They said they have a positive sample from 2009.
yeah.... the fuck they do. They've been scratching their balls coming up with a way to nail him and, whether he was or wasn't doping, they've had fuck all in the way of evidence.
Suddenly - BOOM!- it appears. One positive sample... and from 3 years ago! No way. No fucking way.
So then we are down to a "trial" where you have a load of convicted juiced ex-cyclers testifying against Armstrong and that apparently seems to be the basis for the whole thing.
Why on earth would you bother? I know the whole "clearing your name" thing but this has been going on for years now and then a sheer number of people saying "OH HE WAS A DIRTY CHEAT!" is enough to ruin someone even without a shred of evidence. Hilariously , you have actual convicted cheats -based on samples-/confessions of guilt being the ones testifying.
the top and bottom of it is : regardless of whether he did or did not dope, they haven't a single fucking drop of evidence against him (I'm going out on a limb and guessing the "2009 test we definitely have" would suddenly vanish once they got him into the trial).