Lance Armstrong is currently facing doping charges from the USADA and according to a Dutch paper, five of Armstrong’s former teammates agreed to testify against him in exchange for lessened penalties.
Former Lance Armstrong Teammates Deny Report Of USADA Ban
France riders Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie, and two more American cyclists on other teams, had agreed to give evidence in exchange for delayed six-month bans.
While this might look like a big blow against Armstrong, who has denied the charges, it doesn’t appear to be totally accurate. Jonathan Vaughters, a former Armstrong teammate and current director of team Garmin-Sharp, took to Twitter early on Thursday to deny the report.
Regarding the Dutch media report: No 6mos suspensions have been given to any member of Slipstream Sports. Today or at any future date.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) July 5, 2012
Vaughters then held an impromptu press conference outside the team bus in which he called the claims "completely untrue" and denied the existence of any six-month bans for the team members, per the Associated Press.
A director of Garmin-Sharp denied that any of the cycling team’s riders have been banned for six months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as part of its doping probe into seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
Jonathan Vaughters said on Thursday that a Dutch media report about six-month bans is “completely untrue.”
None of the riders listed in the Dutch report felt compelled to comment on the matter, noting they’re just trying to prepare for their current events.
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