Lance Armstrong Drug Test Violation?: Accused Of Initially Evading Drug Tester

PARIS — France's anti-doping agency accused Lance Armstrong of violating its rules Thursday for not fully cooperating with a drug tester and says it could punish the seven-time Tour de France champion.

Armstrong has denied misbehaving during a test of his hair, urine and blood on March 17. No banned substances were found.

The agency, known as AFLD, said in a statement that the doctor leading the tests maintains Armstrong "did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation" of the tester.

At question is a 20-minute delay when Armstrong says the tester agreed to let him shower while the American rider's assistants checked the tester's credentials.

AFLD said cycling's governing body has given its permission to open disciplinary procedures against Armstrong, but did not say what the punishment could be.

AFLD president Pierre Bordry noted that the statement does not say that Armstrong is guilty of an infraction. AFLD is expected to make a decision on whether to proceed with sanctions after its nine-member ruling committee has considered the tester's report.

Messages left with Armstrong's spokesman for comment Thursday were not immediately returned.

Armstrong, who has had tense relations with France's anti-doping authorities for years, is hoping to win an eighth Tour title in July after having retired in 2005.

Bordry said the agency has not yet decided whether to seek sanctions against Armstrong. Asked if the agency is launching disciplinary proceedings, he said: "Not yet. We'll see."

Armstrong recently gave his own version of events, saying he wasn't sure of the identity of the drug tester.

"I did not try to evade or delay the testing process that day," Armstrong said in a statement Tuesday.

Armstrong was training in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in southern France when the test was conducted. Armstrong said he had returned from a ride to find the tester at his house, identifying himself as a representative of a French lab.

In France, drug testers take an oath before a court to discharge their duties honestly before they are allowed to work.

Comments

[Project4NuBostonTeaParty]

As a former USCF competitor and time trialist, I've watched Lance closely over these years.

It's one thing to be proud of him as an American, and it's quite another to be a realist. And so, I've developed a theory over his unprecendented Tour wins.

Undoubtedly, he's chemically enhanced -- and it all started with his cancer. To win that battle and control his treatment, I believe he fiercely studied cancer-fighting drugs. This likely morphed into study of cycling performance enhancement. And why not? You will do that to win.

At his level, athletes and trainers fight to stay one step ahead of the tests.

Just like computer viruses: Hackers are always one step ahead of the corrective software. That's the way the game gets played.

Lance disappeared for 20 minutes. Who knows what he did? He could have given himself an injection to mask the presence of a drug. He's hip to potential hair testing. These people are making millions; they can't risk mistakes. So nothing that shows up in hair is ingested.

My theory extends to Sheryl Crow: They broke up during the expose of the '99 "B" test results. I suspect he leveled with her, and she lost respect for him.

Greg LeMond is the better American. He has the integrity and courage that Lance lacks. As for Lance's now broken collarbone, I agree this could signal the end of his comeback. Yet, the wonders of science may again prevail.

We shall see.

[OlskoolDem]

Greg LeMond looks like a Wizard now !!!

[africatalking]

I mean, is it that obvious!!? Why would he have to go for a shower just when he has to just give some blood, hair and urine? I mean How long does that take? If I was him, knowing full well that I have some sort of history of questionable testing results in the past, ask to and go and shower when they wanted to test me? This sport is ridiculous when it comes to illegal substnces. He should be banned...violation of the rules.

[MilwaukeeDan]

I lost respect for Armstrong back in the 1990s, pre cancer, when he was with team Motorola. We went to see what the hype was all about at one of the stops of a set of races that compromised some kind of tour of SE Wisconsin(forgot the name). It was a well attended crit race in Kenosha, Armstrong was payed for his appearance, did several laps and went on a training ride with a teamate and never came back(it was a great race without him anyway). The promoter was going to sue and the fans never got close to the guy, he was a 5' 6" primadonna back then!! I'm sure now, he walks on water.

[MilwaukeeDan]

I'm not blaming anyone here, but doping and cycling are like peanut butter and jelly, they go hand in hand since the begining of competetive cycling. Over the last several decades, it's been a cat and mouse game between the pharma industry that supplies the "athletes' and the testing agencies, always staying one step ahead. Every once in a while you'll get a "Festina" affair where someone gets cought with a trunkload of drugs or someone like the great Marco Pantani dies. You know what, who cares. Give Floyd Landis his title back. Just about everyone who won the Tour before Armstrong admitted doing drugs, Bjarne Riis, Jan Ullrich, Pantani, ect(not Greg Lemond, who might be superhuman). This sport is like body building, if you're not on something, you ain't going anywhere. Quit testing, let them ride.

[WhiteDelyte]

in a sport with rampant performance enhancing drugs.
how is it, the one guy not doing drugs wins 7 times in a row??

[StringOfLights]

If it's against the rules, shouldn't the tester just have told him no?

[SuperFrenchie]

The tester told him no.

