Very slimy and disingenuous move by Discovery. I guess this is Lance's way of continuing to enforce the code of silence. I will be rooting for them to lose next year.
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Former Team Wants Andreu Investigated
By JULIET MACUR
The Discovery Channel pro cycling team said in a statement yesterday that it was “considering all legal options” against the former team captain Frankie Andreu, in the wake of Andreu’s confession that he used the endurance-boosting drug EPO in preparation for the 1999 Tour de France.
Lance Armstrong, the leader of the team, which was formerly sponsored by the United States Postal Service, won that Tour. It was the first of his record seven consecutive Tour victories.
The statement said team management would investigate Andreu, and that USA Cycling, the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the International Cycling Union should do the same. The team has had a zero-tolerance policy regarding riders using performance-enhancing drugs, the statement said.
Andreu and another teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his job in cycling, said they had felt pressure to dope so they could make the team for the 1999 Tour.
Andreu, who retired as a rider in 2000, was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
“We are saddened and disappointed by this recent revelation,” the team’s statement said. “Any suggestion that any form of doping has ever been encouraged or tolerated on this team is patently false.”
In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Armstrong said that former teammates confessing that they had doped — as well as other former teammates being caught for doping — should not taint his reputation or the reputation of the United States Postal Service team. Armstrong has repeatedly insisted he never took performing enhancing drugs. Three of Armstrong’s former lieutenants, including this year’s Tour winner, Floyd Landis, have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs or methods after they left his team. Landis may be charged with an official doping violation as early as today.
“We’ve never had an athlete test positive,” Armstrong said of his former team’s 10 years in competition. “I think that is a strong statement.”
Officials from USA Cycling and the cycling union said they were not sure if they would investigate Andreu. Travis Tygart, general counsel for USADA, said he could not comment on any specific case.
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Former Team Wants Andreu Investigated
By JULIET MACUR
The Discovery Channel pro cycling team said in a statement yesterday that it was “considering all legal options” against the former team captain Frankie Andreu, in the wake of Andreu’s confession that he used the endurance-boosting drug EPO in preparation for the 1999 Tour de France.
Lance Armstrong, the leader of the team, which was formerly sponsored by the United States Postal Service, won that Tour. It was the first of his record seven consecutive Tour victories.
The statement said team management would investigate Andreu, and that USA Cycling, the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the International Cycling Union should do the same. The team has had a zero-tolerance policy regarding riders using performance-enhancing drugs, the statement said.
Andreu and another teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his job in cycling, said they had felt pressure to dope so they could make the team for the 1999 Tour.
Andreu, who retired as a rider in 2000, was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
“We are saddened and disappointed by this recent revelation,” the team’s statement said. “Any suggestion that any form of doping has ever been encouraged or tolerated on this team is patently false.”
In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Armstrong said that former teammates confessing that they had doped — as well as other former teammates being caught for doping — should not taint his reputation or the reputation of the United States Postal Service team. Armstrong has repeatedly insisted he never took performing enhancing drugs. Three of Armstrong’s former lieutenants, including this year’s Tour winner, Floyd Landis, have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs or methods after they left his team. Landis may be charged with an official doping violation as early as today.
“We’ve never had an athlete test positive,” Armstrong said of his former team’s 10 years in competition. “I think that is a strong statement.”
Officials from USA Cycling and the cycling union said they were not sure if they would investigate Andreu. Travis Tygart, general counsel for USADA, said he could not comment on any specific case.