Armstrong Hits Back Against Doping Allegations

Sports • Views: 24,194

Before the start of Stage 10 in the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong gave an in-depth interview to reporters about the recent doping allegations from Floyd Landis; VeloNews has a good report on it: Lance Armstrong hits back at systematic doping allegations, addresses ownership of USPS team.

Speaking to reporters in depth for the first time at this Tour de France about swirling accusations leveled by Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong on Wednesday flatly denied being involved in systematic doping at the former U.S. Postal Service team for which both men rode.

“As long as I live, I will deny that,” he said before the start of stage 10. “There is absolutely no way I forced people, encouraged people, told people, helped people, facilitated… Absolutely not. One hundred percent.”

The New York Times reported Tuesday that federal investigators issued subpoenas to riders to appear before a grand jury regarding allegations of doping on the Postal team. No names have been revealed, and Armstrong said Wednesday he had not been subpoenaed nor contacted by Jeff Novitzky, an investigator for the Food & Drug Administration who is pursuing Landis’ claims. The New York Daily News on Wednesday reported that team sponsor Trek Bicycle received a subpoena.

As for what other USPS riders may or may not have done, Armstrong said that was beyond his control.

“I can’t speak to what they did themselves,” he said to reporters outside the RadioShack team bus. “I can’t control that. It would be like me asking you, do you think there is any abuse of performance enhancing drugs in the NFL in the offensive line? Most people would say probably yes. But does that mean that (NFL quarterback) Peyton Manning is guilty? I mean, I can’t control what other riders do. I really can’t.”

He also said he did not believe any former USPS rider would corroborate Landis’ claims that Armstrong doped while on the team, and along with team director Johan Bruyneel, taught Landis how to dope.

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34 comments
1 darthstar  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 11:49:52am

Now shut up and get my syringe.

2 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 11:54:18am

TIGHT BUTTS DRIVE ME NUTS!

3 Fozzie Bear  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 11:57:16am

My dad, an avid cyclist and a man who follows all things cycling as though it were his job, will be very interested to hear about this.

I personally can't bring myself to care about this. I hope Armstrong is vindicated, if only for my father's sake. When he had his own bout with cancer, my father made a hero of Lance. I can't say I blame him. It got him through, somehow. If Lance can do it, so can I, he used to say, as he sat there in his bed, bald as a baby and thin as a stick. It was his mantra.

He's healthy now, but no man benefits from seeing his heroes destroyed. We all need something to inspire us, to give us strength, and to give us some measure of hope that we can pull through, that we will be ok again.

For my father, Lance was exactly that. I cringe to think of how it will devastate him to see his hero laid low.

4 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:02:57pm

Okay. I may be remembering this entirely wrong.

Once I had heard that Lance's heart muscle is larger than most, allowing it to get more oxygen into his blood stream, therefore giving him a leg up on the endurance thing to begin with.

You know, kind of like the Grinch when he realized that Christmas was more than just gifts and presents.

5 wrenchwench  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:04:33pm

From the NYT article:

Landis and at least two other riders on the Postal Service team — Frankie Andreu and a rider who did not want his name published because he still works in the sport — told The New York Times that they were doping while on that squad. [emphasis added]

Let the speculation begin!

6 albusteve  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:05:06pm

submit to a lie detector test...for, like, $100k...problem solved

7 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:06:20pm

The French will continue to accuse him until a Frenchie is allowed to ride a motorcycle.

8 SpaceJesus  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:08:02pm

i wish they had a pogo stick version of this

9 Kragar  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:09:34pm

re: #8 SpaceJesus

i wish they had a pogo stick version of this

Tricycles ftw

10 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:11:51pm

re: #4 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Okay. I may be remembering this entirely wrong.

Once I had heard that Lance's heart muscle is larger than most, allowing it to get more oxygen into his blood stream, therefore giving him a leg up on the endurance thing to begin with.

You know, kind of like the Grinch when he realized that Christmas was more than just gifts and presents.

You've a tight butt, Mr. Lance.

11 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:13:21pm

re: #10 MandyManners

HA!

12 Kragar  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:13:47pm

re: #10 MandyManners

You've a tight butt, Mr. Lance.

Toight, toight like a toiger

13 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:17:29pm

Armstrong clearly has some great genetic advantages.

His oversized heart can beat over 200 times a minute and thus pump an extraordinarily large volume of blood and oxygen to his legs. His VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen his lungs can take in, an important measurement for an endurance athlete—is extremely high.

