openpolitics.com

Lance Armstrong Is Said to Meet With Usada Chief in Bid to Cut Ban

Mercier, who said he quit the sport in 1997 because of his refusal to dope, is a friend of both Tygart’s and Armstrong’s.

.. Tygart noted that in June 2012, his agency was prepared to offer Armstrong a six-month penalty similar to those given to the other riders who had helped its investigation. Armstrong refused, and has continued to do so, and Usada proved its case without him.

“It was a huge missed opportunity,” Tygart said. Using the French acronym for the cycling union, he added: “It would have gotten rid of the leadership of the U.C.I. a lot quicker, and it would have gotten rid of other people in the system who were implicated in doping.