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Denies Drug Allegations
By: Jeremy T. Arnold, Cyclistnews.com Writer
January 22, 2005
It appears that since the French have yet to find a way to beat
Lance Armstrong in their national cycling tour, they are going to
great lengths to bring him down through other means. On
January 20th, the six-time winner of the Tour de France was
forced, yet again, to field questions revolving around an
investigation by French authorities into alleged doping practices.
Although Armstrong continues to claim his innocence and has yet
to fail any tests, this inquiry is but the latest example of the ever-
increasing spotlight on doping in cycling.
Le Parisien reported on Thursday, that the latest inquiry
resurfaced due to an interview with Emma O’Reilly, a former
soigneur with the U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team. O’Reilly was
one of the primary witnesses in the controversial book LA
Confidentiel, les secrets de Lance Armstrong, co-written by
sportswriters David Walsh and Pierre Ballester. In the book, O’
Reilly alleges that Armstrong used the banned blood booster EPO
and reconfirmed her accusations in a recent deposition given to
the Paris Brigade des Stupefiants (Drug Force). Apparently, her
statements carried enough weight to convince a Paris judge to
pass the preliminary investigation to the state prosecutor in
Annecy, France.
The geographic location of the investigation is apparently due to
Armstrong’s relationship with an Osteopath/Nutritionist named
Benoit Nave who lives in the area. Nave, who is the nutritional
consultant for French cycling magazine Top Velo, has never been
accused of doping with any of his other clients and does not deny
that he and Armstrong had worked together several times since
October of 2002. He also claims that he has never been
questioned by the police on the subject.
"Let me make one thing emphatically clear", said Armstrong in his
statement given at the Discovery Channel Team camp in Solvang,
CA. "I believe in clean and fair competition. As I have said before,
I do not use - and have never used - performance-enhancing
drugs. I am disappointed in the judge's decision to open this
investigation without having talked to me first. I will make myself
available anytime and anywhere to meet with the investigators in
this case. They are also welcome to review my long history of
tests for performance-enhancing drugs, which I have never failed.
Last year alone I was tested 22 times by ASO, the UCI, WADA
and USADA. I will be competing in Paris-Nice in March. I am
confident my name will be cleared, and I look forward to racing in
France for years to come."
Armstrong’s desire to race again in France has been an intriguing
topic lately and he has hinted that he may not attempt a seventh
Tour de France victory in 2005. All things considered, France has
been pretty good to Armstrong, but it would be hard to fault him
for harboring some resentment toward the country’s authorities.
As recently as July, while Armstrong was busy winning his sixth
consecutive Tour de France, the Paris Brigade des Stupefiants
opened an investigation on him. In 2000, the same bureau
began an inquiry into the USPS team that stemmed from
allegations made by France 3 TV. The investigation lasted three
years but was eventually discredited and thrown out of court.
All of these events are but a few of the many legal issues in
Lance Armstrong’s life. Among the other current lawsuits he is
involved in are a $2.6 million defamation suit filed against the
publishers of LA Confidentiel, a contract dispute with a former
assistant and a legal battle over the withholding of $5 million
bonus by his U.S. insurers.
Although Philippe Trouyet, police commissioner of Annecy has
stated that the case is likely to be dropped due to compromising
media coverage, it should be noted that this issue is not likely to
die down anytime soon. Lance Armstrong has clearly become a
target for journalists and police investigators alike and it is
reasonable to assume that there will be much more legal activity
in his future. What remains to be seen is how much he will race
in France while he is being investigated. In a typical show of
confidence and determination Armstrong seemed to answer
doubts about his plans for the season. “I will be available
anytime and anywhere,” he assured everyone at the Discovery
Channel team camp and finished with the statement, “I am afraid
of nothing, I’ve nothing to hide and I’m easy to find. I’m
continuing to prepare to be at the start of Paris-Nice.”
The biggest question of the 2005 cycling season so far is whether
Lance will race the Tour or if he will focus on other events.
Perhaps the added scrutiny and legal issues he faces will prevent
him from attending this year’s race but in all likelihood, the
challenge of overcoming a skeptical public and further infuriating
all those who stand in his way will provide just the motivation he
needs to pull off a seventh consecutive victory in the biggest
annual sporting event in the world.
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