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Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey Photo by Maryse Alberti, Courtesy of Sony Pictures ClassicsLance Armstrong settles $10 million Tour de France bonus case
Lance Armstrong has settled a $10 million legal action relating to bonuses he received for three of the seven editions of the Tour de France he won between 1999 and 2005.
The disgraced cyclist, who was stripped of those victories in 2012, has also apologised to the insurance company concerned, SCA Promotions.
The insurer had initially withheld payment of bonuses as allegations began to surface that Armstrong was cheating.
But in 2006, it reached an out-of-court settlement with him and Tailwind Sports, management company of the US Postal Service team, which resulted in it paying $7.5 million plus $2.5 million costs.
After Armstrong’s confession in 2013, SCA sought to have that decision reversed.
While the arbitration panel that heard the original case had no powers to do that, in February this year it ordered him to pay the company $10 million – effectively bringing about the same result.
Armstrong did not disclose how much he had paid to SCA, reports BBC Sport, but he said: “I'm pleased to have this matter behind me and I look forward to moving on.”
He added: "I do wish to apologise to SCA, and its chief executive Bob Hamman, for any misconduct on my part in connection with our dispute and the resulting arbitration."
In recent days Armstrong has however been successful in limiting the number of questions lawyers acting on behalf of former team mate Floyd Landis can ask him regarding his doping.
Landis brought a ‘whistleblower’ action in 2010 under the False Claims Act alleging misuse of federal funds in the form of sponsorship money from US Postal.
That action was later joined by the US Department of Justice and could cost Armstrong up to $100 million if it goes against him.
According to USA Today, in July attorneys acting for Landis sent their counterparts in the Armstrong camp a 40-page document which among other things asked him to state all doping methods he used in every race he rode in from 1998 to 2004.
Armstrong’s lawyers described the request as “abusive, unreasonable and oppressive” and pointed out that he had already confessed.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper determined that Landis “shall instead narrow this list of requests to a maximum of 50.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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22 comments
How do you know this? There seem to be plenty of other who still remain tight lipped on details while paying lip service to the anti doping line.
How about another point of view where people were pressurised or bullied into doping against their will? Doping was so prevalent that the only way to make a living was to dope, and when the first opportunity came to blow omerta wide open, they took it. Do these people lack integrity?
Would I want a mentally unstable, bullying liar at my side in battle? No thanks.
Well Armstrong's credibility is zero, so I think he might find it hard to point the finger, and if he does he needs back up or evidence.
Personally I'm glad that all the others opened up. All (well almost all, given the deluded rant above) the Lance fans could have the veneer rolled away to reveal the rotten under side to him.
It has also raised the question about drugs in other sports (what makes cycling so special) and shown how ineffective drug testing is. Something the athletes all knew, but not the fans that idolise them.
Aside from whether Lance is a tw@t or not, what really grates me with all this is this:
Back then the top pros had a 'code' (the omerta). Whether you doped or not, you kept your mouth shut! And when Lance started his TdF dominance the money started rolling in for domestiques as well as leaders, and the financial benefits of the 'code' were enjoyed.
Since it all went pop, the only guy who has kept his word of not squealing like a pig is (ironically) Mr Armstrong. Whilst those that have squealed did so because they were told of the shit-storm that was coming, and offered a deal (talk, get a reduced off-season ban, and keep the money earned whilst doping). The squealers weren't bothered about 'saving the sport', they were bothered about saving their asses! Even when it became apparent he'd been screwed by team mates and even 'friends' he maintained his silence about what others had got up to!
This is a guy under big pressure who no doubt has dirt on lots of people (not only cyclists, but doctors, managers, agents, sports wear companies, UCI, ASO, sponsors, other sports stars, even politicians). Yet he keeps it zipped!
I know who I'd wanna have with me in the trenches! It wouldn't be a turn-coat squealer only interested in saving his own ass!
So he's sorry, but not so sorry for 100% transparency. Shame on him.
I would love to see how you Lance haters would stand up to the pressures of the business if you were talented enough to ride in the tour. however, you didn't ride the tour, you weren't competing against other awesome riders that had teams of exercise scientists, nutritionists, and biomedical geniuses trying to develop the best combination of nutrients and chemicals to help their riders win. This sport is rife with doping.
Now pull your head out of the sand and recognize who receives the benefits of these new technologies: cancer patients, soldiers, elderly, premature infants, all receive benefits from the live testing that happens in the sport of cycling.
So, Lance did it best and he said what he wanted, he intimidated other riders, and he threw it in their face. You have to have confidence in yourself to perform at this level. Pro athletes from ever sport pay big dollars to sports psychologists just to get this attitude.
The sad part of this affair is Landis and his pathetic whistleblowing only because he finally won a tour and got caught doping himself. Now he can't hold his head up anywhere because he is a rat for turning on his fellow American.
The way you haters jump on Lance every time an article comes up just tells me you would run to mommy whenever the game didn't go your way. Change your name to Tonya Harding and hang out with Cait Jenner.
