PARIS — It’s just like old times for Lance Armstrong.
Hours after the French anti-doping authority challenged the seven- time Tour de France champion to agree to retest his 1999 urine samples to see whether a French newspaper was right when it reported they contained a banned substance, Armstrong rejected the notion, lashing out at the agency’s leader, Pierre Bordry.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Bordry is new to these issues and his proposal is based on a fundamental failure to understand the facts,” Armstrong said Wednesday. “In 2005, some research was conducted on urine samples left over from the 1998 and 1999 Tours de France. That research was the subject of an independent investigation, and the conclusions of the investigation were that the 1998 and 1999 Tour de France samples have not been maintained properly, have been compromised in many ways, and even three years ago could not be tested to provide any meaningful results.
“There is simply nothing that I can agree to that would provide any relevant evidence about 1999.”
The agency proposed the rider “prove his good faith” by agreeing to retesting of his samples from the 1999 Tour, the first in Armstrong’s record string of seven wins. The samples are frozen in a drug-testing laboratory in the suburbs of Paris.
Rusty Wallace denies comeback
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rusty Wallace denied a report by his brother that claims he is considering a return to NASCAR’s top level.
Kenny Wallace wrote in his blog the 52-year-old former Cup champion is pondering a return to the Sprint Cup Series.
Rusty Wallace retired after the 2005 season and is currently an analyst for ABC and ESPN.
“I love Kenny to death — he’s been trying to get me back in a car ever since I retired after 2005,” Rusty Wallace said. “While any rumors like this are certainly flattering, they’re untrue.”
Serena Williams upset by Li
STUTTGART, Germany — Serena Williams’ game collapsed after she swept the first set at the Porsche Grand Prix, leaving her with a 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 loss to China’s Li Na that will give her No. 1 ranking to Jelena Jankovic.
• Roger Federer has withdrawn from next week’s Stockholm (Sweden) Open, saying he needs to rest before starting his quest to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.
Footnotes.
Documents confirm all six members of China’s gold-medal women’s gymnastics team at the Beijing Games were old enough to compete, but the International Gymnastics Federation wants more answers from two members of China’s 2000 squad — Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun — saying it “does not consider the explanations and evidence provided to date in regards to these athletes as satisfactory.”
• Boxer Oscar De La Hoya said he wants to fight at least two more times after taking on Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
• Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon accepted the team’s one-year, $6.4 million tender offer.
• The Golden State Warriors signed guard Dan Dickau, who averaged 5.3 points last season with the Clippers.
The Associated Press
