CYCLISTS SAID TO BACK CLAIMS ARMSTRONG DOPED
Lance Armstrong
Federal prosecutors have intensified their criminal investigation of the cyclist Lance Armstrong since the Tour de France ended last month. They questioned many of his former associates -- including cyclists who have supported and further detailed claims that Armstrong and his former U.S. Postal Service team participated in systematic doping  according to a cyclist who has been interviewed and two others privy to the inquiry.
 In May  Armstrong's former teammate Floyd Landis shocked the cycling world by publicly accusing Armstrong and other team members of using performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions to gain an unfair advantage. Landis said that Armstrong -- the biggest name in the sport -- had encouraged the doping and that the team had sold its bikes to help finance an expensive doping program.
 Armstrong has denied any wrongdoing and has said that Landis  who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for doping and received a two-year ban from the sport  had no credibility.
 A former teammate of Armstrong's said in a telephone interview Wednesday that he has spoken with investigators. He said he detailed some of his own drug use  as well as the widespread cheating that he said went on as part of the Postal Service team -- all of which was done with Armstrong's knowledge and encouragement.
 Armstrong is considered one of the more remarkable athletes in American history  someone who dominated his sport and also had a compelling personal story  having beaten testicular cancer.
 Jeff Novitzky  a special agent for the Food and Drug Administration  is in charge of the investigation and has been interviewing Armstrong's former teammates and associates. Novitzky -- the head investigator in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroids case -- is trying to determine if Armstrong  his teammates  the owners or managers of his former team conspired to defraud their sponsors by doping to improve their performance and win more money and prizes.
 Armstrong did not respond to requests for comment put directly to his agent and his manager on Wednesday.
 Toward the end of the Tour de France  Armstrong  a seven-time winner of the event  said he would deny any involvement in doping "as long as I live."
 Bryan D. Daly  a defense lawyer representing Armstrong  said any cyclists who claim that Armstrong had doped were not telling the truth.
 "They just want them to incriminate Lance Armstrong and that's my concern " Daly said  adding that the prosecutors were working closely with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to pressure Armstrong's former teammates. "To the extent that there's anyone besides Floyd Landis saying things  the bottom line is  if you take away the soap opera and look at the scientific evidence  there is nothing."
 "If Lance Armstrong came in second in those Tour de France races  there's no way that Lance Armstrong would be involved in these cases " Daly said. "I think that the concern is that they are caught up in the pursuit of a celebrity to catch him in a lie."
 Armstrong  who has just returned from a post-Tour vacation in the Bahamas  was in Denver Wednesday to announce a weeklong stage race to be held next August in Colorado. To promote the event  he rode through the city's downtown streets with Gov. Bill Ritter  drawing a large crowd.
 In Denver  Armstrong told The Associated Press that he had "nothing to say" about the federal investigation.
Federal prosecutors have intensified their criminal investigation of [TGT] since the Tour de France ended last month. They questioned many of his former associates -- including cyclists who have supported and further detailed claims that [TGT] and [TGT] former U.S. Postal Service team participated in systematic doping  according to a cyclist who has been interviewed and two others privy to the inquiry.
 In May  [TGT]'s former teammate Floyd Landis shocked the cycling world by publicly accusing [TGT] and other team members of using performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions to gain an unfair advantage. Landis said that [TGT] -- the biggest name in the sport -- had encouraged the doping and that the team had sold its bikes to help finance an expensive doping program.
 [TGT] has denied any wrongdoing and has said that Landis  who was stripped of [TGT] 2006 Tour title for doping and received a two-year ban from the sport  had no credibility.
 A former teammate of [TGT]'s said in a telephone interview Wednesday that [TGT] has spoken with investigators. [TGT] said [TGT] detailed some of [TGT] own drug use  as well as the widespread cheating that [TGT] said went on as part of the Postal Service team -- all of which was done with [TGT]'s knowledge and encouragement.
 [TGT] is considered one of the more remarkable athletes in American history  someone who dominated [TGT] sport and also had a compelling personal story  having beaten testicular cancer.
 Jeff Novitzky  a special agent for the Food and Drug Administration  is in charge of the investigation and has been interviewing [TGT]'s former teammates and associates. Novitzky -- the head investigator in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroids case -- is trying to determine if Armstrong  his teammates  the owners or managers of his former team conspired to defraud their sponsors by doping to improve their performance and win more money and prizes.
 [TGT] did not respond to requests for comment put directly to [TGT] agent and [TGT] manager on Wednesday.
 Toward the end of the Tour de France  Armstrong  a seven-time winner of the event  said he would deny any involvement in doping "as long as I live."
 Bryan D. Daly  a defense lawyer representing Armstrong  said any cyclists who claim that [TGT] had doped were not telling the truth.
 "They just want them to incriminate [TGT] and that's my concern " Daly said  adding that the prosecutors were working closely with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to pressure [TGT]'s former teammates. "To the extent that there's anyone besides Floyd Landis saying things  the bottom line is  if you take away the soap opera and look at the scientific evidence  there is nothing."
 "If [TGT] came in second in those Tour de France races  there's no way that [TGT] would be involved in these cases " Daly said. "I think that the concern is that they are caught up in the pursuit of a celebrity to catch [TGT] in a lie."
 Armstrong  who has just returned from a post-Tour vacation in the Bahamas  was in Denver Wednesday to announce a weeklong stage race to be held next August in Colorado. To promote the event  he rode through the city's downtown streets with Gov. Bill Ritter  drawing a large crowd.
 In Denver  [TGT] told The Associated Press that [TGT] had "nothing to say" about the federal investigation.