many athletes, as said by Lance why has he been the target of the entire mess is something beyond the scope of understanding. Maybe they thought that a person already battling against testicular, brain and lung cancer can easily be victimized with the charges of consuming drugs for performance enhancement.

Throughout his career Lance went through more than 500 drug tests and never failed in any of them. Even though further developments in the case are expected, all we can hope is that an outstanding athlete like Lance Armstrong does not become a victim of false allegations and propaganda.