Tour de Lance

[raleighcanesfan]

Did you see the guy dessimate the competition today. Ulrich and the other guy were supposed to really have pushed him this year. Well, Mr. Lance decided he wanted his team to push him up the first mountain run and they did. He is just amazing! A lot like Lemieux, in that he came back from cancer and not only played, but came back competitive.

[nccanes]

Yes, quite impressive! I "watch" the dispatches and other stuff on the letour.fr website during the day and catch one of the replays at night.

We stopped in a bar/restaurant this evening and the widescreen tv behind the bar was on OLN and every seat was taken at the bar and all eyes watching it. I was impressed.

Love this shot of him pre-race:
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050712/capt.tdf11907121336.cycling_tour_de_france_tdf119. jpg

[Mona]

He is so awesome! :spin:

[AbNormal27]

Sorry, but I don't buy this.......

Tour director: Armstrong fooled everyone

PARIS (AP) - The director of the Tour de France claims Lance Armstrong has ''fooled'' the sports world and that the seven-time champion owes fans an explanation over new allegations he used a performance-boosting drug.

Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc's comments appeared in the French sports daily L'Equipe on Wednesday, a day after the newspaper reported that six urine samples provided by Armstrong during the '99 Tour tested positive for the red blood cell-booster EPO.

''For the first time - and these are no longer rumours, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body,'' Leblanc told L'Equipe.

''The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled.''

On Tuesday, Leblanc called the latest accusations against Armstrong shocking and troubling.

Armstrong, a frequent target of L'Equipe, vehemently denied the allegations Tuesday, calling the article ''tabloid journalism.''

''I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs,'' he said on his website.

Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling after winning the Tour a month ago, was not immediately available for comment regarding Leblanc's latest remarks.

EPO, formally known as erythropoietin, was on the list of banned substances at the time Armstrong won the first of his seven Tour's, but there was no effective test then to detect it.

The allegations surfaced six years later because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were carried out only last year - when scientists at a lab outside Paris used them for research to perfect EPO testing. The national anti-doping laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry said it promised to hand its finding to the World Anti-Doping Agency, provided it was never used to penalize riders.

Five-time cycling champion Miguel Indurain said he couldn't understand why scientists would use samples from the 1999 Tour for their tests.

''That seems bizarre, and I don't know who would have the authorization to do it,'' he told L'Equipe. ''I don't even know if it's legal to keep these samples.''

L'Equipe's investigation was based on the second set of two samples used in doping tests. The first set were used in 1999 for analysis at the time. Without those samples, any disciplinary action against Armstrong would be impossible, French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said.

Lamour said he had doubts about L'Equipe's report because he had not seen the originals of some of the documents that appeared in the paper.

''I do not confirm it,'' he told RTL radio. But he added: ''If what L'Equipe says is true, I can tell you that it's a serious blow for cycling.''

The International Cycling Union did not begin using a urine test for EPO until 2001, though it was banned in 1990. For years, it had been impossible to detect the drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

Jacques de Ceaurriz, the head of France's anti-doping laboratory, which developed the EPO urine test, told Europe-1 radio that at least 15 urine samples from the 1999 Tour had tested positive for EPO.

Separately, the lab said it could not confirm that the positive results were Armstrong's. It noted that the samples were anonymous, bearing only a six-digit number to identify the rider, and could not be matched with the name of any one cyclist. (Yeah, so it MUST be Lance's)

However, L'Equipe said it was able to make the match.

On one side of a page Tuesday, it showed what it claimed were the results of EPO tests from anonymous riders used for lab research. On the other, it showed Armstrong's medical certificates, signed by doctors and riders after doping tests - and bearing the same identifying number printed on the results.

L'Equipe is owned by the Amaury Group whose subsidiary, Amaury Sport Organization, organizes the Tour de France and other sporting events. The paper often questioned Armstrong's clean record and frequently took jabs at him - portraying him as too arrogant, too corporate and too good to be real.

''Never to such an extent, probably, has the departure of a champion been welcomed with such widespread relief,'' the paper griped the day after Armstrong won his seventh straight Tour win and retired from cycling.

Leblanc suggested that in the future, urine samples could be stashed away for future testing as detection methods improve - another possible weapon in the fight against doping.

