Posted on 06/13/2004 6:37:02 PM PDT by jern
Armstrong dragged into doping scandal
Paris - Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong could see his plans for a record sixth victory next month disrupted by the fall-out from a potentially damaging book which alleges the American has been involved in doping since recovering from cancer in 1998.
Entitled LA Confidential - The secrets of Lance Armstrong and co-written by award-winning Sunday Times journalist David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, a cycling specialist formerly with L'Equipe, the soon-to-be-published book contains allegations which appear in this week's L'Express, a weekly magazine.
The 33-year-old Armstrong, an icon to millions of people around the world since recovering from cancer in 1998, continues to strenuously deny that he has ever taken performance enhancing drugs.
But at the Tour de France in 1999 he failed a test for the corticosteroid triamcinolone - a banned substance which is found in some medicines and creams - although cycling's ruling body the UCI did not sanction him for the offence.
The revelations could blow a hole in Armstrong's career His expoits on the world famous race, which he has won every year since 1999, have motivated thousands of people whether they be cyclists or cancer sufferers.
However claims by a former physiotherapist with the US Postal team, Irishwoman Emma O'Reilly, that Armstrong succumbed to using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) threaten to take the shine off the American's glittering reputation.
O'Reilly worked with Armstrong for three and a half years from 1998 and was in almost constant contact with his close-knit team.
She reveals how, among other dubious tasks, she was asked by Armstrong to dispose of bags containing syringes after the end of the Tour of Holland in 1998, only months after the Festina drugs scandal at the Tour de France almost brought the race to its knees.
O'Reilly also says that in May 1999, while Armstrong was at a training camp in the Pyrenees, she was asked to drive to Spain to collect drugs and bring them back into France, which she later handed to Armstrong at a rendez-vous in a car park.
If true, the revelations could blow a hole in the career of Armstrong, who thanks to numerous endorsements with multi-national companies now earns around $16-million a year.
Armstrong has always strenuously denied taking performance enhancing drugs and has only tested positive once - for a corticostroid at the Tour de France in 1999, for which cycling's world ruling body the UCI did not sanction him.
Armstrong has even issued the book's co-author Walsh - the Sunday Times chief sports reporter - with a letter saying he faces a costly legal battle if it is alleged in the book that he has resorted to doping.
However, it is not the first time the American has been in the doping spotlight.
Days before the start of the Tour in 2001 Walsh revealed that Armstrong had had close links with notorious Italian doctor Michele Ferrari.
Ferrari was formerly the team doctor to the Gewiss-Ballan team, which he was forced to leave after he infamously claimed that the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), if used properly, was no more harmful than orange juice.
The Italian has since been a target of Italian magistrates investigating the shady world of doping.
Armstrong, who it was alleged made several consultation trips to see Ferrari in Italy, hit back that he had only consulted Ferrari on advanced training methods with a view to attempting to break the world hour record - which he has yet to attempt.
Although a detection test for EPO exists, the drug is still believed to be rampant in the peloton as it can only be detected if it has been taken within three days of the test.
O'Reilly's claims are backed by those of New Zealander Stephen Swart, a former team-mate of Armstrong's when they both rode for the Motorola team in 1994 and 1995.
Swart retired from professional cycling nine years ago and admitted that his decision to succumb to doping was because of pressure from the team.
"Motorola was throwing all this money at the team and we had to come up trumps," he is quoted as saying in the book, to be published this week.
Armstrong will saddle up on July 3 in an attempt to win a record sixth Tour de France - a feat that has never been done.
Published on the Web by IOL on 2004-06-13 16:21:03
As long as he's not a famous conservative living in Florida he should be okay.
Didn't we go through this last year?
A man has to do what a man has to do.
The French can't stand it that an American (from TEXAS, no less) is going to supplant Bernard Hinault by winning his sixth Tour.
It is going to be very tough for Armstrong to win this year. The French have made the course as hard as possible for him (so he can't get a big lead in the mountains).
Just in time for the next race.
The french are so predictable.
"O'Reilly also says that in May 1999, while Armstrong was at a training camp in the Pyrenees, she was asked to drive to Spain to collect drugs and bring them back into France, which she later handed to Armstrong at a rendez-vous in a car park."
Sure, take the word of a confessed drug smuggler.
Perhaps it is just time to legalize doping & let athletes take the serious risk to their bodies & health. Though the obvious problem with that would be the fact that few would feel they woule be able to compete without doping.
"Getting ready to lift now is Sergei Akmudov of the Soviet Union. His trainer has told me that he's taken anabolic steroids, Novocaine, Nyquil, Darvon and some sort of fish paralyzer. Also, I believe he's had a few cocktails within the last hour or so. All of this is, of course, perfectly legal at the All-Drug Olympics, in fact it's encouraged. Akmudov is going for a clean and jerk of over 1,500 pounds, which would triple the existing world record. That's an awful lot of weight and here he goes ... Oh! He pulled his arms off! He's pulled his arms off! That's gotta be disappointing to the big Russian!"
The French really, really hate Armstrong.
Too bad he dates that ugly moron Sheryl Crow.
While there is no denying Armstrong is a great American symbol, it appears the success has gone to his head. I remember a commercial a few years back, after he won his 1st or 2nd Tour de France, where he was rejoicing with his wife over the birth of his new baby girl. I thought that was a great story. Unfortunately, since then he's divorced his wife and taken up with Cheryl "my friend the communist" Crow (who is 10 years his senior). Granted, I don't know what is situation is (so its hard to judge), but the whole thing doesn't smell right. Despite all, however, I still hope he kicks some French a$$ again this year.
Lately, this has become a mark of our society.....well at least the left side of it.
If they can't beat him on the road...
The French have a raging hard-on to destroy Lance this year.
They Hate America, They Hate Lance, they have RIGGED the course to other riders strengths and away from Lance's, now they are trying to trash him with Psychological crap.
The French are below contempt, I wish nothing but misery on the entire country. The Terrorists could blow them to kingdom come for all I care.
Also heard the other day that the USPS is dropping its sponsorship of Team USA...could it be that they don't want to get caught up in a "scandal?"
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