Portuguese former racer José Azevedo has stated that he by no means noticed ex-teammate Lance Armstrong taking banned substances throughout their time collectively at US Postal Service and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling in 2004 and 2005.
Armstrong, who admitted to doping throughout his profession in 2013, has been banned from biking for all times and had all outcomes from 1998 onwards stripped from his palmarès.
He, his staff, and several other teammates had been judged to have been a part of a years-long doping conspiracy as USADA named him because the ringleader of “probably the most refined, professionalized and profitable doping program that sport has ever seen”.
Speaking to O Jogo earlier this week, nonetheless, Azevedo – former directeur sportif at RadioShack, Katusha, and Delko – claimed that he wasn’t conscious of doping occurring whereas he was on the US squad. He stated that he solely is aware of about it due to Armstrong’s confession.
“The mission had that aspect, it wasn’t simply Armstrong,” Azevedo stated. “But if I do know in the present day that Armstrong consumed banned substances it is as a result of he stated so. Because I by no means noticed it.
“I used to be by no means harassed inside the staff to make use of doping merchandise. It was one thing that fully handed me by. I had my mission within the staff, my calendar, my duties. I went to the races and I knew what my place was and what was anticipated of me, serving to Armstrong win. That was all I used to be involved about.
“I did my job, I’m happy with what I did in my profession. What occurred, occurred to him,” Azevedo added. “The riders are at house, that’s the place they prepare. I do not know what goes on in different individuals’s houses. I can communicate for myself.
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“And I will not say something dangerous about him, as a result of as an individual, as a teammate, for me he was the most effective there may be. He by no means behaved like a star, he by no means disrespected us, he at all times valued our work. And we weren’t there out of obligation, we had been paid to work for him. And he at all times had a phrase of thanks.”
Azevedo, who now works at Portuguese Continental squad Efapel, stated that he is happy with his racing profession, which additionally noticed him signify ONCE in addition to Portuguese squads Boavista, Maia, and Benfica.
He praised staff leaders Manolo Sainz and Johan Bruyneel, saying that he “discovered rather a lot about biking” from the boys regardless of their reputations.
“I’m happy with my profession as a bicycle owner. I’m proud to have raced for ONCE, led by Manolo Sainz, who additionally had issues,” Azevedo stated. “And to have raced for US Postal and Discovery, to be Armstrong’s teammate, to have Johan Bruyneel as sports activities director.
“These are individuals from whom I discovered rather a lot about biking. In phrases of structural organisation, programming, planning, habits with the riders, even the psychological half.”