NPR: New Book Accuses Lance Armstrong of Doping

New Book Accuses Lance Armstrong of Doping

Lance Armstrong

Scott Wintrow/Getty Images

Like baseball star Barry Bonds, retired cyclist Lance Armstrong may never completely escape the whispered (or even shouted) allegations that he cheated his way to the top of his game. Now a new book goes even further, accusing Armstrong of being not just a follower in the world of doping, but a leader.

The book, From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France, by Irish investigative journalist David Walsh claims that Armstrong's "all-consuming drive" to be the best led him down the road to using illegal enhancements -- in particular, the drug EPO -- to win seven Tour de France races in a row.

In an interview with Steve Inskeep on NPR's Morning Edition, Walsh says no one has told him "on the record" that they have seen Armstrong using drugs, but he also says there is "zero doubt" in his mind that Armstrong doped based on his research.

In the past, Armstrong has said the he doesn't like Walsh and that Walsh doesn't like him. In a preemptive strike against the book, Armstrong denied using performance-enhancing drugs to Sports Illustrated.

9:21 AM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink

Comments

Mr. Walsh makes his living trying to destroy Lance Armstrong. Mr. Walsh
makes public allegations but admits he has no proof. He isn't much of a journalist and he has no ethics. Do shut up, Mr. Walsh.

Sent by Lasse | 11:04 AM ET | 06-20-2007

I find it odd that David Walsh so readily believes what some riders (Lance's team mates) say about doping, yet disbelieves other riders (Lance). Well heck, where would be the story if he believed Lance?

Sent by Janet Haw | 11:33 AM ET | 06-20-2007

You did not mention in your story about Lance Armstrong the hundreds upon hundreds of negative tests for EPO and all performance enhancing drugs that Lance underwent, none of which were positive. These tests were performed during every race and at random throughout the year. David Walsh pushes the old non sequitur "I've seen a few sucessful cyclists, and they doped, so all successful cyclists must have doped." I'm sure that David Walsh is fueling is own personal and financial agenda in the publishing of this book and his entire campaign against Lance. There is certainly "Zero Percent Doubt" about that.

Sent by Kevin Archer | 11:40 AM ET | 06-20-2007

Boycott this book. David Walsh's rabble-rousing is just another attempt to profit from hearsay and conjecture. The best one can do is ignore his efforts.

Sent by William Norvell | 4:32 PM ET | 06-20-2007

I think Lance Armstrong is possibly the greatest athlete of all time and, as a sports fan and "weekend warrier" myself, he is one of my sporting heros. However, I have been reading David Walsh's work in the UK Sunday Times for years and he is both an excellent and extremely credible sports journalist. If anyone else wrote this book I would dismiss it immediately but I don't discount anything David Walsh writes.

Sent by Enda Walsh - (no relation to David) | 9:04 AM ET | 06-21-2007

I'm no Lance fan, and think he possibly doped, along with so many other cyclists. But Walsh's attack should be focused on cleaning up cycling as a whole (which already has a very strict anti-doping policy). Instead, this book looks like tabloid trash journalism. If you want to read about doping in cycling, read Les Woodland's book "Crooked Path to Victory" or even Willy Voet's book, "Breaking the Chain" about the 1998 Festina scandal.

Sent by Eli Holland | 2:49 PM ET | 06-21-2007

The saddest aspect of this drawn-out story of US team doping (one that Walsh covers compellingly and at length in LA Confidentiel...the publication of which was blocked in the US) is that cyclists wishing to keep up with the state-of-the-art of their sport have been drawn into the world of undetectable doping innovations--like any other technological innovation that would give a rider an edge.

It is important to realize that the spectator plays a role. Who didn't want Floyd to ride that spectacular comeback break-away in last year's tour and who wasn't bowled over by the post-tour revelation of his testosterone levels.

The blind faithful in Lance's camp are as complicit as anyone. For the sake of the riders if no one else's, it is time for everyone to wake up and accept doping as a pervasive fact of our sporting world and get down to doing something about it!

Sent by Caitlin Hawke | 12:04 PM ET | 06-22-2007

Having worked for the ABC Sports for 3 years on the Tour de France from '89 to '91 (the Lemond years & Lance's start), it was well understood that ALL of the cyclists were juiced. The Federation, the Societe du Tour, the teams, the media, all of the entities turned their heads away from the problem (just like baseball management in the US). All of the riders were forced into using EPO or other enhancing drugs by their teams & sponsors who wanted immediate results. Drug enhancing technologies included masking devices that were always one step ahead of the regulatory authorities. You will probaly see the long term effects of these drugs running the sport in the next 15 + years as the cyclists start joining the wrestlers in high rate of physical breakdown & decedence. These are the greatest athletes known to man, running what is parallel to a marathon every day for 21 straight days - just for one race. Multiply that by 3 for la Vuelta, the Tour & the Giro. No other sport has that kind of endurance program. While the proof has been elusive, the facts still abound.

Sent by HERVE CERISOLES | 12:55 AM ET | 06-27-2007

OK, let's get this straight.....Tyler, Frankie, Floyd, Roberto, etc......one came clean (the others got busted; ok, the Floyd jury is still out); all rode with US Postal/Disco/Lance. So tell me, how does the actual "winner" of the Tour do it without "help" while the others need "help" simply to finish behind their leader? Hmmmmmm, ya gotta wonder. I mean, think about it.....just finishing a Tour stage is hard enough; actually winning a stage is next to impossible; winning the Tour is even more impossible; winning the Tour 7 times is a billion to one; winning it 7 times in a row?! Clean?! Are you kidding?! Again, think about it for a minute (or 2). As others have said, you can't win the Tour on pasta & sports drink.....it ain't gonna happen. Enough said.

Sent by Mark Marchildon | 9:30 PM ET | 06-27-2007

Nothing sells better than a great smeer of a great athelete.

Sent by mark carpenter | 7:41 PM ET | 07-05-2007

Hi Herv??

Still in Paris and remembering the good times in 89 and 90 on the Tour but since 2005 I don't go down to the Champs to see the "arriv??e"

Sent by Richard Schatz | 1:34 PM ET | 08-03-2007

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Tom Regan

Blogger

About Us

This year's election cycle has been one of the most exciting in memory. At the NPR News Blog we'll do our best to bring you interesting, informative -- and controversial -- stories from our own reporters and bloggers, as well as the rest of the best of the Internet and blogosphere. And we hope you'll let us know what you think as well.

Want to learn more? Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions and our discussion guidelines.