landis

Floyd landis took another step toward what he views as making amends on Friday by apologizing to Greg LeMond for a sordid incident that took place at the hearing where landis tried to overturn the positive test result that cost him his 2006 Tour [detalii...]

Americanul Lance Armstrong a respins, joi, acuzatiile compatriotului sau Floyd landis, care a afirmat ca fostul castigator al Turului Frantei l-ar fi ajutat sa inteleaga cum trebuie sa utilizeze produsele dopante. "In ceea ce priveste afirmatiile lui landis, ele nici macar [detalii...]

Rutierul american Floyd landis si-a reiterat acuzatiile la adresa lui Lance Armstrong, afirmind intr-o emisiune televizata ca l-a vazut pe acesta cum s-a dopat de mai multe ori, inclusiv cu transfuzii sanguine. landis [detalii...]

Rutierul american Floyd landis si-a reiterat acuzatiile la adresa lui Lance Armstrong, afirmand intr-o emisiune televizata ca l-a vazut pe acesta cum s-a dopat de mai multe ori, inclusiv cu transfuzii sanguine, informeaza AFP, citat de MEDIAFAX. landis a fost intervievat timp de 90 [detalii...]

Floyd landis confesses to systematic doping and accuses seven-time Tour de France champion of helping him to [detalii...]

landis was stripped of 2006 Tour de France title for doping 35-year-old landis had raced independently in 2010Floyd landis has announced his retirement from professional cycling.landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping and accused Lance Armstrong of cheating, has revealed that he will never again race competitively."Ill never start on a line on a road and try to get to another line on a road faster than another guy. Thats over," the 35-year-old told ESPN.com.landis won the Tour in 2006 but failed a dope test for testosterone during the race and was stripped of the title.He denied any wrongdoing until last May, when he admitted to doping and accused former team mate Armstrong, a seven-time Tour champion, of doping when at the US Postal team. Armstrong has always denied the allegations.landis took part in a few races in 2010 as an independent rider but failed to secure a proper contract.Floyd landisCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Floyd landis admitted he began doping in 2002, when he raced with the U.S. Postal Service team. Now, hes accusing former teammate Lance Armstrong of doing the [detalii...]

Ciclistul Floyd landis (35 ani) a decis sa se retraga din circuitul profesionist, declarand ca, de la revenirea sa din 2009, nu si-a mai gasit locul in acest sport. Castigator al Turului Frantei in 2006, dar deposedat ulterior de titlul obtinut din cauza dopajului, landis a intrat in dizgratia fanilor dupa ce si-a acuzat fosta sa echipa, din care facea parte si Lance Armstrong, de practici [detalii...]

Cyclings governing body aware of Floyd landis emails UCI told him We might sue you if you tell liesCyclings governing body warned Floyd landis he could be sued for defamation weeks before he made allegations that it had covered up a positive drug test by Lance Armstrong.Hein Verbruggen, a former president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), said today that a letter was sent to landis two or three weeks before his allegations became public.The American rider claimed in emails to cycling officials and sponsors that Armstrong tested positive for the blood-doping agent erythropoietin at the Tour de Suisse in 2002. Armstrong won the 2001 Swiss race, but did not compete there in 2002.Verbruggen said landis notified the UCI in advance that he was going to air the allegations. Verbruggen said the UCI then sent landis a letter saying: "We might sue you if you tell lies."Floyd landisCyclingDrugs in sport guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) -- The International Cycling Union has asked national members in four countries to investigate riders and officials based on claims of doping made by Floyd [detalii...]

Floyd landis continua cu acuzatiile la adresa fostului sau coleg si prieten, Lance Armstrong. Intrat in dizgratia americanilor dupa ce a indraznit sa-l atace pe "eroul Armstrong", landis isi sustine in continuare afirmatiile, marturisind vineri seara in cadrul unui interviu acordat postului de televiziune american ABC, ca l-a vazut pe Lance folosind substante [detalii...]

Nearly four years after he began waging a battle to discredit his positive test for synthetic testosterone at the 2006 Tour de France, Floyd landis told ESPN.com Wednesday that he used performance-enhancing drugs for most of his [detalii...]

Floyd landis ignored desperate pleas from his sponsor to avoid a public fight with Lance Armstrong, according to e-mails the seven-time Tour de France champion released in trying to prove the disgraced cyclist has "zero [detalii...]

Disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd landis believes testers will always struggle to uncover the drug [detalii...]

On the day the 97th Tour de France, the record champion compares landis statements to a "carton of sour [detalii...]

Ciclistul american Floyd landis a lansat o serie de acuzatii prin intermediul unor e-mailuri trimise oficialilor din ciclism, in care dezvaluie metodele de dopaj folosite de septuplul campion Lance Arnstrong, informeaza Wall Street Journal. Suspendat doi ani in 2006 dupa ce a fost depistat pozitiv cu testosteron, fapt ce a atras de la sine anularea victoriei obtinute in Turul Frantei, landis a recunoscut ca s-a dopat, acuzandu-i insa si pe fostii sai [detalii...]

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond has come out in support of Floyd [detalii...]

Berlin - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is to look into doping claims by Floyd landis who has admitted he regularly took performance-enhancing substances as a [detalii...]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Disgraced American cyclist Floyd landis has admitted to systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs and accused seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong of involvement in doping, the Wall Street Journal reported [detalii...]

Berlin - US cyclist Floyd landis has admitted to doping and said many of his top competitors, including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, also used banned performance-enhancing drugs, according to media reports [detalii...]

Berlin - US cyclist Floyd landis has admitted to doping and said many of his top competitors, including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, also used banned performance-enhancing drugs, according to media reports [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong and his coach both denied several charges levied last week by former teammate Floyd landis, including that Armstrongs Postal Service team sold bikes to fund its blood-doping program from [detalii...]

Rutierul american Floyd landis, care a cittigatA  Turul Frantei in 2006, dar a fost deposedat de titlu dupa ce a fost depistat pozitiv cu testosteron, a anuntat ieri ca a decis sa-ti incheie cariera. In virsta de 35 de [detalii...]

Disgraced American cyclist Floyd landis was convicted by a French court Thursday for his role in hacking into the computers of the anti-doping lab that caught him cheating at the 2006 Tour de [detalii...]

Let them do what they want. If its legal and approved by the FDA, let professional athletes pop, inject, rub or otherwise ingest whatever they damned well please. So the next time someone in the media asks Floyd landis what hes doing in Girona, Spain, landis can say, "Im babysitting the blood that Lance Armstrong plans to transfuse himself with in the Tour de France, of course. Why do you [detalii...]

Rutierul american Floyd landis, ale carui acuzatii de dopaj ce l-au vizat pe Lance Armstrong au dus la declansarea unei anchete in SUA, i-a ajutat pe anchetatori purtand un microfon si o camera de luat vederi ascunse, in timpul [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong dismissed claims by Floyd landis that Armstrong had been involved in doping during his cycling [detalii...]

MIAMI (AP) -- Disgraced U.S. cyclist Floyd landis revealed new cheating allegations in a series of messages to sponsors and officials, alleging that former teammate Lance Armstrong not only joined him in doping but taught others how to beat the system and paid an official to keep a failed test [detalii...]

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- The leaders of the IOC and World Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday that Floyd landis should provide concrete evidence to back up his allegations of doping by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance [detalii...]

A French court has convicted American cyclist Floyd landis in absentia for his role in hacking into the computers of a French doping [detalii...]

- Lance Armstrong says he is too busy to pay attention to the latest allegations by former teammate Floyd landis that he has engaged in doping during his [detalii...]

Uniunea internationala de ciclism (UCI) a anuntat miercuri ca a depus o plangere, pentru defaimare, impotriva fostului rutier american Floyd landis, in fata unui tribunal [detalii...]

NANTERRE, France (AP) -- A French court convicted American cyclist Floyd landis in absentia on Thursday for his role in hacking into the computers of a French doping [detalii...]

Floyd landis, in his first television interview since admitting that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, is once again accusing Lance Armstrong of cheating during Armstrongs record-setting [detalii...]

American Floyd landis and his coach Arnie Baker have been ordered to stand trial in France for computer [detalii...]

UCI act over numerous unacceptable public statements landis lost his Tour de France title in 2006 after positive testThe International Cycling Union (UCI) has started legal proceedings against the disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd landis.The American lost his 2006 Tour title after testing positive for testosterone and has since launched a series of attacks on the sports personalities.A statement said: "The UCI, its current president Mr Pat McQuaid, and one of its former presidents, Mr Hein Verbruggen, have lodged a case in the Swiss courts against Mr Floyd landis regarding repeated, serious attacks against their characters."By this step, made necessary by numerous unacceptable public statements by Mr landis, the UCI is seeking to defend the integrity of the cycling movement as a whole against the accusations of a rider who, by breaching the anti-doping rules, caused cycling serious harm."Cycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Lance Armstrongs RadioShack team has struck back at doping allegations made by Floyd landis [detalii...]

Un mandat de arestare international a fost emis, in data de 28 ianuarie, pentru ciclistul nord-american Floyd landis, deoarece sportivul nu s-a prezentat in fata unui judecator, a anuntat, luni, presedintele Agentiei Franceze de Lupta Contra Dopajului (AFLD), Pierre Bordry, [detalii...]

Disgraced former Tour de France champion Floyd landis says the use of clenbuterol is widespread in [detalii...]

Information Floyd landis recently gave to the United States Anti-Doping Agency about how cyclists have and still are getting around the biological passport analysis system could have an immediate impact on the [detalii...]

