Armstrong had faced potential criminal charges under a federal fraud investigation that took place prior to the US Anti-Doping Agency's case against him. The federal prosecutor did not go forward with pursuing charges, but a federal whistleblower lawsuit initiated by Floyd Landis could result in monetary penalties for Armstrong.
LeMond's bicycle business partnership with Trek crumbled after he made statements questioning Armstrong's relationship with banned trainer Michele Ferrari. He and Trek reached an undisclosed settlement to dissolve their relationship, but he recently revived his LeMond brand in partnership with French bike builder Time.
He continued to reiterate his criticisms of Armstrong's natural abilities, stating that without doping, Armstrong would not have been capable of finishing top five in the Tour de France. Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy. A t p. It would take more than two years of investigation, but in October , usada concluded that the U. A few days later, the International Cycling Union UCI , which oversees international competitive cycling, stripped him of his record seven Tour victories.
Attempting damage control, Armstrong sat down with Oprah in , in an interview that went terribly awry; he simply could not muster the appropriate level of contrition. Among other missteps, he made a fat joke. Check out the full table of contents and find your next story to read. Fearing that the Teflon-like Armstrong would emerge from the accusations unscathed, Landis had also filed a whistle-blower lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act, alleging that Armstrong and his team had defrauded the government by taking the U.
Postal Service sponsorship money while knowingly cheating in races. When Landis wrote the email that turned cycling on its head, he was at a low point. He maintains, however, that he was stone-cold sober when he wrote the email.
His house was foreclosed on, his credit ruined. He and his wife, Amber, divorced. A former millionaire, Landis had spent his entire fortune, and then some, on his legal defense. But he has gotten back on his feet, starting a cannabis business in rural Colorado. The irony—that a life destroyed by one form of dope may be redeemed by another—is not lost on him. Landis is steadfast that his whistle-blower suit is about justice being done, rather than his own potential windfall.
But the money will come in handy in getting his new business off the ground. L andis grew up in Farmersville, Pennsylvania, in a conservative Mennonite family. Like the Amish, some Mennonites avoid modern technology.
So he rode his bike. He saved enough money to buy his first real mountain bike at age 15, and promptly won the first race he ever entered with it, wearing sweatpants. In , during his senior year of high school, Landis won the U. It was his first time on an airplane. Doping controversy involving unproven allegations have surrounded Lance Armstrong, although he has never tested positive or been formally accused of doping.
Armstrong denied using EPO. At the same Tour, Armstrong's urine showed traces of a glucocorticosteroid hormone, although below the positive threshold. He said he had used skin cream containing triamcinolone to treat saddle sores. Armstrong said he had received permission from the UCI to use this cream. For some time, certainly before last summer, US and other governmental agencies have been investigating drug use by Armstrong.
There is a grand jury progressing in Los Angeles, which has resulted in the latest disclosures by several former teammates about alleged Armstrong drug use.
Among others in addition to Floyd Landis, George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton have allegedly testified that Armstrong used banned substances during some or all of the Tours he won. After eight years and untold millions of dollars, Barry Bonds was not convicted of using banned substances in his recent trial in San Francisco.
Some claim that this newest investigation, which is likely already to have cost far more than the Bonds investigation because of its international reach, is inappropriate for a federal government already strapped for cash. In addition, despite over drug tests, Armstrong has never tested positive for banned substances under applicable rules and limits. His attorney has said :. Investigators have said that this is different from the cases against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
Both involved lying to federal authorities.
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