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Sorry, but I don't buy this.......

Tour director: Armstrong fooled everyone

PARIS (AP) - The director of the Tour de France claims Lance Armstrong has ''fooled'' the sports world and that the seven-time champion owes fans an explanation over new allegations he used a performance-boosting drug.

Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc's comments appeared in the French sports daily L'Equipe on Wednesday, a day after the newspaper reported that six urine samples provided by Armstrong during the '99 Tour tested positive for the red blood cell-booster EPO.

''For the first time - and these are no longer rumours, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body,'' Leblanc told L'Equipe.

''The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled.''

On Tuesday, Leblanc called the latest accusations against Armstrong shocking and troubling.

Armstrong, a frequent target of L'Equipe, vehemently denied the allegations Tuesday, calling the article ''tabloid journalism.''

''I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs,'' he said on his website.

Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling after winning the Tour a month ago, was not immediately available for comment regarding Leblanc's latest remarks.

EPO, formally known as erythropoietin, was on the list of banned substances at the time Armstrong won the first of his seven Tour's, but there was no effective test then to detect it.

The allegations surfaced six years later because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were carried out only last year - when scientists at a lab outside Paris used them for research to perfect EPO testing. The national anti-doping laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry said it promised to hand its finding to the World Anti-Doping Agency, provided it was never used to penalize riders.

Five-time cycling champion Miguel Indurain said he couldn't understand why scientists would use samples from the 1999 Tour for their tests.

''That seems bizarre, and I don't know who would have the authorization to do it,'' he told L'Equipe. ''I don't even know if it's legal to keep these samples.''

L'Equipe's investigation was based on the second set of two samples used in doping tests. The first set were used in 1999 for analysis at the time. Without those samples, any disciplinary action against Armstrong would be impossible, French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said.

Lamour said he had doubts about L'Equipe's report because he had not seen the originals of some of the documents that appeared in the paper.

''I do not confirm it,'' he told RTL radio. But he added: ''If what L'Equipe says is true, I can tell you that it's a serious blow for cycling.''

The International Cycling Union did not begin using a urine test for EPO until 2001, though it was banned in 1990. For years, it had been impossible to detect the drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

Jacques de Ceaurriz, the head of France's anti-doping laboratory, which developed the EPO urine test, told Europe-1 radio that at least 15 urine samples from the 1999 Tour had tested positive for EPO.

Separately, the lab said it could not confirm that the positive results were Armstrong's. It noted that the samples were anonymous, bearing only a six-digit number to identify the rider, and could not be matched with the name of any one cyclist. (Yeah, so it MUST be Lance's)

However, L'Equipe said it was able to make the match.

On one side of a page Tuesday, it showed what it claimed were the results of EPO tests from anonymous riders used for lab research. On the other, it showed Armstrong's medical certificates, signed by doctors and riders after doping tests - and bearing the same identifying number printed on the results.

L'Equipe is owned by the Amaury Group whose subsidiary, Amaury Sport Organization, organizes the Tour de France and other sporting events. The paper often questioned Armstrong's clean record and frequently took jabs at him - portraying him as too arrogant, too corporate and too good to be real.

''Never to such an extent, probably, has the departure of a champion been welcomed with such widespread relief,'' the paper griped the day after Armstrong won his seventh straight Tour win and retired from cycling.

Leblanc suggested that in the future, urine samples could be stashed away for future testing as detection methods improve - another possible weapon in the fight against doping.

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

Aaryn

[Guyute]

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

and WE'RE so tired of you french fools being so upset that an AMERICAN has dominated YOUR event for SEVEN YEARS that you're doing everything in your power to ruin his legacy.

go the ***k away already.

[Guyute]

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

and WE'RE so tired of you french fools being so upset that an AMERICAN has dominated YOUR event for SEVEN YEARS that you're doing everything in your power to ruin his legacy.

go the ***k away already.

[Stormbringer]

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

and WE'RE so tired of you french fools being so upset that an AMERICAN has dominated YOUR event for SEVEN YEARS that you're doing everything in your power to ruin his legacy.

go the ***k away already.

