Armstrong Addresses Doctor’s Ties to Drugs

Lance Armstrong agreed Monday his ties to an Italian doctor allegedly linked to performance-enhancing drug use might appear questionable and said he would review them after the doctor’s September trial.

But the two-time Tour de France champion reiterated he believes Dr. Michele Ferrari is innocent.

Armstrong, on course for a third consecutive Tour title, answered questions about Ferrari at a news conference in the Texan’s fullest explanation yet of their ties since they were made public after the start of the race.

“People are not stupid,” he said. “They will look at the facts. They will say: ‘Here’s Lance Armstrong. Here’s a relationship. Is it questionable? Perhaps.’

“But people are smart,” he continued. “They will say: ‘Has Lance Armstrong ever tested positive? No. Has Lance Armstrong ever been tested? A lot.’ ”

The Tour de France, which had a rest day Monday, resumes today with a stage between Pau and Lavaur in southwest France. The race ends July 29.

Armstrong has never failed a drug test. The Texan repeated an earlier statement that he would “reevaluate” his relationship with Ferrari if the doctor is convicted. The trial stems from a drug investigation in Italy.

“I believe he’s innocent,” Armstrong said. “He’s a clean man in my opinion. Let there be a trial.”

The cyclist said he would continue to work with Ferrari if Ferrari is acquitted.

Earlier this month, Armstrong released a statement about his relationship with Ferrari after it was disclosed in newspaper reports. He said he worked with the doctor “on a limited basis” since 1995, and is currently working with him on a possible attempt at breaking the world one-hour record.

Armstrong said he uses only “natural methods of improvement.”

On Monday, he reiterated a claim he made in April that urine samples taken from his U.S. Postal Service team in the 2000 Tour tested negative for the drug agent EPO when analyzed as part of a French investigation.

Tests on contents of garbage bags used by the team have revealed no evidence of drug use, the Paris prosecutor’s office said last month. Results of separate tests on urine and blood samples taken from riders are not yet known, prosecutors said.

Armstrong’s Paris lawyer, Georges Kiejman, has said the results of urine tests showing no evidence of EPO are “unofficial but certain.”

Armstrong has been dogged in France by speculation about drug use. But on Monday he said this was inevitable because of cycling’s tarnished reputation. The 1998 Tour de France was nearly wrecked by a drug scandal that led to the conviction of several people last fall.

“I have a questionable reputation because I’m a cyclist,” Armstrong said. “People love to single out cycling. This is an issue of sport. The problems are not exclusive to cycling or the Tour de France or Lance Armstrong.”