Lance Armstrong names names

Disgraced former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong has consistently refused to name those involved in supplying him with performance-enhancing drugs. But it has emerged that he gave written answers in a case brought against him by an insurance company last November revealing who knew about his doping, who provided the drugs and who delivered them.

Armstrong names his suppliers as coach Pepi Marti, Dr. Pedro Celaya, Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral and Dr. Michele Ferrari.

Three people are named as having delivered performance-enhancing drugs to Armstrong: masseur Emma O’Reilly, mechanic Julien de Vriese and motorcycle courier Philippe Maire, previously known as ‘Motoman’.

Who knew? Armstrong alleges that those aware of his doping included team manager Johan Bruyneel, who has denied being involved.

“Johan Bruyneel participated in or assisted with Armstrong’s use of PEDs, and knew of that use through their conversations and acts,” Armstrong states.

According to a report by Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY Sports, Thomas Weisel, the financier behind Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team was also aware of doping on the squad, as was former Olympic track cyclist Mark Gorski, who served as general manager at the team’s holding company Tailwind Sports.

Another former professional cyclist, Chris Carmichael, is also mentioned as having known of Armstrong’s doping as early as 1995.

Founder of Carmichael Training Systems, Carmichael is the author of several books on coaching and was frequently cited as Armstrong’s personal coach during the period when Armstrong won seven Tours de France. He was subsequently stripped of those titles.

The revelations came in answers Armstrong provided under oath during a dispute with Acceptance Insurance, the company that paid $3 million in win bonuses for his 1999-2001 Tour de France victories.

But those answers were not publicly available until Wednesday, when they were filed by lawyers for Floyd Landis in Landis’  federal whistleblower suit against Armstrong.

That suit was settled in November, for undisclosed terms, one day before Armstrong was due to give a deposition in the case.

Before the US Anti-Doping Agency’s Reasoned Decision stripping Armstrong of his Tour de France titles and most of his other results, those sceptical about Armstrong’s performances believed there was a doping ‘mastermind’ behind them.

These answers again indicate that mastermind was Armstrong himself.

In one response, he said “Armstrong would typically supervise his own use of PEDs, but on certain occasions, the use of PEDs was supervised by Dr. Celaya, Dr. del Moral, or Dr. Ferrari.”

Neverthless, he said: “Johan Bruyneel participated in or assisted with Armstrong’s use of PEDs, and knew of that use through their conversations and acts.”

And others knew, including Thomas Weisel, who has denied the claim. Armstrong said: “Mr. Weisel was aware of doping on the USPS team.

“As for Mr. Gorski, it is Armstrong’s belief that he was aware of doping by the USPS team. Mr. Armstrong told Chris Carmichael in 1995 of his use of PEDs.”

Armstrong once again denied using drugs during his 2009 and 2010 comeback.

He also denied specifically paying hush money to keep his doping secret.

“Armstrong has not paid or offered to pay someone to keep his or others’ doping a secret,” he said. “However, Armstrong has, on occasion, provided benefits or made contributions to many people and institutions, some of whom may have been aware of, or suspected Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs and banned methods. Armstrong never provided any such benefits or contributions with the intent for it to be a payoff to keep doping a secret.”