Eggs-xactly my thoughts when I saw this crap on ESPNNews last night.

http://www.electrichyena.com/other/notworthy.gif

[Stormbringer]

''We're so tired of doping that all means are good as long as they are morally acceptable,'' he told L'Equipe.

and WE'RE so tired of you french fools being so upset that an AMERICAN has dominated YOUR event for SEVEN YEARS that you're doing everything in your power to ruin his legacy.

go the ***k away already.

Eggs-xactly my thoughts when I saw this crap on ESPNNews last night.

http://www.electrichyena.com/other/notworthy.gif

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Not that I'm saying it's true (I really have no opinion except that I wish they'd shut up because I don't want to hear about it anymore), but just FYI, EPO is a drug commonly given to cancer patients undergoing treatments to help them fight the anemia caused by the cancer drugs. And he did take it when he was being treated for cancer.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Not that I'm saying it's true (I really have no opinion except that I wish they'd shut up because I don't want to hear about it anymore), but just FYI, EPO is a drug commonly given to cancer patients undergoing treatments to help them fight the anemia caused by the cancer drugs. And he did take it when he was being treated for cancer.

[VandyCane]

I agree completely SHC. That's the thing about testicular cancer, it would be fairly standard procedure to receive both EPO and testosterone replacement therapy. Granted we don't know if he took therapeutic doses or higher doses. Still, even if he took them in excessive doses chemo makes you feel so crappy that I can't imagine any real advantage gained from extra EPO or testosterone.

[VandyCane]

I agree completely SHC. That's the thing about testicular cancer, it would be fairly standard procedure to receive both EPO and testosterone replacement therapy. Granted we don't know if he took therapeutic doses or higher doses. Still, even if he took them in excessive doses chemo makes you feel so crappy that I can't imagine any real advantage gained from extra EPO or testosterone.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I also read this evening that he has never tested with an elevated hematocrit, something those athletes taking EPO often have (for those who don't know, it's the percentrage of red blood cells in whole blood and since red blood cells carry the oxygen that's where you get the benefit). So, even if he was taking it, if he wasn't even getting enough replacement to elevate the hematocrit then.... :huh:...what's the biggie?

And I'm no Lance Armstrong fan.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I also read this evening that he has never tested with an elevated hematocrit, something those athletes taking EPO often have (for those who don't know, it's the percentrage of red blood cells in whole blood and since red blood cells carry the oxygen that's where you get the benefit). So, even if he was taking it, if he wasn't even getting enough replacement to elevate the hematocrit then.... :huh:...what's the biggie?

And I'm no Lance Armstrong fan.

[AbNormal27]

American cycling star Armstrong calls Tour director's remarks ‘preposterous' (AP) - Lance Armstrong went on the offensive Wednesday, saying it was "preposterous" for the director of the Tour de France to suggest the seven-time champion "fooled" race officials and the sporting world by doping.

He also took to task the French newspaper that accused him, the laboratory that released the urine samples in question and any officials of the Tour and sports ministries involved in putting the story together.

"Where to start?" Armstrong mused during a conference call from Washington, D.C., when asked what he found most objectionable about the controversy. "This has been a long, love-hate relationship between myself and the French."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported Tuesday that six urine samples Armstrong provided during his first tour win in 1999 tested positive for the red blood cell-booster EPO.

On Wednesday, tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc sounded convinced that Armstrong had been caught.

"For the first time - and these are no longer rumours, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body," Leblanc told the newspaper.

"The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the Tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled."

The Tour did not respond Wednesday to a request by The Associated Press to interview Leblanc. But Armstrong said he had talked with him by phone.

"I actually spoke to him for about 30 minutes and he didn't say any of that stuff to me personally," Armstrong said. "But to say that I've 'fooled' the fans is preposterous. I've been doing this a long time. We have not just one year of only 'B' samples; we have seven years of 'A' and 'B' samples. They've all been negative."

Armstrong questioned the validity of testing samples frozen seven years ago and how those samples were handled since. He also charged officials at the suburban Paris laboratory with violating World Anti-Doping Agency code for failing to safeguard the anonymity of any remaining 'B' samples it had.

"It doesn't surprise me at all that they have samples. Clearly they've tested all of my samples since then to the highest degree. But when I gave those samples," he said, referring to 1999, "there was not EPO in those samples. I guarantee that."

Armstrong saved his most withering criticism for L'Equipe.

