[Closed] Lance fessed up to Oprah

Is anyone deliberately planning on not watching this farce of an interview like me? I never would say that this cheat was a hero to me but I carried a lot of respect for him from his on road exploits and, greater for me, the cancer work (something that I, like many, have been impacted by). It's actually this side of it that has disappointed me the most, how can anyone going through that battle carry any sort of hope or inspiration from this lying, bullying PoS.

No real point to this post, just having my say.

wrecker - Member

Millar is no saint, and I'm sure he'll never be able to completely remove the blot from his name, but I doubt there are many stronger anti-doping advocates, simply because he [/s]is living proof that in the long term it does not benefit the athlete either professionally or personally[s] got caught

Correct me if I'm wrong but Millar wasn't caught doping. The police found 2 empty EPO ampules in his bedroom. There was no evidence that they were his or that he had used them. He didn't fail a blood test either, and wouldn't have because they were months old and he hadn't reused.

Millar could have quite easily claimed they were soemone elses etc etc and that he was clean. In all likely hood he would have suceeded if he had wanted to take this route. [u]BUT[/u] he chose not to, he came clean very much to his own detriment.

I'm not saying Millar is a Saint but he sure as hell cannot be comapred to Lance!

but has he actually been tested positive now

Twice, I believe

Seems to me an awful lot of people who continued to believe in Lance until long after it became sensible to do so will now swing the other way & become fervently anti-dopers. Doesn't really compensate for their gullibilty in the first place but hey-ho that's human nature I suppose.

He didn't fail a blood test either

Actually having thought about it I can sort of see Wreckers point to a certain extent;

"A cheat is a cheat" - It's a pretty black and white way of looking at it, but if one cheat can find some degree of "redemption" then it follows that another should be able to also...

Millar will always have the doping episode hanging over whatever else may achieve. I think the true measure of anyone involved in the sort of activities that both men have been is how they then conduct themselves in the aftermath. If they can manage to follow the negative impact they've had on the sport and people involved with something positive.

Some would say that Millar has acquitted himself well over the last 6 years or so, but then his was a "shorter road" to track back over than LaLa's; fewer Victims, less money involved, not quite the same public profile (outside of cycling) as Lance...

LaLa has close to a decade of "false dominance" over the sport to make up for, as well as various individuals lives and careers irrepairably damaged by his actions.

TBH If he can rebuild anything like half the reputation that Millar has Scraped together he'll be doing very well.

Perhaps there is a danger of everyone with a twitter account or STW login "Judging" him before the whole story is finished, just like Millar he could still manage to make amends. But that is probably an even bigger task than winning 7 TDFs clean would have been and I don't think there is any performance enhancing substance or shortcut available for the task, Oprah certainly isn't one...

Correct me if I'm wrong but Millar wasn't caught doping. The police found 2 empty EPO ampules in his bedroom. There was no evidence that they were his or that he had used them. He didn't fail a blood test either, and wouldn't have because they were months old and he hadn't reused.

Millar could have quite easily claimed they were soemone elses etc etc and that he was clean. In all likely hood he would have suceeded if he had wanted to take this route. BUT he chose not to, he came clean very much to his own detriment.

You are correct, it was more that he gave in to the pressure of questioning and heavy leaning from the French Police I think...

[I]...Millar eventually confessed to police on 24 June 2004. He admitted using EPO in 2001 and 2003. He blamed it on stress, in particular losing the prologue, the opening time-trial, in the 2003 Tour, and being beaten by Jan Ullrich in the 2001 world time trial championship. Under cycling rules a confession equates to a positive test. British Cycling suspended him for two years in August 2004. He was disqualified as 2003 world time trial champion, fined CHF2,000 '(approx. €1250)', and disqualified from the 2003 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and 2001 Vuelta a España. Cofidis fired him and dropped out of racing while it investigated other team members....[/I]

[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Millar#Doping [/url]

That pretty much summarizes it...

For me- you cheat you are banned from all competitions [b][i][u]for life[/u][/i][/b].

It then makes that transitional moment where you decide to dope a very clear cut choice with no leeway.

In addition you are given a really good kicking by blokes holding billiard balls inside socks.

