Lance Armstrong at the Core of Doping Program

Lance Armstrong at the Core of Doping Program On Wednesday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency revealed information regarding the investigation of Lance Armstrong. The details revealed that he was at the core of the most refined doping program in modern sports history. The report on the cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner contained 26 witness testimonies including a number of former teammates on the United States Postal Service team. The Postal Service teammates were involved in doping by their own admission and confirmed that Armstrong doped and administered doping products amongst the team. “The U.S.P.S. Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices,” the agency said. “A program organized by individuals who thought they were above the rules and who still play a major and active role in sport today.” The list of those that gave sworn affidavits was comprised of top cyclists: Levi Leipheimer; Tyler Hamilton; and George Hincapie, one of the most respected American riders in recent history. Other teammates who came forward with information were Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Floyd Landis, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie. They testified in an attempt to bring the story to light and in the hopes of bringing doping to end within cycling. Evidence uncovered by the agency was “conclusive and undeniable proof that brings to the light of day for the first time this systemic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy.” Financial payments, e-mails, scientific analyses and laboratory test results are among the bits of evidence collected which indicate that Armstrong was the focal point of the doping conspiracy. According to years of Armstrong's blood results, he has been involved for quite some time. “It's shocking, it's disappointing,” said Travis Tygart, chief executive of the antidoping agency. “But we did our job.”