Lance Armstrong has opened up on how he managed to escape detection as a drug cheat after taking 'undetectable' substances for years, before confessing to using banned substance, Erythropoietin (EPO).
Armstrong was previously seen
as the greatest ever road cyclist in the history of the sport, dominating the
Tour de France for over a decade winning an unprecedented seven titles in
succession.
However, despite constant
suggestions he was involved in foul play, he passed drugs test after drugs
test, seemingly proving his innocence in a sport with a bad history of doping.
Having twice retired from the
sport, in both 2005 and 2011, it then emerged in 2012 that he had been using performance
enhancers throughout his career following a USADA investigation based on
historic blood samples.
USADA said Armstrong had led
'the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that
sport has ever seen' within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel
teams.
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a
glycoprotein hormone primarily produced in the kidneys that stimulates
production of red blood cells.
Taking the hormone
synthetically can help increase the levels of oxygen in muscles.
While initially protesting his
innocence, he did not fight the allegations, but in January 2013 he admitted
that he was involved in doping, although his stripped titles would not be
redistributed.
Now, Armstrong has explained
how he managed to avoid detection throughout his career, claiming that he was subjected
to over '500' tests.
'In a sense, you would
frustrate the system, but what I always said - and I'm not trying to justify
what I said as something I would want to repeat again - but one of the sentences
was: "I have been tested 500 times and I have never failed a doping
control",' the American told the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher.
'That's not a lie. It's the
truth. There was no way to avoid the control. When I peed in the cup and they
analysed the pee in the cup, it happened.'
He added:
'The reality and truth of all this is that
some of these substances, especially the most beneficial, have a half-life of
four hours. So certain substances, whether it's cannabis or anabolics, or
whatever, have much longer half-lives.
'You could smoke that joint and
go to work driving your tractor... in two weeks and test positive, because the
half-life is much longer.
Armstrong was accused of, and
admitted to, blood doping, which involves the use of illegal products and
methods to enhance the bodies ability to carry oxygen to muscles’
In an endurance sport such as
cycling, the use of EPO - a hormone found in the kidneys that stimulates
production of red blood cells, which can increase oxygen levels in muscles -
grants riders a huge advantage.
Those using EPO might find
their muscular output decrease at a slower and far less severe rate, which also
aids recovery in between stages.
'With EPO, which was the rocket
fuel that changed not only our sport, but all endurance sports, you have a
half-life of four hours, so it leaves the body very quickly,' continued
Armstrong.
'I don't want to encourage
anyone to do something they don't have to do. The truth is that you had a drug
that was undetectable, that was tremendously beneficial for performance and
recovery.
'Both are important, but
especially for performance... and, as we were led to believe, which I do not
disagree with, if taken under the care of a doctor it was safe.
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