Seems to me an awful lot of people who continued to believe in Lance until long after it became sensible to do so will now swing the other way & become fervently anti-dopers. Doesn't really compensate for their gullibilty in the first place but hey-ho that's human nature I suppose.

I think these fell into two camps though, Those that would not believe and those that wanted evidence.

I sat on the fence until the evidence came out. I really wanted to see multiple positive tests. I was not going to label him a cheat on the basis he won more than anyone else.

I wonder how he'd fare if his samples were tested now as LAs were?
I'm not pro or ant lance, just pointing out that a cheat is a cheat is a cheat.

Well they'd find EPO. As he already admitted to. In print. On TV. On radio. It's quite clear his admission to police was down to them putting pressure on and it's hard to say if he'd have confessed if they hadn't raided his home after arresting him and found the vials.

Again though, he's not QUITE the same as Lance despite being a cheat.

I very much doubt that LA gave any evidence under oath to the Grand Jury, but if he did and now has changed his story, a perjury charge will be forthcoming.

Does he not escape the perjury charge by courtesy of it being outside the US statute of limitations?

I suspect with LA he's just taking down the big guys with him. They'll sink without a trace. LA will have a new book out shortly, presumably he's been keeping quiet for a bit whilst he jots down a few notes about his' crimes'. Accountant will have worked out the money he is likely to owe plaintiffs and how much he has at the moment and he'll have enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

And to be frank, as others have said, if he does have one redeeming benefit then we might get a serious root-and-branch overhaul of the sport (or even sports).

And them DM might be able to name and shame a few people himself on the way to redemption...

For me- you cheat you are banned from all competitions for life.

It then makes that transitional moment where you decide to dope a very clear cut choice with no leeway.

In addition you are given a really good kicking by blokes holding billiard balls inside socks.

Sadly you are not the UCI Hora...

Has much changed withing the UCI since September?
Ultimately the whole affair highlights the seismic failures/corruption of the sports governing body IMO...

I said it before and i'll say it again as a body tasked with both promoting and policing cycling the UCI have proven they cannot be trusted to do both. So I'll vote for Hora and his mates from the billiard hall as the new incorruptible governing body of cycling, can I propose you change the name to [I]"The League of cycling Justice"[/I]...

oh and apparently

The interview is set to air Thursday at 9pm eastern time in the US on the Oprah Winfrey Network and will be [U]streamed live internationally on Oprah.com.[/U]

from [url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/14/lance-armstrong-livestrong-sorry-emotional-meeting ]Here[/url], the guardian seem to be lapping this up...

Anything from the Mail yet? I can't imagine they'd let this one slide by...

Cyclist in performance enhancing products use shocker 😯

Come on STW’ers it was one the worst kept secret in cycling; riders using performance enhancing products.

The real issue is that LA won lots of races/events exploiting the many loopholes in the very amateurish drugs testing programmes whilst being support by the cycling establishment; then sponsors found religion and have become evangelical about drug free sport entertainment.

Irrespective of what other think, LA is still a hero in my eyes; he survived cancer, setup one of the best cancer charities in the world and in a level professional cycling playing field won TdFs 7 times.

Irrespective of what other think, LA is still a hero in my eyes; he survived cancer, setup one of the best cancer charities in the world and in a level professional cycling playing field won TdFs 7 times.

Troll is a bit too obvious, but no doubt some will still bite. 🙂

(please say you weren't serious?!)

Where do you reside Kona? The Rampton Physiatric wing?

Surely your Internet usage is restricted?

I'm not pro or ant lance, just pointing out that a cheat is a cheat is a cheat

Your view of either good or bad is simplistic.
Take theft
Someone steals some food for their hungry baby which is the same as stealing someone bikes for heroin as they are both stealing.

If you cannot see this huge area of grey you are going to struggle in life.

I assume speeding at 76 on an empty motorway is the same as doing 76 past a school at home time as they are both speeding

International Richard - Member

He ruined the reputation of his sport.

No he didn't- how does one man do that? It took almost every part of his sport working together to bring it to where it is now.

I totally understand why people will want to make Lance the boss level of drugs in cycling- the whole industry's got a vested interest in pretending it's so, from fans to the UCI. But there's no truth in it and I think everyone knows that really.

Anyone good with photoshop?

[img] :large[/img]

He was from alone in doing this and it cannot all be blamed on him

Anyone good with photoshop?

