Armstrong Fears Attack on Tour Return

Authorities told of elaborate regimen used by entire US team

(NEWSER) - Floyd Landis might just be the Jose Canseco of cycling. The disgraced cyclist has sent letters to the US Anti-Doping Agency and the FDA agent who broke the BALCO case outlining an elaborate doping regimen used by the entire US Postal Service Cycling Team from 2002 to 2005, the New York Daily News reports. Landis' letter implicates not just Armstrong and his fellow cyclists, but cycling officials, doctors, and team leaders. More»

(NEWSER) - The French anti-doping agency has cleared Lance Armstrong to compete in the Tour de France after resolving a controversy over blood and urine tests administered last month, CNN reports. The cyclist allegedly avoided an official by showering while the inspector's credentials were verified, which the agency has apparently found acceptable. “Case closed, no penalty, all samples clean. Onward,” Armstrong Tweeted. More»

7-time American champ OK to ride in France next summer—as long as team stays clean

(AP) - Lance Armstrong can return to the Tour de France in 2009 if his team avoids doping scandals, the race director said today after the seven-time champion confirmed his comeback with the Astana squad. The team was barred from this year's Tour because of doping problems in the past. “They should be there if there are no ethical problems,” Christian Prudhomme said. More»

Alberto Contador to be banned from racing for 2 years: appeals court

(NEWSER) - Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has been found guilty of doping during his 2010 victory, prompting a two-year ban on racing. The Spanish cyclist will also likely lose his title from that year—in addition, perhaps, to seeing all his racing wins in 2011 annulled. Contador tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug clenbuterol during the Tour in 2010; he blamed it on a tainted steak he had eaten. More»

Statements to feds throw new light on '60 Minutes' flap

(NEWSER) - Lance Armstrong's drug tests in the 2001 Tour de Suisse returned "suspicious" results "consistent with EPO use," Swiss anti-doping lab chief Martial Saugy told the FBI last September, according to a new AP report. The revelation is the latest twist in the feud between Armstrong and 60 Minutes , which reported last week that Saugy had made such claims. Saugy denied this, saying the US team's samples had been suspicious, but he wasn't sure if Armstrong's specific sample was tainted. But that's not what he told US authorities, according to a source with inside knowledge of the investigation. More»