US Food and Drug Administration with urine samples taken in 1999 from Armstrong. These “B” samples reportedly contain levels of synthetic erythropoietin, a naturally produced hormone that helps with red blood cell production.

Pierre Bordry, the president of the Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage, not only announced the agreement today but also laid down a challenge to US investigators: “We can either send them the samples or do the testing ourselves.”

French authorities have been gunning for Armstrong for years, culminating in a 2005 report by the sports daily L’Equipe, which declared that the ‘99 sample in question contained the banned substance EPO, which helps send elevated levels of oxygen-rich red blood cells coursing through cyclists’ bloodstreams.

The US investigation is being spearheaded by FDA agent Jeff Novitzky, who has led the fight against suspected sports dopers for years, from Barry Bonds to Roger Clemens to Floyd Landis, who won the 2006 Tour de France and later admitted to doping his way to victory.

Adequate testing for EPO didn’t exist back in 1999, but French authorities saved the samples for when the technology would catch up to dopers’ ability to cheat their way to the top. Riders caught using synthetic EPO often face bans from competitive cycling ranging from two years to life, usually after a second offense.

Armstrong, who finished third in this year’s Tour de France and has long denied using performance-enhancing substances, has not commented on Bordry’s statement.

Photo: AP/Bas Czerwinski

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See Also:

• Cycling Champ Admits Doping, Accuses Others
• Wired 15.01: The Doping Excuses Hall of Fame
• Wired 15.01: The Righteous Fury of Dick Pound
• Athletes Beware, Scientists Hot on Gene Doping Trail

Authors: Erik Malinowski

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