Judecator francez Thomas Cassuto a emis un mandat de arestare pe numele ciclistului american Floyd landis, acuzindu-l pe acesta ca a "spart" sistemul computerizat al laboratorului francez Chatenay-MalabryAnuntul a fost facut [detalii...]

The International Cycling Union says no riders tested positive for EPO at the 2001 Tour de Suisse, disputing comments made by disgraced cyclist Floyd [detalii...]

Rutierul american Floyd landis, care a fost deposedat de titlul castigat in Turul Frantei, in 2006, dupa ce a fost depistat pozitiv cu testosteron, a declarat pentru site-ul espn.com ca s-a dopat cea mai mare parte a carierei, informeaza AFP. "Vreau sa am constiinta impacata", [detalii...]

I want to clear my conscience, 2006 Tour winner says I dont want to be part of the problem any moreFloyd landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a dope test, has sent emails to cycling officials and sponsors admitting the offence, according to todays Wall Street Journal.The newspaper said the Americans emails detailed his systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs. And in an interview yesterday, landis admitted using drugs for most of his career, including during the 2006 Tour. "I want to clear my conscience," the 34-year-old said. "I dont want to be part of the problem any more."Now weve come to the point where the statute of limitations on the things I know is going to run out or start to run out next month. If I dont say something now then its pointless to ever say it."The Wall Street Journal said it had seen three emails sent earlier this year. "Mr landis copied seven people on these three emails, including officials with USA Cycling and the International Cycling Union," it said.landis, the first rider to be stripped of a Tour victory, previously denied any wrongdoing but the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected his assertion that his positive test was due to mistakes by the laboratory.He said last year after his two-year ban ended that he was trying to decide whether to ride again in the Tour de France. In February, a French judge issued an arrest warrant against him on suspicion of hacking into an anti-doping laboratory computer.The head of the French anti-doping agency, Pierre Bordry, said the judge believed landis wanted to prove the laboratory where his samples were tested was wrong.Tour de FranceCyclingDrugs in sportTour de France 2006 guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

[detalii...]

Lance Armstrongs Radioshack team say Floyd landis tried to blackmail him in a bid to revive his own [detalii...]

Bryan D. Daly is a former US federal prosecutor Investigation initiated after accusations by Floyd landisLance Armstrong has hired a criminal defence attorney to represent him in the federal investigation into possible fraud and doping violations by the seven-times Tour de France winner and his cycling team-mates.Bryan D. Daly is a former US federal prosecutor based in Los Angeles and partner at the firm Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton.His hiring by Armstrong was first reported by The Daily Journal, a legal trade publication, and then by the New York Daily News.Daly confirmed to the AP on Wednesday that he had been hired by Armstrong.The investigation was initiated after accusations from Floyd landis, a former team-mate of Armstrongs on the US Postal team, in a series of emails sent to cycling and doping officials this spring.Armstrong, currently competing in his final Tour de France, has denied the allegations and questioned landis credibility. landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for doping.Lance ArmstrongCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

You would ever know, but probably the most exciting Giro DItalia in history is nearing the end of its second week in Porto [detalii...]

Seven-times Tour winner publishes emails on teams website Multiple investigations could follow doping allegationsLance Armstrong tonight launched an extraordinary counter-offensive against Floyd landis, following the doping allegations made by his former team-mate this week. The seven-times Tour de France winner published a series of emails on his RadioShack teams website, purportedly between landis, the Tour of California organiser Andrew Messick and landis sponsor, Dr Brent Kay.A statement published on the teams website, from Counsel for Team RadioShack, explained: "[On] Wednesday evening, after not getting what he demanded when no one in cycling capitulated to his numerous but persistent false threats, demands and rants, Floyd landis publicly aired the false and incredible concoctions he has been privately making for years."The statement went on to claim that landis used the threat of making his accusations public in an attempt to land a spot on Team RadioShack for the ongoing Tour of California. It then describes landis, who tested positive for testosterone after winning the 2006 Tour, as "a man who has apparently decided that since he cannot be in professional racing then no one else should". It continues: "landis accused at least 16 professional cycling individuals and organisations of activity that is baseless and quite simply untrue."The statement alleges that Armstrong began to receive "threatening text messages ... more than two years ago". It goes on: "Mr Armstrong, then, as he has now, told landis he had nothing to hide and that he was not going to submit to landis baseless threats to disclose falsehoods."Earlier today it emerged that more than one investigation could result from landis allegations, which included an admission that he used a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs. With the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) confirming that it intends to work in conjunction with the US Anti-Doping Agency in examining landiss claims, the case could also come under federal investigation.In echoes of the Balco case, which led to the exposure of the drugs cheats Dwain Chambers, Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, among others, the criminal investigations department of the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is looking into the allegations made in a series of emails by landis. In the emails landis implicated Armstrong and other former members of the US Postal Service team, which he rode for from 2002-04.Sir Craig Reedie, who sits on the International Olympic Committees executive board and Wadas executive committee, confirmed, meanwhile, that Wada will deliver on its promise to investigate. "We cannot ignore the allegations and we will try to get to the bottom of the facts by speaking to those authorities that have evidence in this case, including the USADA," said Reedie.The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, called on landis to provide evidence. "He has to bring proof that this is true," Rogge told Associated Press. "If he has evidence, he should make that evidence available to the USADA or UCI [International Cycling Union]."Armstrong said today that he would not be diverted from his challenge for an eighth Tour title in July, either by the storm kicked up by landiss allegations or by the crash that saw him retire from the Tour of California yesterday. Armstrongs spokesman confirmed that he had been given the all-clear to return to training today, a mere 24 hours after the crash, in which he suffered facial and arm injuries.CyclingLance ArmstrongFloyd landisDrugs in sportRichard Moore guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

World anti-drugs agency will look into accustions of former disgraced cyclist which have implicated Lance [detalii...]

New York Times says grand jury subpoenas have been issued Authorities reported to be investigating possible doping chargesFederal authorities investigating possible fraud and doping charges against Lance Armstrong and his associates have issued grand jury subpoenas to witnesses, according to several people briefed on the case, the New York Times has reported today.Individuals involved are said to have spoken on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a federal investigation.If grand jury subpoenas have been issued it represents a significant step in the investigation into whether Armstrong and others on the United States Postal Service cycling team were involved in alleged systematic doping in the early- to mid-2000s, the newspaper says.That federal investigation was kick-started this year when the rider Floyd landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, told investigators that he and other riders on the Postal Service team had engaged in doping together.In particular, landis said the team used its money to buy doping products and that Armstrong and the team manager, Johan Bruyneel, had encouraged doping on the team. landis said that at one race the team bus came to a halt for the riders - including Armstrong and the United States road racing national champion George Hincapie - to conduct blood transfusions.Armstrong, who is in 31st place at this years Tour de France, has repeatedly said he has never used performance-enhancing drugs or methods. He also has never been sanctioned for a doping violation. He has said that landiss claims are not true and that landis, who had lied about his own doping practices until recently, is not credible.landis, who has met several times with the lead agent on the case, Jeff Novitzky, is not thought to be among the witnesses the authorities want to question before the grand jury, at least at this point. But other riders, including several who are competing at the Tour, have already been contacted by investigators.At least two people previously involved with the United States Postal Service Team told investigators of their past doping practices, the paper says.Lance ArmstrongFloyd landisDrugs in sportCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

* Sportivul american Floyd landis confirma faptul ca incepand din anul 2002 a consumat substanmte [detalii...]

US looking into Floyd landiss allegations about Armstrong FDA and Federal prosecutor meet French anti-doping officials The US government has asked French judicial authorities to co-operate in an investigation into claims by Floyd landis that the seven-times Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, used banned substances, a source close has revealed."A few days ago, the US federal government officially asked the French judicial authorities to co-operate in the investigation," said the source.He added that a meeting between Jeff Novitzky, the Food and Drugs Administration special investigator, Doug Miller, the US federal prosecutor, Travis Tygart, the US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive officer and French anti-doping officials took place in France. The American trio also met members of Interpol in Lyon.Armstrong, who has always denied taking performance enhancing drugs and has never tested positive, quit top-level competitive cycling in Europe after this years Tour de France.landis, the disgraced 2006 Tour winner and a former teama€‘mate of Armstrong, said in May that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs.landis was handed a two-year suspension and stripped of the Tour title after he tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race.Drugs in sportFloyd landisLance ArmstrongCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The International Cycling Union asks national federations to investigate doping-related allegations made by disgraced [detalii...]

