Lance Armstrong has spoken about how he managed to avoid detection as a drug cheat after years of taking “undetectable” substances before confessing to using erythropoietin (EPO).
Armstrong was previously considered perhaps the greatest road cyclist of all time in the sport's history, dominating the Tour de France from 199 to 2005 and winning an unprecedented seven consecutive titles.
But despite constant suspicions of wrongdoing, he passed drug test after drug test, seemingly proving his innocence in a sport that has had a largely checkered history with doping.
After retiring from the sport twice in 2005 and 2011, a USADA investigation using historical blood samples in 2012 revealed that he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.
USADA said Armstrong led “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program the sport has ever seen” within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.
Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles in a row from 1999 to 2005 before they were stripped from him
The American explained how he had avoided detection as a drug cheat throughout his career
WHAT IS EPO?
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone produced primarily in the kidneys that stimulates red blood cell production.
Taking the hormone synthetically can help increase oxygen levels in the muscles.
It has been banned as a performance-enhancing drug since the early 1990s.
The Festina cycling team was embroiled in a drug-related scandal at the 1998 Tour de France when a collection of doping products was found in one of the team's cars before the start of a race.
Former UFC fighter TJ Dillashaw was stripped of his bantamweight title in 2019 after testing positive for EPO.
Tennis star Simona Halep was also banned for four years after high EPO levels were found in a blood sample.
A 2007 study found that EPO had a “significant impact on exercise performance.”
Although he initially protested his innocence, he did not fight the allegations, but in January 2013 he finally admitted that he was involved in doping, although his revoked titles were not distributed.
Now Armstrong has explained how he managed to avoid detection throughout his career in the saddle, claiming he has undergone over “500” tests.
“In some ways you would be messing with the system, but what I always said – and I'm not trying to justify what I said as something I want to repeat again – was one of the sentences: 'I became Tested 500 times.” “I’ve never failed a doping test,” said the American in the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher.
“That's not a lie. It's the truth. There was no way to escape control. When I peed in the cup and they analyzed the urine in the cup, it happened.'
He added: “The reality and truth of all this is that some of these substances, particularly the most useful ones, have a half-life of four hours.” So certain substances, be it cannabis or anabolic steroids or whatever, have much longer half-lives.
“You could smoke that joint and drive the tractor to work… in two weeks and have a positive test result 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 improve the body's ability to deliver oxygen to muscles.
An endurance sport like cycling – where the Tour de France lasts three weeks with only two or three rest days in between – requires the use of EPO – a hormone found in the kidneys that stimulates the production of red blood cells, which increase oxygen levels can in the muscles – gives the rider an enormous advantage.
Armstrong's rival in 2003, Jan Ullrich (right), also confessed to blood doping in 2013
Armstrong admitted doping in 2013 after being sanctioned for doping the year before
Rather than enduring the rigors of the tour like a clean athlete, those using EPO may experience a slower and far less severe decline in muscle performance, which also aids recovery between stages.
“EPO, the rocket fuel that has transformed not just our sport but all endurance sports, has a half-life of four hours, so it leaves the body very quickly,” Armstrong continued.
“I don't want to encourage anyone to do anything they don't have to do.” The truth is that you had a drug that was undetectable and that had a huge positive impact on performance and recovery.
“Both are important, but especially for performance… and as we were led to believe, which I disagree with, it was safe when taken under medical supervision.”