"Obviously, this is great business for them. Unfortunately, I'm caught in the cross-hairs."

A moment later, he added, "I think they've been planning it for a while. I think they much would have preferred to have done this at start of the Tour, or the middle, but for some reason, it was delayed.

"At the end of day, I think that's what it's all about ... selling newspapers.

"And," he added, "it sells."

L'Equipe, linked to the Tour de France through its parent company, has often raised questions about Armstrong and doping. On Tuesday, the banner headline of its four-page report was "The Armstrong Lie."

Armstrong was in Washington for a previously scheduled meeting with sponsors. He said their support was intact and that he was considering legal action to discover who leaked the details.

"In the meantime, it would cost a million and a half dollars and a year of my life. I have a lot better things to do with the million and a half ... a lot better things I can do with my time. Ultimately, I have to ask myself that question."

Fellow cyclists came to Armstrong's defence Wednesday.

"Armstrong always told me that he never used doping products," five-time winner Eddy Merckx told Le Monde newspaper. "Choosing between a journalist and Lance's word, I trust Armstrong."

Five-time champion Miguel Indurain said he couldn't understand why scientists would use samples from the '99 Tour for their tests.

"I feel the news is in bad taste and out of place, given that it happened six years ago after his first tour victory, and after he won six more," Indurain wrote in the Spanish sports daily Marca. "With the little I have to go on, it is difficult to take a position, but I think at this stage there's no sense in stirring all this up."

EPO, formally known as erythropoietin, was on the list of banned substances when Armstrong won his first Tour, but there was no effective test to detect the drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

The allegations took six years to surface because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were carried out only last year, when scientists at the national doping test lab opened them up for research to perfect EPO screening.

L'Equipe's investigation was based on the second set of two samples. The first set was used up during analysis in 1999; without it, disciplinary action against Armstrong would be impossible.

French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said he had doubts about L'Equipe's report because he had not seen the originals of some of the documents it cited.

"I do not confirm it," he told RTL radio. But he added: "If what L'Equipe says is true, I can tell you that it's a serious blow for cycling."

Jacques de Ceaurriz, the head of France's anti-doping laboratory, told Europe-1 radio that at least 15 urine samples from the 1999 Tour had tested positive for EPO. The year before, there were more than 40 positive samples, he said - reflecting how widespread the drug was when riders thought they could not be caught.

The lab said it could not confirm that the positive results cited in L'Equipe were Armstrong's. It noted that the samples were anonymous, bearing only a six-digit number to identify the rider, and could not be matched with any one cyclist.

However, L'Equipe said it was able to confirm the samples were Armstrong's by matching the cyclist's medical certificates with the results of positive doping tests bearing the same sample numbers.

Armstrong has insisted throughout his career that he has never taken drugs to enhance his performance. In his autobiography, It's Not About the Bike, he said he was administered EPO during his chemotherapy treatment to battle cancer.

"It was the only thing that kept me alive," he wrote.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

American cycling star Armstrong calls Tour director's remarks ‘preposterous' (AP) - Lance Armstrong went on the offensive Wednesday, saying it was "preposterous" for the director of the Tour de France to suggest the seven-time champion "fooled" race officials and the sporting world by doping.

He also took to task the French newspaper that accused him, the laboratory that released the urine samples in question and any officials of the Tour and sports ministries involved in putting the story together.

"Where to start?" Armstrong mused during a conference call from Washington, D.C., when asked what he found most objectionable about the controversy. "This has been a long, love-hate relationship between myself and the French."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported Tuesday that six urine samples Armstrong provided during his first tour win in 1999 tested positive for the red blood cell-booster EPO.

On Wednesday, tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc sounded convinced that Armstrong had been caught.

"For the first time - and these are no longer rumours, or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts - someone has shown me that in 1999, Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body," Leblanc told the newspaper.

"The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the Tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled."

The Tour did not respond Wednesday to a request by The Associated Press to interview Leblanc. But Armstrong said he had talked with him by phone.

"I actually spoke to him for about 30 minutes and he didn't say any of that stuff to me personally," Armstrong said. "But to say that I've 'fooled' the fans is preposterous. I've been doing this a long time. We have not just one year of only 'B' samples; we have seven years of 'A' and 'B' samples. They've all been negative."