Sure what part of her body do you want his hands to be cupping?

I dislike both Millar and Armstong in equal measures, the former for being a cheat and sickening hypocrite, the latter for the many many reasons already stated.

What I will say however is that in grassing up everyone else involved (regardless of his motivation for doing so), Lance will do more for Anti Doping than that Weasel Millar ever has. Its something that Millar, if he was serious about anti doping, should have done years ago.

International Richard - Member
He ruined the reputation of his sport.

Northwind - Member

No he didn't- how does one man do that? It took almost every part of his sport working together to bring it to where it is now.

He ruined it by bringing the sport to the masses consciousness and representing a role model, then cheating beyond all belief. We all are into cycling and can cite story after hyperlink but the average joe public has limited knowledge about cycling other than 'lance Armstrong, what a hero'. Now ask the masses what their opinion of the tdf and it'll be met with 'they are all at it' load of sh!t etc etc

This is why imo he has ruined the sport.... No?

(please say you weren't serious?!)

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field, performance enhancing products were widely used, for me they only enhanced performance, I could take a full on cocktail of whatever and still not be able to win a stage of the TdF.

He ruined it by bringing the sport to the masses consciousnes

He only did that for America, maybe a little bit in other English speaking countries.

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field

There's certainly plenty of accusations that LA [to a certain extent] controlled who could and who couldn't have EPO in his team.

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field

Why do people keep trotting out this line even though the USADA report (among other things) show clearly that this just isn't true? I don't get it. It's like wearing ignorance like a badge.

Sorry but Millar and Lala are miles apart.

Millar cheated, got caught and held his hands up to it.

Armstrong cheated, pressured large numbers of other riders in to cheating, crushed anyone who might try and question his 'innocence' and generally acted like a bully to everyone while making a large fortune off the back it all.

The famous Paul Kimmage confrontation gives an insight in to how thoroughly unpleasant the bloke is.

What I will say however is that in grassing up everyone else involved (regardless of his motivation for doing so), Lance will do more for Anti Doping than that Weasel Millar ever has. Its something that Millar, if he was serious about anti doping, should have done years ago.

LA will only do this to try and save his sorry hide, not for any love of the sport, guilt or compassion for what he did.

International Richard - Member

Now ask the masses what their opinion of the tdf and it'll be met with 'they are all at it' load of sh!t etc etc

And they'd be right. Public opinion in based on fact shocker.

The attitude seems to be that it's alright for a sport to be dirty, as long as the public don't know? And that if it becomes known, it's the fault of one person not the sport?

Wonder what this is gonna do to Discovery Communications share price?! Funny how they were one of the major team sponsors and they co-own the Oprah Winfrey Channel.

LA's dad walked out on his Mother didn't he? I know to a degree we are a product of our up bringing but does nature also play a part? Alittle personal but you've got to think- where does his mindset come from.

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field

1) if it was true it would only be so amongst dopers, not everyone doped. Didn't the retrospective analysis of samples from '99 (which identified several connected to LA) give a doping rate of approx 9%?

2) its not true. Different people react differently to PEDs, and different people (with more $$$) would have access to better PEDS and more sophisticated regimes.

This argument has been comprehensively dismissed ad nauseum in numerous LA threads on here and the references contained within.

http://fraudbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/lance-armstrong-investigation-expert.html

Ashenden goes on to explain the tests that were conducted in 2005 on 1999 Tour de France riders when better EPO tests came out. At the time, 87 samples were tested from 1999 and 13 of them were positive, meaning they showed EPO was in the urine of Tour riders. Of the 13 positives, almost half (6), turned out to be Lance's urine.

[url= http://www.happyplace.com/20355/bingo-game-for-lance-armstrongs-interview-with-oprah ]Handy game you can play.[/url]

NORTHWIND - Yes but the sport is driven by money. The sponsors want the masses to buy the sponsors products and not to be associated with lala, therefore the uneducated opinion of a none cyclist is very important. The fact the masses didn't know about it is the very reason Armstrong is more culpable than other cyclist cheats (bullying, suing, denying, hiding behind charities)

Debating on a forum is like pissing in the wind so I'm jut gonna read here on out

Ps- MSP my uk none cycling friends had never heard of tdf until Armstrong did what he did

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field, performance enhancing products were widely used, for me they only enhanced performance,

Its not a great argument its laughable

Northwind you are bing unfair just taking that quote his overall statement was reasonable and explained why he thought LA ruined it - he is not suggetsing anything like that and you must know that

Discovery Communications share price

Oprah owns it (I believe / so R2 told me).

