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Northland Bicycle Racers React To Lance Armstrong Punishment

By KBJR News 1

Northland Bicycle Racers React To Lance Armstrong Punishment

August 24, 2012 Updated Aug 24, 2012 at 3:26 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter)
To many Northland bicycle racers, Lance Armstrong is the biggest hero of the sport.
Armstrong's luster was tarnished today when the U.S. Anti–Doping Agency announced it was banning the cyclist for life and stripping him of his seven Tour de France titles.
Armstrong has long been accused of using performance enhancing drugs and said he would not fight the anti–doping agency's decision.
Our region has several bike racers at the local and regional level.
Ross Fraboni works as a bike mechanic at Duluth's Ski Hut and races on the side.
He says Armstrong will remain a legend because the people he raced against were also doping.
"He beat those guys on the same level that they were all doing. They were eating and drinking things that you and I can never get." said Fraboni.
Lance Armstrong issued a statement today saying he always competed by the rules.
Part of it said, “There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules.”
Ross Fraboni says that even on the local and region level, some bike racers use performance enhancers.
Here, however, race officials diligently check for illegal drugs.

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