Lance Armstrong on history: what the evidence says · JRE #737

FACT CHECK // JRE #737 // EXHIBIT LOG
EPISODE AIRED DEC 1, 2015 · THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE
CLAIM CMRC8IR5STATUS: PUBLISHED
SUBJECT: HISTORY
Timestamp10:34
Aired
// 00 · ABSTRACT

The short answer

Armstrong states that the Tour de France is 100 years old. The race was first held in 1903, won by Maurice Garin, making it 112 years old at the time of this December 2015 recording, not 100. The race's widely publicized centennial edition took place in 2003, and its 100th actual running (accounting for years canceled during the two World Wars) was in 2013; neither milestone aligns with a claim of the race being 100 years old in 2015.

RulingNeeds Context

Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.

// THE CLAIM · ON TAPE
the Tour de France is 100 years old, right? So doping is cheating.
Lance Armstrong@ 10:34
Watch on YouTubeJUMP TO 10:34

What the evidence says 01 / RECORD

Armstrong claimed the Tour de France is 100 years old. The race was first held in 1903, won by Maurice Garin, making it 112 years old at the time of this December 2015 recording, not 100. The race's widely publicized centennial edition took place in 2003, and its 100th actual running (accounting for years canceled during the two World Wars) was in 2013; neither milestone aligns with a claim of the race being 100 years old in 2015. AP News confirms the 1903 founding date and lists the year-by-year winners beginning with Garin's 1903 victory. The claim is factually incorrect regardless of which "100 years" milestone Armstrong may have intended.

/// factcheckjoerogan.com