Lance Armstrong says he doesn't deserve a lifetime ban from sport

Lance Armstrong says he wants to return to competitive sport and is hopeful that his lifetime ban will be lifted one day.

And the former cyclist told talk show host Oprah Winfrey in the second part of their eagerly-awaited interview that he came clean on his doping past because of concerns about his family.
The 41-year-old was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from sport for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency last year when they uncovered evidence of systematic doping by the Texan.

In the first part of his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong admitted for the first time that he had used performance-enhancing drugs and, in the second part, he said he hoped the confession might allow him to compete in triathlons or marathons at some point.
"Hell yes, I'm a competitor," said Armstrong, when asked if he wanted to compete again. "Frankly, this might not be the most popular answer, but I think I deserve it (to be able to compete again).
"I deserve to be punished. I'm not sure that I deserve a death penalty (a life ban)."
Discussing the reasons behind his confession, he said: "The biggest hope and intention was the well-being of my children.
"The older kids need to not be living with this issue in their lives. That isn't fair for me to have done to them. And I did it."
Armstrong broke down somewhat when he described saying to his 13-year-old son Luke: "Don't defend me anymore."
He added: "When this all really started, I saw my son defending me and saying, 'That's not true. What you're saying about my dad is not true.'

 

"That's when I knew I had to tell him. He'd never asked me. He'd never said, 'Dad, is this true?' He trusted me.
"I feel humbled. I feel ashamed. This is ugly stuff. I'm deeply sorry for what I did. I can say that thousands of times and it may never be enough to get back."
A cancer survivor, Armstrong said one of his worst moments came when he had to step down from the board of Livestrong, the cancer charity he founded.
"I wouldn't at all say I was forced out," said Armstrong. "But I was aware of the pressure. It was the best thing for the organization but it hurt like hell. That was the lowest."
However, he denied USADA chief Travis Tygart's claim in an interview last week that someone in Armstrong's camp offered the agency a $250,000 donation, in what could be seen as an attempt at a pay-off.
"That's not true," Armstrong said, when pressed on the point by Winfrey.
"I had no knowledge of that but I've asked around. I think the claim was
250,000 dollars. That's a lot of money. I would know. That is not true."
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8410016/Lance-Armstrong-says-he-doesn-t-deserve-a-lifetime-ban-from-sport

Tour de France to start in Yorkshire in 2014 with Leeds as host city

Yorkshire has been selected to host the start of the 2014 Tour de France.
It will be the first time the sport's most prestigious race has been held in the north of England and the first time in the UK since 2007.
The county will host the opening two stages, on July 5 and 6, before the race moves south for a third day that will finish in London.
The Grand Départ will be held in Leeds, which will also hold a festival of cycling to coincide with the arrival of the Tour.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency behind the county's bid, said: "Today is a proud day for everyone involved in the bid and the county as a whole. We are honoured that the race organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation [ASO], have selected Yorkshire to be the host location of the 2014 Grand Départ.
"Yorkshire is a passionate county of proud people and I am sure they will guarantee that their Grand Départ raises the bar in terms of expectations for all future hosts to come."

Bid brought forward

The county had initially campaigned to host the race in 2016, but their bid was received warmly by the Tour's organisers, who brought it forward two years after being impressed by Yorkshire's "outstanding beauty".
The other regions in the running were Florence, Italy, and Edinburgh, which remains in the running to host the start in future years.
The details of the Grand Depart and the stages it will include will be revealed on January 17.

"Today is a proud day for everyone involved in the bid and the county as a whole."
Gary Verity Quotes of the week

An ASO statement said: "The organisers of the Tour de France are pleased to announce that the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014 will take place in the United Kingdom in the county of Yorkshire, before heading to London for a stage finish.
"After an outstanding 2012 for British cycling, marked by the historical victory of Bradley Wiggins on the Tour de France, the United Kingdom will again hold pride of place in 2014."

Widespread support

The Yorkshire bid had the support of Mark Cavendish, Ben Swift, double Olympic track champion Ed Clancy and Brian Robinson, the first Briton to win a stage of the Tour de France in 1958.
Barry Hoban, winner of eight stages of the Tour, and Malcolm Elliott, the first British rider to win a points jersey in a Grand Tour, also backed the bid.
British Cycling president Brian Cookson said: "Like every other cycling fan, I am thrilled the world's biggest bike race is coming back to this country.
"The huge numbers who turned out to support the 2007 Grand Depart and the London 2012 road races show the passion we have for cycling.
"I'm sure Yorkshire will give the 2014 Tour de France a welcome which will stand out in the race's rich history."

Disappointment for Edinburgh

Edinburgh's bid was led by EventScotland, who are now refocusing on hosting the Grand Depart in a later year, possibly 2017.
An EventScotland spokesman said: "It is disappointing that we have been unsuccessful for the 2014 Grand Depart but it is great news that the Tour is returning in 2014 following British cycling success this year.
"Our initial plans had highlighted 2017 as our preferred date and we have had a positive indication from ASO that the year is still a possibility.
"We have developed a great British bid with strong partners, which would deliver significant benefits to the whole country and we will continue our positive dialogue with ASO in the new year and look at our next steps."
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8330908/Tour-de-France-to-start-in-Yorkshire-in-2014-as-Edinburgh-in-overlooked

Chris Froome set to lead Team Sky at the Tour de France according to Dave Brailsford

British Cycling supremo Dave Brailsford has confirmed that Chris Froome is likely to lead Team Sky's bid for next year's Tour de France.