38-year-old aiming for record eighth victory Tour will be the Americans lastLance Armstrong, heading into his last Tour de France, says recent allegations that he doped during his career, made by his former team-mate Floyd landis, will inspire him to win a record eighth victory.The 38-year-old Armstrong said he was in a better shape than last year, when he capped his return to competition with third place after a three-and-a-half-year retirement.Armstrong said he would not let any accusation from landis "deter me. In fact, in the end it will be the opposite. Its going to inspire me."landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, recently made a series of doping-related allegations about Armstrong, including that Armstrong taught other riders how to dope. Armstrong has always denied wrongdoing and has never tested positive or been sanctioned by the cycling authorities."I dont want to get into it. Its not worth it," Armstrong said about landiss accusations. "I did my first Tour in 1993 and now its 2010. And I won a stage in 1993 as a 20-year-old. Ive been at the front of my sport since the day I showed up. And in the process there have been a ton of questions and a ton of scrutiny and a lot of controls and a lot of investigations. And Im still here. I dont see any other example in cycling or in any other sports."Armstrong and landis rode together for three years with the US Postal team. landis left in 2005 to join Phonak."I understand that media love the sensationalist stories and they love the salacious and the ones that include accusations, that include all the blood and sex and drugs," Armstrong said before the teams official presentation yesterday."They love that. But at the end of the day I think my career speaks for itself."The Tour starts tomorrow in the Dutch port of Rotterdam with an 8.9km prologue. Armstrong confirmed it will be his last Tour and said he was likely to ride only races related to his anti-cancer charity foundation next year.landiss allegations have reportedly drawn the attention of the US Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky, the leading investigator in the Balco doping case.Armstrong added he decided that this Tour would be his last because he was tired of being constantly away from his family."Its just a family decision," Armstrong said. "Like I told the people that asked about it, at RadioShack, friends, that came from pressure from my kids. Im away all the time. Not all the time but enough time. Even at these moments I dont need to miss them any more."Armstrong already has four children and his girlfriend Anna Hansen is expecting his fifth.Lance ArmstrongTour de FranceFloyd landisCyclingDrugs in sport guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Doctor describes landis allegations as a joke Lance Armstrong denies doping allegationsLuis Garcia del Moral, the chief doctor of Lance Armstrongs United States Postal Service team when he won the Tour de France five times, has dismissed Floyd landiss accusations that Armstrong and some team-mates used banned drugs.Del Moral, who oversaw the teams medical staff from 1999 to 2003, said he never witnessed any doping programmess during his time with the Johan Bruyneel-led American team.landis has accused Armstrong of blood doping, which the seven-times Tour champion denies.Del Moral said landiss allegations were "a joke" and that he was not aware of any cheating, saying: "I dont know anything about all of this." Del Moral said he would answer questions for federal investigators should he be summoned.Lance ArmstrongFloyd landisDrugs in sportCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Emails purporting to be sent by the disgraced cyclist have implicated Lance Armstrong with the use of banned [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong strenuously denies the veracity of new allegations about doping from former teammate Floyd landis, and has never tested positive for a banned substance. Do you still have faith in Lance and his seven Tour de France [detalii...]

You cant condemn without proof, says IOC president landis should present any evidence to UCI, says WadaThe International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency have said if Floyd landis has proof of doping by Lance Armstrong then he should back it up with concrete evidence."He has to bring proof that this is true," Jacques Rogge, the IOCs president, said. "These are accusations that need to be corroborated by proof.""You cant condemn without proof," Rogge added. "He would be better off by giving evidence to corroborate that, otherwise he is risking a lot of libels ... You can only sanction an athlete with tangible proof."John Fahey, the president of Wada, said if there is any substance to landiss allegations, either the US Anti-Doping Agency or the International Cycling Union should intervene."If he has evidence, he should make that evidence available to the Usada or UCI and Im sure if there is any substance to that evidence, either of those bodies would act," Fahey said. "There will always be rumours about it."Rogge and Fahey spoke after landis, in a series of emails sent to sponsors and sports officials, confessed to years of doping after having previously denied cheating. The American rider, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title and served a two-year ban for doping, also alleged that Armstrong not only joined him in doping but taught others how to beat the system.Armstrong has denied the claims by his former team-mate, saying landis has no credibility.Rogge said UCI officials would require "more evidence than just an email. They need to have more details to launch an inquiry".Rogge expressed doubts about landiss claim that Armstrong and his long-time coach Johan Bruyneel paid the former UCI president Hein Verbruggen to cover up a test in 2002 after Armstrong purportedly tested positive for the blood-boosting drug erythropoietin. Verbruggen is also a former IOC member."To my knowledge it is not possible to hide a positive result," Rogge said, adding that each doping sample has a code known to laboratory testing teams. "The lab knows the code. Wada gets it also. Then it goes to the national and international federations. One person cannot decide: I can put this under the carpet."The UCI denied changing or concealing a positive test result, and Bruyneel said: "I absolutely deny everything he [landis] said."Rogge welcomed landiss confession of his own doping. "The fact that he is coming out is something that we applaud," he said. "It will clear his conscience. An admission is proof under the Wada code and you should be penalised."Fahey said landiss confessions didnt surprise him. "There was absolutely no doubt about the decision in the court of arbitration for sport on his final appeal," Fahey said. "They saw him as being a cheat, and in this context, he has now admitted it, and I am pleased. There is no contrition, however, no apology, and I regret that."Neither landis nor his family returned repeated messages from the Associated Press.USA Cycling would not comment on landiss series of emails, citing its policy on not discussing "doping allegations, investigations or any aspect of an adjudication process".Usada also declined to comment for similar reasons.Floyd landisLance ArmstrongCyclingDrugs in sport guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Tour organiser casts doubt on landis Federal investigation in the USA could follow Scott Sunderland leaves Team SkyA tumultuous and at times surreal week for the sport of cycling began with reports in the Italian press of an investigation into "motorised doping" - following rumours that riders might be racing with tiny engines in their bikes - and continued today with the surprise announcement that Team Sky have parted company with their senior sports director, Scott Sunderland.The Australian, a key figure in the Dave Brailsford-led, Sky-financed squad, cited family reasons. He added, however, that his departure "does not mean that I will take distance from cycling". Whatever the reasons behind Sunderlands exit, just five months into the teams first season, it was a good day to bury bad news.Because dominating the agenda - and overshadowing events at the Giro dItalia and Tour of California as these two events reach their critical stages - is the continuing fallout from Floyd landiss allegations that the seven-times Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, and other top American riders had used performance-enhancing drugs.Today the New York Times claimed that landis, who was a team-mate of Armstrongs for three years, but has struggled to resurrect his career after testing positive for testosterone after winning the 2006 Tour de France, had attempted to persuade other riders to confess to doping. The Tour of California organiser, Andrew Messick, told the paper that landis "was trying to find other riders to come clean with him, but nobody would".Messick also alleged that landis had contacted him in early April. "He told me, Ive been living a lie. I cant sleep at night. I have to ease my burden, so Ive got to tell the truth about what Ive done."I told him two things," Messick continued. "One, none of this is new. If you hang around cycling long enough, you hear things about riders and what theyve done. And two, what makes you think anyone would believe you?"With landis so far the only witness to his allegations, it is this question that seems likely to hamper any investigation. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) welcomed the 34-year-olds admission, after four years of denials, that he used a cocktail of doping products and methods, including EPO, growth hormone, steroids and blood-doping, from 2002, the year he joined Armstrongs US Postal team.Wada also pledged to look into his allegations concerning Armstrong and others, and a federal investigation remains a possibility, with reports that Jeff Novitzky, who helped expose Marion Jones and others in the Balco case, has interviewed landis.The reaction of Wada and the US Food and Drug Administration - for whom Novitzky is an agent - stood in stark contrast to that of the International Cycling Union (UCI), with the world governing bodys president, Pat McQuaid, quick to dismiss landis as "a guy seeking revenge", and claiming that his allegations followed a failed attempt to "blackmail" the Tour of California organisers into inviting his new team.Late last night, the affair took a surreal twist with Armstrongs decision to publish private emails allegedly sent by landis to Messick and others, which - claimed an accompanying statement - "reveals a troubling, angry and misplaced effort at retribution by landis for his perceived slights".At the Giro dItalia, meanwhile, stage 14 was won by Italys Vincenzo Nibali, with Bradley Wiggins an attacker on the slopes of Monte Grappa. Wiggins moved up to seventh overall, with David Arroyo of Spain taking over the pink jersey of race leader from young Australian Richie Porte.Lance ArmstrongFloyd landisCyclingRichard Moore guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

