William
10-12-2012, 03:13 PM
Former Armstrong aide speaks as fallout from doping probe continues
Manchester, England (CNN) -- A former assistant to Lance Armstrong and his cycling team who first told her tale of the team's alleged doping abuses nearly a decade ago says her goal has never been to bring the legendary cyclist down.
"I'm hoping and in the long term think it will be good for cycling and it will be good for the riders involved in cycling because I think that now more than ever, this is the opportunity for riders to have the choice to ride clean and stay clean if they choose to," Emma O'Reilly said in an interview to be aired Friday on CNN.
Armstrong's legacy may withstand accusations
O'Reilly worked with Armstrong for two years as a U.S. Postal Service team soigneur: part masseuse, part personal assistant. She is one of 26 witnesses who testified to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as part of its investigation into doping by Armstrong and other riders on the team.
In its report, released Wednesday, the organization tasked with keeping banned substances out of U.S. Olympic-sanctioned sports said it had uncovered "overwhelming evidence" that Armstrong had participated in and helped run the cycling team's doping program.
The agency described it as "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
USADA sent the information to international cycling authorities, who are considering a request to strip Armstrong of his Tour de France titles and other wins.
On Wednesday, Armstrong lawyer Tim Herman dismissed the USADA report as a "one-sided hatchet job" and a "government-funded witch hunt" against the seven-time Tour de France winner, who has consistently denied doping accusations, including those made by O'Reilly. Armstrong decided to give up fighting the agency's investigation in August, after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit he had filed seeking to stop the probe.
In fresh fallout, the International Olympic Committee said Friday that it also is examining the USADA's evidence to decide whether it should consider taking away the bronze medal Armstrong won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, according to spokesman Andrew Mitchell.
The RadioShack Nissan Trek cycling team announced Friday that it was parting ways with Johan Bruyneel, who managed the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery racing teams on which Armstrong raced.
In its report, the USADA said it "the overwhelming evidence in this case is that Johan Bruyneel was intimately involved in all significant details of the U.S. Postal team's doping program."
Bruyneel is among three former U.S. Postal Service and Discovery team officials who are fighting the charges.
The Radio Shack Nissan Trek team said the mutual decision "is necessary to make this decision since Johan Bruyneel can no longer direct the Team in an efficient and comfortable way."........
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/12/us/armstrong-doping-masseuse/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
William
Manchester, England (CNN) -- A former assistant to Lance Armstrong and his cycling team who first told her tale of the team's alleged doping abuses nearly a decade ago says her goal has never been to bring the legendary cyclist down.
"I'm hoping and in the long term think it will be good for cycling and it will be good for the riders involved in cycling because I think that now more than ever, this is the opportunity for riders to have the choice to ride clean and stay clean if they choose to," Emma O'Reilly said in an interview to be aired Friday on CNN.
Armstrong's legacy may withstand accusations
O'Reilly worked with Armstrong for two years as a U.S. Postal Service team soigneur: part masseuse, part personal assistant. She is one of 26 witnesses who testified to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as part of its investigation into doping by Armstrong and other riders on the team.
In its report, released Wednesday, the organization tasked with keeping banned substances out of U.S. Olympic-sanctioned sports said it had uncovered "overwhelming evidence" that Armstrong had participated in and helped run the cycling team's doping program.
The agency described it as "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
USADA sent the information to international cycling authorities, who are considering a request to strip Armstrong of his Tour de France titles and other wins.
On Wednesday, Armstrong lawyer Tim Herman dismissed the USADA report as a "one-sided hatchet job" and a "government-funded witch hunt" against the seven-time Tour de France winner, who has consistently denied doping accusations, including those made by O'Reilly. Armstrong decided to give up fighting the agency's investigation in August, after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit he had filed seeking to stop the probe.
In fresh fallout, the International Olympic Committee said Friday that it also is examining the USADA's evidence to decide whether it should consider taking away the bronze medal Armstrong won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, according to spokesman Andrew Mitchell.
The RadioShack Nissan Trek cycling team announced Friday that it was parting ways with Johan Bruyneel, who managed the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery racing teams on which Armstrong raced.
In its report, the USADA said it "the overwhelming evidence in this case is that Johan Bruyneel was intimately involved in all significant details of the U.S. Postal team's doping program."
Bruyneel is among three former U.S. Postal Service and Discovery team officials who are fighting the charges.
The Radio Shack Nissan Trek team said the mutual decision "is necessary to make this decision since Johan Bruyneel can no longer direct the Team in an efficient and comfortable way."........
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/12/us/armstrong-doping-masseuse/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
William