SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
KLMNO CYCLING Armstrong’s legacy is potentially in jeopardy armstrong from D1
Friday, according to the New York Daily News. Novitzky has sought interviews with potential witnesses, offering proffers of limited immunity that protect them from prosecution unless they lie, according to a source. Attorneys for former Arm- strong teammates George Hinca- pie and Tyler Hamilton say No- vitzky contacted them, but no meetings have occurred. Former Armstrong teammates Dave Za- briskie and Christian Vande Velde also have been contacted, according to people with knowl- edge of the investigation. Novitzky declined to comment in an e-mail. The probe is expected to in- tensify after the Tour de France, when cyclists return to the Unit- ed States.
A veteran investigator
Novitzky, whose investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co- operative (Balco) helped bring about an indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charg- es for Bonds in 2007 and a six- month jail sentence for Jones in 2008, left his investigative post at the IRS for a similar position with the Food and Drug Adminis- tration in 2008. Late in 2008 and early in 2009,
as Novitzky immersed himself in his new job by spearheading ef- forts to crack down on renegade companies in the dietary supple- ment industry that lace their products with steroids, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) won two anti-doping convictions, one hinging on information from informants. The cases suggested that a Los
Angeles-based professional cy- cling team with no connection to Armstrong might be operating an organized doping program. Having formed a relationship with Novitzky during the Balco investigation, USADA officials turned over witnesses and evi- dence they had acquired in their proceedings, according to sourc- es.
Novitzky, who appears to have
significant investigative latitude, began looking hard at the team, known as Rock Racing, and its owner, fashion designer Michael
REUTERS
THE ACCUSER: Floyd Landis, left, claimed publicly in May that he participated in a secret doping program with Lance Armstrong, right, and others on the USPS team between 2002 and 2004.
Ball. Last winter, a formal in- vestigation with Ball as the target was launched, according to sources. In the ensuing months, the probe was so tightly centered on Ball that Novitzky interviewed at least one professional cycling fig- ure who had connections to Ball and Armstrong without asking a single question about Arm- strong, according to a person with knowledge of the interview. Ball did not respond to a re- quest for comment for this story. Around the time a search war-
rant was being executed on Ball’s home, Landis was facing a career in tatters. After returning to com- petition in early 2009, Landis performed poorly in the Tour of California. Competing for a Cali- fornia-based racing team owned by cyclist Rahsaan Bahati, Landis could not persuade Tour of Cali- fornia operators to allow him to compete in this year’s event. In May, after having exchanged e-mails with Armstrong in which he threatened to go public with doping allegations, Landis finally stepped forward. It was a deci- sion that would alter the course
of Novitzky’s investigation.
Landis’s role Landis leveled numerous
charges against Armstrong and his teammates in e-mails to cy- cling officials and interviews with reporters. He said he saw U.S. Postal team members engage in blood-doping, a banned prac- tice. He claimed that Armstrong personally gave him testoster- one. He alleged that Armstrong paid off international cycling of- ficials to cover up a positive drug test, a charge that was denied by the international cycling body, UCI. He claimed to The Wall Street Journal that a team official told him some 60 Trek bikes giv- en to the U.S. Postal Service team were sold to fund the team’s dop- ing program. A professional rider who has no connection to Armstrong said teams historically have wagered that operating organized doping programs carries less risk than allowing cyclists to manage dop- ing on their own. The teams, said the athlete, want to ensure that no rider tests positive or “gets killed.”
