There was no doping culture at all at US Postal and Armstrong, claims teammate Azevedo: "I never saw it"

The Lance Armstrong scandal continues to cast a long shadow over the cycling world, leaving a dent in the sport's reputation that is hard to repair. Armstrong is widely regarded as the main culprit, but his former teammate José Azevedo sees things very differently. He believes his former leader was unjustly vilified and claims he had no knowledge of Armstrong using doping, as he told Portuguese outlet O Jogo.

In the interview, Azevedo reflects on his time with the US Postal Service team and his relationship with Armstrong. Azevedo raced for the American team for three years, two of them as Armstrong's domestique. Now an advocate for clean cycling, Azevedo views his past without regret. "It doesn't bother me," he says. "I'm proud of my journey as a rider. I'm proud to have ridden for ONCE, led by Manolo Sainz, who also faced problems. And also for US Postal and Discovery, as a teammate of Armstrong, with Johan Bruyneel as the sports director. They are people from whom I learned a lot about cycling."

Azevedo is one of the few to openly praise the American team and its leadership, despite the shadow of the doping scandal. He understands why this stance is rare. "But if I know today that Armstrong used banned substances, it's because he himself admitted it. I never saw it. Within the team, I was never approached with doping products. It was something I completely missed. I had my role in the team, my calendar, my responsibilities. I went to races knowing my place and what was expected of me: helping Armstrong win."

Read more below the photo!

"I don’t know what happened in other people’s homes"

According to Azevedo, there was no systemic issue: it was individuals acting on their own plans. "Riders are often at home, that's where they train. I don’t know what happened in other people’s homes. I can only speak for myself. And I’m not going to say anything bad about Armstrong because, as a person and teammate, he was the best there is for me. He never acted like a star and never showed us any disrespect."

"Now, it’s seen as the biggest fraud in sports," he continues. Armstrong's compatriot Greg LeMond has always been one of the most vocal critics of The Boss. "Everyone is free to judge. I have a lot of respect, attention, and admiration for Armstrong. Despite the mistakes he made, we must not forget that, as an athlete, he had incredible potential. If winning was only about taking doping, it wouldn’t be worth training. Everyone could be a champion then."

Read also

LeMond opens up about doping and his feud with Armstrong: "Bizarre that the Armstrong era was even worse than the '90s"

Bold Claim: Vingegaard’s Tour de France wins only happened because of Pogacar’s setbacks

🎥 Just like with Pogacar, an amateur cyclist clings to Vingegaard's wheel: "Why don't you shave your legs in winter?"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe