ENCORE: Lance Armstrong: Tour De Fraud | 218

Summary

Scamfluencers Podcast Summary

Episode: ENCORE: Lance Armstrong: Tour De Fraud | 218
Release Date: June 15, 2026
Hosts: Sachi Koul & Sarah Hagi

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Episode Overview

This Scamfluencers encore episode revisits the infamous rise and fall of Lance Armstrong, once the world’s most celebrated cyclist and now known as the orchestrator of one of the most sophisticated and damaging doping scandals in sports history. Timed with the upcoming Tour de France and buzz surrounding a new authorized biopic, hosts Sachi Koul and Sarah Hagi delve deep into Armstrong’s career, his cult of personality, the culture of deception he established, and the ripple effects of his fraud. The tone is equal parts biting, incredulous, and darkly comedic.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Mythos: Movie and Media Frenzy

• New Biopic: Apple has secured rights to a Lance Armstrong film starring Austin Butler and directed by Edward Berger, marking the first Armstrong-authorized adaptation ([00:40]).
• Industry Interest: “Multiple studios were fighting over the package, which shows just how compelling this story still is.” – Sarah Hagi ([00:51])
• Hosts’ Perspective: Sachi and Sarah note the brazenness of Armstrong now attempting to control the narrative after years of lies.

2. Armstrong’s Early Life & First Forays into Deception

• Turbulent Childhood: Raised by a young mother and abusive stepfather, Armstrong’s early experiences with discipline and anger shaped his win-at-all-costs mentality ([06:18]).
• Origins of Fraud: At 15, Lance and his mother forged his birth certificate so he could compete in triathlons.
  “From changing his birth certificate to then doing this.” – Sarah ([09:28])
• Buying Races: Armstrong paid off competitors to secure victories, even handing out cash in a cake box ([09:37]).

3. Doping Culture and the Evolution of Cheating

• Historical Context: Doping has long been part of cycling, but Armstrong and his associates elevated it to an industrial scale ([10:45]).
  • Early Tour de France competitors used stimulants and alcohol to cope with grueling races.
• Professionalization: Armstrong’s partnership with Dr. Michele Ferrari led to highly sophisticated EPO regimens ([11:24]).
  • Ferrari “operates in secret” from the back of a station wagon, paid off the books.

4. Cancer, Recovery & Reinvention

• Public Sympathy: Armstrong’s testicular cancer diagnosis and improbable recovery accelerated his mythical status ([14:57]).
• Cheating Amid Tragedy: Armstrong openly confessed to doping while hospitalized, shocking close friends like Betsy Kramer, yet this confession was buried for years ([15:01]).
  • “I’m not fucking marrying you if you’re doing this shit. That’s how he got cancer.” – Betsy to Frankie ([15:31])
• Return to Racing: After recovery, Armstrong doubled down on doping to stage his triumphant comeback.

5. The Team: Culture of Silence and Collusion

• Aggressive Leadership: Armstrong handpicked coaches and team doctors committed to a sophisticated doping program ([18:38]).
  • Used associates like his wife to distribute drugs among teammates.
• Elaborate Cover-Ups: Bribed, threatened, and manipulated others; engaged ‘Moto Man’ to deliver drugs, used masseuses to hide syringes.

6. Bullying and Intimidation

• Suppressing Whistleblowers: Armstrong’s legal and personal attacks on those who spoke out, including suing journalists and calling accusers “whores” ([04:08], [30:11]).
• Personal Encounters: Infamously taunted Italian cyclist Filippo Simeoni mid-race for testifying against Dr. Ferrari.
  • “I have time, I have money, and I can destroy you whenever I want.” (Sarah reading Armstrong quote, [27:06])
• Culture of Fear: Team compared to “the mob”; Armstrong as the enforcer silencing dissent.

7. The Fall: Investigations, Whistleblowing & Downfall

• Floyd Landis Turns Whistleblower: After his own disgrace, Landis exposes Armstrong’s extensive team doping ([33:35]).
  • “I want to clear my conscience. I don’t want to be a part of the problem anymore.” – Floyd Landis ([33:35])
• Federal and USADA Inquiries: Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, pursues Armstrong after federal prosecutors drop their case ([34:56]).
• Damning Evidence: A 1,000-page USADA dossier uncovers a “sophisticated scheme and conspiracy to dope” ([37:04]), ultimately leading to Armstrong being stripped of all titles and banned for life.