Armstrong questioned the validity of testing samples frozen seven years ago and how those samples were handled since. He also charged officials at the suburban Paris laboratory with violating World Anti-Doping Agency code for failing to safeguard the anonymity of any remaining 'B' samples it had.

"It doesn't surprise me at all that they have samples. Clearly they've tested all of my samples since then to the highest degree. But when I gave those samples," he said, referring to 1999, "there was not EPO in those samples. I guarantee that."

Armstrong saved his most withering criticism for L'Equipe.

"Obviously, this is great business for them. Unfortunately, I'm caught in the cross-hairs."

A moment later, he added, "I think they've been planning it for a while. I think they much would have preferred to have done this at start of the Tour, or the middle, but for some reason, it was delayed.

"At the end of day, I think that's what it's all about ... selling newspapers.

"And," he added, "it sells."

L'Equipe, linked to the Tour de France through its parent company, has often raised questions about Armstrong and doping. On Tuesday, the banner headline of its four-page report was "The Armstrong Lie."

Armstrong was in Washington for a previously scheduled meeting with sponsors. He said their support was intact and that he was considering legal action to discover who leaked the details.

"In the meantime, it would cost a million and a half dollars and a year of my life. I have a lot better things to do with the million and a half ... a lot better things I can do with my time. Ultimately, I have to ask myself that question."

Fellow cyclists came to Armstrong's defence Wednesday.

"Armstrong always told me that he never used doping products," five-time winner Eddy Merckx told Le Monde newspaper. "Choosing between a journalist and Lance's word, I trust Armstrong."

Five-time champion Miguel Indurain said he couldn't understand why scientists would use samples from the '99 Tour for their tests.

"I feel the news is in bad taste and out of place, given that it happened six years ago after his first tour victory, and after he won six more," Indurain wrote in the Spanish sports daily Marca. "With the little I have to go on, it is difficult to take a position, but I think at this stage there's no sense in stirring all this up."

EPO, formally known as erythropoietin, was on the list of banned substances when Armstrong won his first Tour, but there was no effective test to detect the drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.

The allegations took six years to surface because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were carried out only last year, when scientists at the national doping test lab opened them up for research to perfect EPO screening.

L'Equipe's investigation was based on the second set of two samples. The first set was used up during analysis in 1999; without it, disciplinary action against Armstrong would be impossible.

French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said he had doubts about L'Equipe's report because he had not seen the originals of some of the documents it cited.

"I do not confirm it," he told RTL radio. But he added: "If what L'Equipe says is true, I can tell you that it's a serious blow for cycling."

Jacques de Ceaurriz, the head of France's anti-doping laboratory, told Europe-1 radio that at least 15 urine samples from the 1999 Tour had tested positive for EPO. The year before, there were more than 40 positive samples, he said - reflecting how widespread the drug was when riders thought they could not be caught.

The lab said it could not confirm that the positive results cited in L'Equipe were Armstrong's. It noted that the samples were anonymous, bearing only a six-digit number to identify the rider, and could not be matched with any one cyclist.

However, L'Equipe said it was able to confirm the samples were Armstrong's by matching the cyclist's medical certificates with the results of positive doping tests bearing the same sample numbers.

Armstrong has insisted throughout his career that he has never taken drugs to enhance his performance. In his autobiography, It's Not About the Bike, he said he was administered EPO during his chemotherapy treatment to battle cancer.

"It was the only thing that kept me alive," he wrote.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Armstrong engaged to rock star Sheryl Crow

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and rock star Sheryl Crow are engaged.

The cyclist announced the engagement in a statement Monday, and said he asked Crow on Wednesday while they were in Sun Valley, Idaho.

No wedding date has been set, although it could be a spring wedding, Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said.

Armstrong retired in July after winning his seventh straight Tour.

The marriage will be the second for Armstrong, who has three children with ex-wife Kristin. It will be the first for Crow.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Armstrong engaged to rock star Sheryl Crow

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and rock star Sheryl Crow are engaged.

The cyclist announced the engagement in a statement Monday, and said he asked Crow on Wednesday while they were in Sun Valley, Idaho.

No wedding date has been set, although it could be a spring wedding, Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said.

Armstrong retired in July after winning his seventh straight Tour.

