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Monday's Mailbag: Lance v. Frankie

Published: Jun. 26, 2006

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Frankie should write a book
Editor:
Every time you turn on the news, another cyclist is getting caught for doping. Yet the only guy who can beat all of them is as pure as the snow atop Mt. Everest?

As reported by Alan Abrahamson of the Los Angeles Times, Frankie and Betsy Andreu were subpoenaed by court order, meaning they had to testify. Lance Armstrong's own agent said he was present in that room at the time of the conversation; under cross-examination in his testimony he says he wasn't there. Hmmm.

Lance has his iconic status to lose as well as millions. As for Frankie, it just boggles the mind as to why he'd lie about this, especially since he's still in the sport. Lance has to find another excuse other than "she hates me" as far as Frankie's wife is concerned.

Write a book, Frankie. You'll be believed.

Loretta Pirella
Chicago, Illinois

Lance won the races and passed the tests
Editor:
My personal thoughts as to whether Lance did or did not dope were swept away with amazing clarity last fall as I sat in a hospital room getting tested for what turned out to be a false alarm. Hospitals are hopeless, sterile places where stories like Lance's inspire adults and children who need something to believe in. The amount of good Lance has done on this earth through his story transcends the sport of cycling. He alone has given hope to thousands, maybe millions, of cancer patients around the world. Who else can say that?

I don't care if Lance had horse blood pumping through those veins in his seven Tours. He won the races and passed the tests, period. The continued pursuit by Dick Pound and the French press almost one year after the guy retired smacks of nothing more than an egotistical trip to prove themselves right. Like a policeman having a stakeout to catch jaywalkers while bank robbers drive by. If you can't prove Lance doped, learn from it, drop it, and focus on catching the cheaters in cycling today.

Giddy-up, Lance.

Philip Weber
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Frankie’s a class act
Editor:
I find it highly peculiar that only bits and pieces of selected testimonies are being leaked by Lance's attorney (see the June 23 Austin American Statesman). Get it through your head Lance fans that Frankie and Betsy Andreu were compelled to testify and that was supposed to have remained confidential.

I've always respected Frankie as a cyclist. He's always shown class and integrity on and off the bike. I respect him even more for telling the truth under oath knowing how difficult it may have been. As Dick Pound said in Outside magazine - the closer to home you get, the louder they to start to shout.

R. Gordon Feistel
Ludington, Michigan

Today’s Latin lesson …
Editor:
The Scottish know the Armstrong motto: Invictus maneo! (I remain unvanquished).

Jason Armstrong
Bozeman, Montana

… and a Shakespearean reference
Editor:
I think he protests too much! Sad.

Greg Rice
Libby, Montana

Andreu attorney weighs in
To whom it may concern,
On October 21, 2005 my clients, Frankie and Betsy Andreu were subpoenaed by a Texas Arbitration Panel in the matter of Lance Armstrong, et al. v. SCA Promotions. The Andreus responded that they would not willingly comply with the Texas subpoena. The subpoena, however, was confirmed on October 22, 2005, in an ex parte proceeding by a Michigan State Court, and the Andreus were compelled to answer the subpoenas under penalty of contempt of court. On October 25th, in compliance with the subpoenas, my clients truthfully answered specific questions regarding statements made by Mr. Armstrong on October 27, 1996 in Indiana University Hospital. That particular conversation had been previously reported by David Walsh in a book entitled L.A. Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong. The Andreus were not the source of the information reported in the Walsh book.

In recent days, my clients have come under attack for their motivations and the accuracy of their recollection. These attacks are unwarranted. My clients remain steadfast in the truthfulness of their testimony. The Andreus stand nothing to gain by their testimony and in nearly 10 years, the Andreus have never sought to profit from their information. The Andreus had no interest in the outcome of the arbitration matter involving Mr. Armstrong. Present in the hospital room were seven people including Mr. Armstrong. Contrary to recent reports, neither Mr. Armstrong's mother nor Dr. Craig Nichols were present. Other than Mr. Armstrong, only three people were deposed regarding this incident.

It is unfortunate that transcripts from testimony provided in closed legal proceedings were released eight months after testimony was given and after a confidential settlement was agreed upon between SCA Promotions and Mr. Armstrong. My clients were unaware, shocked and disappointed when their confidential depositions were made public after being provided assurances by both parties that their testimonies were provided for the limited purpose of the arbitration matter and sealed pursuant to an order of the Texas Arbitration Panel.

The Andreus decline further comment on the matter.
Adam Paskoff, Esq.
New York, New York

And the final word
Editor:
Can we move on from Lance Armstrong? He retired last year, he won more Tours than anybody and life moves on. Let’s focus on what is good about the sport (if there is any good clean racing left out there in the world) and just move on. Yet I know that every bike shop in America is thanking God for Lance so they can sell overpriced bikes to the local thirty-something crowd and everybody benefits; that is, all that stand to make a killing because of his media hoopla. He is just another person; albeit a very wealthy one, but when you look at what he has versus what he has lost because of his fame, I wonder if he can truly say whether it is worth it.

Meanwhile, a new Tour starts in a week; it may be very exciting and let’s hope we have a great race to watch once again.

Matthew Gibble
Broomfield, Colorado

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.