C
Callistus Valerius
Guest
Former Tour de France champion Greg LeMond has claimed that he was
threatened by fellow American Lance Armstrong for having criticised the
seven-time race winner's association with a doctor implicated in doping
affairs.
LeMond, who won the Tour de France in 1986, 1989, 1990, said that he had
come under pressure from Armstrong and his circle of friends after saying in
2001 that he was disappointed at the Texan cyclist's association with
Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari.
LeMond said Sunday that the threats continued after 2001.
"Lance threatened me. He threatened my wife, my business, my life," LeMond
told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"His biggest threat consisted of saying that he (Armstrong) would find ten
people to testify that I took EPO," said LeMond, who was the first American
to win the Tour de France.
LeMond hit out at the international cycling union (UCI) for their failure to
deal with the problem of doping.
"This problem goes beyond Armstrong. The Spanish scandal (operation "Puerto"
which revealed a system of blood doping last month) is another example, the
entire system is corrupt," said LeMond, who also referred to the Vrijman
report, named after the expert commissioned by the UCI to probe the
accusations of doping against Armstrong.
"The report should have come from the world anti-doping agency (WADA, who
have criticised the report) or the French Ministry of Health. But it doesn't
change anything if you catch a rider because Lance is now retired and it
continues," added LeMond.
The 34-year-old Armstrong won seven straight Tour de France titles between
1999 and 2005 before retiring last year.
Armstrong dismissed as untrue reports Saturday that he told a doctor
treating him for cancer in 1996 that he had previously taken the banned
blood booster EPO, testosterone, growth hormones and cortisone.
threatened by fellow American Lance Armstrong for having criticised the
seven-time race winner's association with a doctor implicated in doping
affairs.
LeMond, who won the Tour de France in 1986, 1989, 1990, said that he had
come under pressure from Armstrong and his circle of friends after saying in
2001 that he was disappointed at the Texan cyclist's association with
Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari.
LeMond said Sunday that the threats continued after 2001.
"Lance threatened me. He threatened my wife, my business, my life," LeMond
told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"His biggest threat consisted of saying that he (Armstrong) would find ten
people to testify that I took EPO," said LeMond, who was the first American
to win the Tour de France.
LeMond hit out at the international cycling union (UCI) for their failure to
deal with the problem of doping.
"This problem goes beyond Armstrong. The Spanish scandal (operation "Puerto"
which revealed a system of blood doping last month) is another example, the
entire system is corrupt," said LeMond, who also referred to the Vrijman
report, named after the expert commissioned by the UCI to probe the
accusations of doping against Armstrong.
"The report should have come from the world anti-doping agency (WADA, who
have criticised the report) or the French Ministry of Health. But it doesn't
change anything if you catch a rider because Lance is now retired and it
continues," added LeMond.
The 34-year-old Armstrong won seven straight Tour de France titles between
1999 and 2005 before retiring last year.
Armstrong dismissed as untrue reports Saturday that he told a doctor
treating him for cancer in 1996 that he had previously taken the banned
blood booster EPO, testosterone, growth hormones and cortisone.
