Exclusive: Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to The Last Rider, the story of cycling legend Greg LeMond, who came back from a near death experience to win his sport’s greatest race.
LeMond remains the only American man to win the Tour de France, a feat he accomplished three times – in 1986, 1989 and 1990 (Tour victories by Americans Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis were vacated after they admitted using banned performance-enhancing drugs). Remarkably, LeMond’s second and third Tour de France wins came after he was nearly killed in a hunting accident, in which his brother-in-law accidentally blasted him with a shotgun, hitting LeMond with 60 pellets. He lost 65 percent of his blood, but somehow survived.
The documentary directed by Alex Holmes will be released in theaters on June 23.
Greg LeMond races in the Tour du Pont in Washington, DC May 14, 1992.
“Deeply personal and raw,...
LeMond remains the only American man to win the Tour de France, a feat he accomplished three times – in 1986, 1989 and 1990 (Tour victories by Americans Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis were vacated after they admitted using banned performance-enhancing drugs). Remarkably, LeMond’s second and third Tour de France wins came after he was nearly killed in a hunting accident, in which his brother-in-law accidentally blasted him with a shotgun, hitting LeMond with 60 pellets. He lost 65 percent of his blood, but somehow survived.
The documentary directed by Alex Holmes will be released in theaters on June 23.
Greg LeMond races in the Tour du Pont in Washington, DC May 14, 1992.
“Deeply personal and raw,...
- 4/19/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Seven years after confessing to doping and being stripped of his seven Tour de France victories, Lance Armstrong is creeping back into the sports spotlight. That return gave documentarian Marina Zenovich a unique opportunity for a no-topics-barred interview for her new ESPN documentary “Lance.”
Zenovich spoke with TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year about working on the project, which was offered to her by ESPN after Armstrong agreed to participate. She notes that it was a different situation than the past documentaries she has worked on, as she had her main subject ready to talk to her when she started rather than having to spend time convincing them to let her make a movie about them.
“I was interested in tackling this because I was told I could ask him anything,” Zenovich said. “I’m not really a journalist. I’m a documentary filmmaker.
Zenovich spoke with TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year about working on the project, which was offered to her by ESPN after Armstrong agreed to participate. She notes that it was a different situation than the past documentaries she has worked on, as she had her main subject ready to talk to her when she started rather than having to spend time convincing them to let her make a movie about them.
“I was interested in tackling this because I was told I could ask him anything,” Zenovich said. “I’m not really a journalist. I’m a documentary filmmaker.
- 5/25/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
“If you believe in miracles, if you believe in fairytales, then you believe in Lance Armstrong.”- Phil Liggett
The sport of professional cycling has always been, for all intents and purposes, a “European” sport. Races with names like the Vuelta Espana, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Suisse, and the grand poobah of them all, Le Tour de France, have been around for 100 years.
In Europe. Watched by Europeans.
But that all changed in 1993 when a young American from Plano, Texas named Lance Armstrong won a stage in the Tour de France. Armstrong wasn’t the first American to have success in European cycling. Greg LeMond blazed the path before him, being the first American to win the prestigious race in 1986, going on to win it two more times in 1989 and 1990. But LeMond didn’t spark the same excitement and influx of American fans to the sport the way that Armstrong did.
The sport of professional cycling has always been, for all intents and purposes, a “European” sport. Races with names like the Vuelta Espana, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Suisse, and the grand poobah of them all, Le Tour de France, have been around for 100 years.
In Europe. Watched by Europeans.
But that all changed in 1993 when a young American from Plano, Texas named Lance Armstrong won a stage in the Tour de France. Armstrong wasn’t the first American to have success in European cycling. Greg LeMond blazed the path before him, being the first American to win the prestigious race in 1986, going on to win it two more times in 1989 and 1990. But LeMond didn’t spark the same excitement and influx of American fans to the sport the way that Armstrong did.
- 5/22/2020
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lance Armstrong was an exulted hero to millions, before he was an asshole cheater to millions more. In her new two-part documentary “Lance,” director Marina Zenovich separates the good from the bad, the hero from the villain, before crashing them together in one unifying portrait of one man. It’s harder than it sounds. The seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor used his improbable medical recovery to boost his athletic profile, and then used his Wheaties box-approved athletic status to boost awareness for teens with cancer. Everything fell under the “Lance Armstrong” brand, so everything came crashing down when his career-long doping habit was exposed in 2012. The scandal tarnished the good he did for the sport, the good he did for cancer research, and the obvious good it did for Armstrong himself.
Now, seven years after he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, Zenovich checks in Armstrong to see what he’s learned,...
Now, seven years after he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, Zenovich checks in Armstrong to see what he’s learned,...
