Betsy Andreu, one of the first people to attest that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong took banned substances, told reporters that despite him “trying to destroy” her life, she felt like she had won by testifying to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday.
Andreu, wife of former Armstrong teammate and fellow doper Frankie, added that because of her and her husband being among the few people to testify about Armstrong and doping in the sport, they were still not welcome among the US cycling fraternity.
“He [Armstrong] tried to destroy my entire life and during 10 years he tried to destroy my reputation,” she told reporters after speaking in front of WADA members at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
However, “the truth has emerged and it’s a victory for me to be here today and to talk to WADA’s members,” added Andreu, who has been subjected to years of pressure by Armstrong and his inner circle.
Andreu, who along with her husband testified under oath in 2006 that Armstrong was doping as early as 1996, said being cold shouldered by the cycling community was especially hurtful to her husband, who rode with Armstrong in both the Motorola team in the early 1990s and the the US Postal Service team from 1998 to 2000.
“We are still personae non gratae in American cycling,” she said. “Cycling is my husband’s passion, he’s been riding since he was 10.”
Andreu, who saw her and her husband’s courage in coming forward rewarded in 2012 when Armstrong was given a life ban and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, said the impact on their three children had been to turn them away from the sport.
“Education is important. They should start testing juniors,” she said. “What happened to Frankie is a lesson to my kids. He did wrong, but he admitted to it. He wanted to be a clean cycler, but Lance said ‘No.’”
“We have two boys and one girl,” she added. “The eldest, Frankie Jr, plays hockey, our girl plays soccer and the last one plays baseball, but no one does cycling.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS