of course, i can't find any info on the two losses so i'm sorry i can't offer more than just conjecture as to why arbitration is so successful for USADA. but, by its nature, arbitration is the last word in a dispute, so there will be no appeal once the decision comes down, otherwise it's mediation and not arbitration. the process seems to be stacked against the athletes in general, not just specific to lance armstrong himself. but then, i am a less than casual fan of cycling and a non-interested party in this particular drama so i'm not going to pretend i have a stake in this story.

i will end with this though: if armstrong cheated, then yes he deserves to have whatever punishment is fitting to someone who took drugs to gain an advantage over his competitors. but if the world of cycling is as corrupt as you insinuated in your previous post, then perhaps the entire sport should be done away with and everyone who participates should find another sport to occupy their need to compete. i am thinking about previous replies to this thread showing that the vast majority of the top riders in the tours armstrong won were all convicted of doping, and your previous post saying the UCI can't be trusted and i am wondering what exactly is holding it all together? if all the top riders cheat, and the agency involved with enforcement is mishandling samples, and the agency involved in creating the rules and awards is on the take, what the hell is everyone still competing for?