International Richard - Member

NORTHWIND - Yes but the sport is driven by money. The sponsors want the masses to buy the sponsors products and not to be associated with lala, therefore the uneducated opinion of a none cyclist is very important. The fact the masses didn't know about it is the very reason Armstrong is more culpable than other cyclist cheats

Rubbish. The sponsors are as complicit as everyone else. If you want to get behind a clean sport, you help make it clean and keep it clean, you don't complain when it becomes known how dirty it is. Sponsors were happy to ride the wave of Lance's success.

Seems to me an awful lot of people who continued to believe in Lance until long after it became sensible to do so will now swing the other way & become fervently anti-dopers.

...taking his cue just a few posts later

hora - Member
For me- you cheat you are banned from all competitions for life.

As far as I am concerned it was a level playing field, performance enhancing products were widely used, for me they only enhanced performance, I could take a full on cocktail of whatever and still not be able to win a stage of the TdF.

That's as maybe, but you suggested he "setup one of the best cancer charities in the world" - surely nobody could make that suggestion with a straight face?

Sponsors were happy to ride the wave of Lance's success.

Yes they wanted to ride his wave but they all ditched him sharpish once it was in the open -they did not want to be associated witha drug taking lying cheat for reasons that should be so obvious i dont need to state them

[Oprah owns it (I believe / so R2 told me).

/quote]

I think you'll find it's the Newhouse family that have controlling stake in Discovery Communications and they own half of Oprah Channel. May stand corrected though. Whoever it is, they will still have shareholders to please.

I think you'll find it's the Newhouse family that have controlling stake in Discovery Communications and they own half of Oprah Channel. May stand corrected though. Whoever it is, they will still have shareholders to please.

I knew that there was some link.

This springs to mind (I hope it's the right video as I am at work and have no speakers to listen to make sure it's the right video).

What I will say however is that in grassing up everyone else involved [b](regardless of his motivation for doing so), Lance will do more for Anti Doping[/b] than that Weasel Millar ever has. Its something that Millar, if he was serious about anti doping, should have done years ago.

If you cannot see this huge area of grey you are going to struggle in life.

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2013/01/15/justice-department-poised-to-join-whistleblower-suit/

Teh Fedz are a comin' to get him now...!

The deadline for the Justice Department to join the suit is Thursday, the day Armstrong’s much anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey is scheduled to air

The deadline for the Justice Department to join the suit is Thursday, the day Armstrong’s much anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey is scheduled to air

Apparently the interview is going to air over two shows now (reported by Telegraph), what is the bet the incriminating part is in the second show

If you cannot see this huge area of grey you are going to struggle in life.

That's a bit low, even for you.

I merely meant if you wish to see everything as either or then you will experience some problems as life is more complex than that.
It was not meant to be some sort of personal insult so sorry - a defence you dont have btw as you meant your insult whilst getting upset about an insult- oh the ironing.
Why would we have different sentencing for the same offence if they are all the same? Why do we give time off for good behaviour i it is all the same? why do we give reduced sentences for admissions ?why do you need to accept and be contrite for your offence to get parole etc?
All cheats are not alike in the same way as all thiefs are not alike. If you cannot make this distinction you will struggle as it pretty obvious.

FWIW - a 16yr old lad i knew who raced on the euro cx scene independently, was approached, and raced against racers who were, abnormal on race days, after chatting with his dad about his options he turned his back on the sport and went into engineering.

For me, this is the real tragedy of the doping culture. talented, committed young people turning their back on the sport they love because they refuse to cheat. We've lost hundreds, if not thousands of very talented cyclists to doping.

And as Nicole Cooke so rightly said, it seems that dopers win on the way up, and again on the way down.

oh and for the record i do think millar is a cheat and his reputation is tarnished and he could have done more as was suggested in naming names etc - perhaps here still an omerta there.
I suspect he did all he could whilst still remaining a pro cyclist and is part of a team with a no doping policy and has tried to leave a better legacy for future riders and create a better future for cycling*.

