Armstong--Witness Intimidation?



B

B. Lafferty

Guest
From ProCycling today:
http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=352

Feud repercussions for Lance?
7/25/2004
An Italian magistrate is looking into incidents during Friday's stage to
assess whether action might be taken against Armstrong.

PICTURE BY TIM DE WAELE

In a sensational postscript to his history-making sixth Tour de France
triumph, procycling has learned Lance Armstrong may soon be summoned by the
Italian police to answer questions about his dispute with Filippo Simeoni.

Armstrong may have thought that he had the last laugh in his feud with
Simeoni as he lapped up the lyrics of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' tonight,
but it seems that the Italian 'carabinieri' have been far from amused by his
antics over the past three days.

According to a Domina Vacanze team source, Simeoni learned on Sunday that
magistrates presiding over the trial of Armstrong's performance consultant,
Michele Ferrari, may wish to question the American about his mid-race
altercation with Simeoni on Friday's 18th stage. Legal officials in Florence
apparently suspect that Armstrong may have been guilty of attempting to
influence a witness.

Simeoni famously testified in the Ferrari trial in February 2002, telling
judge Giovanni Spinosa that Ferrari had advised him to take EPO. Armstrong
responded to this in 2003 by branding Simeoni an "absolute liar". That
accusation has become the subject of a separate case brought against
Armstrong by Simeoni.

The jury in the Ferrari trial is expected to finally give its verdict this
autumn.

On today's final stage of the Tour between Montereau and Paris, hostilities
between the pair were renewed when Simeoni attacked three times - once right
from the starting gun - before the peloton even reached the Champs Elysées.
This constituted a clear - and no doubt deliberate - infringement of the
unwritten rule that the approach to Paris is a form of rolling champagne
reception for the incoming champion, on this occasion Armstrong.

Each of Simeoni's of attacks was the cue for Armstrong's US Postal team to
rally into pursuit mode on the front of the bunch. In Viatcheslav Ekimov's
case, Simeoni's capture was the cue for an obscene hand gesture and a
missile of saliva to be launched in the direction of the Domina Vacanze man'
s front wheel.

"They still insist on behaving in this way. It makes me very bitter but I
have to live with the situation," Simeoni said this evening.

A Domina Vacanze spokesperson told procycling tonight that the Union
Cycliste Internationale (UCI) have so far not followed the Italian Cycling
Federation in publicly declaring their support for Simeoni.
 
"B. Lafferty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> From ProCycling today:
> http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=352
>
> Feud repercussions for Lance?
> 7/25/2004
> An Italian magistrate is looking into incidents during Friday's stage to
> assess whether action might be taken against Armstrong.....

(snip)
>The jury in the Ferrari trial is expected to finally give its verdict this
> autumn.


A very amusing story!

I am a great fan of Italian farce. Too bad Fellini is no longer around to
make the flick. Perhaps he would have cast Roberto Benigni as the hapless
Simeoni?

Z
 
I think this settles the issue of whether Armstrong will do the Giro
instead of the Tour de France next year. If Armstrong had worries
about harrassment from spectators in France, this makes it obvious that
the Italian police will give Armstrong and his team a hard time in an
eventual Tour of Italy participation.

-ilan

"B. Lafferty" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> From ProCycling today:
> http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=352
>
> Feud repercussions for Lance?
> 7/25/2004
> An Italian magistrate is looking into incidents during Friday's stage to
> assess whether action might be taken against Armstrong.
>
> PICTURE BY TIM DE WAELE
>
> In a sensational postscript to his history-making sixth Tour de France
> triumph, procycling has learned Lance Armstrong may soon be summoned by the
> Italian police to answer questions about his dispute with Filippo Simeoni.
>
> Armstrong may have thought that he had the last laugh in his feud with
> Simeoni as he lapped up the lyrics of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' tonight,
> but it seems that the Italian 'carabinieri' have been far from amused by his
> antics over the past three days.
>
> According to a Domina Vacanze team source, Simeoni learned on Sunday that
> magistrates presiding over the trial of Armstrong's performance consultant,
> Michele Ferrari, may wish to question the American about his mid-race
> altercation with Simeoni on Friday's 18th stage. Legal officials in Florence
> apparently suspect that Armstrong may have been guilty of attempting to
> influence a witness.