- 1/28/2020
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
After years of legal wrangling, Lance Armstrong finally settled the $100 million fraud lawsuit filed against him by the U.S. Postal Service — he will pay $5 million to the federal government and another $1.65 million to cover legal costs incurred by former teammate and whistleblower Floyd Landis — and the sale of his Austin, Texas, mansion, now up for grabs at $7.5 million, would certainly help towards pulling together the funds required to pay his restitutions. The once globally celebrated pedal pusher, who had his seven Tour de France titles stripped from him and was barred for life from Olympic sports in 2012 after it was determined he’d used performance enhancing drugs, purchased the stately Central Austin spread for an unrecorded amount from longtime Democratic Party mover and shaker Ben Barnes in May of 2013, just months after he admitted in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey he had, in fact, doped for all seven...
- 4/20/2018
- by Mark David
- Variety Film + TV
Review by Stephen Tronicek
The Program almost gives the impression of a biker riding quickly down a hill, and then running him/herself into a wall. The cyclist can go quickly. He/she can burst forward with such a thrilling momentum that it can’t be conceived. That might be entertaining, but they still hit the wall.
That thrilling momentum is the best thing that The Program has going for it (besides a performance by Ben Foster too researched and nuanced for the film he’s in). This is the type of pacing that fits comedies, and action films better, but it’s interesting to see how much director Stephen Frears (The Queen) gets away with by keeping the film going quickly. He’s able to cover the entirety of Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France career, and David Walsh’s investigations into the cyclist into a tight one hundred and five minutes.
The Program almost gives the impression of a biker riding quickly down a hill, and then running him/herself into a wall. The cyclist can go quickly. He/she can burst forward with such a thrilling momentum that it can’t be conceived. That might be entertaining, but they still hit the wall.
That thrilling momentum is the best thing that The Program has going for it (besides a performance by Ben Foster too researched and nuanced for the film he’s in). This is the type of pacing that fits comedies, and action films better, but it’s interesting to see how much director Stephen Frears (The Queen) gets away with by keeping the film going quickly. He’s able to cover the entirety of Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France career, and David Walsh’s investigations into the cyclist into a tight one hundred and five minutes.
- 3/10/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ben Foster looks and sounds a lot like Lance Armstrong in The Program, but director Stephen Frears fails to get under the skin of a drugs cheat stripped of his seven consecutive Tour de France titles.
Frears doesn't hang about when it comes to the doping scandal, cutting straight to Armstrong's confession on Oprah in January 2013 before tracking back to chronicle his habitual drug-taking, of which there was plenty. These early scenes create instant shock value before the film settles into a groove, following Armstrong's descent without ever going too deep. Lone Survivor's Foster plays the part, warts n'all, arguably veering too far towards the uglier side of Armstrong's character.
His arrogance is fuel to get him from the day-racing circuit in America to leading the pack in the gruelling European road races which Fears shoots in atypically dynamic style. Beneath that, there are hints of Armstrong's victim complex.
Frears doesn't hang about when it comes to the doping scandal, cutting straight to Armstrong's confession on Oprah in January 2013 before tracking back to chronicle his habitual drug-taking, of which there was plenty. These early scenes create instant shock value before the film settles into a groove, following Armstrong's descent without ever going too deep. Lone Survivor's Foster plays the part, warts n'all, arguably veering too far towards the uglier side of Armstrong's character.
His arrogance is fuel to get him from the day-racing circuit in America to leading the pack in the gruelling European road races which Fears shoots in atypically dynamic style. Beneath that, there are hints of Armstrong's victim complex.
- 10/16/2015
- Digital Spy
Momentum Pictures
Rating: ★★
There hasn’t been a movie that more needed to be a documentary than The Program. For all its outward sheen, Stephen Fears’ Lance Armstrong biopic is just so full of nonfictional tropes – freeze frame character intros with fly-in name effects, incessant archive footage, flashbacks as people describe what we’re seeing – that he could drop the actors, chuck in a few talking heads and it’d lose none of its narrative impact.
We have, of course, already had a documentary on the cycling doping scandal – 2013’s The Armstrong Lie – but this isn’t a situation a la The Walk and Man On Wire. That’s partially because The Armstrong Lie isn’t anywhere near the quality of Man On Wire, but mainly because there is a distinct difference between The Program and Alex Gibney’s retroactive tell-all; the aim of this film isn’t to show what actually happened,...
Rating: ★★
There hasn’t been a movie that more needed to be a documentary than The Program. For all its outward sheen, Stephen Fears’ Lance Armstrong biopic is just so full of nonfictional tropes – freeze frame character intros with fly-in name effects, incessant archive footage, flashbacks as people describe what we’re seeing – that he could drop the actors, chuck in a few talking heads and it’d lose none of its narrative impact.
We have, of course, already had a documentary on the cycling doping scandal – 2013’s The Armstrong Lie – but this isn’t a situation a la The Walk and Man On Wire. That’s partially because The Armstrong Lie isn’t anywhere near the quality of Man On Wire, but mainly because there is a distinct difference between The Program and Alex Gibney’s retroactive tell-all; the aim of this film isn’t to show what actually happened,...
