Cyclists admit 18th stage of TdeF was fixed: Bikefanclub.com

Armstrong lays down law in Tour de France in dispute over doping testimony
By John Leicester
Associated Press
7/23/2004

Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Lance Armstrong has words with Filippo Simeoni after chasing him down during stage 18

LONS-LE-SAUNIER, France (AP) -- When Lance Armstrong lays down the law in the Tour de France, others riders sometimes have no choice but to obey. Just ask Filippo Simeoni.

The Italian, who is involved in a legal battle with the five-time champion, sought Friday to speed ahead of the pack on the Tour's 18th stage. Armstrong's reaction was unequivocal: No way.

Even though Simeoni is way down in the overall standings and cannot threaten Armstrong's march to a record sixth Tour victory, the Texan chased after him.

Their animosity relates to Simeoni's testimony against sports doctor Michele Ferrari, with whom Armstrong has ties. Ferrari faces allegations of providing performance enhancers to riders and in 2002, Simeoni told an Italian court that Ferrari advised him to take drugs.

Ferrari has testified that he never prescribed or administered banned substances.

The result at this Tour is bad blood between Armstrong and Simeoni.

"All he wants to do is destroy cycling and destroy the sport that pays him, and that's wrong," the Texan said Friday after his extraordinary move to rein in Simeoni.

The Italian was trying to catch a group of six riders who, in an effort to win, had escaped from the main pack early in the stage through eastern France.

Armstrong went tearing after him. They caught the escape group, only for riders there to tell Simeoni he was not welcome. They knew that their chances of winning the stage were nil if Armstrong kept with them. Simeoni eventually demurred, breaking off his attack and returning to the main pack -- with Armstrong.

"Armstrong demonstrated to the entire world what type of person he is," said Simeoni. "It is not reasonable that a great champion doesn't give a chance to a small rider like me and the others ... I suffered an injustice from him while everyone was watching."

Juan Miguel Mercado, who was part of the escape group Simeoni wanted to join, went on to win, beating fellow Spaniard Vicente Garcia Acosta in a sprint at the finish at Lons-Le-Saunier.

Simeoni could only rue what might have been.

"I felt very, very good and I made a great move to get to the front," he said. But he added: "When I understood that Armstrong would stay there because I was there, out of respect for the other riders I sat up and went back."

That Armstrong felt the need to spike Simeoni's effort showed both the depth of his anger at the Italian and that he is feeling so confident about a sixth Tour that he can afford to take his mind off the race momentarily.

Armstrong said other riders congratulated him when he brought Simeoni back to the main pack.

"Everybody understood that this is their job and they absolutely love it and they're committed to it and they don't want somebody within their sport destroying it," he said. "He's not a rider who thinks about other riders and the group in general. So ... when I came back I had a lot of riders patting me on the back and saying 'Thank you.'"

In a newspaper interview earlier this Tour, Simeoni defended his testimony against Ferrari and said that Armstrong was giving him the cold shoulder. He also said that Armstrong has called him a liar and that because of that he is suing him for libel.

"In the morning I look for him, I ride up to him, but he is cold, detached. He acts as if I don't exist," Simeoni told the French sports daily L'Equipe.

Sebastien Joly, a French rider who was in the escape group, said they asked Simeoni to leave them.

"When he let go, Lance had the kindness to do the same thing," he said. "I think it was a reaction of pride on Armstrong's part."

"It was bizarre, really strange," added Mercado.