The marriage will be the second for Armstrong, who has three children with ex-wife Kristin. It will be the first for Crow.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Armstrong could come out of retirement

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lance Armstrong is still retired - for now.

After initially denying a report that the cycling great was thinking about making a comeback, Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said the "door is still open" for the seven-time Tour de France champion to come out of retirement.

"It's a possibility," Higgins said.

Armstrong first hinted that he might ride again in comments Monday to the Austin American-Statesman. After first calling the comments a joke, Higgins said Armstrong told him Tuesday he was contemplating whether to ride again.

"He's definitely a retired athlete, (but) he's still fit and riding every day, still thinking about racing," Higgins told The Associated Press after a phone conversation with the cyclist. "He said it's definitely something he's been thinking about and that the door is still open."

Armstrong retired from competitive racing after his last Tour victory in July.

Higgins said Armstrong did not set a timetable on a possible return, noting that the cyclist just got engaged to music star Sheryl Crow. Higgins said Armstrong also planned to do a lot of work with his charity foundation that benefits cancer survivor programs.

Higgins said Armstrong did not intend to publicly comment on the matter Tuesday.

Armstrong was talking to the newspaper about his engagement when he said recent allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs during the 1999 Tour de France tempted him to return.

"I'm thinking it's the best way," to anger the French, he told the newspaper. "I'm exercising every day."

The French newspaper L'Equipe reported Aug. 23 that tested showed he used banned blood booster the 1999 tour. He has strongly denied the drug allegations.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

Armstrong could come out of retirement

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lance Armstrong is still retired - for now.

After initially denying a report that the cycling great was thinking about making a comeback, Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said the "door is still open" for the seven-time Tour de France champion to come out of retirement.

"It's a possibility," Higgins said.

Armstrong first hinted that he might ride again in comments Monday to the Austin American-Statesman. After first calling the comments a joke, Higgins said Armstrong told him Tuesday he was contemplating whether to ride again.

"He's definitely a retired athlete, (but) he's still fit and riding every day, still thinking about racing," Higgins told The Associated Press after a phone conversation with the cyclist. "He said it's definitely something he's been thinking about and that the door is still open."

Armstrong retired from competitive racing after his last Tour victory in July.

Higgins said Armstrong did not set a timetable on a possible return, noting that the cyclist just got engaged to music star Sheryl Crow. Higgins said Armstrong also planned to do a lot of work with his charity foundation that benefits cancer survivor programs.

Higgins said Armstrong did not intend to publicly comment on the matter Tuesday.

Armstrong was talking to the newspaper about his engagement when he said recent allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs during the 1999 Tour de France tempted him to return.

"I'm thinking it's the best way," to anger the French, he told the newspaper. "I'm exercising every day."

The French newspaper L'Equipe reported Aug. 23 that tested showed he used banned blood booster the 1999 tour. He has strongly denied the drug allegations.

Aaryn

[puck_it]

i ahte it when people do that. except for Mario. he did it for all the right reasons.

[puck_it]

i ahte it when people do that. except for Mario. he did it for all the right reasons.

[Mona]

Telling us what we already knew... up yours France! :mad: :usa:

UCI: No Doping Evidence Against Lance Armstrong

POSTED: 11:57 am EDT September 9, 2005
UPDATED: 1:00 pm EDT September 9, 2005

AIGLE, Switzerland -- The governing body of world cycling said Friday it has no evidence of doping against Lance Armstrong.

The International Cycling Union says it can't make a judgment regarding recent doping allegations against the retired seven-time Tour de France winner from Austin.

The union -- which goes by its French acronym UCI – said it hasn't received "any official information or document" from anti-doping authorities. Nor has it any data from the lab reportedly involved in the testing of frozen urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France.

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported last month that the performance-enhancing drug EPO was found in Armstrong's frozen 1999 urine samples.

Armstrong has angrily denied the charges and questioned the validity of testing samples frozen six years ago.

UCI says it's still gathering information and had asked the World Anti-Doping Agency and the French laboratory for more background. Most importantly, it wants to know who commissioned the research and who agreed to make it public.

[Mona]

Telling us what we already knew... up yours France! :mad: :usa:

UCI: No Doping Evidence Against Lance Armstrong

POSTED: 11:57 am EDT September 9, 2005
UPDATED: 1:00 pm EDT September 9, 2005

AIGLE, Switzerland -- The governing body of world cycling said Friday it has no evidence of doping against Lance Armstrong.