Here's the story.

Whew. I'm not crazy.

14 SanFranciscoZionist  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:21:41pm

re: #4 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Okay. I may be remembering this entirely wrong.

Once I had heard that Lance's heart muscle is larger than most, allowing it to get more oxygen into his blood stream, therefore giving him a leg up on the endurance thing to begin with.

You know, kind of like the Grinch when he realized that Christmas was more than just gifts and presents.

Never heard that, but I suppose it could be. Fair enough.

15 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:24:11pm

re: #14 SanFranciscoZionist

You don't know how glad I was to find the article. I was ready to be told I was crazy.

16 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:24:30pm

re: #12 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Toight, toight like a toiger

That's in How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

17 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:25:03pm

re: #15 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

You don't know how glad I was to find the article. I was ready to be told I was crazy.

YOU'RE CRAZY!

18 NJDhockeyfan  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:25:47pm

OT but very funny. I just saw this on another blog quoting someone named 'The Osprey' at Blogmocracy...

Hey Rodan and Savage. I was up in Flagstaff for the last two days. Tried to access the Blogmocracy from the Marriott I was staying at. Their workcenter computers have an interface/filter controlling web access called “Uniguest”. When I tried to access the site it told me it was blocked due to “white supremacist” content.

I smell the minions of Chucky.

LOL!!!

19 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:26:23pm

re: #18 NJDhockeyfan

OT but very funny. I just saw this on another blog quoting someone named 'The Osprey' at Blogmocracy...

LOL!!!

HA! HEY BUD!

20 NJDhockeyfan  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:31:21pm

re: #19 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

HA! HEY BUD!

Howdy!

21 TedStriker  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:32:19pm

re: #18 NJDhockeyfan

OT but very funny. I just saw this on another blog quoting someone named 'The Osprey' at Blogmocracy...

LOL!!!

Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, "Osprey"...

22 SanFranciscoZionist  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:33:10pm

re: #18 NJDhockeyfan

OT but very funny. I just saw this on another blog quoting someone named 'The Osprey' at Blogmocracy...

LOL!!!

We control the horizontal! We control the vertical! We control the Marriott computer center!!!

BWAAHHAAAHHAAHHHAAAA!!!!!

23 Political Atheist  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:38:29pm

re: #22 SanFranciscoZionist
Must have been Bagua!//

I hope that is a corporate wide policy, not just a local IT guy responding to a complaint..

24 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:39:15pm

re: #22 SanFranciscoZionist

They can't even get him out of their heads with brain bleach.

Charles lives inside their heads.
Charles lives inside their heads.
Charles lives inside their heads.

25 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:39:46pm

re: #23 Rightwingconspirator

Crap. Did Bags go there?

26 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:44:22pm

re: #25 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I don't think he did.

27 Obdicut  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:46:00pm

re: #26 MandyManners

I don't think he did.

Fairly sure SFZ was making a joke about that dude that accused Bagua of hacking his twitter account.

28 theheat  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:46:48pm

re: #13 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Several racehorses, including Secretariat, and presumably Man O' War, had the same condition. Because the trait has been confirmed, now some breeders test to see if a particular horse carries the gene when making breeding decisions. Yes, it's an absolute physical advantage.

29 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:51:07pm

re: #28 theheat

But not cheating.

30 MandyManners  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:51:15pm

re: #27 Obdicut

Fairly sure SFZ was making a joke about that dude that accused Bagua of hacking his twitter account.

It wasn't SFZ in No. 23.

31 Obdicut  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 12:52:41pm

re: #30 MandyManners

I mean RightWingConspirator, then. Note the sarcasm slashies.

32 Fozzie Bear  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 1:27:33pm

LOL now Bagua is being accused of being a hacker?

The batshit hits the fan, again. Bagua does not strike me as the type to play stupid pranks.

33 Obdicut  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 1:29:40pm

re: #32 Fozzie Bear

That dude who claimed to be a day-trader and was a huge asshole was the one to accuse Bagua of it.

Now it's just an in-joke.

34 Reginald Perrin  Wed, Jul 14, 2010 3:36:40pm

re: #18 NJDhockeyfan

OT but very funny. I just saw this on another blog quoting someone named 'The Osprey' at Blogmocracy...

"When I tried to access the site it told me it was blocked due to “white supremacist” content."

I smell the minions of Chucky.

It wasn't me, it must have been LVQ

*wink*


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