The bicycle thieves

The sunday express compiles Extracts from the usada report which portrays lance armstrong as not just a 'serial cheat', but also highlights how he intimidated and bullied potential witnesses.

George Hincapie: I was generally aware that Lance was using testosterone throughout the time we were team-mates... At a race in Spain, Lance told me he was feeling good and recovered, that he had just taken some 'oil'... When I heard that drug testing officials were at the hotel, I texted Lance to warn him to avoid the place. As a result, Lance dropped out of the race. Lance used human growth hormones (hGH) before he contracted cancer... I spoke with Lance in 2001 on entering the blood doping (tansfusion) program. In 2003, Lance contacted me about needing to do something private in my apartment since he had guests at his. Lance went into my bedroom with Dr Moral, who was carrying a blood bag. He asked to borrow a coat hanger, as the common practice is to tape the bag to a hanger to facilitate transfer of blood into the vein. They stayed in for 45 minutes, which is about the time it takes to re-infuse. I know from experience.

Hincapie was Armstrong's most loyal lieutenant, assisting the Texan to each of his seven TdF victories.

Frankie Andreu: A general consensus arose on the Motorola team that it would necessary for us to use EPO because there were so many against whom we were competing that were using. At the time, I recall LA (Armstrong) saying he was getting his butt kicked and was in favour of doing something about it. In early 1996, he had bulked up considerably, on working with Dr Michele Ferrari... Among the questions asked by the doctors during his cancer treatment was whether Lance had used performance enhancing drugs. He responded that he had taken EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, cortisone and steroids. I was surprised that he had confessed his drug use in a room full of people. I was with Lance just before a public medical check to be done shirtless at the 1999 TdF. Just before going out someone noticed a bruise on Lance's upper arm where he had been injected. The location was a place bruising occurs from EPO syringes. I recall Lance saying, "Oh, sh*t, that's not good." Masseur Emma O' Reilly's make up was put on Lance to cover the injection site.

... contd.

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