Froome had to play second fiddle in support of victorious team-mate Bradley Wiggins during this year's Tour, sometimes to his obvious frustration, but he will be the main man in the saddle next year under Brailsford's plan.
With this summer's Tour victor Wiggins seemingly set to focus on the Giro d'Italia, Brailsford, speaking to reporters at UK Sport's world class performance conference in Leeds, said: "We are just getting back into training now and need to do quite a lot of planning.
"But it does look as though the plan going into next year, which has still not completely been signed off, is that the Tour of Italy would be a very good target for Bradley and leave Froomey then to focus on the Tour de France."

 

Team Sky boss Brailsford is also British Cycling's performance director and he admitted the poaching of top staff has to be expected after the success of the team at the London Olympics - but that it could help the organisation stay at the top.
Three have gone to the Rugby Football Union - including this month the head of marginal gains Matt Parker, who worked closely with Wiggins - while psychologist Steve Peters has been snapped up by UK Athletics, though he will retain some involvement with cycling.
Brailsford insisted their replacements would bring new thinking into British Cycling and move the organisation forward.

New ideas

He added: "It's inevitable, but it means you get fresh people and new ideas.
"Matt Parker and our two performance analysts went off to rugby, but Matt had been there 10 years and if you carry on with the same group at some point in time you are going to get myopic.
"So I think bringing in people with new ideas that we listen to is healthy."
Brailsford also warned UK Athletics not to have unrealistic expectations about Peters.
He said: "If people buy into his ideas then they are the ones that can change the culture - but he can't do it on his own."
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8290013/Chris-Froome-set-to-lead-Team-Sky-at-the-Tour-de-France-according-to-Dave-Brailsford

Lance Armstrong must confess so cycling can move on, says Tyler Hamilton

Lance Armstrong must admit to doping so cycling can move on from its past, Tyler Hamilton told Sky Sports News.

Hamilton was one of 11 former teammates to testify against Armstrong in the recent USADA investigation into drug use in cycling. That led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by the sport's governing body, the UCI.
Armstrong has never failed a drugs test and continues to deny the accusations - but Hamilton says it is time for him to come clean for the good of the sport.

 

"I do believe we will see some sort of truth come out from Lance Armstrong eventually," he said.
"I know it will do him a lot of good personally and it will do the sport of cycling a lot of good. We're in a tough spot right now and with Armstrong coming clean we could put an end to this chapter and we could move forward.
"The peloton today are suffering for our past and that's not fair."

Time for change

Hamilton, who was banned for failing drugs tests in 2004 and 2009, has won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award for The Secret Race, his tell-all story about his time in the peloton. He hopes his tale can deter others from following the same path and has also called for changes to be made within the UCI.
"[Writing the book] was the hardest thing I've ever done, harder than any Tour de France," he said. "I had a lot of secrets I was prepared to go to the grave with but this story had to be told.
"Back when I was racing I'd say at least eighty per cent of the peloton were doping to some degree. There are still bad apples in the sport and the governing body has a lot of questions to answer.
"I love cycling from the bottom of my heart and it kills me to see it where it is today. I believe the sport would benefit from a fresh face, a new look, a new attitude because it's getting dragged down from the past and that's unfortunate."
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8289045/Lance-Armstrong-must-confess-so-cycling-can-move-on-says-Tyler-Hamilton

Bradley Wiggins in hospital following training crash in Lancashire

Bradley Wiggins is recovering in hospital after being involved in a crash while training in Lancashire.

The Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medalist collided with a car while cycling in Wrightington, near to his Eccleston home.
The 32-year-old is believed to have suffered broken ribs as well as hand and wrist bruising, but Team Sky issued a statement confirming that his injuries are not thought to be serious.
"He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery," the statement read.
Eye-witnesses have suggested that the car pulled out of a petrol garage forecourt and collided with Wiggins, who revealed last week that he had shaved off his trademark, lucky sideburns.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "Police were called to the scene of a road traffic accident at Crow Orchard Road in Wrightington at about 6pm.
"A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra car. The rider of the bike, a 32-year-old local man, was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. His family have been told."
Garage attendant Yasmin Smith said: "By the time I got there he had moved to a safer place but was still on the ground and he was in a lot of pain.
"He said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there, by which time he was blue."
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8234357/Bradley-Wiggins-in-hospital-following-training-crash-in-Lancashire

UCI confirm nobody will awarded Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles

The International Cycling Union have confirmed that nobody will replace Lance Armstrong as winner of the Tour de France between 1999 and 2005.

The disgraced American has been stripped of his seven Tour titles for his involvement in the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs during his professional career.
Following the investigations by the US Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong has been banned from the sport for life and his record since 1998 eradicated.
The UCI have also ordered Armstrong to pay back any prize money that he won while using performance enhancing drugs.
A UCI statement read: "With respect to Lance Armstrong and the implications of the USADA sanctions endorsed on Monday, October 22, the management committee decided not to award victories to any other rider or upgrade other placings in any of the affected events.
"The committee decided to apply this ruling from now on to any competitive sporting results disqualified due to doping for the period from 1998 to 2005. The committee also called on Armstrong and all other affected riders to return the prize money they had received.
"The UCI management committee acknowledged that a cloud of suspicion would remain hanging over this dark period - but that while this might appear harsh for those who rode clean, they would understand there was little honour to be gained in reallocating places."
The UCI is now setting up an independent commission to investigate allegations made against them relating to the scandal, while Armstrong continues to deny any wrongdoing.
http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/8196858/UCI-confirm-nobody-will-awarded-Lance-Armstrong-s-seven-Tour-de-France-titles