Hincapie joins Lance doping chorus
Source: Agencies |
May 22, 2011, Sunday
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GEORGE Hincapie, a longtime member of Lance Armstrong's inner circle, has told federal authorities he saw the seven-time Tour de France winner use performance-enhancing drugs, according to a United States news report.
A segment of the "60 Minutes" report aired on Friday on the "CBS Evening News," one day after it broadcast an interview with another former member of Armstrong's US Postal Service team, Tyler Hamilton.
Hamilton said he also used PEDs with Armstrong.
Hincapie has often been depicted as one of Armstrong's most loyal teammates and was with him for all seven Tour victories. In an interview last year, Armstrong said Hincapie was "like a brother to me."
Hincapie is among a number of former Armstrong teammates and employees who have appeared before a federal grand jury in Los Angeles investigating doping in cycling. Hamilton said he testified for six hours before the panel.
Armstrong has never tested positive and has steadfastly denied doping.
According to "60 Minutes", Hincapie testified that he and Armstrong supplied each other with the endurance-boosting substance EPO and discussed having used another banned substance, testosterone, to prepare for races. Citing the ongoing investigation, Hincapie declined to be interviewed by "60 Minutes".
Interviewed at the Tour of California in Solvang, Hincapie said he didn't want to talk about the "60 Minutes" report.
"It's just unfortunate that that's all people want to talk about now. I'm not going to partake in any cycling-bashing. I have done everything to be the best I can be."
Later, Hincapie released a statement through his attorney: "I can confirm to you that I never spoke with '60 Minutes.' I have no idea where they got their information. As I've said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future. As for the substance of anything in the '60 Minutes' story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation."
Using steroids
The Hincapie and Hamilton revelations come a year after Floyd Landis, who had his 2006 Tour title stripped for using steroids, claimed he and Armstrong had both used drugs while on the US Postal team.
But while Hamilton and Landis have credibility problems that Armstrong has pointed out - both cyclists denied using drugs for years before changing their story and implicating Armstrong - there aren't as many issues with Hincapie.
The 37-year-old cyclist from New York has no known positive tests. He was on the Postal team even before Armstrong and, once Armstrong joined it, the two were frequent roommates on the road.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has surrendered his 2004 Olympic gold medal after confessing to doping, the US Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday.
"I can confirm that Tyler Hamilton has given his gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games to USADA and that we will continue to work with the IOC and the USOC as appropriate concerning the final implications of our overall investigation," USADA Chief Executive Travis Tygart said in a statement.
(Agencies)
A segment of the "60 Minutes" report aired on Friday on the "CBS Evening News," one day after it broadcast an interview with another former member of Armstrong's US Postal Service team, Tyler Hamilton.
Hamilton said he also used PEDs with Armstrong.
Hincapie has often been depicted as one of Armstrong's most loyal teammates and was with him for all seven Tour victories. In an interview last year, Armstrong said Hincapie was "like a brother to me."
Hincapie is among a number of former Armstrong teammates and employees who have appeared before a federal grand jury in Los Angeles investigating doping in cycling. Hamilton said he testified for six hours before the panel.
Armstrong has never tested positive and has steadfastly denied doping.
According to "60 Minutes", Hincapie testified that he and Armstrong supplied each other with the endurance-boosting substance EPO and discussed having used another banned substance, testosterone, to prepare for races. Citing the ongoing investigation, Hincapie declined to be interviewed by "60 Minutes".
Interviewed at the Tour of California in Solvang, Hincapie said he didn't want to talk about the "60 Minutes" report.
"It's just unfortunate that that's all people want to talk about now. I'm not going to partake in any cycling-bashing. I have done everything to be the best I can be."
Later, Hincapie released a statement through his attorney: "I can confirm to you that I never spoke with '60 Minutes.' I have no idea where they got their information. As I've said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future. As for the substance of anything in the '60 Minutes' story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation."
Using steroids
The Hincapie and Hamilton revelations come a year after Floyd Landis, who had his 2006 Tour title stripped for using steroids, claimed he and Armstrong had both used drugs while on the US Postal team.
But while Hamilton and Landis have credibility problems that Armstrong has pointed out - both cyclists denied using drugs for years before changing their story and implicating Armstrong - there aren't as many issues with Hincapie.
The 37-year-old cyclist from New York has no known positive tests. He was on the Postal team even before Armstrong and, once Armstrong joined it, the two were frequent roommates on the road.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has surrendered his 2004 Olympic gold medal after confessing to doping, the US Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday.
"I can confirm that Tyler Hamilton has given his gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games to USADA and that we will continue to work with the IOC and the USOC as appropriate concerning the final implications of our overall investigation," USADA Chief Executive Travis Tygart said in a statement.
(Agencies)
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