Says people don't care if Armstrong cheated or not
Image 1 of 7
July 2002 and Lance Armstrong has won his 4th Tour de France. Then teammate Floyd Landis leads the party in Paris(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Lance Armstrong (United States) at the 2000 Olympic Games(Image credit: AFP)
Lance Armstrong (United States) on the podium for the time trial at the Sydney Olympics(Image credit: AFP)
Lance Armstrong on the attack in 1998(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lance Armstrong at the 2009 Tour de France(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
(Image credit: USADA)
Landis at his 2007 USADA Arbitration(Image credit: AFP)
Tim Herman, a member of Lance Armstrong’s legal counsel, has told the BBC that the former Tour de France winner could sit a lie detector test. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour titles and handed a life time ban by USADA for his part in a major doping operation that involved a series of offenses including trafficking, possession, and drug taking. The rider refused to defend himself against the charges but has always denied doping.
However after 26 individuals testified against him, 11 of whom were former teammates, Armstrong’s legacy has been irreparably damaged. The sport’s governing body, the UCI, has just over a fortnight to analyze USADA’s 1,000 page report and could yet appeal the decision to CAS.
The attorney also criticized the former teammates who testified against Armstrong, six of whom were handed six month suspensions for their own doping offences.
"Why would [the witnesses] wait until now [to come forward]? Here's the answer. It's because for the most part they've been given sweetheart deals. They are supposed to be suspended for four years, they're not. They're suspended for six months commencing in September so they don't miss a single race."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