The International Cycling Union says it can't make a judgment regarding recent doping allegations against the retired seven-time Tour de France winner from Austin.

The union -- which goes by its French acronym UCI – said it hasn't received "any official information or document" from anti-doping authorities. Nor has it any data from the lab reportedly involved in the testing of frozen urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France.

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported last month that the performance-enhancing drug EPO was found in Armstrong's frozen 1999 urine samples.

Armstrong has angrily denied the charges and questioned the validity of testing samples frozen six years ago.

UCI says it's still gathering information and had asked the World Anti-Doping Agency and the French laboratory for more background. Most importantly, it wants to know who commissioned the research and who agreed to make it public.

[Mona]

Armstrong Closes Door On Comeback
Lance: 'I'm Not Going Back'

POSTED: 7:27 am EDT September 16, 2005

Lance Armstrong made his retirement from cycling official Thursday, ending a career that included an unprecedented seven straight Tour de France titles.

Armstrong won the last of those Tour titles in July and had announced prior to this year's event that it would most likely be his last.

However, since that time Armstrong has had to combat doping allegations put forth by the French newspaper L'Equipe and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The International Cycling Union said there was no proof to back up the accusations, but still, the rumors led Armstrong to consider coming back for another Tour. Yet, he ended that possibility at a Thursday night media conference call.

"I'm happy with the way it ended. I'm not going back," read a statement on Armstrong's official website.

Armstrong's heroic battle with cancer coupled with his success at the Tour de France transformed the Texas native into one of the elite and most recognizable athletes in the world. Armstrong will celebrate his 34th birthday on Sunday.

[Mona]

Armstrong Closes Door On Comeback
Lance: 'I'm Not Going Back'

POSTED: 7:27 am EDT September 16, 2005

Lance Armstrong made his retirement from cycling official Thursday, ending a career that included an unprecedented seven straight Tour de France titles.

Armstrong won the last of those Tour titles in July and had announced prior to this year's event that it would most likely be his last.

However, since that time Armstrong has had to combat doping allegations put forth by the French newspaper L'Equipe and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The International Cycling Union said there was no proof to back up the accusations, but still, the rumors led Armstrong to consider coming back for another Tour. Yet, he ended that possibility at a Thursday night media conference call.

"I'm happy with the way it ended. I'm not going back," read a statement on Armstrong's official website.

Armstrong's heroic battle with cancer coupled with his success at the Tour de France transformed the Texas native into one of the elite and most recognizable athletes in the world. Armstrong will celebrate his 34th birthday on Sunday.

[puck_it]

So have you heard that the French had found 2 unknown substances in Lance Armstrongs room?



it was shaving cream and deodorant :spin: ;)

[puck_it]

So have you heard that the French had found 2 unknown substances in Lance Armstrongs room?



it was shaving cream and deodorant :spin: ;)

[AbNormal27]

ICU launches Armstrong investigation

AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) - The International Cycling Union has appointed a Dutch lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into allegations Lance Armstrong tested positive for EPO during the 1999 Tour de France.

The cycling body said Thursday that Emile Vrijman and his law firm would "undertake a comprehensive investigation regarding all issues concerning the testing conducted by the French laboratory of urine samples" from the '99 Tour.

Vrijman's firm is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and he is a former director of the Netherlands' national anti-doping agency.

In August, the French sports daily L'Equipe claimed six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999 came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested last year.

The seven-time Tour de France champion denied ever using banned drugs and said he was the victim of a "witch hunt."

Another French newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, identified other riders who allegedly tested positive for EPO in '99 as Spain's Manuel Beltran, Denmark's Bo Hamburger and Colombia's Joaquim Castelblanco. They all denied the claims.

UCI said Thursday the World Anti-Doping Agency had notified the federation of plans to open its own investigation.

"The UCI is concerned that such an investigation from WADA as an involved party would be based on aspects out of its competencies," the cycling body said.

"The UCI's decision to appoint an independent investigator is supported by numerous authorities, both in sports, as well as in anti-doping," it added. "The UCI expects all relevant parties to fully co-operate with the investigation."

