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

[LynnW49]

Another HuffPost bait and switch with the lead photo. Where did the photo of Armstrong in a sling go? It looks like you are trying to generate interest with a different photo that has nothing to do with the article.

[BlueKy]

He is still wearing a sling in the photo with the article. That is why there is a black band around his neck and if you will look in the corner, something black on his arm. Its probably a really expensive one that is different from what your used to.

[LynnW49]

i see it now.
thanks!

[whatsthisthen]

It's the Tour de Fraud, folks. They really, really, really, really, want a Frenchy to win.

It's hard for the average person to comprehend how much they hated Lance's wins (which came on the heels of several wins by a Spaniard). When mild-mannered Floyd Landis won, they just couldn't take it anymore and ran him up the pole.

For the first time in more than a decade I am thinking about not viewing the TDF. It's bad enough with Craig Hummer as the anchor and all the repetitive, repetitive, repetitive theme music -- sheesh.

[caracalla]

Please. If you think that the French hate Americans, then the same logic would serve against their own French competitors (Richard Virenque 1998). They must also hate Austrians (3rd place 2008 Bernard Kohl), Germans (Stefan Shumacher) and Italians (Riccardo Ricco). The fact is that all these guys including mild mannered Floyd Landis were drug cheats. The tour is not against any particular non-French participant, just cheats.

I don't know if Armstrong was clean or not during his 7 wins, but you have to consider all the evidence. Many of his teammates were taking EPO when he was winning. Other athletes were busted for taking EPO when he was winning. You need to ask yourself if Lance was that much better than everyone else to be able to win by minutes if he were clean. Jan Ullrich who was runner up for many of those 7 Armstrong wins was later implicated in the drug scandal, Operation Puerto (while he was still participating in the Tours). At this level of the sport, Armstrong and Ullrich were separated by maybe less than a percent in ability level. Ulrich was clearly taking some sort of drug (never busted in the tour itself), yet never beat Armstrong. So if Lance wasn't taking anything, then how did he beat a guy that was improving his ability level by at least 5% through some sort of drug enhancement?

[lokywoky]

By your logic, any athlete who manages to train hard enough and be gifted with the right combination of physique and mental drive and somehow manages to win an event over someone who is taking PED is a cheat. Any of them.

So...We really need to go after Michael Phelps, Michael Greene, that lady from Spain who keeps winning the women's marathon in the Olympics, you get my point.

If Ulrich was taking PED and Lance still beat him (with clean tests), then Ulrich simply does not have the combination of stuff it takes to win with Lance in the field. There is no rule that says Lance (or anyone else) must participate in other races. It is his choice. As it is the choice of the riders who do race other events. If they want to beat Lance, maybe they need to re-think this?

[smoothdogie]

The French hate Lance because he ruined their little nationalist party seven times. The nerve of this American!!

[Bitsko]

But he's an American Hero! He rides a bike!

[GetoffMylawn]

The French are out to get Lance, but can't. The French are taking their anti-shower policy to new levels. Shower police!

[Dave Sharrer]

Why would Lance be so sketchy knowing that there is so much controversy around his alleged doping?

There is no way he would have faked a blood test, so I'm not accusing him of anything. But a 20 minute shower would provide Armstrong with an opportunity to use products to help pass a drug screen (special shampoos, cleansing drinks). He was right to question the credentials of the tester, but should have stayed in their presence the entire time. Again, not because I suspect him of wrongdoing, but just to remove all doubt.

[doyle005]

Was he able to in 20 minutes say...grow a new head of hair?? Or replace all the blood in his system?

I know, perhaps he has a clone that he keeps in the shower so when French testers come in and surprise him, he pulls out Lance 2.0 to take the tests!!!!!! Alert the media, we have solved the case!!!!!

[playera]

The trainers were right to check and verify the tester's credentials. And, maybe Lance needed a shower really bad. I believe, especially if I were the world's best, I would wait and do everything exactly as it is supposed to be to avoid any criticism. And on the other hand, Lance Armstrong deserves a little deference on the rules.

[Merckx]

This is totally bogus.
Read Lance's description of the event here:
http://www.velonews.com/article/90320/lance-armstrong-says-he-is-outraged-over-claims-that-he
The tester himself signed off on the procedure and said there was no irregularities.
This is such cr@p.

[janeslife]

I've always had an uneasy feeling about Lance Armstrong and steroid use. I know this is heresy, and I have nothing concrete to go on, but I remember watching Jose Canseco on 60 Minutes, and how he sat and sniffed involuntarily the entire time he discussed his use of steroids. Later I watched Lance Armstrong on Oprah. He was there with Sheryl Crow after winning another Tour de France, I believe. Anyway, he sat there and sniffed involuntarily just the way Jose Canseco had. Maybe it was entirely coincidental and meant nothing, but it gave me an uneasy feeling. We're supposed to love Lance Armstrong. He's supposed to be a good guy, and not a cheater. I hope he is. I really hope he is. But I won't be shocked if he's not.

[llmitchellb]

I think Lance should tell them to take their race and .... NObody watched that race last year. The race's income was way down without him.
So, is this all hype? or are they so idiotic - that they would want to harass him out of the sport that showcases their country so well?
The best thing for the sport would be for Armstrong to use this upcoming Tour de France as a means to feature a new race that could overtake the TdF or as a way to take the whole sport in a new direction.
If this is all for a vanity win for Armstrong, then he's wasting our time. This is probably his final shot at saving the sport.

[idisVA]

Why shower before and not after ....hmm.

[hquain]

Please explain the physiological process by which you eliminate residues and metabolites of drugs in the shower.

[antranig]

He goes in the shower, his clone comes out and voila! the clone passes the blood test.

[doyle005]

He must keep a clone in the shower for such times. He simply pulls Lance 2.0 out of the shower and tests clean every time!!!

[bigrob in austin]

maybe he wanted some personal time to tug one out.