Washington: Lance Armstrong engaged in the biggest conspiracy in the cycling history to win the Tour de France seven times, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Wednesday, citing “overwhelming” evidence.
Travis T. Tygart, chief executive of USADA, said the agency has submitted a report on why it banned the player for life in August to the International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and released more than 1,000 pages of evidence gathered in a probe of Armstrong and the US Postal Service team, AFP reported.
“The evidence of the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team-run scheme is overwhelming,” Tygart said.
“The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”
“It’s extremely difficult today to acknowledge that during a part of my career I used banned substances,” he said.
“Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them.”
Other former Armstrong teammates who testified include Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.
“Different categories of eyewitness, documentary, first-hand, scientific, direct and circumstantial evidence reveal conclusive and undeniable proof that brings to the light of day for the first time this systemic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy,” Tygart said.
Armstrong attorney Tim Herman attacked the credibility of USADA’s findings.
“Tygart’s statement confirms the alleged ‘reasoned decision’ from USADA will be a one-sided hatchet job, a taxpayer-funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations based largely on axe-grinders, serial perjurers, coerced testimony, sweetheart deals and threat-induced stories,” he said.
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