I have nothing to hide says seven-time Tour winner landis claims to examined by anti-doping agenciesLance Armstrong today insisted he has "nothing to hide" as he dismissed accusations made by the disgraced American rider Floyd landis who implicated the seven-time Tour de France winner in a series of emails to cycling and anti-doping officials detailing his own doping history.landis said that his own use of performance-improving substances dates back to 2002 when he rode for the US Postal Service team and continued when he moved to Phonak in 2005. The 34-year-old, who served a two-year ban following his failed test, mentioned Armstrong in his emails - among several high-profile riders and officials.landis claims will now be investigated by both the United States and world anti-doping agencies, but Armstrong is not waiting for the results before casting his own verdict."I have nothing to hide," Armstrong said ahead of the fifth stage of the Tour of California. "I think history speaks for itself here."landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after testing positive for synthetic testosterone, and has admitted to drug offences during his road-racing career having previously fought a costly and unsuccessful legal battle to clear his name. Having previously put up a staunch defence of the case against him in 2006, landis has reversed his position and is threatening to take others down with him.Armstrong said he had been expecting as much: "Id say I am a little surprised but I am not," he said, adding: "Its our word against his word. I like our word. We like our credibility. Floyd lost his credibility a long time ago."Despite repeated allegations, Armstrong has always denied doping and has never tested positive or been sanctioned by the cycling authorities.landis said of his decision to come clean after previously denying having used drugs: "I want to clear my conscience. I dont want to be part of the problem any more. With the benefit of hindsight, and a somewhat different perspective, I made some misjudgements. And, of course, I can sit here and say all day long [saying], If I could do it again Id do something different, but I just dont have that choice."I dont feel guilty at all about having doped. I did what I did because thats what we did and it was a choice I had to make after 10 years or 12 years of hard work to get there, and that was a decision I had to make to make the next step. My choices were, do it and see if I can win, or dont do it and I tell people, I just dont want to do that, and I decided to do it."He has claimed his decision to speak out now was partly because the World Anti-Doping Agencys statute of limitations for doping offences of eight years meant his evidence would shortly become unusable.landis continued on espn.com: "Now weve come to the point where the statute of limitations on the things I know is going to run out or start to run out next month. If I dont say something now, then its pointless to ever say it."landis, though, still denies taking testosterone during the 2006 Tour de France."There must be some other explanation, whether it was done wrong or I dont know what," he said. "The problem I have with even bothering to argue it is I have used testosterone in the past and I have used it in other Tours, and its going to sound kind of foolish to say I didnt."landis accusations will now be examined by both the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the WADA.A statement from the USADAs chief executive Travis T Tygart read: "Our duty is to fairly and thoroughly pursue any and all reliable evidence of doping to reveal the truth and to ensure honest and fair athletic competition worldwide for both fans and athletes."In circumstances where the process results in credible evidence of doping, USADA will follow its mandate to protect clean athletes and the integrity of sport by taking appropriate action under the rules established by federal law. With that said, we do not comment on the substance of any doping investigation."The statement continued: "It is important to re-emphasise USADAs position that all athletes are innocent until and unless proven otherwise through the established legal process. Attempts to sensationalise or exploit either the process or the athletes are a disservice to fair play, due process, and to those who love clean sport."The WADA president John Fahey vowed to work with the USADA on the matter."WADA is aware of the serious allegations made by Mr landis," read a statement. "We are very interested in learning more about this matter and we will liaise with the United States Anti-Doping Agency and any other authorities with appropriate jurisdiction to get to the heart of the issues raised. WADA looks forward to these further investigations and enquiries by those responsible."The International Cycling Union, though, hit out at landis for making his allegations public."The UCI regrets that Mr landis has publicly accused individuals without allowing sufficient time for the relevant US authorities to investigate," read a statement. "An impartial investigation is a fundamental right, as Mr landis will understand having contested, for two years, the evidence of his breach of the anti-doping rules in 2006."The UCI will leave it to the individuals accused by Mr landis to take the position they see fit with regards to this issue."The Former Phonak boss Andy Rihs insisted landis had acted alone and that the team had no knowledge of his doping activities."Neither I nor the management of the team knew that Floyd landis was doped," Rihs said.Lance ArmstrongCyclingDrugs in sport guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Ciclistul american Lance Armstrong a declarat ca vrea sa coopereze cu anchetatorii in investigatia declansata in Statele Unite, dupa ce fostul rutier Floyd landis a acuzat practici de dopaj sistematic la echipa US Postal in [detalii...]

Cyclings governing body took money to develop sport in 2002 Accusations against seven-times Tour winner surfaced sincePat McQuaid, the president of the UCI, has admitted that it was a mistake in hindsight for cyclings governing body to accept a 100,000 (69,000) donation from Lance Armstrong eight years ago.The money was used to purchase a Sysmex machine in 2002, a piece of equipment used to analyse blood samples, although the governing body denied any suggestion that the seven-times Tour de France winner used this in an attempt to bribe the UCI, as has been claimed by Floyd landis."To the best of my knowledge, the UCI has not accepted other donations and Id just like to clarify that there was only one donation from Lance Armstrong not two or three," McQuaid said. "You have to consider that at the time, in 2002, no accusations against Lance Armstrong had been made. Theyve all came up since then. We accepted the donation to help develop the sport. We didnt think theres a conflict of interest. Its easy to say in hindsight what could or would have been done. You have to put yourself in the situation at the time."I think based on experience, based on hindsight and 20/20 vision, and based on the claims of a conflict of interest, the UCI would be very careful before accepting a donation from a rider in the future. Having said that the UCI is not a rich organisation and we have many demands from around the world for demands for support and material. We will listen to anyone who can help us."Last week emails from landis were made public containing a series of allegations against Armstrongs and others involvement in doping and the collusion of key figures in the sport, all of which were denied.McQuaid added: "The UCI take seriously the accusation that the UCI took a bribe to hide the positive test of Lance Armstrong in 2001," McQuaid said yesterday. "Weve contacted in recent days the labs involved for testing for EPO at that time. I have statement here from those labs that support what I am about to say ... that there is no way that the UCI or its former president Hein Verbruggen could have accepted a bribe. Its just not possible."McQuaid also revealed that he has asked the Canadian, Australian, Belgian and French national cycling federations to investigate the accusation made by landis against the Team Sky rider Michael Barry, the Garmin-Transitions directeur sportif, Matt White, the RadioShack team manager, Johan Bruyneel, and BMC directeur sportif, John Lelangue. McQuaid confirmed that landis has also been placed under investigation by USA Cycling via the US anti-doping agency, Usada.CyclingLance Armstrong guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Read the full transcript of Lance Armstrongs press conference following Floyd landis doping [detalii...]

Floyd landis could have helped the battle against drugs by confessing immediately after his disgrace in 2006As others have said in the past about this very topic: SSDD. Same stuff, different day. To say there is nothing new in Floyd landiss allegations about Lance Armstrong and some of those in his orbit would be incorrect. However, the process is depressingly familiar to anyone who has had the misfortune to follow cyclings 12 troubled years since Willy Voet was arrested with a carload of drugs in 1998, sparking off the drip feed of confession, conviction, revelation and allegation that has so poisoned the last decade and more.This latest twist to the landis case follows the same template set by Voet and the other pentiti: deny until you are desperate, then confess. What varies is the length of time they can keep up the pretence. landis contested every claim, sought every convoluted explanation science could offer, exhausted every last appeal opportunity, mobilised public support, spent a small fortune. His fellow American Tyler Hamilton did the same following his positive test for blood doping in 2004. In landiss case the due process of his case dragged through until 1 July 2008. His two-year ban ended 25 days later.landiss years of self-delusion might prompt incredulity among outsiders, but it is nothing novel in cyclings recent past. In October 2000 I sat in the courtroom in Lille and listened to Richard Virenque confess to doping after more than two years of convoluted denial. That for the first time revealed the extent to which cyclists who take drugs can convince themselves they are clean in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.landis states in his emails that he hopes his allegations may serve some purpose if properly investigated, but the simple fact is this: had he come out with his allegations at the time of his positive test for testosterone in the Tour de France in 2006, they would have carried infinitely greater weight. To spend years in denial before turning round and contradicting everything you have clung to over that time - whatever the details you can produce - means that any attempt to investigate the allegations can be countered with one simple argument: why should any credence be given to someone who has behaved in this way?Compare and contrast with David Millar. Not a saint, but the Britons period in denial as the allegations mounted around him in 2004 was infinitely shorter - a matter of a few months - and was followed by a prompt confession, a willingness to accept the consequences of his actions, and positive actions to redress the harm he had done to his sport. It follows that Millar now has far more credibility than any other cyclist who has been through the mire of drug scandal.A prompt confession from landis would have spared his sport two years of SSDD. During that time the minutiae of claim and counterclaim resembled a soap opera and, more damagingly, attempts were made to discredit the anti-doping process, providing ammunition for those who wanted to also have spared his fellow American Greg LeMond a harrowing day in court in May 2007, when LeMond revealed that a threat had been made by an associate of landis to reveal that LeMond had told landis of childhood sexual abuse.Discussing the doping issue after landiss positive in the 2006 Tour, one high-level sports administrator suggested to me that cycling should go down a radical road in an attempt to combat doping. There should be, he said, a two-wheeled equivalent of South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With the incentive of an amnesty, cyclists should be able to present themselves in front of a tribunal in complete anonymity to confess what they had taken and when and how. The results should be shown to the peloton to shock them into stopping by making them aware of the sheer blind stupidity of what they were doing.The problem my contact highlighted, and which the landis episode underlines is this: there is no framework for cyclists who wish to tell what they know, to contribute to cleaning up their sport. Anyone who wants to bring their misdeeds into the daylight will pay a price - although Millar would contend that the price is well worth paying. An amnesty, an open forum, is simply too radical a step. When LeMond challenged landis to confess all he knew, if he indeed had used drugs, LeMond told him he could change the sport. Unless landiss allegations are fully investigated by an independent body, there is little chance of that.Floyd landisLance ArmstrongCyclingWilliam Fotheringham guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