Currently I could not say that about LA but i do believe in redemption However LA has a very long path to walk to achieve that.

*That is laudable but it is not as laudable as having never cheated.

LA is a narcissist. End of. His motivation for this interview is purely driven by his own ambitions. Namely.... politics. At the very least, he wants to be Governor of Texas and lets face it, the USA electorate will have short memories and rose coloured specs in 15 years time.

After that stint, it's mere bagatelle to run for the top job.

Afterall, he is eminently qualified, what with sewer rat morals...

Anyone good with photoshop?

Calling TJ - oh there he is on FB (hope you don't mind me reposting, Jeremy?)

[img] [/img]

Liar, liar, pants on fire

oh and for the record i do think millar is a cheat

You mean there's enablers who think he didn't? 😯

1) 'Fes up
2) Beg the "fans" for forgivness
3) Plea Bargain . . . .
4) Sorted

🙂

Northwind - Member
Rubbish. The sponsors are as complicit as everyone else

So it's everyone's fault then as you keep trying to point out. That's utter bull crap. One person made that decision to inject drugs that was mr Armstrong, not Oakley or Trek

I wondered if LA was following millars leadmodel to redemtion?

Confess to it [sih] not take any riders down with you, take down the UCI and then try and build a clean one with ex dopers in it to make sure it never happens again- perhaps with his as the lead 😯
I hope he sticks to US politics and never gets out of Texas as i dont want to see him influencing cycling

Why would we have different sentencing for the same offence if they are all the same? Why do we give time off for good behaviour i it is all the same? why do we give reduced sentences for admissions ?why do you need to accept and be contrite for your offence to get parole etc?
All cheats are not alike in the same way as all thiefs are not alike. If you cannot make this distinction you will struggle as it pretty obvious.

I'm not distinguishing too much as I don't really see the "crimes" as too different. Both took drugs (should we distinguish as one took less drugs than the other/wasn't as good at it?) to gain an advantage. Both got caught. One got caught red handed and was still able to make a comeback and has said sorry and has been a positive (sorry) influence on the sport. One has been caught retrospectively and the dust hasn't really settled and has not had the opportunity to be all "oops sorry, it's really bad etc".
I think that there's a lot of this "I hope he goes bankrupt and homeless" stuff not because he cheated but because people don't like him, which is fair enough; he's a total ****.
Wish him the worst by all means but don't disguise it as faux outrage at his doping. You'd think he invented the stuff! Loads have, do and will continue to dope.
If Millar hadn't got caught by the rozzers, would he have become Mr anti-doping? Suppose we'll never know.

I'm gonna really struggle to watch Dodgeball now 🙁

If LA is going nuclear and naming names of senior people in the sport should he get mitigation from a life ban?

It seems lawyers are queuing up for clients wanting their cash back and wriggle room is decreasing BUT

For all LA's faults he possesses a tacticians brain and without a shadow of doubt he has his goals and several paths to get there. This process has only just started and in his bid to re invent himself he will sell whoever he needs to own the river and over the falls with a rock tied around their neck.

The publicised wish to return to competitive sport could be a feint and a classic mis direction. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy and ego tried to run for public office. Bill ( I didn't have sexual relations but my joy juice was on an interns dress) Clinton who lied got away without being impeached and has a popularity rating which is higher than ever.

Stranger things have happened and to write Lance off would be to under estimate the determination and tactical nature of the man.

^^^^^^^

I think that's what I was saying, but not so eloquently 🙂

International Richard -
He should have gone into politics, that way he could continue his deception and never be caught

On the first part (going into politics), it's only going to be a matter of time. This interview is all just part of the long game. He is [i]far[/i] from over / finished.

It'll be [i]interesting[/i] to see who's getting named from the UCI if he's taking it there ...

One has been caught retrospectively

After failing to buy off the right people this time

International Richard - Member

So it's everyone's fault then as you keep trying to point out. That's utter bull crap. One person made that decision to inject drugs that was mr Armstrong, not Oakley or Trek

It's entirely his fault he doped (though, obviously has to be seen as part of the bigger picture). But it's not his fault pro road cycling's a joke.

Al Jazeera. Got a lot of love guys for you 'Lance Armstrong..did he admit/make an admission'?

