Frankie Andreu: "I doped."

Two former teammates of Lance Armstrong admitted to doping with EPO while preparing for the 1999 Tour de France for the U.S. Postal Service team. Frankie Andreu and an anonymous rider disclosed their use in interviews with the New York Times, acknowledging their use now because they thought doping was damaging the sport. Continued doping and denial by riders may scare away fans and sponsors for good. Read more in the Times.

Following the publication of the article, Andreu released a statement explaining his disclosure:

Sometimes putting something on the line is the only way to help. My confession of taking EPO when I was younger is not meant to drag anyone down but to raise awareness of the problems that existed and still exist. We need to make some steps to make things better. If DNA sampling and testing is required then that is the way we should move. I understand the invasion of privacy and no other sport requires this, but if you put the truth out on the table then perhaps something good will come from it.

Meanwhile, Floyd Landis now claims through his lawyer that the testing lab that produced the positive test for steroids in his blood uses flawed and sloppy testing methods.

My cycling friends here in California have another theory: we've decided that while Floyd drank himself into a stupor after his dismal Stage 16 performance, his buddies slipped a few extra ingredients into his "mixed" drinks. "It was a joke!" proclaims one of the anonymous conspirators. "He was so far behind we didn't expect him to actually win the Stage, let alone the entire Tour!"

Frankie Andreu website.