[liminal67]

Come on their all "enhanced" let's face it...

http://pitchbendpost.blogspot.com/

[violettefemme]

The very idea that this man, a cancer survivor and no spring chicken, just gets better and better, and the entire pro cycling community falls further and further behind him is the worst sort of rubbish, and just one more reason I will not support the highly paid pro athletes this country keeps trying to shove in my face for worship.

Really, we are to believe that no one else can even come close to his prowess as he ages, no one?

What a load of *, what a liar, a doped up liar.

[DariusK]

Obviously you don't know much about cycling:

1) Better and better? He's been retired for several years, and has only recently returned to the peloton

2) The "pro cycling community" has produced many talented riders who are leaving their marks on history, and who are doing much better than Lance has so far this season (he hasn't won a race yet). Many are coming close and many as well have exceeded his prowess.

Whatever the truth of this incident turns out to be, my point is that one should know what they are talking about before pretending to be outraged, whether about Mellow Johnny, President Obama, Somalian pirates, or even Lindsey Lohan.

If you don't know the facts, we can tell.

[Carrie-On]

The man's a master at deception in more ways than one, all the way back to . . .

I'm amazed the media has found him out by now. Shame on Armstrong. He got his "lease" (and played the poor soul, very well), earned him more PR credits, and off he went, the brave hero.

Come on people!

[wvinvent]

The French will do everything and anything to discredit Lance Armstrong. This is just more of the same. They can't stand Americans, especially ones who beat them at athletic contests or free their country of Nazis.

[violettefemme]

You still call french fries "freedom fries" don't you?

[bibb]

Whatever. He should have stayed in retirement.

[quasar]

Tired of being tired? I would say that for someone to have the cloud of suspicion hanging over him like Armstrong does, it is ill advised in the extreme to even ask to take a shower during a test. Can I go in this closet f for 20 minutes? Be right back.

If he is innocent, he sure doesn't act like it.

[HST]

wow I didn't know that one could get rid of all evidence of steroids/drug doping in twenty minutes from both hair and urine samples. Maybe he needed the time to put on a wig? The French are just mad cause he won 7 times. BOO-HOO!

[bluejoewho]

Armstrong's own doctor said he took steroids and after he refused to give them to armstrong he was fired. Everyone except americans know this man used steroids.

He's just another barry bonds and forever should have an asterick next to his name.

[SuperFrenchie]

I suppose ignorance is a pretty good excuse:

"Finally, I wish to add comment about the recent sample collection in France. Lance Armstrong is the self-proclaimed ‘most tested athlete in the history of sport' which infers he well and truly knows the drill - when you are notified to provide a doping control you MUST be chaperoned at all times until the urine sample is provided. The athlete is not allowed to leave the tester's presence (this is an age-old guard against the athlete attempting to mask drug use, for example by placing soap under their fingernails and discretely adding this to their urine sample so as to destroy proteins like EPO in the urine). Obviously I have no evidence to suggest this is what Armstrong did. But I find it curious that he feels he has special dispensation to leave the tester's sight and take a shower. Perhaps old habits die hard?"

[violettefemme]

I'm a 40 something american female who has never played sports and even *I* know how to mess up a doping sample!

[Culturemaven]

Fascinating. The rules are the same for horses at a horse show. That tester will just stand there with the horse until it's ready to pee. And the horse never asks to take a bath first.

[Destin]

Seems some misinformation going on here by both sides. While Lance claims there was no harm intended by taking a shower while waiting on the verification of the official, and I'm sure he intended no harm, yet Lance himself knows that he broke the cardinal rule in which you never leave the sight of a testing official. Doesn't matter whether you didn't think he was real or an imposter, you have to remain within their sight from the time you are contacted until they leave. Those are the rules. And every other cyclist is subject to these same rules.

As far as Lance's comments, like the tester being alone. Doesn't matter. If the tester is found to have breached any rules or code of conduct, they'll be dealt with too. But that does not give someone the right to then break the rules because someone else did. Also, the comment about his not knowing testing organizations being overseen by the government, I cannot believe that Lance would say such a thing. The USADA was set up by the US Congress and is overseen by the US Congress. It is effectively a US government institution. So what if the governing body, the UCI, called upon the AFLD to conduct the random test? They would also contact the USADA to conduct a test if they needed them to.

[Palemoon]

The tester did give his permissions for Lance to take the shower. And if it's a breach of rules/code that the tester was alone and unescorted, then that makes 2 mistakes the tester made. I think Lance will likely escape punishment simply because he can say he only violated the rules only after the tester gave his consent. ;o)

[SuperFrenchie]

The doctor, who under French law was under oath to perform such a procedure and report on it, says that he told Armstrong not to leave his sight. He did not authorize the shower.

[SuperFrenchie]

According to this, not only did the tester not give his permission, he threatened to call the cops if Armstrong didn't let the testing proceed:

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=916428&lang=eng_news&cate_img=145.jpg&cate_rss=news_Sports