Rather than the headline 'HE CONFESSES' like everyone else

Hes going to use the vunerable time recovered from xancer when took drugs angle. I bet.

[url= http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderreport/2013/01/15/to-forgive/ ]http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderreport/2013/01/15/to-forgive/[/url]

Northwind - Member

But it's not his fault pro road cycling's a joke.

Given the level of collusion between him and the UCI, and the way e forced others into doping, it's more his fault than most,

And nobody forced him into suing people on false pretenses

Northwind - Member
But it's not his fault pro road cycling's a joke.

You may not think he's made it a joke but everyone I speak to thinks it and its joe publics perception that counts. Not the well informed cycling fan as they are in the tiniest minority

honourablegeorge - Member

Given the level of collusion between him and the UCI, and the way e forced others into doping, it's more his fault than most,

That's right- the UCI collude with riders they're supposed to be regulating, and that's mostly the riders' fault.

I also like that Armstrong made the decision to dope himself and only he can be blamed for that, but it's OK for other people to blame Armstrong- the big bad boy made me!

International Richard - Member

You may not think he's made it a joke but everyone I speak to thinks it and its joe publics perception that counts.

Nope, it's the truth that counts. When Joe Public thought he was a real hero, was he? When Joe Public neither knew or cared whether cycling was dirty, did it not matter?

If the most important member of a team is basically telling others that to ride at the level they want to ride at, they have to dope, then yes, it is okay to pin additional blame to him. But you know that already, I don't know why I'm biting.

I know I've already said this but - I give up, you win

Who cares. When $ calls it takes them all.

Next will be British Cycling amazing story.

ormondroyd - Member

If the most important member of a team is basically telling others that to ride at the level they want to ride at, they have to dope, then yes, it is okay to pin additional blame to him.

Do you think there was any team of the time where riders weren't being told that to ride at the level they wanted to, they'd have to dope? Or that Armstrong didn't face the same thing as an up and coming rider? (or, that it never happened before or after him?) It's the reality of a dirty game. It doesn't excuse any of them.

I'm not saying it does. But I'm saying that those applying the pressure are guilty of something worse than those giving into it. That's a perfectly normal legal/moral position

(i.e. "They were all at it" is too simplistic a viewpoint when some of them were coercing the others, with threats of demotion/loss of livelihood/never making it at all)

Yup- but everyone who doped is guilty of that to some extent. And frankly, if Armstrong said to teammates "You'll need to dope to ride at the top level", was he lying?

I think he deserves particular opprobrium for being a raging [i]cock[/i], but the doping he did was industry standard, and if he hadn't doped some other cheat would have won those TDFs instead.

I also like that Armstrong made the decision to dope himself and only he can be blamed for that, but it's OK for other people to blame Armstrong- the big bad boy made me

You are taking an extreme view point here

what you need to consider is whether LA as leader of the team - I mean what manager does not set an ethos for their organisation and cascade it down?- set the tone for the team , the morals, the way of preparation, the training and the regime. he was the boss and he had more influence than other riders. Would they all have doped for LA we will never know but his actions made them more likely to dope but it was never inevitable.

Its not hard to see this is tbh

Wish him the worst by all means but don't disguise it as faux outrage at his doping.

I don't. It's outrage at all the other stuff he did in an attempt to cover his tracks - such as sue newspapers, attempt to end other people's careers, make slanderous allegations etc. Things Millar never did, which is a point you seem unable to comprehend.

Junkyard - Big Hitter

Would they all have doped for LA we will never know but his actions made them more likely to dope but it was never inevitable.

But this is exactly the point I'm making- if you look at it in isolation, it makes Lance a bad guy. When you look at the other teams, and the climate [i]he[/i] grew in, and the fact that this was institutionalised, it's not so simple.

If he was an exception, then things would be different. Who believes that?

Northwind +1.

However he shouldn't be rehabilitated but cast out.

Do you think there was any team of the time where riders weren't being told that to ride at the level they wanted to, they'd have to dope?

Yes. Given the often stated fact about the number of samples which tested positive when retested later I think it's quite clear that very few members of the peleton were doping (at least at some points in LA's career).

If he was an exception, then things would be different. Who believes that?

See above. It's strange, because it's far from the first time this point has been mentioned, yet all the LA apologists seem to keep ignoring it.