Chinese fans show mixed feelings towards Armstrong

BEIJING - Chinese sports fans expressed mixed feelings towards Lance Armstrong after the legendary American cyclist was banned for life and stripped of seven Tour de France titles by cycling's governing body UCI on Tuesday.

Like ripping off a big Band-Aid to expose a terrible wound, UCI president Pat McQuaid said at a news conference in Geneva that the ruling was based on examination of a USADA report on October 10 which said Armstrong led "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen".

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," McQuaid said, calling today a "landmark day for cycling".

Once the news hit sports headlines on China's portal Sina, fans thronged the web site to express their mixed feelings about the fallen hero.

Some of the fans were disillusioned. "Because of your legendary stories, I became a cycling lover. Now you stepped down the altar. You are still an ordinary man just like me," wrote an internet user named "Cycling Around the City 1983".

"A fake super star will just disappear like this. You can not cover up your cheating behavior for ever," said "Xibei Xiaofeng".

Still, some remained hardcore fans.

"He was the king of cycling. He still is!" wrote "Guojia's memory".

And some soberly distinguished doper Armstrong from the man who beat cancer. Armstrong was diagnosed with a stage three testicular cancer in 1996.

"He can survive cancer and came back to compete, that made him a hero," said a netuser "Xiaohao is angry".