Lance Armstrong’s former manager denies USADA charges

The man who helped orchestrate Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories says the charges brought against him this week by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency have no merit.

Johan Bruyneel, who managed Armstrong during his stints with U.S. Postal, Discovery and Team RadioShack, declared his innocence Friday, and expressed confidence that a new case against him would go nowhere.

“I have never participated in any doping activity and I am innocent of all charges,” Bruyneel said in a statement posted to his website.

“It cannot be right that I or anyone else can be pursued from court to court simply because our accusers do not like the decisions made along the way and so attempt to find a court which will get them the result they want,” he said. “I shall of course cooperate fully with the investigation, although I have no doubt the end result will be the same as all the other investigations over the years.”

Earlier this week, the USADA charged Armstrong and several of his former associates of taking part in a doping conspiracy.

The organization accused Bruyneel of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to cyclists on his teams. In its June 12 letter, the USADA said several cyclists under Bruyneel will testify that they were supplied performance-enhancing drugs or were encouraged to take them.

Bruyneel, considered one of cycling’s most prolific team managers, did not mention Armstrong or anyone else in his statement.

If found guilty, Bruyneel could face a lifetime ban from the sport. He has until June 22 to submit a written response to the charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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