The sad part of your diatribe is your pathetic defence of a cheat.
Why defend a cheat? Why not choose a hero with honour? First hand I witnessed his bulling, his underhanded lies. Most dopers are just kids looking for fame and weak in spirit. Some are greedy, some are desperate . LA isn't a nice human, power crazy, and even in the face confessional platform, still lied. Hang the dick upside down and let our beautiful sport move on.
Any chance you could expand on this? Were you riding with/against him at that time or working with a team?
Apologies if I am missing the obvious as to who you are here.
He's George Hincapie ………….
ICMFP.
"Now pull your head out of the sand and recognize who receives the benefits of these new technologies: cancer patients, soldiers, elderly, premature infants, all receive benefits from the live testing that happens in the sport of cycling. "
The colossal ignorance of this statement defies belief. I don't reply/post much, but the ridiculousness and stupidity of this took my breath away. It's the other way around - sport usually mis/re-appropriates drugs. Sport cheats do not then go on to publish their results to benefit others. This must have been a wind-up surely?
Are you Lances mum by chance?
Cry more.
Another mealy mouthed, weasel worded 'apology' from a very arrogant and frankly dishonest individual, who most annoyingly won't just bugger off and leave cycling alone.
Yeah. Why won't he just leave cycling alone by, umm, not being sued by people?
He should be given his 7 TdF victories back. Not a fan of what he has done but if Ryder Hesjedal can get done for drugs and retain his Giro then there needs to be some consistancy. Off my soap box now.
There are other examples but I'm off the box now.
"He should be given his 7 TdF victories back"
Are you for real! To cheat once is bad enough but to cheat over several years and deny it time and time again, only to confess once you've been discovered beggars belief. He needs to rot in his own sweaty chamois....
He has, along with his supporters, put the sport back decades. Everytime I see a drugs cheat (Contador, Valverde, etc) leading a race or topping a table I wonder how long that will stand...that is way other cyclists have to run the gauntlet, well some riders anyway (Frome) Others just get written off as being very good! (Quintana).
If you can't do it without drugs, don't do it. Simple.
If you are genuinely interested in the 'why' then i recommend David Millar's book Racing Into the Dark. Its quite fascinating, the psychology behind why cyclists dope and why they have to deny it up until they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar so to speak. Incidentally, in the book (written before Lance confessed) Millar said he suspects that Lance is clean "his results are freakish but he is a freakish athelete"
I think its lazy to say Lance put the sport back decades. The fact is the whole cycling industry and sport back in that era did the damage, to blame one person is easy but denies the truth of what really happened.
Like any of Lance's 'disclosures' I would be careful in taking too much of what David Millar says as 'red'. Sure it's a confessional, but it's also an apologists book. He's not going to write anything that could get him sued or that gets him in to trouble. The book is merely a chance for him to explain himself. Lance has called him 'St David' which is sort of sums him up.
As for the tirade against 'Lance haters': have you removed your Livestrong band yet? It appears to be constricting the blood going to your brain....to many things wrong about your post not least to say that Lance's training had a medical benefit. If you should know anything about Lance Armstrong it's that barely a kernel of truth seeps out his lips (yes, there was a whole bunch of 'spin' about his methodical training methods). If you want evidence of that there is the Lance Armstrong lie film. The part where he deliberately chooses Frankie Andreu for all his interviews so that he has to wait outside the bus, but when asked about it in an interview he states that there was nothing malicious about when asked on camera. Typical Lance - extrapolate that to everything.
"As read".
Also, I believe in the latest edition of Millar's book that part has been changed, which may reflect his true opinion (or not, obv).
Yeah, fair point - DM wouldn't accuse anyone of doping in his book unless it was a proven fact or he'd get sued. I did only buy the book a couple of months ago so assumed it was the latest edition, it may not be though.
I didn't tirade against Lance haters. I accept people hate him. I just think its a bit dull to pretend that all would be fine in cycling if it wasn't for Lance and I called someone out on that.
Yeah I know. That part wasn't aimed at you. Just the numb nuts who things that Lance has performed in depth pharmaceutical research which helps cancer patients.
Like any of Lance's 'disclosures' I would be careful in taking too much of what David Millar says as 'red'. Sure it's a confessional, but it's also an apologists book. He's not going to write anything that could get him sued or that gets him in to trouble. The book is merely a chance for him to explain himself. Lance has called him 'St David' which is sort of sums him up.
As for the tirade against 'Lance haters': have you removed your Livestrong band yet? It appears to be constricting the blood going to your brain....to many things wrong about your post not least to say that Lance's training had a medical benefit. If you should know anything about Lance Armstrong it's that barely a kernel of truth seeps out his lips (yes, there was a whole bunch of 'spin' about his methodical training methods). If you want evidence of that there is the Lance Armstrong lie film. The part where he deliberately chooses Frankie Andreu for all his interviews so that he has to wait outside the bus, but when asked about it in an interview he states that there was nothing malicious about when asked on camera. Typical Lance - extrapolate that to everything.