- 10/12/2015
- by Alex Leadbeater
- Obsessed with Film
When you think about what Lance Armstrong did to the sport of cycling—winning seven straight Tour de France titles before finally being revealed as a cheater—you have to laugh. It’s funny how much stock people around the world put in professional sports and athletes only to see their fallibilities as a betrayal. Celebrities in other vocations screw up all the time; some have found their fame specifically for screwing up. But there is integrity to athletics that must not be tainted in the public consciousness. Somehow sports aren’t purely for entertainment because if they were we wouldn’t care that Armstrong doped. We loved him while he did it and that fact will never disappear.
I sincerely hope that both screenwriter John Hodge and director Stephen Frears understood the farcical nature of his story because I want to believe the comedy streak running throughout The Program is intentional.
I sincerely hope that both screenwriter John Hodge and director Stephen Frears understood the farcical nature of his story because I want to believe the comedy streak running throughout The Program is intentional.
- 9/20/2015
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
This was not the 40th edition of the “Festival of Festivals” that Toronto was hoping for. The 2015 Toronto International Festival began with legal issues forcing the Aretha Franklin concert documentary “Amazing Grace” to cancel its opening night slot and has pretty much ended with the withdraw of the Amber Heard drama “London Fields” after director Matthew Cullen took the film’s producers to court claiming (among other things) that they re-edited the film without his input. Considering how weak the world premieres were overall this year it was par the course for a festival’s whose opening weekend was colder and rainier than in recent memory. Granted, There were certainly a lot of good movies that screened at the fest this year, but almost every single one of them debuted somewhere else. That’s not good for an event that considers itself one of the premier film festivals in the world.
- 9/18/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
StudioCanal
Rating: ★★★
Sports movies are a tough nut to crack, but The Program succeeds because it isn’t a sports movie. As director Stephen Frears gleefully points out, it’s a crime movie, with an unrepentant sociopath at its centre.
When we first meet Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster), he distracts writer David Walsh (Chris O’Dowd) so that he can beat him at foosball. It’s a small moment but it quickly characterises just what sort of a man Armstrong is. Despite saying that he just wants to ride his bike, it becomes very clear that what he really wants to do is win.
The film then proceeds to rush through the first few years of Armstrong’s career. It makes sure to show his first glimpse into the world of performance enhancing drugs and introduce us to all of the relevant players, but its workmanlike execution feels like it...
Rating: ★★★
Sports movies are a tough nut to crack, but The Program succeeds because it isn’t a sports movie. As director Stephen Frears gleefully points out, it’s a crime movie, with an unrepentant sociopath at its centre.
When we first meet Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster), he distracts writer David Walsh (Chris O’Dowd) so that he can beat him at foosball. It’s a small moment but it quickly characterises just what sort of a man Armstrong is. Despite saying that he just wants to ride his bike, it becomes very clear that what he really wants to do is win.
The film then proceeds to rush through the first few years of Armstrong’s career. It makes sure to show his first glimpse into the world of performance enhancing drugs and introduce us to all of the relevant players, but its workmanlike execution feels like it...
- 9/17/2015
- by Connor Briggs-Morris
- Obsessed with Film
Flying across the screen like a shot, but falling short with the thud of underwhelming shot put, Lance Armstrong biopic The Program tests positive for dopey drama and performance-enhancing characterizations. The spectacular ascent and implosion of the Armstrong name is framed as a decades-long battle for the soul of cycling, but The Program is really more interested in breaking complicated sports history down to the basic stats and players. It’s a narrative of clear winners, losers, and cheats, with little room for anything in-between.
“It’s not muscles. It’s not lungs. It’s heart,” says Armstrong (Ben Foster), explaining his success in opening narration. If the juxtaposition between the message, and what you know about that man delivering it seems a little heavy-handed, be warned: The Program is just warming up its ironic muscles. Armstrong’s faith in determination and willpower was a nice prescription to give the public,...
“It’s not muscles. It’s not lungs. It’s heart,” says Armstrong (Ben Foster), explaining his success in opening narration. If the juxtaposition between the message, and what you know about that man delivering it seems a little heavy-handed, be warned: The Program is just warming up its ironic muscles. Armstrong’s faith in determination and willpower was a nice prescription to give the public,...
- 9/15/2015
- by Sam Woolf
- We Got This Covered
Chicago – The long goodbye of tainted cycling athlete Lance Armstrong continues – after all the victories, “Live Strong,” the multiple denials of cheating and finally the confession that he lied. Oscar winning documentary maker Alex Gibney is the latest to take on this legacy of dishonesty, in “The Armstrong Lie.”
The new film dissects the history of Lance Armstrong as he kept denying his use of performance enhancing drugs and methods, on his way to seven straight Tour de France bike race titles (which have since been revoked). In meticulous detail, Gibney – who began the documentary as a chronicle of Armstrong’s 2009 comeback – strips back the veneer of public relations and peer protection of Armstrong. The director even talked to Armstrong himself, after his infamous confession to Oprah Winfrey that he had use performance enhancement techniques to cheat his way to those race victories.
Director Alex Gibney (center) Puts the Spotlight...