landis accuses Armstrong of cover-up Armstrong in hospital after stage crashThe disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd landis today made a series of devastating allegations of doping and corruption in the sport of cycling, claiming that former team-mates, including Lance Armstrong, the seven-times Tour winner, used performance-enhancing drugs and that high-ranking officials were complicit in the cover-up of a positive test for the synthetic blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after testing positive for illegal amounts of testosterone, also ended four years of denials and protestations of innocence to admit that he used banned substances, including EPO, steroids, human growth hormone, testosterone and blood transfusions, from 2002 onwards. His claims were contained in emails sent to cycling officials and leaked to the media.Having previously denied the charges against him, even setting up a Floyd Fairness Fund and raising 500,000 (350,000) to help his defence, landis said his motivation for speaking out was to "clear my conscience". The timing of his allegations, he added, was due to the World Anti-Doping Agencys statute of limitations; under Wada rules action must be taken within eight years of the alleged offences."I dont want to be part of the problem any more," landis told ESPN. "I dont feel guilty at all about having doped. I did what I did because thats what we [cyclists] did ... Now weve come to the point where the statute of limitations on the things I know is going to run out or start to run out next month. If I dont say something now then its pointless to ever say it."landis, who had three seasons in Armstrongs US Postal Service team, made his allegations in three emails sent to seven cycling officials between 30 April and 6 May. In one of them, sent to US Cyclings president, Stephen Johnson, landis said he began doping in 2002, the year he joined US Postal, and he then detailed how he was told how to administer blood transfusions, EPO and steroids, without fear of being caught. As well as Armstrong, he implicates team directors, coaches and other top American riders.Armstrong, who won the Tour de France in each of the three years in which landis was a team-mate, last night dismissed the claims, questioning landiss mental state. Speaking before todays stage of the Tour of California, and standing alongside his long-time coach Johan Bruyneel, he said: "We have nothing to hide. We have nothing to run from. If anyone has any questions, wed be more than happy to answer them."Asked whether he would sue landis, Armstrong replied: "Legal action takes time, energy. It takes a lot of money. I have sued a few people in my day."Armstrongs day did not get any better: he crashed during the stage and was taken to hospital for x-rays.Pat McQuaid, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), reacted angrily, describing the allegations as "scandalous and mischievous". McQuaid said: "These guys coming out now with things like this from the past is only damaging the sport. If theyve any love for the sport they wouldnt do it."The UCI responded tonight to landiss allegation that the governing body covered up a positive test, saying it "categorically rejects ... the allegation that a positive doping result by Lance Armstrong during the 2002 Tour of Switzerland was concealed after an agreement was reached between the American rider, his directeur sportif Mr Johan Bruyneel and the former UCI president, Mr Hein Verbruggen."Deeply shocked by the gravity of this statement, which considerably impinges on the honour of all persons who have dedicated themselves to the fight against doping, the UCI wishes to clearly state that it has never changed or concealed a positive test result." The UCI statement added that Armstrong did not participate in the 2002 Tour of Switzerland.Wada, meanwhile, promised to investigate. The organisations president, John Fahey, said: "We are very interested in learning more about this matter and we will liaise with the United States Anti-Doping Agency and any other authorities with appropriate jurisdiction to get to the heart of the issues raised. Wada looks forward to these further investigations and inquiries by those responsible."Wada encourages everyone with knowledge of banned practices in sport, including athletes who were caught cheating and who denied the evidence for years, to be forthcoming in disclosing the information they may have to the proper authorities."Floyd landisLance ArmstrongCyclingRichard Moore guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Controversa in cazul ciclistului Floyd landis continua. Dupa ce i-a fost luat titlul obtinut in Turul Frantei din 2006, americanul primeste o noua lovitura: un judecator francez a emis un mandat de arestare pe numele sau, acuzandu-l ca a furat date din baza de date a unui laborator antidoping din [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong a fost nevoit sa abandoneze Turul Californiei in cea de-a cincea etapa, dupa ce septuplul castigator al turului Frantei a suferit, joi, un accident. Accidentul ciclistului american a avut loc la putin timp dupa ce fostul sau coechipier, americanul Floyd landis, l-a acuzat ca a folosit substante interzise pentru a-si imbunatati [detalii...]

Discuss the days big issues, send us your favourite links, follow us on Twitter and take a look at our 2010 sport calendar10.30am: Ive just seen a black taxi with a St Georges Cross stuck to the roof and flapping in the wind. Its only the second vehicle Ive spotted thats already been pimped up for the World Cup, the first being a white van I saw driving past Kings Cross Station a few days ago. Of course theres every chance the owners of both automobiles dont even know theres a World Cup imminent, they may just be BNP members who dont know the election is over. [BG] 10.20am: If youre not already a fan of the Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, prepare to become so. Classic YouTube this week includes some Holloway gold, or should it be Tangerine, to get you all raring to go for this weekends Championship play-off final. Apologies to Cardiff fans, but Dave Jones, nor any other manager, can compete when it comes to post-match press conference value.Also in this weeks clips are Fenerbahce on fire and some loon jumping into the cage while an MMA fight is in progress, in nothing other than a jockstrap. Its a bold move, so much so that the two combatants really dont know what to do with themselves. JC10.00am: The winner of the 2006 Tour de France, Floyd landis, has, after many years of denying it, admitted by email that he was guilty of blood doping during the Tour de France, and throughout his career according to reports in the US. landis became the first man to be stripped of a Tour victory after positive tests indicated as much, but he fought his case all the same, claiming mistakes in the laboratory were responsible for the results.landis was a team-mate of Lance Armstrong riding for US Postal for several years, and was a key support man for three of Armstrongs Tour victories. In a somewhat surprising development, he now says he wishes to clear his conscience, and that he doesnt want "to be part of the problem any more".And on a good day for honesty in sport, a leaked video shows members of the Pakistan cricket teams management admitting they have concerns about match-fixing within the team, specifically relating to the recent Test series in Australia, which they lost 3-0. If anyone watched that series, well, lets just say certain sessions will not be appearing in a highlights package for the Pakistan side any time soon. JC8.45am: Good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. Throughout the day well update this page with stories, links and whats expected to happen in the hours ahead. Time permitting, well try to post below the line, answering your questions and comments.Jeremy CampbellJohn AshdownBarry Glendenning guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Its not about vindication or making a point, says landis Tyler Hamiltons allegations to be televised in US on SundayAs another of Lance Armstrongs former team-mates, Tyler Hamilton, broke cover on Friday to claim that the seven-times Tour de France winner had used banned drugs, Hamilton was supported by another whistle-blower, Floyd landis, whose revelations a year ago sparked a United States federal inquiry into Armstrong and his former team US Postal Service that remains ongoing."Hes a person that got caught in a bad situation and, although it can be hard for people to understand from the outside, I hope they try. Thats all you can ask for really," landis said. "For me its not about vindication or making a point or justifying what I did. I feel the same sentiment in Tylers letter, or at least felt it a lot stronger a year ago."landis, a self-confessed doper, was referring to an open letter issued by Hamilton to cycling fans and friends, stating that he had testified for over six hours before the grand jury that is hearing witness statements in the Armstrong inquiry, and describing the relief he felt on confessing."Until that moment I walked into the courtroom, I hadnt told a soul. My testimony went on for six hours. For me it was like the Hoover dam breaking. I opened up; I told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And I felt a sense of relief Id never felt before - all the secrets, all the weight Id been carrying around for years suddenly lifted. I saw that, for me personally, this was the way forward."Armstrong has always denied any use of banned drugs. His spokesman reiterated that the cyclist had passed almost 500 drug tests in 20 years and accusing Hamilton of changing his story to attract a publishers interest in a book.Hamiltons doping history is a murky one. He tested positive twice for blood doping in 2004, although only the second test - in the Vuelta a Espana - led to sanctions. He was also named in the Operation Puerto blood doping inquiry in Spain in 2006, amid allegations he had used a cocktail of substances including EPO, growth hormone, testosterone and cortisone. He returned to racing after a two-year ban but tested positive in 2009 for the banned steroid DHEA.Hamiltons allegations against Armstrong came during an interview with the CBS news programme 60 Minutes, to be released on Sunday. He is the first team- mate of Armstrongs to allege that he actually saw the Tour winner inject a banned substance, although in his interview on CBSs Evening News on Thursday he did not go into any more details.Hamilton was the 2004 Olympic time-trial champion, although that title was marred by a positive blood doping test, later overruled on a technicality. The United States Anti-Doping Agency said on Fridaythat Hamilton had handed over his gold medal, after the IOC said it could strip him of it.The title will go to the Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov, as Armstrong pointed out in his reaction on Twitter: Congratulations to eki_ekimov on his 3rd Olympic Gold Medal!!It remains to be seen what effect Hamiltons allegation will have on the inquiry into Armstrong, but another high-profile case is approaching resolution. On Friday the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed that the appeal into Alberto Contadors clenbuterol positive will take place from June 6-8.That reflects the desire of the Tour de France organisers that the case be decided before the start of this years race. Contador was cleared of any offence by the Spanish Cycling Federation, which initially looked into the test result from last years Tour de France, but appeals were lodged by both the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency.If Contador loses the case, he will be stripped of his win in last years Tour.Lance ArmstrongDrugs in sportCyclingTour de FranceWilliam Fotheringham guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Floyd landiss credibility scrutinised after years of denials WADA and USADA expected to launch investigations into claimsThe global media expressed varying degrees of confidence in Lance Armstrong following Floyd landiss allegations against the seven-times Tour de France winner but shared in their response a world-weariness over the ongoing battle for cyclings credibility.Armstrong has fiercely denied landiss claims that he used performance-enhancing drugs, and the collective reaction has been to ask where the evidence is for landiss allegations and whether anything can ever be proven.There is agreement that the development of new testing techniques, allied to the involvement of various global organisations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency and United States Anti-Doping Agency, could be crucial. But landiss history of denial of his own drug use until now, has led some to argue that his word must be treated with caution in the absence of substantiated evidence.Bill Strickland, editor-at-large for US-based Bicycling magazine, told ABC News: "Things havent been going well for [landis]. His racing career is suffering. Hes admitted in public that his legal troubles [in trying to clear his name] have more or less ruined him financially. This is not going to sway anyones opinion. I really believe that people have their opinions of Lance, and they look for evidence to support that."Commenting for Bicycling magazines website, Joe Lindsey says: "Armstrong has a long history of battling accusations of doping. There have been many. But in every one of these instances, Armstrong has successfully batted away the allegations. And he may do so again. Part of the issue is the timing. The totality of all the circumstantial evidence is troubling. But, spread out over a decade, it lacks weight. Perhaps more important, landis stubbornly proclaimed his innocence until these e-mails. The logic goes that he was lying then so we cant trust him now.""But," says Lindsey, "there are glimmers that United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) may not be the only agency looking at landis claims. Both the NY Times and the Times of London are reporting that Jeff Novitzky is involved in the investigation. Its not clear how Novitzky, an agent at the Office of Criminal Investigations division of the Food and Drug Administration, might be involved, but hes best known for prosecuting Barry Bonds and others in the Balco drug scandal. Novitzkys purported involvement raises the stakes considerably."George Vecsey writes in the New York Times that Armstrong will find it tough to escape the suspicion after his latest accuser went public. "This is one of those rare times that a prominent cyclist has openly incriminated an entire team and by consequence the culture of professional cycling. [landiss] accusations sound as if he were there," writes Vecsey."Hes loopy, but I dont think he has the imagination to make up all this stuff. He has now personally indicted an entire team of familiar names ... The USADA will investigate, and federal investigators will make sure those questioned are telling the truth. But I have no faith in organized cycling to take this on in any serious way. No matter where it goes from here, I dont think Lance Armstrong can break away from this one."For CBS news in America, John Bentley commented: "The question now is: can landis prove anything he said? Yes, according to a doping expert. The World Anti-Doping Agency said they would open an investigation into landis allegations, and new doping detection methods will be a part of that. Were getting better technology to detect prohibited substances that are abused, said Dr Gary Wadler of WADA. Well be able to look backwards as far back as eight years to see if at the time of a given event when the specimen was collected if there were doping agents in the urine. Only Lance Armstrong knows if he has something to hide or not, he said - but he had two words of advice for those who think they may have gotten away with doping in the past. Athlete beware."Owen Slot in the Times hinted that Armstrong would endure. "Do yesterdays allegations by Floyd landis spell the end for Lance Armstrong?" he asks. "Probably not. Armstrong has had more claims of doping against him than he has won Tours de France. This is just the latest, it is possibly the most public, arguably the most sensational and the fact that it comes from a former team-mate brings with it obvious tones of inside information."However, previous cases linking Armstrong with the use of illegal drugs have contained more detail, yet been killed off in the technicalities of legal debate. Yet they remain mere allegations, all of which Armstrong denies. landis admits that he has no proof bar his own testimony."The International Cycling Union declared yesterday that it has no interest in pursuing the case, which is interesting given that the sports world governing body was implicated in landiss allegations. Instead, the case has been passed on to the US Anti-Doping Agency, which has brought in Jeff Novitzky, the federal agent who was instrumental in busting the Balco doping ring. If landiss claims are anything more than the vengeful ragings of a cheat, Novitzky may enjoy pursuing them."Lance ArmstrongCyclingDrugs in sportJeremy Campbell guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

