Well, the noose continues to tighten on Lance Armstrong. The Outside Magazine Blog is reporting that former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, has now accused Lance Armstrong of using EPO during the 1999 Tour De France — the first year Armstrong won — and while preparing for the 2000 and 2001 races.
EPO is a hormone used by athletes to boost the number of red blood cells (blood doping) in the bloodstream in order to improve the amount of oxygen being delivered from lungs to muscles, thus improving aerobic capacity and endurance.
Armstrong is currently under federal investigation for doping. Essentially, the feds are involved because Lance was a rider for the the United States Postal Service team from 1998 to 2005.
Although Lance makes a great case for never having doped, consider these facts:
* The three winners of the Tour de France in the three years prior to the Armstrong era have all admitted to doping:
1996: Bjarne Riis
1997: Jan Ullrich
1998: Marco Pantani
* During the Armstrong era of 1999 through 2005, there were a total of eight different riders that finished second or third to Lance in those years. Five of those riders have since been busted for doping: Alex Zulle, Jan Ullrich, Raimondas Rumsas, Alexander Vinokourov and Ivan Basso.
* In 2006, the first year after the Armstrong era, Tour winner Floyd Landis was stripped of his victory for illegal doping.
* At least six teammates - top lieutenants - of Armstrong have been busted, or admitted to doping over the years, including; Tyler Hamilton, Ivan Basso, Roberto Herras, Floyd Landis, Frankie Andreu and Manuel Beltran.
I'm not saying Lance is guilty, but there's an awful lot of smoke.
To read the Outside blog posting, please
click here.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com 
Hiking Tours