The Armstrong Lie Page #8

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vital warm-up for

the Tour de France.

He was determined to

see how he would fare

riding clean against

the best riders in the world.

I look to have some good days.

If I left the Tour of Italy,

and I didn't win a stage

and I wasn't a factor

on some of the difficult days,

I'd be disappointed,

and I think I have to do that.

To challenge

his critics, Lance started

to post his blood

values during the Giro.

Based on those findings,

even the most

skeptical observers

concluded that

Lance was riding clean.

The big question was,

"Could he still compete?"

Anytime you see him, if he's

in trouble, he can never be alone.

So, Dani, Jani and Chechu, on the

climb, you guys look for Lance.

And if there's a problem,

he needs guys to

stay with him and

pace him up the climb.

On this day's

final climb, Lance cracked

and dropped way

behind all the top racers.

His supporting riders

slowed down to stay with him.

It's tough because I put

pressure on myself and expect to...

In my mind, I think back to

what it used to be like.

And you forget that you've

been away for a few years.

It's hard, man.

It's not easy to be away.

And you can feel that...

Blood, urine, both?

Both.

Both, cool.

Yesterday was

number 31, I believe.

Blood and urine.

More than anybody else.

While I do the blood, I don't want

that the cameras will film it.

And also when we go to...

Whose blood is it?

It's a Dopingkontrollstation,

and it's not public.

We've had this... Yeah, you

can call PWC or the UCI.

I know it's not comfortable for

you, but it's my right, so...

Okay.

We're gonna film it.

It's my blood and my urine.

Yeah, but...

Go ahead and call the UCI.

Nobody else than you and I,

we are going to the toilet.

Yeah, that's obvious.

Hello.

Hi, Bella.

The biggest dilemma gets

to be that your home is your home.

You're there and you're eating

breakfast with your kids,

and they're getting

ready for day camp

and you're

thinking about your day,

and then these people just

kind of come into your world,

and it could take

close to an hour.

If you can't go to the bathroom,

it could take longer than that.

They sit there

and wait with you.

Is this the biggest

audience you've ever had?

Yes.

Nobody thinks that's normal.

We're used to it.

A few of the haters in the press

and these people that are just on

this whole anti-doping frenzy,

which I think we need...

There's a place for that,

but there are people

that are obsessed with it.

They think that's absolutely normal.

That's not normal.

Why are you taking blood, Dad?

For my job.

His job is to take blood.

No, her job is to take blood.

My job is to take blood.

My job is to give blood.

Oh.

All right.

Bye-bye, cameraman.

Bye-bye, cameraman

and funny, skinny man.

Go!

Let me tell you something.

I'm all for a clean game, but

this is f***ing ridiculous.

Now here we are.

Yesterday, we had a surprise UCI

control, the 31st of the season.

Now, this morning, again.

See you pull up.

Fine, no problem.

32nd control.

Then, Higgs, look.

USADA walks in.

Talk about a broken system.

Stupid.

How can there not

be any communication?

It's 2009.

You guys look like fools.

When I'm in the bathroom,

going to the bathroom, I look outside,

another car pulls up.

And it's the American

Anti-Doping Agency.

So 10 minutes before, the International

Cycling Federation shows up,

and then the American Olympic

Federation shows up.

And I've got to

get dressed to ride.

So I gotta go up and change and

everybody's gonna escort me up there?

In front of my girlfriend,

who's breastfeeding'?

Is that the way it's gonna work?

Okay.

No.

So I gotta walk in

where you can't see me,

and you say,

"No, that's a violation"?

That's stupid.

Anyways, off we go.

Six hours on the bike today.

See you.

After his poor

performance in Italy,

Lance had to find

some way to get better.

With only a month

before the Tour de France,

Lance trained in Aspen with his

Astana teammate, Levi Leipheimer.

For both men, riding in the Rockies

was all about the altitude.

Training in the thin air causes the

body to produce more red blood cells,

the exact same effect as EPO.

I learned that altitude training

also played a role in doping.

To prepare for competition,

riders would often

train in the mountains

to boost their red blood cells,

take out a bag or two, and then be

ready to transfuse them during a tour.

At the time, I wondered, "Was that

what Lance was doing in Aspen?"

I watched Lance and Levi

do a series of 1K tests,

timed runs up

a one-kilometer hill

with a blood test at

the top of each climb.

They measure lactic acid levels,

which indicate fitness and the

ability of a rider's leg muscles

to deliver

sustained power over time.

It's a test that was developed and

refined in Italy by Michele Ferrari.

Okay.

You still pass on a suggestion

or two from time to time to Lance?

Yes, not so many as in the past.

But probably,

he doesn't need so many.

But sometimes I

give him some inputs.

May be useful.

They were useful.

Lance had told

everyone that he had

stopped working

with Ferrari in 2004,

but an investigation

by Italian police

revealed that

Armstrong kept contact

with Ferrari

through his son Stefano.

In e-mails, Papa Ferrari was

known by his nickname, Schumi.

Bank records and

e-mails confirmed

Armstrong's payments to Ferrari.

In 2009, I wasn't honest

about my relationship with him,

but I didn't know who else to trust

when it came to training and advice.

And to his credit, he was the first

to say, "You cannot take any risk.

"They are coming for you.

"They want you."

From Italy, Ferrari

monitored Lance's progress.

He compared his performance

from a month earlier

and concluded that Lance

had improved by 10%

in his power output number,

watts per kilogram.

The watts-per-kilo

number now is just a hair under 6.5.

6.5 might be good

enough to win the Tour.

I've seen higher.

I've been higher.

The best Lance

with 1K tests was 7.

More than 7.

The best Lance was

the year of the last Tour win.

He won the Tour like this.

It was impressive.

Lance took it easy, because...

if you win by too much...

everybody blah, blah, blah...

The other seven Tours...

In late June, you know,

the last test before the Tour

based on power output, we sat

down and said, "Okay. We win.

"If we don't fall off the

bike, if you don't get sick,

"if you don't have any kind of

terrible strategic error,

"you win easy."

it was amazing.

4.5?

At 326.

At 326?

Oh, snap! 4.7.

He pushed too hard on my finger.

I'm strong.

Quite honestly, I think...

I mean, if you want a prediction,

I think I'll win the Tour.

How could Lance be so confident?

He hadn't

performed well all year.

What did he know that I didn't?

We are close to the moment

when big Lance returns

to the sport of cycling.

And when he left in 2005,

he wouldn't be back, he said.

There he is. He's back.

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