Pro Cycling Once Again Lance Armstrong Reputation Is Under Fire

For many years now, Lance Armstrong has had to deal with detractors, reporters and investigators who believe that he had used performance-enhancing drugs to dominate the Tour de France, the world’s most coveted bike race, from 1999 to 2005. This time, not only has his inner circle began to crumble under the pressure, but including George Hincapie, now there are 4 teammates of Armstrong that have stated that not only did they used EPO, a banned substance, but saw Armstrong use it as well. In his interview in 60-minutes Tyler Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use the blood-boosting drug EPO during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.
The scenario is slightly different for Lance Armstrong. Not only did they all raced for US Postal cycling team, and in one way or another worked for the govermnet, but now the federal investigators are trying to build a strong case against him. Federal prosecutors are investigating what essentially would have been a drug distribution network that was formed to keep Armstrong's teams running at the head of the pack. But the case federal authorities are trying to compile won't be decided solely on whether Armstrong doped. That had been the approach to much all other investigations in regards to the use of performance enhancing drugs. This investigation, on the other hand, has more to do with a doping program allegedly run by the cyclist and his team; a program that could lead to fraud and conspiracy charges.
Lance Armstrong has been tested for over 15 years now, and not a single one of his test has come back positive. So there is still a chance that he might be found non-guilty of the charges that the federal prosecutors are still trying charge him with. But as times goes by this seems more and more unlikely. The Associated Press reported last month that federal investigators asked French authorities to turn over evidence, including Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, the same year Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use the EPO during the Tour.
It seems that if the federal investigators do manage to build a case against Lance Armstrong, his drug-usage could only be the tip of the iceberg. Those urine samples had been already part of another scandal. In 2005 the French sports daily L'Equipe reported that six of these samples taken back in 1999 had in fact tested positive for EPO when they were retested in 2004. An investigation by the International Cycling Union followed and soon concluded that the samples were mishandled and couldn't be used to prove anything. Well, soon we’ll know what the federal investigators have to say about this.
But the darkest hour in the scandal is yet to be released. There are rumors, and Hamilton took stance upon this that Armstrong made a deal with the UCI (the cycling governing body) to make all the evidence against him disappear. The Union responded to Hamilton accusations stating on a press release the following: The allegations of Mr. Tyler Hamilton are completely unfounded."
The thing is that many bike racer who had for long denied they used performance enhancing drugs are now coming clean. Floyd Landis came out last year acknowledging he used the EPO and alleged Armstrong did take the drug as well. We all knew that Hamilton had taken performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), but this time his accusation went a little further. Perhaps the biggest surprise came when George Hincapie came out. Hincapie had been under federal investigation an according to an undisclosed source reported by CBS, Hincapie had told the federal agents that not only did he used PEDs but that Armstrong did as well.
Lance Armstrong is still sticking with his story. It’s uncertain if he’ll come out clean from all this mess. It will certainly be disappointment for what he represents not only to the sport, but also to the many people who saw him as an inspiration force.