Lance confirms to Oprah that he cheated
His cocktail was EPO, blood transfusions, and testosterone.
For those of you who didn’t catch Oprah’s interview of Lance Armstrong tonight, they will have a West Coast airing at 9 pm PT on Oprah.com.
We won’t go through everything but here are the core elements from the interview:
Lance admitted to using EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, cortisone, and growth hormone.
His particular cocktail was: EPO, transfusions, and testosterone.
All of his seven Tour de France victories were achieved under the influence of the previously mentioned methods.
He did not feel that he was cheating, but leveling the playing field. There was no real justification for his cheating but he felt justified for using testosterone due to the effects on his body after battling cancer.
He was not afraid of getting caught during the days when out of competition testing did not exist. He and the other cyclists were only tested at the races so you stopped doping in time to be clean at the races. This all changed with out of competition testing, and the introduction of the biological passport.
He regrets coming back after retiring following the 7th Tour de France win. He doesn’t think he would have been caught if he stayed retired.
Did not cheat in 2009 and 2010.
He failed to “throw anyone under the bus” and reveal any names.
Admitted he was a bully, a jerk, and control freak.
He did not pay the UCI or the testing facility $100 000 to cover up a positive test. He really did just make a donation.
Insisted that he issued no direct order to force fellow teammates to take drugs or blood dope. He led by example, and his teammates were expected to be at their best to remain a part of the team.
If he could go back in time, he would have agreed to co-operate with USADA and their investigation.
Part 2 of the interview take place Friday January 18 at 9 pm ET on the OWN Network and at Oprah.com
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Some impressions from Betsy Andreu.
Is Lance still lying?
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