Formerly known as one of the greatest icons in cycling of all time, Lance Armstrong had his reputation and standing in the sport severely damaged after finally admitting to using EPO during his peak achievements in the Tour de France.
However, how did Armstrong manage to evade punishment for such an extended period? In an interview on the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher, Armstrong addressed the issue of his use of banned substances.
“I’ve been tested 500 times and never failed”
“In a way, you would frustrate the system, but what I’ve always said, and I’m not trying to justify what I said as something I’d like to repeat, I’ve been tested 500 times and never failed a drug test,” he begins.
“That’s not a lie. That’s the truth. There was no avoiding the test. When I peed in the cup, and they tested the urine,” I passed all the tests.
Steroids with a long half-life
When pressed by Maher on how exactly he circumvented the tests, Armstrong goes into detail. “Now, the reality and the truth of all of this is that some of these substances, primarily the one that’s most beneficial, has a half-life of four hours.”
“So, certain substances, whether it’s cannabis or steroids or anything else, have much longer half-lives,” explained Armstrong.
“You could smoke pot and go to work driving your tractor… in two weeks and test positive because the half-life is much longer.”
“EPO would have a half-life of 4 hours,” says Armstrong
“With EPO, the most consumed drug, which not only changed our sport but all endurance sports, you have a half-life of four hours, so it leaves the body very quickly,” he said.
Armstrong goes on to say, “With a half-life of four hours, you can just do the math.”
Maher shocked by the revelation
While Maher appears shocked, he questions the possible side effects. “I don’t want to encourage anyone to do something they just don’t need to do,” he says.
Armstrong concludes with a controversial statement: “The truth is, you had a drug that was undetectable, that was extremely beneficial for performance and recovery. Both are important, but mainly for performance… And, as we were led to believe, which I don’t disagree, if taken under the care of a doctor, it was safe.”