The new film dissects the history of Lance Armstrong as he kept denying his use of performance enhancing drugs and methods, on his way to seven straight Tour de France bike race titles (which have since been revoked). In meticulous detail, Gibney – who began the documentary as a chronicle of Armstrong’s 2009 comeback – strips back the veneer of public relations and peer protection of Armstrong. The director even talked to Armstrong himself, after his infamous confession to Oprah Winfrey that he had use performance enhancement techniques to cheat his way to those race victories.
Director Alex Gibney (center) Puts the Spotlight...
- 11/13/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Documentary powerhouse Alex Gibney's latest film began as a straightforward portrait of an American sports hero. What it became was something else entirely. Video: Alex Gibney Reveals the Details of Lance Armstrong’s Personal Apology Now the first trailer for The Armstrong Lie is out. Originally titled The Road Back, production on the film began in 2009, during which Gibney followed Lance Armstrong as the cyclist plotted a triumphant Tour de France comeback after his massively publicized battle with cancer. As Gibney's cameras rolled, teammates such as Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton started speaking out against Armstrong, and a federal investigation ensued, after which Armstrong's web of
read more...
read more...
- 10/8/2013
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Documentarian Alex Gibney, who’s done films on Enron and Eliot Spitzer, and won the 2007 Academy Award for his investigation into U.S. government-sanctioned torture in Afghanistan with Taxi to The Dark Side, knows a lot about liars. But he didn’t think that was going to come into play when he began his latest documentary, on Lance Armstrong’s unsuccessful 2009 comeback at the Tour de France, where he ended up placing third. Obviously, that all changed; after the doping revelations and Armstrong’s confession, Gibney overhauled the film, and it premiered this week at the Toronto Film Festival, its title changed from The Road Back to The Armstrong Lie.Gibney had completed The Road Back just before Armstrong’s former teammate, Floyd Landis, gave an interview accusing Armstrong of doping, prompting the investigation by the Usada that brought about Armstrong’s downfall. Armstrong actually called Gibney in December 2012 to...
- 9/12/2013
- by Jada Yuan
- Vulture
Lance Armstrong is firing back at the United States government in regards to a lawsuit alleging he and other cyclists who used performance enhancing drugs defrauded their team's former sponsor the U.S. Postal Service by claiming that the government institution should have known he was doping.
According to Armstrong's 25-page rebuke of the claims against him, the Postal Service knew of reports that he was using performance enhancing drugs but "did nothing." Of course, Armstrong denied that he was doping at the time, though we now know he was. Armstrong's lawyers write that the "Postal Service renewed the Sponsorship Agreement" despite doping reports and "basked in the favorable publicity of its sponsorship."
The lawsuit against Armstrong, filed in 2010 by former teammate Floyd Landis, says he defrauded the government by taking Postal Service sponsorship dollars with the understanding "there would be no use of performance-enhancing drugs on the team," The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to Armstrong's 25-page rebuke of the claims against him, the Postal Service knew of reports that he was using performance enhancing drugs but "did nothing." Of course, Armstrong denied that he was doping at the time, though we now know he was. Armstrong's lawyers write that the "Postal Service renewed the Sponsorship Agreement" despite doping reports and "basked in the favorable publicity of its sponsorship."
The lawsuit against Armstrong, filed in 2010 by former teammate Floyd Landis, says he defrauded the government by taking Postal Service sponsorship dollars with the understanding "there would be no use of performance-enhancing drugs on the team," The Wall Street Journal reports.
- 7/25/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Jj Abrams is lined up to make a biopic of the cyclist. Send us your front covers, titles, soundtrack and casting suggestions
Lance Armstrong's life is to be dramatised on the big screen. Jj Abrams is set to direct a movie that will take its lead from the forthcoming book Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong by New York Times reporter Juliet Macur.
Abrams did a decent job with Star Trek and Super 8, but we're here to help him out with some suggestions. We want to know your ideas for the film title, tagline, soundtrack and cast members. If you're feeling very creative, email us a mocked-up front cover to gallery@guardian.co.uk and we'll publish the best responses.
Some of your best suggestions
Pinocchio
There Will Be Blood Transfusions
Lord of the Syringes
Fear and Loathing in Le Mans
Epo Brother Where Art Thou...
Lance Armstrong's life is to be dramatised on the big screen. Jj Abrams is set to direct a movie that will take its lead from the forthcoming book Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong by New York Times reporter Juliet Macur.
Abrams did a decent job with Star Trek and Super 8, but we're here to help him out with some suggestions. We want to know your ideas for the film title, tagline, soundtrack and cast members. If you're feeling very creative, email us a mocked-up front cover to gallery@guardian.co.uk and we'll publish the best responses.
Some of your best suggestions
Pinocchio
There Will Be Blood Transfusions
Lord of the Syringes
Fear and Loathing in Le Mans
Epo Brother Where Art Thou...
- 1/22/2013
- by Paul Campbell
- The Guardian - Film News
By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist
Every week, Rachel will pick a TV show, actor/actress or storyline you’ll need to watch out for.
