The Program Page #4

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Good for us, but not the UCI.

They test the haematocrit instead.

How much of your blood is cells,

how much is water.

More than 50 means Epo.

Squeeze it.

(knocking)

Come on, f***ing dilute my blood.

Close to 50 but not over.

49.99999.

(knocking)

Hey, sorry to keep you. Wanna come in?

Yes, please.

(commentator) With the cancer beaten,

and Lance looking

an almost certain winner,

I'm not surprised Hollywood

wants make a film of his life.

(commentator 2)

Thousands of Americans were cheering.

The guy's been through so much.

He deserved this more than anybody.

This is his Tour de France.

Tour de Lance.

(cheering)

(reporter) Thousands of people

came on bicycles

and pedalled down Congress Avenue

to pay tribute to the most famous

bicyclist in the world.

Well, he overcame cancer, and

I've had cancer, so I can appreciate it.

Cancer...

it's a brutal experience.

But you meet yourself along the way.

I approached my disease the same way

that I'd approach a race.

There's an enemy to be defeated.

I recall one time in the hospital,

the third cycle of chemo,

very weak, making my way down

an endless hallway

and a nurse comes up to me

with a wheelchair.

She said, "Mr Armstrong,

would you care to sit down?"

And I said, "Thanks, but no thanks."

I.m gonna walk."

And I did.

I didn't give up because it's worth it.

Inside us is something more potent, more

powerful than any drug on the planet.

It's in me, it's in you,

it's in every newborn baby.

It's called...

the will to survive.

See, we are all the authors

of our own life story.

So go out there and write the best damn

story you can and live it and be strong.

(applause)

Thanks.

(woman) You're brave.

For what, making a speech?

No, I meant in hospital.

Thanks.

You know, there are some things

that you can't...

I just tell them what they wanna hear.

You like pizza?

Yeah.

- You like oysters?

- Yes.

- You like Italian food?

- Yeah.

- You like bicycles?

- (Laughs) Yes.

(woman) Lance Armstrong

has risen to superstar status

after winning the world's

toughest cycling race

for the second successive year.

(man) Now the crowd is warming up.

Listen for the cheers.

The USA flags are flying high

as they have done for a third year now,

for Lance Armstrong.

Any time you're here,

you should feel at home.

The people of New York City

love you, admire you.

You're a role model to all of us.

(woman) Sales of

the LiveStrong wristband

have raised over $50 million

for cancer research.

That's a good one.

A guinut.

(laughs)

We really ought to go.

Yeah.

See you, guys-

Do you have time for one more?

Sorry. He's gotta get

to another appointment.

- A quick one.

- In there.

His name's Jack.

Well, we ha...

Hey, Jack.

Can I do anything for you?

Wanna take a picture together?

You want a T-shirt?

(medical equipment beeps in background)

It's pretty bad, right?

We don't have to talk.

We can just sit here.

I got all day.

Thank you so much.

(Lance) To who?

Oh, just your name. Thanks.

I gave UP-

I turned my face to the wall to die.

But you made me live, Lance Armstrong.

And that's who you are.

(they shout in Italian)

- Ben Johnson.

- What about him?

The Olympic Games, Seoul, 1988.

He tested positive for Stanozolol.

I remember.

Michelle Smith, Atlanta '96. Accused

of tampering with a urine sample.

Every heroic athlete you cover

is gonna crumble into dust.

And the next name you're gonna mention

is Lance Armstrong.

- You're a clever sausage.

- I knew it.

- Everybody thinks I'm mad!

- Not everybody. But, yes.

And why is that?

Let's take that question first.

Is it because Lance Armstrong,

handsome young cancer survivor,

the inspirer of millions,

cannot possibly be a cheat

because that would reveal the world

to be a great pile of sh*t?

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

David, do you have any substantial

information to back up your story?

Like they do in proper journalism.

Yes, I do have some substantial

information. Michele Ferrari.

He is the godfather of blood doping.

The Italian cops have taken Ferrari

because of some financial

irregularities.

- They seized his diary from '97.

- And Lance is in it?

- No.

- David.

One of his team-mates is in it.

And two years later...

Lance takes a little trip to Ferrari.

He stays here at

the Hotel Duchessa Isabella.

From there to the residence of Michele

Ferrari is less than ten minutes walk.

"Armstrong visits Pope of dope."

How did you find this out?

Friend of a friend.

- David.

- So I sent Lance a very polite letter.

And lo and behold...

he accepts my invitation.

Hi.

David.

Hi, Lance. Thanks for coming. So...

Let me just...

Dr Ferrari made a statement about EPO.

Do you remember that?

- No.

- Did you ever visit Michele Ferrari?

- I did know him.

- How did you know him?

In cycling you go to races, there are

lots of people. A small community.

Did you ever visit him?

Did I get tested by him,

did I go there

and get consulted on certain things?

- Perhaps.

- So you did?

The tape recorder won't pick up

your body language

so can I get a yes or a no on that?

Perhaps.

He's about to be tried

for criminal conspiracy.

I think the judges and the prosecutors

should pursue everybody,

no matter who they are,

because that's their job.

So, he's evasive.

What does it all add up to? Nothing.

You got nothing, David.

No evidence I can actually publish.

Alex, we can't censor this.

It's too important.

The fact is, the law may take a view

that even asking a question about

him doping is to make an allegation.

And I'm not sure

we're able to support that.

If you shy away from this, you should

get somebody else to do my job

because as much as I like the Tour

I have no interest in going up a

mountain to watch chemists compete!

Feel free to come back

when you've got some evidence, David.

So you must know

that Tyler Hamilton has left the team

and that we're looking

for a replacement.

You're a terrific cyclist, Floyd,

and Lance wants you on US Postal.

Your job is to protect him.

Yes.

You're a good rider.

You could be one of the greats.

Unless you are willing to compete

in every way,

you're just gonna get left behind,

which...

It would be a shame

for a talent such as yourself.

(Lance) This is the program.

Testosterone patches.

You wear one at night...

every two out of three days.

Yeah.

Micro dosing.

Ten units per kilo intravenously.

Out of your system in 12 hours.

Just don't get tested in the glow time.

Their tests for Epo

have gotten much tougher.

Now we take the blood out

when it's good, store it in the fridge,

and put it back in when we need it.

It's red blood cells, Floyd,

that's all we need.

The more oxygen, the more fast.

It's how we win, man. It's hard work.

One step ahead of the other guy.

- (woman) Et voila'.

- (Replies in French)

Sh*t, man,

you got the hang of it already.

After a year,

all I can say is "margherita".

- And margherita is Italian.

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