So after the latest news re doping and cycling what do ya reckon? I hope he is....I also hoped Lance was as well. What a shame, maybe they should just let all cyclists dope so that there is an even playing field.
George Hincapie, a key teammate of Australian Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, has been named by a Dutch newspaper as one of four ex-teammates of Lance Armstrong who are said to have testified against him in an United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation.
The Tour awoke to the news on Thursday with websites reporting that the Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf had named Hincapie (BMC), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp), David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp) and Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) as the riders.
It was also reported that the same four riders had confessed to doping and that they will receive bans of six months that will be served at the end of the season.
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Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles are under threat should doping charges be upheld against him. Photo: AFP
All four riders had recently told USA Cycling that they did not want to be considered for selection into the five-rider US road team for the Olympic Games in London. Hincapie, who is racing a record 17th Tour, also recently announced that he would retire after the season.
Also named in the report was former rider Jonathan Vaughters who is the general manager of the American registered Garmin-Sharp team.
Hincapie, who has been a professional for 19 years and was the only rider to have ridden in all seven Tours that Armstrong won, last week was guarded when asked about the investigation, although his remarks were more supporting than condemning of the Texan.
Speaking at the BMC Tour team launch hours before USADA revealed that it was formally charging Armstrong, Hincapie was asked if the controversy had an impact on his Tour preparation. He said: "I am here to focus and help the team. Even the fact that I am retiring - thoughts are coming in my head and they make you think about other things; but it's my job to be here and support the team and I do my best job . I don't let it affect me, no."
Then, when asked if he would feel "betrayed" should the charges against Armstrong be proven, Hincapie said: "I have nothing but respect for Lance, for what he did for cycling. It was incredible. What he achieved in cycling and how he inspired millions of people with cancer is honourable.
"That's all I have to say about [it]. I have a lot of respect for what he has done for the sport."
The De Telegraaf report came in the aftermath of USADA's decision last week to formally charge Armstrong who could lose his seven Tour titles.
The charges relate to alleged offences from 1999 when he won his first Tour, to 2011 when he retired for a second time after a two-year comeback.
The move to charge Armstrong came after a three-member review panel assessed the evidence submitted by USADA whose allegations became public on June 13 when the Washington Post published details of a 15-page letter from USADA to Armstrong and four other former associates of his.
The other four were his former sports director Johan Bruyneel, now the RadioShack-Nissan team manager but not at the Tour because of the investigation, doctors Michele Ferrari, Pedro Celaye, and Luis Garcia del Moral, and team trainer Pepe Marti.
They have all been accused of offences that include the administration of doping products, trafficking, assisting and abetting and covering up.
The USADA letter also said that it had 10 witnesses who would testify against Armstrong, but that their names would remain confidential.
Armstrong's camp responded to the USADA allegations in an 18-page letter, asking the review panel to reject the charges, saying there was not enough proof, but his response fell on deaf ears. The USADA then said in a statement: "All respondents will have the opportunity to exercise their right to a full public arbitration hearing, should they so choose, where all evidence would be presented, witness testimony would be given under oath, and an independent group of arbitrators would ultimately decide the outcome of the case. USADA will continue to follow the established procedures that are compliant with federal law and were approved by athletes, the US Olympic Committee and all Olympic sports organisations."
The case will now go to an arbitration panel. Although, whoever loses could appealing the verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Read more:
www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/us-cyclists-testify-against-lance-armstrong-report-20120705-21jnl.html