The leaders of WADA and UCI have been engaged in a bitter feud over the case. Last month, WADA chief Dick Pound accused former UCI president Hein Verbruggen of leaking documents about the alleged positive tests to L'Equipe. He also questioned UCI's willingness to fully investigate the allegations.

UCI denied Pound's accusations and claimed he was blocking its investigation by withholding information.

Cycling did not test for EPO until 2001. Backup B samples from 1999 were frozen and tested for EPO last year. Any sanctions are unlikely because the original A samples were used up and can't be verified for confirmation.

Aaryn

[tommy]

AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) - The International Cycling Union has appointed a Dutch lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into allegations Lance Armstrong tested positive for EPO during the 1999 Tour de France.


[Leslie Nielson]

"There are only two kinds of people on this earth that I despise. People who look down on others because of their nationality, and the Dutch."

[/Leslie Nielson]

[caniac369]

1) The guy has retired, why not let it drop?

2) Lay off the Dutch- I'm 1/2 (my mom was born there)... We are nice people. Loud, but nice!! :D

[Alicia]

Lance Armstrong Ordered to Stand Trial



ROME - Lance Armstrong has been ordered to stand trial in Italy on charges of defaming cyclist Filippo Simeoni.


Armstrong's lawyer in Italy, Enrico Nan, said Thursday that the seven-time Tour de France champion was indicted Wednesday and scheduled to go to trial on March 7.

Nan said Armstrong does not face jail time, but he could be fined if found guilty.

Armstrong is being investigated for pursuing Simeoni during an early stage breakaway in last year's Tour de France and reportedly threatening him for testifying about doping abuse in the trial of an Italian doctor associated with Armstrong.

Simeoni told an Italian court in 2002 that doctor Michele Ferrari advised him to take performance-enhancing drugs. Later, Armstrong reportedly called Simeoni a liar, and the Italian sued the American for libel.

Ferrari was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence in October 2004 for sports fraud and malpractice. He has always denied he dispensed illegal substances to athletes and is appealing the sentence.

[Alicia]

Lance Armstrong Ordered to Stand Trial



ROME - Lance Armstrong has been ordered to stand trial in Italy on charges of defaming cyclist Filippo Simeoni.


Armstrong's lawyer in Italy, Enrico Nan, said Thursday that the seven-time Tour de France champion was indicted Wednesday and scheduled to go to trial on March 7.

Nan said Armstrong does not face jail time, but he could be fined if found guilty.

Armstrong is being investigated for pursuing Simeoni during an early stage breakaway in last year's Tour de France and reportedly threatening him for testifying about doping abuse in the trial of an Italian doctor associated with Armstrong.

Simeoni told an Italian court in 2002 that doctor Michele Ferrari advised him to take performance-enhancing drugs. Later, Armstrong reportedly called Simeoni a liar, and the Italian sued the American for libel.

Ferrari was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence in October 2004 for sports fraud and malpractice. He has always denied he dispensed illegal substances to athletes and is appealing the sentence.

[Alicia]

Lance Armstrong Ordered to Stand Trial



ROME - Lance Armstrong has been ordered to stand trial in Italy on charges of defaming cyclist Filippo Simeoni.


Armstrong's lawyer in Italy, Enrico Nan, said Thursday that the seven-time Tour de France champion was indicted Wednesday and scheduled to go to trial on March 7.

Nan said Armstrong does not face jail time, but he could be fined if found guilty.

Armstrong is being investigated for pursuing Simeoni during an early stage breakaway in last year's Tour de France and reportedly threatening him for testifying about doping abuse in the trial of an Italian doctor associated with Armstrong.

Simeoni told an Italian court in 2002 that doctor Michele Ferrari advised him to take performance-enhancing drugs. Later, Armstrong reportedly called Simeoni a liar, and the Italian sued the American for libel.

Ferrari was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence in October 2004 for sports fraud and malpractice. He has always denied he dispensed illegal substances to athletes and is appealing the sentence.

[tommy]

Does that mean all the people who accused Lance of doping will have to stand trial, too?

:roll:

[tommy]

Does that mean all the people who accused Lance of doping will have to stand trial, too?

:roll:

[tommy]

Does that mean all the people who accused Lance of doping will have to stand trial, too?

:roll: