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Armstrong could face a lifetime ban from the sport if he is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. The move by the agency immediately bans him from competing in triathlons, which he turned to after he retired from cycling last year.
Armstrong, in a statement Wednesday, dismissed any doping allegations as "baseless" and "motivated by spite" and noted they came just months after federal prosecutors closed a two-year criminal investigation against the cyclist without bringing an indictment.
The charges by the agency were first reported by The Washington Post.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's letter to Armstrong informing him of the charges also said the agency was bringing doping charges against Johan Bruyneel, manager of Armstrong's winning teams; team doctors Pedro Celaya and Luis Garicia del Moral; team trainer Pepe Martin; and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, accuses Armstrong of using and promoting the use of the blood booster EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, human growth hormone and anti-inflammatory steroids. The letter doesn't cite specific examples but says the charges are based on evidence gathered in an investigation of Armstrong's teams, including witnesses who aren't named in the letter.
It also says blood collections obtained by cycling's governing body in 2009 and 2010 are "fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions."
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency officials had said they would pursue possible charges against Armstrong even after federal criminal investigators had closed their case.
Armstrong, who has been in France training for a triathlon, maintained his innocence, saying in a statement: "I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."
Lance Armstrong Responds to USADA Allegation
AUSTIN, TX -- June 13, 2012 -- I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned. These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity. Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA’s malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play.
I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one. That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence.
They certainly seem mighty determined to get him.
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All the drug tests designed specifically for him (to catch him)yet he never failed a single one?
Really pisses me off because he never got to celebrate his 2010 win when Alberto Contradoper got DQ'd.
The Schlecks are class acts,
Definitely should just listen to the folks that he has beaten all those years, they won't have any axe to grind.
Hearsay beats cold hard facts everytime.
You want to consider who's chasing him. The French? no, your own USADA.
I can't say I'm convinced one way or the other about Lance's (non?) involvement with drugs but I can say that my admiration for him and all he's achieved is not diminished one iota whatever the truth. The same goes for everyother Tour rider. What they're doing is absolutely immense and super human, drugs or no drugs.
A case based all on heresay (some of it how long after the fact?) vs. all those years of testing with no positives found. I think the plaintiff lawyers will have their arguing cut out for them?
That's not saying he was completely innocent all those years, but when it comes to burden of proof.....
This latest charge is nothing but another good ol fashioned "shake-down".
That isnt to say that Lance didnt dope. Of course he did. They ALL do at that level. Which is why I dont care that he did. I was never under any false illusions about the guy so Im not bitter for being "tricked" as so many others are. People need to step out of the fantasy world they live in.
Any serious cyclist will tell you the difference between a Cat-1 and Cat-2 cyclist is just the drugs.
The drugs arent going to win races for you. They are effective because the athletes that use them are already so fucking competitive, that they have done everything else possible to be the best they can be. "Cheating" isnt about taking short-cuts at this level, its about being more competitive than the next guy.
Lance will make another donation and this will go away for another year or two. You know what they say about feeding the animals in the wild. They just keep coming back.
Pit Row
But he wouldnt be the first father to think his son is a saint.
We've all done plenty of things that we didnt tell our parents about. And we all know or have parents that would lie for their kids in a heartbeat with regards to a subject so serious and mis-represented by the public.
Although the whole of pro cycling hated him for the book, I don't think it diminishes the riders one bit. In fact you have more respect than ever for what they endure for their "sport".
Very well said PB. Spoken like a person with real clairvoyance.
I love the Tour de France, but for all the years I've been watching it, Im still only really figuring it all out. The (uk?) TV theme tune always evokes a genuine sense of summertime for me.
Bradley Wiggins looks to be in superb shape; Frank now has a chance to have the team work for him (I will miss Andy); and Cavendish better lube his chain, because Sagan looks to be ready to challenge him.
BRING ON THE TOUR!!!!
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