***
When I started this feature, never did I think I’d feature Oprah’s Next Chapter on Own.
It’s not that Oprah Winfrey’s talk show isn’t good (for someone who loved The Oprah Winfrey Show, it’s a close copy); it’s just that I like to focus more on scripted than unscripted TV.
Yet here we are, and you cannot miss Oprah’s Next Chapter, which airs the first of two parts tomorrow.
This week, Winfrey will feature former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong. Armstrong sat down with Winfrey Monday to discuss, among other topics, doping allegations that have long been made against him as well as the stripping of his seven Tour de France titles.
Why Watch
• Admitting guilt: According to the Associated Press,...
Television Editor & Columnist
Every week, Rachel will pick a TV show, actor/actress or storyline you’ll need to watch out for.
***
When I started this feature, never did I think I’d feature Oprah’s Next Chapter on Own.
It’s not that Oprah Winfrey’s talk show isn’t good (for someone who loved The Oprah Winfrey Show, it’s a close copy); it’s just that I like to focus more on scripted than unscripted TV.
Yet here we are, and you cannot miss Oprah’s Next Chapter, which airs the first of two parts tomorrow.
This week, Winfrey will feature former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong. Armstrong sat down with Winfrey Monday to discuss, among other topics, doping allegations that have long been made against him as well as the stripping of his seven Tour de France titles.
Why Watch
• Admitting guilt: According to the Associated Press,...
- 1/17/2013
- by Rachel Bennett
- Scott Feinberg
Lance Armstrong has finally come clean.
After years of bitter and forceful denials, he offered a simple “I’m sorry” to friends and colleagues and then admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs during an extraordinary cycling career that included seven Tour de France victories.
Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday, just a couple of hours after an emotional apology to the staff at the Livestrong charity he founded and was later forced to surrender, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is...
After years of bitter and forceful denials, he offered a simple “I’m sorry” to friends and colleagues and then admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs during an extraordinary cycling career that included seven Tour de France victories.
Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday, just a couple of hours after an emotional apology to the staff at the Livestrong charity he founded and was later forced to surrender, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is...
- 1/15/2013
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside TV
Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by cycling’s governing body Monday following a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that accused him of leading a massive doping program on his teams.
Uci President Pat McQuaid announced that the federation accepted the Usada’s report on Armstrong and would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” McQuaid said at a news conference. “This is a landmark day for cycling.”
The decision clears the...
Uci President Pat McQuaid announced that the federation accepted the Usada’s report on Armstrong and would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” McQuaid said at a news conference. “This is a landmark day for cycling.”
The decision clears the...
- 10/22/2012
- by Associated Press
- EW.com - PopWatch
Lance Armstrong was once known as a great athlete but he is now infamous throughout the sporting industry because of his drug abuse. Recently, eleven of his former teammates in the United States Postal Service cycling team ratted out on him and testified against him in an investigation by the Us Anti-Doping Agency.
Usada announced that the eleven cyclists provided tremendous evidence to the organization. Some of them include Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Floyd Landis, also a disgraced former Tour de France champ.
Usada says that the Usps Team has a deep rooted doping conspiracy that pressured athletes to use dangerous drugs. They say that their investigation about Armstrong has led to the most sophisticated and successful doping program.
Usada announced that the eleven cyclists provided tremendous evidence to the organization. Some of them include Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Floyd Landis, also a disgraced former Tour de France champ.
Usada says that the Usps Team has a deep rooted doping conspiracy that pressured athletes to use dangerous drugs. They say that their investigation about Armstrong has led to the most sophisticated and successful doping program.
- 10/10/2012
- icelebz.com
11 former members of Lance Armstrong's United States Postal Service cycling team Turned on the disgraced athlete -- and testified against him in an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The Usada announced ... the cyclists who provided evidence to the organization include George Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton and disgraced former Tour de France champ Floyd Landis. “The U.S.P.S. Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs,...
- 10/10/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Lance Armstrong has quit the race. The seven-time Tour de France victor announced Thursday he will no longer fight his investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency - meaning he will be banned for life from ever competing again, reports CNN. Late Thursday, the Usada confirmed it will also strip Armstrong of all results since Aug. 1, 1998, reports USA Today. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong, 40, said in a statement. This latest turn of events began to unfold in June, when the quasi-government...
- 8/24/2012
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Lance Armstrong announced Thursday (Aug. 23) that he will no longer fight the doping charges levied against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (Usada), reports the AP. The Usada quickly responded by stripping Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and will announce Friday he has incurred a lifetime ban from the sport of cycling.
Armstrong says in a statement, "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say enough is enough. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today -- finished with this nonsense."
Armstrong insists the decision is not an admission of guilt, but that he believes the process to be unfair and will not enter into it.
Armstrong says in a statement, "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say enough is enough. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today -- finished with this nonsense."
Armstrong insists the decision is not an admission of guilt, but that he believes the process to be unfair and will not enter into it.
