Here we go again: The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has notified former cyclist Lance Armstrong that it intends to file doping charges that could strip him of all seven Tour de France titles, a source familiar with the case told ESPN. http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/8048718/former-cyclist-lance-armstrong-formally-charged-doping-says-source
Lance is in all sorts of trouble if this is correct. Seeing team mates roll over and throw him under the bus would sink him. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rep...kie-vaughters-give-evidence-against-armstrong Look at the names who are going to testify
July 5, 2012 Ex-Teammates Are Said to Be Ready to Testify Against Armstrong Several of Lance Armstrong’s former teammates, including George Hincapie, the rider who was by his side for all of his seven Tour de France victories, have agreed to testify in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s case against Armstrong and several of his associates, two people close to the investigation said. Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie — American riders who are now competing in the Tour de France — are also scheduled to be witnesses for the antidoping agency, which last week charged Armstrong with doping and playing a key role in a doping conspiracy while on the United States Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams. The two people with knowledge of the case insisted on anonymity because the investigation was continuing. None of those riders responded Thursday to efforts to contact them. At the Tour on Thursday, Hincapie neither confirmed nor denied his role in the case and said his team “has nothing to do with this.” “I feel like I’ve always done the right thing for the sport,” said Hincapie, a five-time Olympian who is riding in his 17th Tour, adding that he sympathizes with Armstrong. “I’m sad he is going through this,” he said. “He’s done so many things for the sport. His accomplishments are incredible.” Armstrong, who retired from cycling last year and denies ever doping, has until Monday to tell the antidoping agency if he is challenging or accepting the charges that carry a lifetime ban from Olympic sports, according to his spokesman, Mark Fabiani. Armstrong also could ask for a five-day extension. If he contests the charges, the case will go to an arbitration hearing. If he loses, he could be stripped of his seven Tour titles. Armstrong complained on his Twitter feed Thursday that some of his former teammates received immunity for providing the antidoping agency with information that incriminates him. “Come in and tell @usantidoping exactly what they wanted to hear in exchange for immunity, anonymity and an opportunity to continue to race the biggest event in cycling,” he said. He added that the “riders in question” are also “victims of @usantidoping’s unfair process and antics.” Travis Tygart, chief executive of the antidoping agency, would not comment on the case’s potential witnesses, which the agency has said include more than 10 cyclists who have firsthand knowledge of Armstrong’s doping and involvement in a doping conspiracy. Also charged are Armstrong’s former team manager, Johan Bruyneel; Armstrong’s former trainer, Michele Ferrari; two team doctors; and a team trainer. Tygart said in a statement that any potential witnesses could face “unnecessary scrutiny, threats and intimidation.” “It is important to remember that the truth would often be suppressed without witnesses who at great cost to themselves are willing to tell the truth under oath about what they saw and experienced, and any attempt to circumvent the proper procedures in order to bully or silence people who may or may not be witnesses cannot be tolerated,” he said. Tygart said that no individual cyclists had yet been punished in connection with the Armstrong case, contrary to a report Thursday in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. That report said that Hincapie, Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Zabriskie and Jonathan Vaughters, a former Armstrong teammate who now runs the Garmin-Sharp team, arranged a deal with the antidoping agency to serve six-month suspensions for their own doping in connection with a suspected conspiracy. Those suspensions would begin in September, the newspaper said. The Garmin-Sharp team, which is known for its stalwart stance on antidoping, said in a statement that “reports of suspensions are untrue.” Hincapie, Leipheimer, Vande Velde and Zabriskie, who all were on the 2008 Olympic cycling team, last month pulled their names from USA Cycling’s pool of riders being considered for the London Games because of their involvement in the case, the two people close to the investigation said. Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for doping, and Tyler Hamilton, who admitted to doping and said he played a part in the Postal Service doping conspiracy, will also be a part of the antidoping agency’s case, the two people said. But neither has the credibility of Hincapie, Leipheimer, Vande Velde or Zabriskie, riders who also were once a part of Armstrong’s inner circle. Hincapie, Vande Velde and Zabriskie have never tested positive for doping or admitted to any doping. (Leiphemier tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine at the 1996 United States Amateur National Criterium Championships and said it was because of the use of allergy medicine. He was stripped of his victory.) Of all those riders, Hincapie’s testimony might be the most damaging. In cycling circles, he is called Big George, a man who stands out in the peloton for his 6-foot-3 frame, and more so for his loyalty to the cyclists he has helped reach the top of the sport. He has made his living as a domestique, a worker bee who helps the team leader win by protecting him from the wind, from attacks by other teams, and from anything else that could get in the way of the top rider’s success. He has ushered three riders to nine Tour victories. “If he appears on the witness stand against Lance, I’m sure it will be terribly conflicting for him, but it is going to be historic because cycling’s code of silence will truly be broken,” said Joe Papp, a former pro cyclist and convicted steroid trafficker-turned-antidoping advocate. “He has the reputation as an all-American clean-cut guy who defines everything that is good about this country. He just carries that much weight. As far as the credibility he has with respect to Lance, he is unimpeachable.” Hincapie’s word would be especially harmful for Armstrong, considering the two have said they are as close as brothers. Like Andy Pettitte, who testified against his friend Roger Clemens at Clemens’s perjury trial, Hincapie is likely to be a reluctant witness, and thus might seem even more credible. Hincapie also cooperated with the federal authorities in their now-defunct investigation of Armstrong and doping-related crimes, according to two lawyers involved in the case who did not want their names published. “Credibility and believability is always critical in these situations, and longtime friendship and knowledge play into that,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. “If you have one compelling witness, it’s much better than one or two about whom you have doubts.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/s...fy-against-armstrong.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all ----------- Of course, Armstrong and his mafia will just try to smear everyone testifying against him. His tactics are similar to Scientology's. This guy has no shame. Everyone knows he is the biggest cheat ever in a sport full of cheats, yet, he still acts as if in denial.
Lance Armstrong says he will no longer fight doping charges.; set to lose all his titles and will face a lifetime ban.
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