8. Public Defiance & Sham Apologies

• Oprah Interview: Armstrong’s grudging public confession is marked by evasiveness and unrepentant claims ([03:24]).
  • Standout moment: “You sued her?” (Oprah, [04:06])
    • “We sued so many people, I don’t even—I'm sure we did.” – Armstrong
• Manipulated Narrative: Armstrong claimed to have stopped doping earlier than he had; continued attacking and undermining whistleblowers ([04:24]).
• Callous Humor: “I called you crazy. I called you a bitch. I called you all these things, but I never called you fat.” ([43:30])
  • Sarah: “This is really just such a crazy response… there is no world where Lance Armstrong answers a question the way he’s supposed to...” ([43:43])

9. Aftermath: Legacy and Reflection

• Immediate Fallout: Lost major sponsorship deals in a single day, stepped down from Livestrong ([40:42]).
• Vindication and Pain for Victims: Betsy Kramer’s emotional reaction to Armstrong’s partial apology ([42:06]).
• No Real Accountability: Despite disgrace, Armstrong remains “arrogant, through and through” and continues public appearances, including on the TV show Stars on Mars ([44:08], [45:24]).
• Lasting Impact: US cycling’s reputation remains tainted; Armstrong has remained active with a popular podcast.

10. Hosts’ Reflections: What Sets Armstrong Apart

• Unique Audacity: Hosts repeatedly note Armstrong’s blend of immense talent, ruthlessness, and bone-deep arrogance.
  • “Lance is, like, the most unlikable person we’ve ever talked about, which is crazy because he’s like a real celebrity.” – Sachi ([47:03])
• Shame and Cultural Impact: Discussion on why Armstrong’s lack of shame sets him apart even among notorious scam artists.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Whistleblowers:
  • “He [Armstrong] used to bully Floyd all the time when they were teammates.” ([32:19])
• On Doping Culture:
  • “People have been taking substances to get ahead as long as the Tour de France has been around.” – Sachi ([11:13])
• On Armstrong’s Public Persona:
  • “If you weren’t there, you do not understand.” – Sarah on Livestrong culture ([01:37])
• On Public Denials:
  • “‘And finally, …for the cynics and the skeptics, I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry you can’t dream big…’” – Armstrong’s post-win speech, (clip: [28:46])
• On Callousness:
  • “I called you all these things, but I never called you fat.” – Lance on Oprah ([43:30])
  • “This is really just such a crazy response…” – Sarah ([43:43])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Movie Announcement & Cultural Context: [00:10]–[01:15]
• Livestrong Bracelets & Armstrong’s Influence: [01:30]–[02:18]
• Oprah Confession Segment: [03:24]–[04:24]
• Early Childhood & Competitive Roots: [06:18]–[09:37]
• Rise of Professional Doping: [11:24]–[14:57]
• Cancer Diagnosis & Hospital Room Confession: [14:57]–[15:59]
• Return, Team Culture & Doping Regimen: [18:14]–[21:10]
• Tour de France Victories & Bullying Teammates: [22:30]–[22:46]
• 2005 Speech & Targeting Skeptics: [28:46]–[29:00]
• Whistleblower: Floyd Landis: [33:27]–[34:56]
• USADA Investigation Outcomes: [37:04]–[38:36]
• Aftermath & Public Apologies: [40:42]–[44:08]
• Hosts’ Final Thoughts & Reflections: [47:03]–[48:40]

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Tone, Style & Takeaways

• Tone: Biting, skeptical, darkly comedic; both reflective and incredulous at Armstrong’s arrogance.
• Style: Conversation-driven with frequent asides, millennial references, and personal reactions.
• Takeaway for Listeners:
  • Lance Armstrong’s rise was built on fraud and reinforced by intimidation.
  • Despite disgrace, his lack of genuine accountability and continued media presence are striking.
  • The culture of hero-worship in sports can enable, amplify, and obscure major deception.