- 8/24/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Lance Armstrong left countless riders in the dust in a sparkling cycling career that included seven Tour de France victories. But he can't seem to shake the doping allegations that threaten to sully his legendary accomplishments. The latest episode of the saga is unfolding this week, as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has brought formal doping charges against Armstrong, 40, in an effort to strip him of his titles, CNN reports. Armstrong, as he has in the past, vigorously denied the charges. "I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance,...
- 6/14/2012
- by Tim Nudd
- PEOPLE.com
Seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is facing new doping charges that will immediately prevent him from competing in triathlons and could cost him those Tour de France wins.
On Tuesday (June 12), The Washington Post obtained a letter sent to Armstrong and several others by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) that alleges it collected blood samples from the cyclist that were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including Epo use and/or blood transfusions."
Armstrong has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and in February the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles closed a two-year investigation into doping allegations brought against Armstrong that were backed by former teammates Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton.
"These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity," says Armstrong in a statement on his official website.
On Tuesday (June 12), The Washington Post obtained a letter sent to Armstrong and several others by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) that alleges it collected blood samples from the cyclist that were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including Epo use and/or blood transfusions."
Armstrong has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and in February the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles closed a two-year investigation into doping allegations brought against Armstrong that were backed by former teammates Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton.
"These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity," says Armstrong in a statement on his official website.
- 6/13/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The investigation into whether Lance Armstrong and his Tour de France teammates participated in a doping program is over and no charged will be filed against the seven-time Tour de France champion.
"This is great news," Armstrong's attorney Mark Fabiani says in a statement to the Associated Press. "Lance is pleased that the United States Attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career."
More than one of Armstrong's former teammates claims to have witnessed the cyclist using performance enhancing drugs. In a "60 Minutes" interview in May 2011, former teammate Tyler Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.
Another heavy-hitting witness was former cyclist Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for drug use, who accused...
"This is great news," Armstrong's attorney Mark Fabiani says in a statement to the Associated Press. "Lance is pleased that the United States Attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career."
More than one of Armstrong's former teammates claims to have witnessed the cyclist using performance enhancing drugs. In a "60 Minutes" interview in May 2011, former teammate Tyler Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.
Another heavy-hitting witness was former cyclist Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for drug use, who accused...
- 2/3/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Is no superstar athlete sacred?
Apparently not. Lance Armstrong is the latest in record holding athletes to be accused of using and abusing performance enhancing steroids during his tenure on the bike -- Though this definitely isn't the first time he's faced such allegations.
Former teammate Tyler Hamilton will appear on "60 Minutes" this Sunday (May 22), claiming to have witnessed the seven-time Tour De France champion use the performance enhancer Epo in preparation for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 races.
"I saw it in his refrigerator and I saw him inject it more than one time," Hamilton says. "Like we all did many, many times."
Armstrong maintains that he did no such drugs, despite several accusations throughout his career, including a 2004 book titled "L. A. Confidentiel -- Les secrets de Lance Armstrong" and a 2005 lawsuit filed by his former personal assistant. Hamilton's appearance also comes one year after Floyd Landis admitted to doping himself,...
Apparently not. Lance Armstrong is the latest in record holding athletes to be accused of using and abusing performance enhancing steroids during his tenure on the bike -- Though this definitely isn't the first time he's faced such allegations.
Former teammate Tyler Hamilton will appear on "60 Minutes" this Sunday (May 22), claiming to have witnessed the seven-time Tour De France champion use the performance enhancer Epo in preparation for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 races.
"I saw it in his refrigerator and I saw him inject it more than one time," Hamilton says. "Like we all did many, many times."
Armstrong maintains that he did no such drugs, despite several accusations throughout his career, including a 2004 book titled "L. A. Confidentiel -- Les secrets de Lance Armstrong" and a 2005 lawsuit filed by his former personal assistant. Hamilton's appearance also comes one year after Floyd Landis admitted to doping himself,...
- 5/20/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
As the CBS program accuses him of illegal doping, the cycling champion tells Howard Kurtz the show is treating him unfairly. A look at the allegations and the behind-the-scenes war over Armstrong's reputation.
Lance Armstrong and 60 Minutes are on a collision course, with the cycling champion accusing the CBS program of unfair tactics in an upcoming broadcast about allegations of illegal doping by Armstrong.
Related story on The Daily Beast: LeBron James, the Most Hated Athlete in America
The show has "basically reneged" on promises made to him, Armstrong told me Thursday night, and "everyone would be frustrated" by such treatment. He said of the producer on the story, "I would not call him a straight shooter... My version of events has never changed on this, and won't."
CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, who is also executive producer of 60 Minutes, dismissed the complaints. "We have been so thorough and fair to Lance Armstrong,...
Lance Armstrong and 60 Minutes are on a collision course, with the cycling champion accusing the CBS program of unfair tactics in an upcoming broadcast about allegations of illegal doping by Armstrong.
