Lance Armstrong: “I have nothing to hide”
Denies doping allegations; crashes moments later (UPDATE)
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Lance Armstrong spoke to reporters today in a press conference outside his bus, just prior to the fifth stage of the Tour of California, to refute claims by fellow cyclist Floyd Landis that he participated in illegal doping at some point in his career. Armstrong said Landis—whose claims are currently being investigated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency—seemingly pointed the finger at everyone still involved in the sport. “We have nothing to hide,” Armstrong said. “We have nothing to run from.” Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after failing a drug test, and admitted Wednesday that he has used performance-enhancing drugs for most of his career. It appeared that Landis wanted to bring fellow cycling giant down with him: he claimed that Armstrong and coach Johan Bruyneel paid an International Cycling Union official to cover up a test in 2002 after Armstrong purportedly tested positive for a blood-boosting drug.
UPDATE: Armstrong crashed during the fifth stage of the Tour of California. Just after the stage started, a rider in the main group skidded on some gravel and fell, causing others, including Armstrong, to crash out of the race. A spokesman from his team said Armstrong has stitches in his left elbow and underneath his eye, and will undergo an X-ray on his left elbow. The Tour de France begins with a time trial on July 3 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.