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June 14, 2004
Abt on Armstrong doping allegations
IHT | Book details suspicions about Lance Armstrong and drug use
Samuel Abt chimes in on the new book L.A. Confidentiel: Les secrets de Lance Armstrong at IHT online, which means it will soon appear in the New York Times (the Times publishes IHT in Europe).
Abt had a chance to talk to David Walsh, one of the book's authors, and Walsh admitted "there is no smoking gun in the extract or in the full book to prove that Armstrong, a 32-year-old Texan, engaged in doping."
"We don't actually prove anything," Walsh said. "We just set out the facts and let the reader decide for himself who's telling the truth. But we do give names for every accusation."
Abt outlines the charges Emma O'Reilly, formerly Armstrong's personal masseuse, makes in the book:
- Armstrong told O'Reilly his hematocrit was 41, nine percent below the permitted maximum, and that he was "going to do what the others do" to enhance it.
- In July 1999, Armstrong asked her for makeup to cover bruises on his arm from injections. The authors maintain that legal injections are generally injected in the buttocks.
- In May 1998, Armstrong asked her to dispose of syringes after the Tour of the Netherlands.
- In May 1999, she ferried 24 pills from Johan Bruyneel, the USPS team director, to Armstrong near his home in Nice.
- She provides details of Armstrong's 1999 positive test for steroids, claiming Armstrong told her he had used a steroid around the time of the Route du Sud that he thought would have cleared his system before the Tour. O'Reilly says doctors backdated a prescription for a legal cream containing the steroid, and organizers allowed it, even though the cream wasn't listed on Armstrong's mandatory medical form.
US Postal is expected to release a response to the charges today. L'Equipe says Bruyneel refused to comment on the book at the Dauphiné Libéré yesterday.
Other sources include Stephen Swart, who the authors say took money to help Armstrong win the 1993 US Triple Crown, a $1,000,000 payday to any rider who won the 3 biggest US races, and Kathy Lemond, wife of 3-time Tour winner Greg Lemond, who "is also quoted at length about threats that Armstrong allegedly made to him because he had spread doubts about Armstrong's victories in the Tour."
Here's a little background on the Lemond-Armstrong relationship.
Posted by Frank Steele on June 14, 2004 in Doping, Lance Armstrong 2004 | Permalink
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Comments
Lance is either a great champion or someone who practises systematic doping but I really appreciate his character.If Amtrong resorts to doping what about the others?Cycling is extremely difficult it is nearly beyond human stamina.I really sympathize with cyclists in mountain stages they suffer a lot.
Posted by: missar at Jul 12, 2005 1:06:55 PM
This is ridiculous. After all Lance has been through what does society do to him? Harass, target, and attack. Why? Its simple; jelousy.
You have our support Lance,
www.LanceFans.com
Posted by: Andrew at Sep 19, 2005 8:02:44 PM
Lance used steroids and was blood dopping. There's no doubt about it.
Posted by: Chris at Sep 26, 2005 9:33:44 PM
All I know for sure is that his lung capacity from the world cup in Oslo to his first tour victory changed dramatically.
If you see this as supspicious or not is up to you.
Posted by: Joren at Nov 23, 2005 5:39:01 PM
I guess steroids is no help for marathoners
Posted by: Ed at Nov 6, 2006 6:20:43 PM
Lance is a fraud, but his sponsors have too much to lose if the truth comes out. Better a fake hero than no hero at all. There's alot to gain by doping.
Posted by: Daisy at May 19, 2007 11:31:06 PM
Okay so everything was wrote by a woman who used to be Lance's manager or something... maybe she said that because she was just mad because he fired her or something? i dont believe a word of it.. i dont think he cheated.
Posted by: Maddie at Aug 3, 2007 10:28:19 AM
I'm not sure what the hold-up is... maybe they have re-thought their stance on how this is going to actually make the company any money. Or perhaps their lawyers pointed out the liability of providing agents a platform to stick their feet in their mouth. Whatever it is, it's hardly something I'd claim as being "Well done".
www.jebshouse.com
Posted by: Jeb Simons at Apr 24, 2008 6:40:35 PM
Armstrong is a complete fraud. From average pro to world beater via cancer - it doesn't add up.
How can people be so blind all the time and defend him and his kind. Just consider: 1) Some of his former team mates who have either admitted doping or been caught: Landis, Hamilton, Andreu...There were obviously team doping programmes in place. 2) His links to Dr. Ferarri 3) His treatment of whistle blowers like Simeoni, Lemond and Kimmage. 4) The revelations in a respected sports journalist, David Walsh's book....and on and on....
Armstrong sickens me and people like him are ruining sport. He's in it for the fame and the money, just look at all the wankers that were in his entourage and it is so apparent that all he is is a brand - Straight talking, cancer beating hero. Absolute Bullshit, he's a lying fraud and people should wake up to this by reading the likes of Paul Kimmage, David Walsh and Jeremy Whittle. Alternatively listen to the likes of Farnkie Andreu or to a true champion, Greg Lemond.
