Posted on 09/12/2006 7:34:08 AM PDT by gopwinsin04
NEW YORK Two of Lance Armstrong's eight teammates from the 1999 Tour de France have admitted for the first time that they used the banned endurance-boosting drug EPO in preparing for the race that year, when they helped Armstrong capture the first of his record seven titles.
Their disclosures, in interviews with The New York Times, are rare examples of candor in a sport protected by a powerful code of silence.
Their confessions come as cycling is reeling from doping scandals, including Floyd Landis's fall in July from Tour champion to suspected cheater.
One of the two teammates who admitted using EPO while on Armstrong's United States Postal Service team is Frankie Andreu, a 39-year-old retired team captain who had been part of Armstrong's inner circle for more than a decade.
In an interview at his home in Dearborn, Michigan, Andreu said he took EPO for only a few races and acknowledged his use because he thinks doping is damaging his sport. Continued doping and denial by riders might scare away fans and sponsors for good, he said.
"There are two levels of guys," Andreu said. "You got the guys that cheat and guys that are just trying to survive."
The other rider who said he used EPO spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he did not want to jeopardize his job in cycling.
"The environment was certainly one of, to be accepted, you had to use doping products," he said. "There was very high pressure to be one of the cool kids."
Both riders never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and both said they never saw Armstrong take any banned substances.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
coming after Lance again ping
Cue the various posts about Lance being scum for leaving his wife, leaving his fiance while she had cancer, blah blah blah
So now they are going to try and take the first title away from him?
They are not trying to take anythng away from him. Professional cycling is going through a crisis right now due to the various doping scandals. Those if us who have followed the sport closely know that Lance used EPO among other banned substnaces. They ALL do with very few exceptions.
Of course only YOU know this, because you're so special. And you also KNOW who the "very few exceptions" are, and obviously that can't be Lance cause you know him personally.
You have a major case of accomplishment envy, j*rkoff. (And if you do ride, you probably can't go up and over a curb without breathing heavy.)
Don't write back, you aren't worthy of a response and you'll get none from me.
LOL...it's only a matter of time. All of these guys are dopers. They always have been. Think what you want.
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