Related story on The Daily Beast: LeBron James, the Most Hated Athlete in America
The show has "basically reneged" on promises made to him, Armstrong told me Thursday night, and "everyone would be frustrated" by such treatment. He said of the producer on the story, "I would not call him a straight shooter... My version of events has never changed on this, and won't."
CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, who is also executive producer of 60 Minutes, dismissed the complaints. "We have been so thorough and fair to Lance Armstrong,...
- 5/20/2011
- by Howard Kurtz
- The Daily Beast
Cyclist Lance Armstrong is retiring -- or re-retiring, two-plus years into a comeback attempt that never quite got him back to the heights of his career.
Armstrong came back from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France a record seven times and channeled that into raising millions of dollars for cancer research. In recent years he's also been dogged by (never proven) allegations that he used performance enhancers during his Tour run.
"Today, I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling in order to devote myself full-time to my family, to the fight against cancer and to leading the foundation I established before I won my first Tour de France," he says in a statement.
Armstrong initially retired in 2005, shortly after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France. He got back on the bike in 2008 and finished third in the 2009 race. Last year he finished 23rd after a crash...
Armstrong came back from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France a record seven times and channeled that into raising millions of dollars for cancer research. In recent years he's also been dogged by (never proven) allegations that he used performance enhancers during his Tour run.
"Today, I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling in order to devote myself full-time to my family, to the fight against cancer and to leading the foundation I established before I won my first Tour de France," he says in a statement.
Armstrong initially retired in 2005, shortly after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France. He got back on the bike in 2008 and finished third in the 2009 race. Last year he finished 23rd after a crash...
- 2/16/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Photograph by Glenn Kasin
Soul Brother: Livestrong president and CEO Doug Ulman has a strong bond with Armstrong: Both are cancer survivors. | Photograph by Peter Yang
The world's most famous cancer survivor has been his foundation's biggest asset, even as it grew into an innovative force in health care. Now his legal troubles may make him a risk.
Photograph by Peter Yang
On a Sunday night in late July, a trio of bouncers stand outside a chic club near the Champs-Élysées, in Paris, checking guests for a special bracelet with a black plastic charm of a No. 28 cycling jersey. Inside, a red and white logo-festooned racing bike is on display like a sculpture. The absence of a rider is appropriate: This is the post-race celebration for Lance Armstrong's last Tour de France.
He's just finished a humbling 23rd in a race he's won seven times. But the mood at...
Soul Brother: Livestrong president and CEO Doug Ulman has a strong bond with Armstrong: Both are cancer survivors. | Photograph by Peter Yang
The world's most famous cancer survivor has been his foundation's biggest asset, even as it grew into an innovative force in health care. Now his legal troubles may make him a risk.
Photograph by Peter Yang
On a Sunday night in late July, a trio of bouncers stand outside a chic club near the Champs-Élysées, in Paris, checking guests for a special bracelet with a black plastic charm of a No. 28 cycling jersey. Inside, a red and white logo-festooned racing bike is on display like a sculpture. The absence of a rider is appropriate: This is the post-race celebration for Lance Armstrong's last Tour de France.
He's just finished a humbling 23rd in a race he's won seven times. But the mood at...
- 10/18/2010
- by Chuck Salter
- Fast Company
Two positive drug tests for Tour de France winner Alberto Contador have raised new questions about doping in cycling, U.S. champion Lance Armstrong's own involvement, and how a scandal might affect his charity work. But the CEO of Armstrong's Livestrong insists the Contador news "isn't on my radar." Here's why.
The Tour de France is notorious for twists and turns and uphill battles. The same can also be said of its champions. Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong has been the subject of a federal investigation since last spring, when the disgraced 2006 winner and his former teammate, Floyd Landis, accused him of doping and fraud. Now this year's winner, Alberto Contador, has been tied to two positive drug tests. For once, maybe Armstrong is happy to have Contador, a fierce rival last year, bump him out of the headlines. The Spaniard could wind up making doping seem so common that...
The Tour de France is notorious for twists and turns and uphill battles. The same can also be said of its champions. Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong has been the subject of a federal investigation since last spring, when the disgraced 2006 winner and his former teammate, Floyd Landis, accused him of doping and fraud. Now this year's winner, Alberto Contador, has been tied to two positive drug tests. For once, maybe Armstrong is happy to have Contador, a fierce rival last year, bump him out of the headlines. The Spaniard could wind up making doping seem so common that...
- 10/8/2010
- by Chuck Salter
- Fast Company
Lance Armstrong is back in hot water. Despite being cleared of doping charges back in 2006, Armstrong, 38, is being investigated again for systematic doping. In May, former teammate Floyd Landis (who admitted to doping himself and received a two-year ban from the sport) accused Armstrong and other cyclists of using performance-enhancing drugs. He claimed that the sport's biggest star also encouraged the practice among teammates.Related: Lance Armstrong Expecting Fifth ChildArmstrong has dismissed Landis's claims, pointing to the cyclist's lack of credibility. Now, The New York Times reports that federal prosecutors have other cyclists to back the doping claims. One former...
