Baring The Lance Armstrong Doping Story: Government Probe May Yield Answers...Armstrong Denies Using Steroids...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor

AUSTIN, Texas - Among the many celebrities cruising this capital city's streets and social scene is one Lance Armstrong - the 7-time winner of the annual Tour de France bicycle marathon. Armstrong cuts a very public trail here. He can be seen at this and that function to do with cancer, breast and testicular, the latter his recent nemesis.

But now comes news of an investigation into something Armstrong has battled - and denied - for years, namely allegations that he has used steroids and other performance enhancement drugs while competing domesticallly and overseas.

Chasing confirmation of the serpentine rumors is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the dederal agency whose agents previously investigated baseball player Barry Bonds and track star Marion Jones. On the story is the national magazine Sports Illustrated. The magazine is reporting that the feds have focused on whether Armstrong "was involved in an organized doping operation as a member of the team sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service from 1999 to 2004, and since August the grand jury has been hearing testimony from Armstrong's associates and confidants." The sensational story will be featured in the magazine's Jan. 24 issue, which hits the newsstands Wednesday.

Sports Illustrated lists anecdotal info from other bicyclists familiar with Armstrong's pre-race practices and what they say is his way of skirting doping urine tests. Some members of his own racing team go so far as to say Armstrong encouraged them to take the drugs. Victories, they say, were needed to justify the U.S. Postal Service's $30 million investment in backing of the team.

A quote of note in the magazine: "If a court finds that Armstrong won his titles while taking performance-enhancing drugs, his entourage may come to be known as the domestiques of the saddest deception in sports history."

This has been going for years, with most of the accusations coming from European riders. Armstrong has fielded every allegation by issuing vigorous denials, and at all times blaming jealousy as the motivation behind the rumors.

He's been gone a bit from competition, but it appears the stain on his victories remains on a fast downhill roll...

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