I sleep like a baby, insists American cyclist 38-year-old nearly 40 minutes behind race leader Andy SchleckSeven-time champion Lance Armstrong insists "I sleep like a baby" and denied the ongoing investigation into doping allegations levelled at him by Floyd landis was behind his poor Tour de France display.An investigation was initiated by the United States Food and Drug Administration after landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour title after testing positive for testosterone, accused many of his former team-mates at the United States Postal Service team, including Armstrong, of doping. Armstrong has never tested positive and strenuously denies all the allegations.The 38-year-old began the 97th Tour with ambitions of an eighth title but fell out of contention on the opening Alpine stage and following yesterdays first Pyrenean stage lies 39 minutes 44 seconds behind race leader Andy Schleck in 38th place. Speaking ahead of Sundays 14th stage, Armstrong denied his uncharacteristic bike handling, which again saw him fall on Saturday, is due to the investigation."I might be distracted, but Im not distracted on the things people are speculating Im distracted on," Armstrong told velonews.com. "I dont have any fear about any of that. I know whats gone on in my life. Falling over because you are distracted in the race, or talking to people, or thinking about time on the beach in two weeks, thats one thing. But if I was distracted about the other stuff, I wouldnt sleep at night. And I sleep like a baby."Armstrong won seven Tour titles between 1999 and 2005 before retiring. He returned in 2009, finishing third, but announced last month this years race would be his last. Although he is out of contention for the overall title, a stage win remains Armstrongs aim. "Im going to do my best, but its not easy," he said. "I think every rider in the bunch knows I want a stage."Armstrong has six days of racing remaining to achieve his 26th stage win before he completes his 13th Tour in Paris next Sunday.Lance ArmstrongTour de FranceCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Race will be used to prepare for Tour de France Announcement follows landiss doping allegationsLance Armstrong will continue his preparations for the Tour de France by taking part in the Tour of Luxembourg next week, his RadioShack team have confirmed.The American, who crashed out of the Tour of California last week, featured in an eight-man squad unveiled by Radioshack as he looks to get more racing days ahead of the Tour, which he has won on seven previous occasions.The 38-year-old Texan sustained facial injury when he crashed during the fifth stage of the Tour of California.He had to then immediately come out and deny fresh allegations of drugs-taking by his former team-mate Floyd landis.The Tour of Luxembourg runs from 2-6 June.Lance ArmstrongCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Cyclistss lawyer criticises drip-feed of allegations They are either mistaken or not telling the truthLance Armstrongs lawyer has criticised a report that a former team-mate of the seven-times Tour de France champion told investigators Armstrong knew of widespread performance-enhancing drug use on the US Postal Service team.Bryan Daly said hundreds of Armstrongs former team-mates would deny he broke the rules to win. The New York Times reported yesterday that a former team-mate supported claims by Floyd landis that the Postal Service team engaged in systematic doping with Armstrongs knowledge and approval.The cyclist told the newspaper he had spoken to federal investigators investigating allegations of doping in the sport.Armstrong has denied any allegations that he doped or encouraged doping.The unidentified cyclist detailed some of his own drug use to investigators, even though he has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, the newspaper reported. He said he has not been called to testify before the grand jury in Los Angeles that has been convened for the case.Daly said yesterday that the report contains "inappropriate leaks designed to create a circus-like atmosphere"."To the extent that any riders are suggesting that Lance Armstrong violated cycling rules or doped, they are either mistaken or not telling the truth. Lance has ridden with hundreds of riders over the years who will support his position, and over all that time he has never failed even a single test," Daly said.landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title after failing a doping test, recently admitted using drugs during the height of his career. He implicated several cyclists, Armstrong among them.Armstrongs attorneys have said the US Anti-Doping Agency has been trying to broker deals with cyclists who testify or produce evidence against Armstrong. If those riders have used performance-enhancing drugs, they could receive reduced punishment, Armstrongs attorneys have said. More riders are expected to meet the grand jury next week."We understand that riders may be being offered sweetheart deals to change testimony that they have given in the past, under oath," Daly said. "The power of the federal government is being abused to pursue dated and discredited allegations, and thats flat-out wrong, unethical, un-American, and a waste of taxpayer dollars."Lance ArmstrongDrugs in sportCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong denies new claims made by unnamed cyclist Former US Postal team-mates questioned by detectives Lance Armstrong faced further accusations today that he has used performance-enhancing drugs after it was reported that an unnamed cyclist had supported claims the Americans former team, US Postal Service, had been involved in "systematic doping".Detectives investigating claims that US Postal operated a doping programme have spoken to former team-mates and associates of Armstrong, and have been told the seven-times Tour de France winner knew about and encouraged doping within the team, the New York Times reported.Armstrong has always denied using performance-enhancing drugs, saying during last months Tour that he would deny using drugs "for as long as I live". This year Floyd landis, the former US Postal rider who was stripped of his 2006 Tour victory after failing a drug test, claimed Armstrong had been involved in the squads alleged doping and that such practices had been funded by the sales of bikes that had been used by the team.landiss claims were dismissed by Armstrong, who said his former team-mate "lacked credibility" because of his history of first denying he had used drugs then admitting that he had. However, the emergence of a new witness to corroborate landiss claims is an unwelcome development for Armstrong. According to the New York Times, the unnamed cyclist had never tested positive for drug use but had spoken to investigators, detailing his own doping and that within the US Postal team, all of which went on with the "knowledge and support" of the teams former leader.Several other former leading cyclists, including Tyler Hamilton, serving an eight-year ban for doping, had been called before a grand jury in Los Angeles, which is considering whether there is enough evidence to charge anyone connected with US Postal with attempting to defraud sponsors by using drugs to improve performances, thereby increasing their potential marketability.The investigation into Armstrongs former team is being headed by Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, who was in charge of the Balco case, which led to the jailing of several athletes, including former Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones, who were found to have been using performance-enhancing drugs supplied by the San Francisco-based laboratory.Bryan D Daly, a defence lawyer representing Armstrong, said anyone claiming his client had used drugs was not telling the truth. "They just want them to incriminate Armstrong and thats my concern," Daly told the Times. "To the extent that theres anyone besides landis saying things, the bottom line is, if you take away the soap opera and look at the scientific evidence, there is nothing."Lance ArmstrongCyclingDrugs in sportLawrence Donegan guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The allegations are the latest in a long list that have threatened - and failed - to topple the seven-times Tour de France winnerPresumably Floyd landis believes that he has finally supplied the smoking gun - or, to employ a more appropriate metaphor, the dripping syringe - awaited for the past decade. The piece of evidence, to be more precise, calculated to topple the reputation of a man who achieved the impossible by coming back from radical cancer surgery not just to compete in the Tour de France but to win it an unprecedented seven times.Several years ago a book attempting to nail Lance Armstrong as a doper borrowed the title of a Hollywood crime thriller: LA Confidential. It would be no great stretch to interpret the motive behind landiss testimony against his former team-mate via the appropriation of another movie title: LA Takedown.In his smoking email, as it may come to be called, landis has spoken out at last, finally dropping the pretence of defending himself against the positive dope test that saw him stripped of victory in the 2006 Tour. Like almost all dopers, landis lied and lied and lied again, all the way to the court of arbitration for sport - which, like the United States Anti-Doping Agency before it, refused to believe his claims of innocence.Now landis has come clean, so to speak, implicating many former associates, principally Armstrong, in the process of admitting his own guilt. Until he explains himself, analysis of his motives will be divided between those concluding that he is simply seeking personal revenge and others choosing to believe that this is a man, raised in a Pennsylvania community of Mennonites, who is confessing everything in the hope of receiving absolution.The allegations against Armstrong date from 2002 to 2004, when they rode together in the US Postal squad under the direction of Johan Bruyneel, a former rider who won stages of the Tours of France and Spain during his 10-year career. Armstrong and Bruyneel first teamed up in 1998 and stayed together until his retirement in 2005. They were reunited last year, returning to competition with the Kazakh-owned Astana team, in whose colours Armstrong finished third in the Tour. This year they launched their own squad, Team RadioShack, in search of Armstrongs eighth Tour win.It was Armstrong who personally recruited landis to US Postal, seeking to make use of the strength and competitiveness developed during the younger mans days as a mountain bike champion. Now landis claims that it was during his years with US Postal that he learned the techniques of performance enhancement, including blood doping and the use of erythropoietin (EPO).Armstrong has pointed out time and time again that, despite being probably the most frequently tested athlete in the history of sport, he has never given a positive result in a legitimately conducted test. But when the book LA Confidentiel, by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, was published in France in 2004, its accumulation of circumstantial evidence - including the testimony of a former soigneuse, Emma OReilly - left readers in no doubt of the authors conclusion.After the Sunday Times had repeated some of the books allegations, Armstrong won damages and an