Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong allegedly admitted taking banned doping products before suffering from cancer, according to evidence given under oath to a court in Dallas earlier this year and published in Saturday’s edition of French daily Le Monde.
According to former friends of the American cyclist, Armstrong, who suffered from testicular cancer in 1996, allegedly told a doctor at Indiana University Hospital in October of that year after undergoing brain surgery that he had previously taken the banned substances EPO, testosterone, growth hormones and cortisone.
The allegations are based on evidence given on January 17 this year under oath in a Dallas court by Betsy Andreu, wife of Frankie Andreu, the former best friend of Armstrong, who claim they were both present when the cyclist told the doctor of his past doping.
Frankie Andreu made the same statement in court on October 25 2005, according to Le Monde, which claims that the Andreus previously told the same story during a arbitration hearing between Armstrong and his insurance company SCA Promotions.
A third person, Stephanie McIlvain, who was also present at the meeting with the doctor in 1996, denied to the court, however, having heard Armstrong say that he took doping products. — AFP
