Town to burn Lance Armstrong in effigy

Artist Frank Shepherd, top, poses with his creation of U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong who has been unveiled as this year's Edenbridge Bonfire Society celebrity guy, during an unveiling for the media in Edenbridge, England, Wednesday Oct. 31, 2012. / PA,AP Photo / Gareth Fuller

LONDON His career is in ruins and now an effigy of Lance Armstrong is about to go up in smoke.

The disgraced American cyclist has been chosen as the latest celebrity to be burned in effigy during an English town's nationally famous Bonfire Night celebrations.

Edenbridge in southeast England has built a 30-foot model of Armstrong, who was stripped recently of his seven Tour de France titles for doping offenses.

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Lance Armstrong

The effigy, to be burnt Saturday, sports a sign saying "For sale, racing bike, no longer required."

Towns across Britain light bonfires and set off fireworks on Nov. 5 to commemorate Guy Fawkes' failed plot in 1605 to blow up Parliament.

The bonfires are traditionally topped with an effigy of Fawkes but have been decorated with contemporary figures over recent years.

Previous Edenbridge effigies include comedian Russell Brand and soccer star Wayne Rooney.

Athletes who've lost endorsements after scandals

Meanwhile, the Australian city of Adelaide has stripped Armstrong of its highest honor - the key to the city- following the doping scandal.

Adelaide had a small but important part in Armstrong's career. The Tour Down Under, based in the city, was the first event he contested when he made a comeback to professional cycling in 2009, and his third appearance in the race in 2011 was also his last on cycling's ProTour.

Adelaide city councilors voted 6-1 on Tuesday to strip Armstrong of the key to the city, making him the first of 33 recipients to have the honor withdrawn.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recently reported extensive evidence that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his tour victories.

[hypnotoad72]

Yup. That'll solve everything!

:rolleyes:

[jberenyi]

Shouldn't it be Obama's face on that statue?

[hypnotoad72]

I had no idea your face looked like Obama's.

[Necroscope84]

What a disgrace, and I don't mean Lance Armstrong either. Really does sound like a witch hunt after all. Just sick and shameful.

[edmundo22]

what a bunch of self-righteous ********...

[voxpopulus]

Next time you buy a used car, remember you like cheats.

[zarnon61]

This is probably coming from a Personal Responsibility Republican. You know the ones who think the rules apply to people they don't like.

[HdMorph]

There is something no one seems to be looking at, the man won the race 7 times in a row, you can't tell there had to be knowledge, either the entire system is so incompetent they need to fail some dope test. I don't know of many, no matter what they were on to be a 7 time winner.
I want some of those performance enhancing drugs, he's still alive and talking, 7 times winning, I couldn't drive that complete route 7 times,
I don't call that cheating, I say it's using a very flawed system for big bucks. Hey " The American Dream "

[voxpopulus]

Cheats pass tests. That's what they do. The fact is that it's a technological race. As soon as someone comes up with an accurate diagnostic method for one form of cheating, you go on to another. Advanced tests DID show steroids in Armstrong's stored samples. Yep "the American dream" all right. How many people defending him are equally happy when someone cheats THEM out of what they deserve in life?

[makemyday2da]

Well stated, VOXPOPULUS! Truth hurts for some people!

[Ladybug75]

Soldiers died everyday in Afghanistan, thousand of people are
without lights, heat..because of Hurricane Sandy, who cares about Lance Amstrong?

[zarnon61]

Why is this always such a zero sum argument?

We can't have our attention on more than one thing at a time?

BTW, why are you here?

[voxpopulus]

Some of the comments here are ridiculous. "They hate Americans". Yeah, that's why they burned effigies of Russell Brand and Wayne Rooney. (If you don't know who they are, they are Brits).

[IPonUall2]

I think someone threatened him or his family to give up his defense.
He passed every test he was given, day or night, before and after races.
The organization that stripped him of his titles had no authority to do so from the beginning. It did not exist when he raced. The french authority could find nothing. They formed the USADA which is a fascist organization and I demand it be desolved.
He was set up, and now everyone has an opinion.

[voxpopulus]

Previously you guys were saying the UCI would defend him. It accepted the evidence. Then you started saying "Well, everyone was doing it." No they were not. Eventually he WILL admit it, and then where will you stand?

[zarnon61]

Maybe the MIB visited his house. It's all a big conspiracy when the outcome doesn't fit your preconceptions.

[alaris3k]

F the brits, go suck it.

[bethkiss]

I agree. Part of this is fueled by hatred of Americans. Its not all about Lance Armstrong.

[voxpopulus]

No. It's caused by hatred of cheats, liars, and reputation-destroying bullies.

[pedalit]

now there's a productive, positive use of time