- 8/5/2010
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
Should the new wording for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong bracelet be Livestrong—with drugs? That's what sources familiar with an upcoming investigation into Armstrong's recent drug charges say government investigators want to know. These sources, who have longstanding ties within the big-money cycling world, contend that an investigation is being mounted by government officials and will be launched, possibly as soon as next week. It would culminate what's hardly been a stellar time for the 38-year-old star athlete: Fellow Tour de France winner Floyd Landis (after confessing to drug usage himself) has accused Armstrong of utilizing performance-enhancing drugs to win his many coveted...
- 5/28/2010
- E! Online
Lance Armstrong began his Thursday by addressing his ex-teammate’s doping allegations against him, and later tweeted about his own condition after taking a “face first” spill during a cycling race. The seven-time Tour de France winner spoke out Thursday morning about allegations hurled at him by cyclist Floyd Landis, who once biked on Armstrong’s team and, according to the Associated Press, alleged in e-mails that Armstrong used to dope with him and taught other cyclists how to do so as well. "Obviously everyone has questions about Floyd Landis and his allegations," Armstrong said. "I would say that I’m a little surprised, but I am not. In all honesty, this has been going on for a long time. The harassment and threats from Floyd started a few years ago and really, at that time, we largely ignored him… A year ago, I told him, ‘Listen, you do what you have to do.
- 5/21/2010
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
• 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis admitted to using performance enhancing drugs and accused other cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, of doing the same. Although Landis was stripped of his title after testing positive, he’d previously maintained his innocence. [The New York Times] • South Korea is absolutely certain North Korea sunk its battleship, and is determined to make the country admit to doing so. North Korea is similarly committed to doing the opposite of this. [The Washington Post] • A Picasso, a Matisse, a Modigliani and two other works were taken from Paris’s Museum of Modern Art last night. No one, except possibly South Korea, currently suspects North Korean involvement. [CNN] • A few days after instituting a curfew in Bangkok and other cities, Thailand’s government has significantly reduced the intensity and prevalence of violent protests. [Associated Press] • John Shepherd-Barron, the inventor of the first A.T.M. machine, has died. [BBC]...
- 5/20/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every country has their negative stereotype: the French? Stinky; Americans? Obnoxious; Italians? Moped riders (shudder). Canada's stereotype, in contrast, is supposed to be great. We're nice. We're nicey-nice, nice people, helping old ladies across the street and saying "sorry" even if you bump into us. It would seem, to the international community, we're the equivalent of the guy that the hot girl is "just friends" with. We're not good enough to date, but one day she'll probably give us a hand job out of pity as long as we promise not to tell anyone.
Well, I hate to break it to you world, but Canada isn't the boring sweater-vest wearing place you think it is. Canada is a nation built by and for cranks. See, what the rest of the world doesn't realize is when you think we're being self-effacing and modest we're probably making fun of you right to your face.
Well, I hate to break it to you world, but Canada isn't the boring sweater-vest wearing place you think it is. Canada is a nation built by and for cranks. See, what the rest of the world doesn't realize is when you think we're being self-effacing and modest we're probably making fun of you right to your face.
- 2/18/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to the Sundance steroid documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster*.
The film, directed by Christopher Bell, was one of the most buzzworthy at January's festival.
Bigger focuses on the rampant steroid scandals that have dominated the headlines lately as well as the American obsession with winning at all costs. Bell draws from his own personal experience as the brother of two siblings who used performance-enhancing drugs.
Produced by Alex Buono, Tamsin Rawady and Jim Czarnecki, the docu also features interviews with such athletes as Barry Bonds, Floyd Landis, Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson.
Magnolia, the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Cos., will release the film this year in the U.S. It will be broadcast on HDNet after its release.
"It's informative, fascinating and hysterical -- all the things a movie about steroids should be," Cuban said.
The film, directed by Christopher Bell, was one of the most buzzworthy at January's festival.
Bigger focuses on the rampant steroid scandals that have dominated the headlines lately as well as the American obsession with winning at all costs. Bell draws from his own personal experience as the brother of two siblings who used performance-enhancing drugs.
Produced by Alex Buono, Tamsin Rawady and Jim Czarnecki, the docu also features interviews with such athletes as Barry Bonds, Floyd Landis, Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson.
Magnolia, the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Cos., will release the film this year in the U.S. It will be broadcast on HDNet after its release.
"It's informative, fascinating and hysterical -- all the things a movie about steroids should be," Cuban said.
- 2/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- German pubcasters ARD and ZDF are inserting a new opt-out clause into 32 rights contracts with German sports associations that are currently up for renewal, the broadcasters said Thursday. The move signals a desire by German public broadcasters for anti-doping clauses in all new sports-rights contracts in the wake of drug scandals that have seen cyclist Floyd Landis stripped of his Tour de France title and top sprinters Justin Gatlin and Marion Jones testing positive for banned substances. The sports include such Olympic disciplines as cycling, weight lifting, rowing and speed skating as well as less popular events, including bowling and karate.
- 8/24/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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