Floyd Landis Doping Scandal: Accuses Lance Armstrong of Drug Use

by Amy Judd | May 20, 2010 at 07:25 am

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Floyd Landis Has Admitted He Has Used Performance-Enhancing Drugs, But Has Also Accused Lance Armstrong of Drug Use

Floyd Landis has admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs for most of his professional career. He admitted to the use of erythropoietin (EPO), which is a red blood cell booster, testosterone, female hormones, human growth hormone and frequent blood transfusions, and even an experiment with insulin according to ESPN.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday May 20, Floyd Landis said that over the past few weeks he has not only come clean himself, but has also implicated other athletes for drug use, including officials of cycling's governing bodies, team management and their owners and even Lance Armstrong.

This is not the first time that Lance Armstrong has been accused of drug use, including one incident in 2006 when two people said they overheard Armstrong openly admit he had used a few performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong has not addressed any of the rumors on Twitter at this time but has made a statement to the press:

"it's our word against his word. I like our word."

Floyd Landis has also accused Armstrong's coach Johan Bruyneel, and cyclists Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie of being involved in doping.

In a statement to the media however, Landis took full responsibility for his drug use:

"I take responsibility for all the stuff I did," Landis said in the interview. "No one gave me something and said, 'Don't ask what this is, just take it.' I would never have done that. The things I took, I knew what they were, and I spent the time researching what the risks were, and the decisions I made were mine. The whole entire process of doping in the entire sport and the evolution of it all wasn't my fault, but when it came down to it, me being there, I made the decision to do it. It wasn't anyone else telling me to do it. I'm not blaming anyone for that. It was my decision. Every time."

He did go on to say in an e-mail that he was instructed to use testosterone patches by Johan Bruyneel when he was riding in 2002, and said that the first time he used erythropoietin was when Bruyneel instructed him to for the Tour of Spain in 2003. He said that he got the drug from Armstrong himself.