Fuck you and your type Lance, you've ruined a fabulous sport and nobody other than ignorant fools believe in you. I hope you're found out for the fraud that you are.
Posted by: rob at Sep 3, 2008 5:32:35 PM
rob, I think you are being a bit harsh. I mean, first of all your first allegation against Lance seems to imply that he went from an "average pro" to a "world beater via cancer". Now, the most believable account of Lance's taking steroids I have heard is the one given by the Andreu's during the court case against SCA, and that one implies that Lance was taking steroids well before the cancer, since he supposedly admitted to using some time before his recovery. Now, if this is true there's no reason why Lance wouldn't have continued to dope after the cancer, but it does strike down an argument that Lance was ever "average". He was rising long before the cancer thing.
Furthermore, I don't care if you think Lance dopes or not, his return after cancer is still inspiring. I mean, if Lance was doping all along, he still beat cancer (he didn't cheat there) and went back to doing what he had been doing but even better. Regardless of what you think of Lance as a person, that is a pretty inspiring story for someone faced with the disease. Plus, given all the inevitable power-dynamics surrounding such a successful athlete, I am still not entirely convinced of who can be trusted. Anyone can have a motive when the money is that mixed up.
Posted by: d at Jul 7, 2009 9:53:49 PM
I know, I know, next they'll say he never had cancer and chunks of "cancer" from his brain was for fame too? Give me a break!
Anyway, hey, Armstrong is just tied for 1st spot in the Tour of 2009! All this crap floating around, I wish Armstrong wins now. Livestrong!
Posted by: Adam M. at Jul 9, 2009 11:42:04 AM
Rob, They have therapy so that you might be able to live a normal life. Living with all that pent up anger is unhealthy. Good luck.
Posted by: Steve at Jul 12, 2009 2:09:38 PM
hear hear job. Greg Lemond is the true hero of cycling. Armstrong's and jis lies after lies afters lies sicken me. He makes doping acceptable. Armstrong is not a phenomenal athlete, he's a phenomenal doper. For the record, his physiological stats are compltely average and nowhere near as good as Lemonds and Indurains. Heart-rate, lung capacity, ability to transport oxygen around the body are all completely average. Lemonds were phenomenal, and hes the real hero
Posted by: Mark at Jul 13, 2009 12:14:37 AM
2010 tdf will be the most watched tdf in history if Lance and Alberto will be competing with each other! Cable ratings will be thru the roof!
As for doping both are survivors of serious illness. Lance cancer Alberto aneurysm. Maybe those medications play a serious role in their dominance? Who knows? But for I know both of them just bring back the excitement in tdf!
Posted by: Erwin at Oct 13, 2009 6:05:07 PM
A video for Lance doping, Must watch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkpGVHNkGBw
Posted by: Jojee at Dec 6, 2009 1:32:57 AM
People are insane, of course he lost lung capacity,he had testicular cancer,he underwent chemotherapy, which DESTROYS your body,The type of chemicals he was tretaed with was Called VIP(vinblastine,etoposide,ifosfamide,isplatin)
which is proven to debilitate lungs. I think that explains that whole "change in lung capacity" theory. and the steriods from the 99 tour,
THEY WERE A CREAM! for saddle sores!its called cortisone cream! look it up,he cleared it with the the tour. and the make up,to cover up the "injections", THEY WERE NOT INJECTIONS, the tour officials were takeing BLOOD SAMPLES, after every stage, to test him for illegal substances, did they find anything NO.
SO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT PEOPLE. before you start trying to rob one of the greatest MEN of our time, of his incredible achievments.
Posted by: Tyler at Jun 3, 2010 4:06:25 PM
Guilty people often make the first move. Vive le Lance!
Posted by: Adele at Jun 13, 2010 5:50:23 PM
Everyone in pro sports dopes. I'm a cyclist and even people on the amateur level dope. I hate to say it, but 97% of the guys you see riding in things like the TDF and Roubaix are on drugs. It's not humanly possible to be on a bicycle for 6 hours, averaging between 25-30 mph and then have the energy to sprint in the breakaway. Sorry dudes.
:/
Posted by: Poopface at Jul 9, 2010 6:48:40 PM
>SO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT PEOPLE. before you start trying to rob one of the greatest MEN of our time, of his incredible achievments.
Get your own facts straight. Strong positive results for EPO is not nothing (http://velocitynation.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden) and sworn testimony from former teammates and employees is not immaterial. How much evidence do you need before you put away your childish hero worship?
Posted by: Dave Leubbers at Jul 14, 2010 4:03:00 AM
Facts are only relevant if you trust those giving you facts. The truth is without PEDs and without everyone else being on PEDs lance was going to win the tour. If everyone else and him were on drugs he was going to win the tour. But, irrationally to think that Lance was beating guys who were on PEDS without PEDS is well... very irrational. Oh..and just because the UCI said that lance was permited to use that cortisone cream doesn't mean they were telling the truth. In this world government organizations by default are corrupt.
Posted by: Someone at Sep 24, 2010 8:46:12 PM