apology. But his threat to sue the authors in a Paris court was dropped a few days before the hearings were due to begin. "Mr Armstrong considers that his honour and reputation have been re-established for all people who examine the facts in good faith and that no further purpose is served now in pursuing other actions in defamation," his lawyers announced.A year after the publication of LA Confidentiel, the French daily sports paper LEquipe published the findings of new tests on urine samples given by Armstrong during the 1999 Tour, the first of his sequence of victories, which revealed the presence of EPO. The "B" samples from the tests, however, had been destroyed, meaning that the statutory testing requirements could not be completed in order to corroborate the initial results.In 2006 a former US Postal team-mate, Frankie Andreu, came forward to claim that he had heard Armstrong admitting the use of EPO, human growth hormone and steroids. Andreus testimony was supported by that of his wife, Betsy. Armstrong denied the claims and a settlement was reached which enabled him to collect an outstanding payment of 7.5m (5.2m) from an insurance policy that would otherwise have been invalidated. Andreu also admitted using EPO in order to win a place alongside Armstrong on the 1999 Tour.By coincidence, landiss latest revelations appear in the same week as the UK publication of Le Metier, a strikingly vivid account of a riders life by Michael Barry, another former US Postal rider who now wears the colours of Team Sky. Without specifically incriminating himself, Barry recalls how he discovered, on his arrival in the peloton in the mid-1990s, that doping was little short of de rigueur."Directors, doctors and soigneurs told their riders that to race they needed to be professional," he writes, "and to take care of themselves: Il faut se soigner. Drugs were called les soins, which made something wrong seem like a necessity for health ... [The sport] had reached a point that no matter how talented a rider was, how much training he did, how fit he was, or how motivated he was, he could not compete with the medicine when the racing reached the extreme. The difference in endurance and power between a doped and a clean rider was too significant. Cycling went from sport to black science."Like Armstrong, Barry has been competing this week in the Tour of California, where they and other riders faced questions. Armstrong has predictably responded yesterday by asking why anyone should believe a proven liar, before abandoning the race after a crash near the start of yesterdays stage. It would be more interesting to hear the seven-times Tour winners honest reaction to Barrys eloquent description of the ethics of an era whose dying sparks continue to start fresh fires.Lance ArmstrongFloyd landisTour de FranceCyclingRichard Williams guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Lance Armstrong saga is taken into uncharted territory Former team-mate denies talking to CBS TV programmeIn the 11 years since journalists and judges began looking into doping allegations against Lance Armstrong, all the inquiries have fallen down on two grounds: there has been no "smoking gun" and no copper-bottomed witness in spite of the weight of circumstantial evidence that has built up over the years. The allegations have always been emphatically denied and the denials have stuck.Sparked by a federal inquiry into Armstrongs former team US Postal Service that goes back to last August, the events of the last two days have taken the Armstrong saga - and by extension the cycling world in which Armstrong remains an influential figure - into uncharted territory. They also provide possible insights into the direction of the inquiry, led by Geoff Novitzky, the man behind the Barry Bonds case.On Thursday night, as part of the build-up to a showing of their investigative programme 60 Minutes, CBS released a segment of an interview with Armstrongs former team-mate Tyler Hamilton, in which the cyclist claimed that he had seen his ex-leader use the banned blood booster erythropoietin. Hamilton did not go into details, but if he can back up the claims, this would be a new and potentially devastating piece of evidence.On Friday, CBS reported that they had evidence that another of Armstrongs former team-mates George Hincapie had told the federal inquiry that he and Armstrong had given each other erythropoietin and that they had discussed the use of another banned drug, testosterone. Unlike Hamilton and at least two other former team-mates of Armstrong, Hincapie was not interviewed by CBS - citing the ongoing FDA inquiry in which he is apparently a witness - and the television station did not name a source for their report.Hincapie, who is currently racing in the Tour of California, said: "I can confirm to you that I never spoke with 60 Minutes. I have no idea where they got their information. As Ive said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future. As for the substance of anything in the 60 Minutes story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation."On the face of it, Hamiltons revelation appears the more damaging, but Hincapie could potentially be the game-changer if the CBS report is backed up. Over the years, several witnesses have come forward to make a variety of claims about Armstrong and banned drugs: the triple Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, Armstrongs former team-mates Floyd landis and Stephen Swart, the former US Postal soigneur Emma OReilly, his former personal assistant Mike Anderson, and Betsy Andreu, the wife of his ex-team-mate and former friend Frankie Andreu.The allegations have been wide ranging, but never conclusive: needle marks on Armstrongs arms, conversations in which Armstrong reportedly said the Tour de France could only be won using EPO, the claim that before his treatment for testicular cancer Armstrong told doctors he used banned substances. But because they occurred largely in isolation, and did not corroborate each other, they could be rebutted; Armstrongs word against each witness, each claim.Coupled with his denials of any use of banned substances and his assertion that he has never failed a drugs test, Armstrong, could also make claims that undermined each witnesss evidence: personal animosity, a desire for financial gain, revenge, jealousy, or, in the case of landis - and Hamilton - that both men lied for several years about their own drug-taking before performing dramatic U-turns.No such assertions can be made against Hincapie, however, as Andreu pointed out to the magazine VeloNews on Friday night. "You cant find a nicer guy, a more trustworthy guy, a more respected person in the peloton. Lance has ripped apart, attacked and shredded anybody thats said anything against him. I dont know that that would work against George. Lance has even called him a stand-up guy."Hincapie is a bumbling, genial giant of a man, who has always seemed to want to keep out of the fray around Armstrong. The pair have - had? - been friends for almost two decades since they began racing together at the Motorola team. Hincapie is universally well-thought of and liked. He has never tested positive for any banned substances, although landis made allegations against him - which he denied - when landis went public for the first time last May.While Sundays broadcast of 60 Minutes should move the Armstrong story forward, what will happen in the longer term remains hard to predict, as it is unclear when the inquiry will close and - if the claims are well-founded - what steps if any may be taken against Armstrong. Hamiltons open letter to friends and fans on Thursday, in which he explained his confession, gave an insight into the workings of the federal inquiry, on behalf of which a grand jury took testimony under subpoena from the former Tour de France stage winner.Hamilton said he had been interviewed for six hours and that the confession he took drugs had come as a relief after years of deceit. Novitzkys team are giving away nothing -- and may well be annoyed that material from at least one important witness has been made public - but appear to be painstakingly building their case. If they conclude with a joined-up series of witness statements from his former team-mates, which corroborate each other, they could undermine the defence Armstrong has built up over recent years, and it could radically alter the recent history of the Tour de France.Lance ArmstrongTour de FranceCyclingDrugs in sportWilliam Fotheringham guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Inquiry leak alleges team-mates exchanged drugs Armstrong denies claims he used banned substancesWilliam FotheringhamLance Armstrong faced fresh allegations of doping last night when CBS News reported that one of the seven-times Tour de France winners closest former team-mates, George Hincapie, had told a federal inquiry into drug-taking at the US Postal Service squad that he and Armstrong provided each other with the banned blood booster erythropoietin.A release from CBS stated that the stations leading investigative programme "60 Minutes" had learned that "Hincapie testified that he and Armstrong supplied each other with the endurance-boosting substance EPO and discussed having used another banned substance, testosterone, to prepare for races". Armstrong has consistently denied the use of banned drugs and has never failed a drug test. Hincapie has also never failed a drug test."60 Minutes", which has been going since 1968 and is regarded as one of the USs leading investigative programmes, is to broadcast an investigation into Armstrong and the use of drugs in cycling on Sunday evening. The programme is set to include interviews with two other former team-mates of Armstrong, Frankie Andreu and Tyler Hamilton. Hincapie will not be interviewed, his reason being the ongoing federal inquiry.The release from CBS regarding Hincapie came 24 hours after an interview in which Hamilton admitted using drugs and alleged that he saw Armstrong use erythropoietin, the first time such an allegation has been made.A third former team-mate, Floyd landis, a self-confessed doper, claimed last year that Armstrong used banned drugs, with a series of detailed allegations which sparked the federal inquiry. Hamilton said in an open letter on Friday he had been questioned for six hours under subpoena by the grand jury in the federal investigation and that it had come as a relief to him to confess.Armstrongs spokesman Mark Fabiani dismissed Hamiltons allegations. "Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on 60 Minutes and increase his chances with publishers. But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports: he has passed nearly 500 tests over 20 years of competition." Regarding the Hincapie allegations, Fabiani said: "We have no way of knowing what happened in the grand jury and so cant comment on these anonymously sourced reports."A letter addressed to CBS was released last night on the website Facts4Lance - launched by Armstrong this week - stating "60 Minutes has decided that these sensational charges are simply too good not to be true, and that it would prefer not to give Mr Armstrong a fair opportunity to confront his accusers. That decision may make for great television but it is disgraceful journalism."Hincapie said from the Tour of California in Solvang that said he did not want to talk about the "60 Minutes" report. "Its just unfortunate