Vinokourov captures 13th stage
Schleck keeps 31-second lead over Contador as Pyrenees loom
by Jamey Keaten
revel, france — Alexandre Vinokourov did his time for dop- ing. Now, he’s back to basking in Tour de France glory again. The 36-year-old from Kazakh- stan capped his return to cy- cling’s main event by winning the 13th stage on Saturday with a solo breakaway that said more about savvy and opportunistic cy- cling than leg power. It was a far cry from the 2007
Tour, when Vinokourov was kicked out and instantly became an emblem of doping shame after testing positive for a banned blood transfusion. Police raided his Astana team’s hotel, and the squad quit the race. Tour organizers lost the gamble they made by giving Asta- na a wild card to race a year after it was forced out in another dop- ing scandal. Vinokourov has since said he
doesn’t want to dwell on the past. He wants to regain the trust of fans and prove that he can win with hard work alone. “I showed I worked hard in
these two years,” he said Satur- day. It was his fourth career Tour stage victory. It would have been No. 6 — but his two stage wins in the 2007 Tour were nullified after his disqualification. Cycling’s past with doping lin-
gers at this Tour, especially after recent allegations by Floyd Lan- dis that the use of banned sub- stances was common on the U.S. Postal team when he rode with Lance Armstrong. The New York Daily News re-
ported Friday that three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond has been served with a grand jury subpoena as part of a U.S. federal investigation of possible fraud and doping charges against Arm- strong and his associates. On Saturday, Vinokourov
looked back at the trailing pack and thrust his arms skyward at the end of the 121.8-mile course from Rodez to Revel over five low-level climbs and beat the on- rushing pack by 13 seconds. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg
retained the yellow jersey, finish- ing in the pack alongside Vino- kourov’s teammate Alberto Con-
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES
Alexandre Vinokourov, being cheered on an ascent, made his return to the Tour de France a success by winning his fourth career stage.
tador, who trails by 31 seconds. Samuel Sanchez of Spain is a dis- tant third, 2 minutes 45 seconds back.
A showdown between Conta- dor and Schleck looms in the Pyr- enees, where the pack heads on Sunday for the first of four stages — one of the toughest sequences of climbing the three-week race has seen in recent years. The 114.7-mile ride from Revel to the ski station of Ax-3 Do- maines will lead riders up two ex- treme climbs, first the Port de Pailheres — one of the toughest ascents in cycling — and an uphill finish.
Schleck was happy to be able to
save up energy Saturday. “It was a good day for my
team,” said Schleck, the Saxo Bank leader. “We didn’t have to work. “Today was calm — tomorrow is the battle. We’re going to have a nice stage tomorrow.” Contador, after hugging Vino-
kourov at the finish, was still drinking up Astana’s victory on Saturday: “I am happier than if I had won.” Vinokourov, who faced a grill- ing from reporters about doping after he won the Liege-Bastogne- Liege in Belgium in April, said be- ing able to ride in the Tour this year was “already a big victory for me.” On Friday, Vinokourov tried a breakaway attack on the steep final climb in Mende, but bared his teeth in desperation as he couldn’t stay ahead of two lighter, fleeter and younger riders who beat him by four seconds.
Seven-time champion Arm- strong cruised in a bunch, finish- ing 4:35 back in 100th place — the fourth straight day that he’s lost time. The 38-year-old Texan says his title hopes are over: he’s 36th overall, 25:38 back. Armstrong has been plagued
by crashes at this year’s Tour, coming down at least three times and getting delayed by at least two others. His latest crash came during the warmup ride, before the start line. RadioShack spokesman Philippe Maertens said Arm- strong believed he simply bumped a teammate and fell, scraping up his left elbow. Arm- strong got back on his bike quick- ly.
— Associated Press
Upcoming Career Event Wednesday, July 21st
Opportunities Available for Candidates Possessing an Active TS/SCI:
Golfer Appreciation Days 7/19, 7/20, 7/21 7/26, 7/27, 7/28
$100
11AM - 3PM per hole
9 hole Minimum
range balls and cart included Expires 7/28/10
VA sales tax additional must present coupon.
www.fairfaxgolfspecials.com
703-631-9226
Windows Systems Administrators* UNIX Systems Administrators* System Integration Engineers Logistics Management Specialists Help Desk Specialists Business Continuity Planners (DRII or ABCP) Program Control Specialists
Information Assurance Specialists Oracle DBAs/Developers Network Engineers* Systems Engineers Software Engineers CM Specialists Contracts/Sub K Specialists
*Overseas Deployment Opportunities Also Available.
