The only cyclist to have ever won the Tour de France seven times is defending himself from a scathing letter by the US Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of sustaining a “pervasive pattern of doping” over his athletic career.
The only cyclist to have ever won the Tour de France seven times is defending himself from a scathing letter by the US Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of sustaining a “pervasive pattern of doping” over his athletic career.
Calling it a “vendetta,” Lance Armstrong responded to the 15-page report this morning with a statement on his website:
I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one.
A previous investigation by the State Department into similar allegations against Armstrong had been dropped. If the new allegations, which according to the USADA include new evidence as well as incriminating testimony by 10 employees in his cycling team, are proven, Armstrong could be stripped of his awards.
For now, he has been banned from competing in triathlons, his current competition of choice after retiring from cycling last year.
The BBC has more details on this story.