Was driving to a client yesterday and NPR had full hour with two folks that investigated this and read the USADA report in full including a doctor from the UK. What struck me was the level to which Armstrong went to in order to cheat. It was highly organized with both high/ low tech methods to avoid testing positive. One of the tactics listed in the report was that they would stall the tester and pump Lance full of saline to dilute any trace of banned substance. They were also getting tipped off for out of season tests for which the cycling federation has yet to respond to. There was another occasion where he tested positive for synthetic EPO markers and was able to meet directly with the lab president and basically talk his way out of being banned by offering to donate 120k to something the lab was involved with.
I think we all accept that Lance competed in a dirty era for cycling. What I was not aware of was how US Postal and Discovery were pretty much operating a full blown doping operation and not really hiding a lot of financial transactions that go along with that sort of thing. It wasn't just Armstrong but the entire team for almost 8 years running. Team members, trainers, doctors, entourage, etc... The team masseuse was the lead drug runner apparently. That complete team effort is what separated Armstrong's cheating from other peers that cheated according to the folks on the show. They said that most of Lance's peers that were also cheating were doing it as one offs and not nearly as organized as Lance.