To Preregister & be Scheduled for an Interview, Please Submit Your
Resume to:
info@njvcjobs.com To Learn More About Our Careers Visit
www.njvc.com
“They don’t want riders dying in the middle of the night,” the athlete said, “and having to ex- plain that to the global press.” The athlete asked not to be iden- tified by name.
About the time he sent the e- mails, Landis reached out to offi- cials from USADA and was di- rected to Novitzky, according to people with knowledge of the probe. Landis sat down with USADA chief executive Travis Ty- gart and Novitzky together at one point, according to one source. Novitzky sought out other cy- clists and requested information from the bicycle company that sponsored the U.S. Postal Service team. A spokesman for the com- pany, Trek, said it is cooperating. LeMond told the Daily News he was instructed to produce docu- ments related the four cycling teams Armstrong has led since 1998. “A couple of guys have con-
firmed components of what [Landis] said, but what Novitzky is really interested in is not whether Lance Armstrong used EPO to win the Tour de France — that’s not his mandate — but
SUSAN WALSH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRACK RECORD:Jeff Novitzky already has led a federal drug investigation that ensnared Marion Jones and Barry Bonds.
whether there was tax evasion, contract fraud, importing drugs, using money to buy pharmaceu- ticals,” said an individual with knowledge of the investigation. “That’s why the investigation has gone global.” Indeed, World Anti-Doping
Agency Director General David Howman recently said the inter- national police organization, In- terpol, had agreed to assist with the probe. WADA and Interpol signed a joint agreement to fight sports doping last year. Federal officials have dis-
cussed whether any crimes they might uncover would fit within the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RI- CO), according to several sourc- es. The statute allows prosecu- tors to effectively sidestep the five-year statute of limitations on federal crimes because it allows illegal activity to be grouped, with the five-year count begin- ning after the last illegal act, ac- cording to G. Robert Blakey, a law professor at Notre Dame who helped draft the RICO legisla- tion. It also offers stiff penalties for
convictions, including mandato- ry jail time, Blakey said. But much more evidence than wit- ness testimony would be neces- sary for prosecution, Blakey add- ed, especially if the witnesses are compromised. “Ratting out people is always
suspect,” Blakey said. “No one in their right mind is going to charge Lance Armstrong with doing something unless the peo- ple testifying against him are massively corroborated.”
shipleya@washpost.com
S BASEBALL
SATURDAY’S LATE GAME
Blue Jays terminate O’s streak
by Jeff Zrebiec
Reprinted from Saturday’s late editions
baltimore — As deflating as their first half was, the Balti- more Orioles might have pre- ferred to have just kept playing after Sunday, rather than dis- persing to different parts of the country for their all-star break. Instead, all the momentum
they had built in a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers was gone early Friday night when starter Brad Bergesen put his teammates in a hole from which they never dug out.
Bergesen allowed runs in each of the first three innings and the Orioles did little against Toronto starter Ricky Romero, who allowed two un- earned runs over seven in- nings in a 4-2 victory in front of an announced 18,120 at Camden Yards. The Blue Jays improved to 7-0 against the Orioles this season. The Orioles (29-60) couldn’t recapture the late-game hero- ics that they found in getting the best of the Rangers. They had men on second and third with two outs in the seventh and Romero struck out César Izturis. They had the same situation in the eighth in- ning before Shawn Camp got Adam Jones swinging. Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his 21st save, retiring the Orioles in order on seven pitches, including a game-end- ing strikeout of Julio Lugo. Bergesen, who extended his career-long losing streak to five games, was hoping that he’d be able to get himself on track after a first half in which he went 3-6 with a 6.40 ERA and was twice sent to the mi- nors to work on both his confi- dence and his command. However, last night was a
struggle from the outset. —Baltimore Sun
D3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156