Lance Armstrong Accused of Using Performance Drugs

Courtesy of Juan Soliz, PacificCoastNews.com

He's retired, but...

Lance Armstrong is a retired athlete now, but that doesn't mean everyone's going to hurry up and forget about him. He holds a great record of athletic accomplishments and is a celebrated pro. Why is his ex-teammate accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs now?

Read: Lance Armstrong Announces Retirement

It seems like a random time to bring it up, but Tyler Hamilton had a lot of information for the press in a recent interview. The EPO blood-boosting drug was taken by Armstrong in 1999, Hamilton claims, as well as before the races in 2000 and 2001. Lance Armstrong always tested negative for drugs.

"I saw (EPO) in his refrigerator... I saw him inject it more than one time," he told 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley, "like we all did. Like I did, many, many times. (Armstrong) took what we all took... the majority of the peloton. There was EPO... testosterone... a blood transfusion."

Read: Lance Armstrong Has Fifth Child

Those are some serious claims, and they aren't even the first. Floyd Landis said the same thing about Armstrong last year, while Armstrong himself denies that any of these stories are true.

Armstrong's currently focused on other ventures, and I doubt that any stories his teammates bring up now could damage his reputation too badly. Isn't it all hearsay unless they can produce evidence? One interesting bit that both Landis and Hamilton allege is that Armstrong failed a drug test in 2001. Perhaps more athletes will come forward and shed light on this unfolding story?