that thats all people want to talk about now," he said. "Im not going to partake in any cycling-bashing. I have done everything to be the best I can be ... I want the focus on the future of the sport, what its done to clean itself up. I believe in cycling and want to support it."Hincapie later released a statement through his attorney: "I can confirm to you that I never spoke with "60 Minutes". I have no idea where they got their information. As Ive said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future. As for the substance of anything in the "60 Minutes" story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation."landis and Hamilton made their allegations against Armstrong after several years denying that they had doped, in spite of the fact that they had both been banned for using forbidden methods of performance-enhancement, landis for testosterone use and Hamilton for blood doping.Hincapie is regarded as probably the cyclist within the professional peloton who is, or was, closest to Armstrong. Their association goes back to 1994, when Hincapie joined Armstrongs Motorola team, and continued at the US Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams until Armstrong first retired in 2005. They were room-mates and Hincapie was the only team-mate to assist Armstrong in all his Tour victories. Armstrong has described Hincapie as "like a brother".Yesterday, Hamilton returned the Olympic gold medal he won in 2004 in Athens for the time-trial. He had tested positive for blood doping at the event, but was allowed to retain the title after the control sample to confirm the positive finding was damaged. The title is now set to go to the Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov.Lance ArmstrongCyclingWilliam Fotheringham guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Investigation centred on allegations of doping Seven-times Tour de France winner denied taking drugsUnited States federal prosecutors say they are closing a criminal investigation of Lance Armstrong, the seven-times Tour de France winner, and will not charge him over allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs.The US attorney Andre Birotte Jr said the case had been closed but did not give the reason. Investigators looked at whether a doping programme was created to keep Armstrong and his team-mates running at the head of the pack while, at least part of the time, they received government sponsorship from the US Postal Service.Armstrongs attorney Mark Fabiani welcomed the decision in a statement. "This is great news," he said. "Lance is pleased that the United States attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career."However the US Anti Doping Agency CEO Travis T Tygart has said that the matter is not over. "Unlike the US Attorney, Usadas job is to protect clean sport rather than enforce specific criminal laws," he indicated in a statement. "Our investigation into doping in the sport of cycling is continuing and we look forward to obtaining the information developed during the federal investigation."Armstrong won the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005 and has always fiercely denied doping.The investigation, anchored in Los Angeles where a grand jury was presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony from Armstrongs former teammates and associates, began with a separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by the fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.Birotte Jr announced that his office "is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong".The Armstrong probe was led by the federal agent Jeff Novitzky. US authorities sought assistance overseas, requesting urine samples of US Postal riders from Frances anti-doping agency and also meeting officials from Belgium, Spain and Italy.Prosecutors also subpoenaed Armstrong supporters and former team-mates to testify in Los Angeles. Among them were the Ukrainian cyclist Yaroslav Popovych, who rode on three Armstrong teams dating back to 2005; Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist for Team Radioshack; and the long-time Armstrong friend Stephanie McIlvain.The investigation was spurred by the disgraced cyclist Floyd landis, who claims Armstrong had a long-running doping system in place while they were team-mates. landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for drug use, acknowledged in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs after years of denying he cheated.One of the most serious accusations came during a "60 Minutes" interview last May when another former team-mate, Tyler Hamilton, said he saw Armstrong use EPO during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.As the investigation progressed, Armstrong assembled a legal team, hired a spokesman and briefly created a website to address any of the allegations reported.Lance ArmstrongCyclingDrugs in sport guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Armstrong challenges fan who yelled Liar, cheat Tour de France preparations to continue in SwitzerlandLance Armstrong was rattled by a heckler after finishing third overall in the Tour of Luxembourg today.Torrential rain and storms disrupted the final stage and organisers had stopped timing 10km before the finish line. One fan yelled "liar, cheat" as Armstrong crossed behind the main pack and again as he spoke to reporters.The American looked over to the crowd and barked at the fan three times: "Come and do that to my face."Armstrong, who has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, was accused last month of doping by his former team-mate Floyd landis.The 38-year-old shook off the incident and said he was pleased with his efforts on the road. "Its been a good four days. I felt strong. Any time you can win a race, be on a podium, in preparation, its important. I wouldnt have thought I would ride so strong this week."Armstrongs season has been hampered by illness and a crash at last months Tour of California, and the American will step up his preparations for next months Tour de France with the demanding Tour of Switzerland from 12-20 June ."There are longer climbs, longer time trials," he said. "I think we have to make a good progression from here, to Switzerland and the Tour."Lance ArmstrongCycling guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Early start backfires as rain leaves Wiggins 76th after time-trial David Millar finishes third behind leader Fabian CancellaraSince their entry into professional cycling this year, Team Sky have adopted an exacting, Formula One-inspired approach to control "everything". They employ a dedicated chef, a head of apparel, even a "mechanic of the mind".But yesterday, as the Tour de France got underway with a 5.5-mile individual time-trial around the streets of Rotterdam, it emerged that one thing the team could not control was, well, the sky.The gamble to send out their team leader Bradley Wiggins in an early time slot backfired, as the rain and brisk winds that were predicted for later in the day arrived ahead of schedule. The 30-year-old recorded a disappointing 10min 56sec, leaving him in 76th place, almost a minute behind the prologue winner, Fabian Cancellara. In the initial skirmishes for the overall classification, Lance Armstrong inflicted a satisfying five-second deficit on last years champion Alberto Contador. David Millar, riding in his ninth Tour, was the highest-placed Briton in third.A silver lining for Team Sky was the performance of Wiggins track team-mate Geraint Thomas, who spent much of the afternoon in second place before dropping to fifth. After crossing the line, he was stoic about the treacherous conditions. "You cant affect the rain," he said. "Thats just bike racing, thats the risk you take. We decided to go off early and thats that."The Welshman, who recently became the British road race champion, even had the good humour to deal with a Dutch version of Dennis Pennis. The reporter started by asking Thomas if he was enjoying Amsterdam - which Thomas corrected - before advising him to avoid the Dutch capital because "you wont pass the doping test". Thomas replied, "I dont party anyway, I live like a monk," before pedalling off to the sanctuary of the team bus.Despite the conditions, the Rotterdammers were certainly in good spirits, screaming for three hours like they were experiencing a sudden flashback to Wesley Sneijders goal against Brazil. Their trademark orange was replaced by walls of yellow plastic macs handed out by the Tour caravan and they bashed branded rumble sticks against the barriers.Cancellaras comprehensive victory was no great surprise, having won the equivalent time-trials in 2007 and 2009. It does not seem to matter if the course is hilly or flat, short or long, the Swiss rider is so dominant he has recently had to deny charges that he has a tiny motor fitted in the frame of his bike.This might sound outlandish, but "motorised doping" has become a hot topic. An unnamed French rider claimed to have heard a "strange noise" rumbling from Cancellaras bike, while a YouTube video showing how it could be done has 2.6 million views. It is serious enough for the International Cycling Union to have decided to scan bikes randomly before each stage in the 2010 Tour. When asked to respond, Cancellara spluttered: "Its so stupid, Im speechless."Cancellara also showed his superstitious side, with his intention of riding the whole of the three-week Tour wearing his bib, No13, upside down because he thinks the number might otherwise bring bad luck.Doping of a more conventional nature was also on the agenda as the Wall Street Journal published further allegations from Floyd landis, the disgraced 2006 Tour "winner" and former team-mate of Armstrong. His claims range from Armstrong entertaining strippers and personally supplying landis with testosterone patches in front of his wife, to detailed descriptions of blood transfusions that have the pace and subterfuge of film plots.The question is why we should now believe landis, who lied for many years about his own use of performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong, who has never failed a drugs test and who revealed last week that this would be his final Tour, issued a trademark robust denial. "landiss credibility is like a carton of sour milk," he said. "Once you take the first sip, you dont have to drink the rest to know it has all gone bad."It is hard to know if the new allegations inspired the 38-year-old Texan - he always rides like a man with a feud - but after the prologue he revealed he felt in much better shape than year, when he finished third."That was the best time-trial I have done since the comeback," he said. "If you had told me before the start, Sign up right now for fifth and put time on your rivals, I would have grabbed it with both hands. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. It was a good ride, I felt good, the team went good, but this a long three weeks, beginning tomorrow."That stage, which covers 139 miles from Rotterdam across the Zeeland polders to Brussels, could be a nervy one for the 197 riders.Cancellara will start in the yellow jersey, and is likely to hold on to it until next weekend, while Millar will wear the green points jersey Mark Cavendish so covets. Heavy wind is expected, but Team Sky will believe it when they feel it.Tour de FranceCyclingBradley WigginsTim Lewis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]