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For Further Reading & Viewing

• Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O’Connell
• ESPN documentary Lance
• The Armstrong Lie directed by Alex Gibney

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Summary prepared for those seeking the full story behind cycling’s most elaborate con, without needing to listen to the episode.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Audible subscribers can listen to all our episodes of Scamfluencers ad free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

[Sachi Cole]

We'll be back next week with an

[Sarah Hagie]

all new episode of Scamflancers. But with the Tour de France kicking off July 4th in Barcelona, we thought it was the perfect time to take another look at cycling's greatest fraud, Lance Armstrong.

[Narrator]

When we first covered Lance, we told the story of how he was part of what investigators called, quote, the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen. And how Lance bullied anyone who tried to expose him. Now Hollywood has come calling again.

[Sachi Cole]

In February, Apple won a bidding war for a new Lance Armstrong biopic starring

[Sarah Hagie]

Austin Butler and directed by Edward Berger, who recently made Conclave.

[Sachi Cole]

Multiple studios were fighting over the package,

[Sarah Hagie]

which shows just how compelling this story still is.

[Narrator]

This movie also marks the first time Lance has authorized anyone telling his story on screen. His former team director, Johan Brunel said the film will finally give them a chance to, quote, tell our side of the story, which is a pretty bold claim from two guys who spent a decade lying to everyone.

[Sarah Hagie]

So with the Tour about to start

[Sachi Cole]

and a major film on the way,

[Sarah Hagie]

we're revisiting the story of Lance Armstrong, the champion who doped his way to seven titles and still seems to think that he's the victim.

[Sachi Cole]

Sarah, as a mid range millennial, I know that you remember those Livestrong bracelets.

[Sarah Hagie]

I remember so many kids on the school bus having a Livestrong bracelet and it just being like, what is going on here? It really was so everywhere. Like, if you weren't there, you do not understand.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, it's hard to quantify, but you didn't even have one of, like, the knockoff ones that said I heart boobs. That was supposed to be for breast cancer, but nobody actually knew where that money was going.

[Narrator]

I.

[Sarah Hagie]

No, you know what? I'd never had any of them had, like, really thin wrists that, like, it would just, like, emphasize, God, how weak I looked, I guess. I don't know.

[Sachi Cole]

What a flex. You're so delicate. You can't wear this clunky piece of jewelry.

[Sarah Hagie]

They were just too heavy for me. I'm just one of those girls.

[Sachi Cole]

Okay, sounds tough. Well, Sarah, today I'm gonna bring you back to the very reason we had so many of those ugly, cheap, landfill destined jelly bracelets. And somehow it has to do with Sheryl Crow. It's January 2013, and Lance Armstrong is in Austin, Texas. He's got a short crew cut And a chiseled, classically handsome face. He's sitting in a brown leather chair surrounded by cameras in a nondescript hotel room. The 41 year old is used to being in the spotlight. He's a superstar cyclist with a record breaking seven Tour de France wins. But he's not holding a trophy today or wearing one of the signature yellow jerseys given to the race's winner. Instead, Lance is in a blue blazer and slacks, and he's directing an icy stare at the person interviewing him. Oprah Winfrey. The last time Lance spoke to Oprah was eight years ago. He was promoting his cancer charity, Livestrong, and he was there with his girlfriend at the time, Sheryl Crow. But Oprah has a different focus this time around. She asks him a very direct question.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes or no? Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?

[Lance Armstrong]

Yes.

[Sachi Cole]

For the next two and a half hours, Lance admits to using a long list of banned substances and doping methods in all seven of his Tour de France victories. People suspected him of cheating for years, but this is the first time he's publicly admitted to it. Oprah's questions aren't just about doping. She also asks about Lantz. Intimidating and bullying people into keeping it a secret. Brings up a woman who tried to blow the whistle on Lance about a decade earlier. At the time, he responded by calling her a whore and then suing her for libel. In this interview, when he tries to apologize, Oprah presses him.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You sued her?

[Lance Armstrong]

Uh, to be honest, Oprah, we sued so many people, I don't even. I'm sure we did.

[Sarah Hagie]

Honestly, Oprah, like, who haven't I sued? You know, that is a crazy thing to say to Oprah, of all people. Like, on that national platform.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. Also looks visibly uncomfortable. Maybe because even in his confession, he is still lying. He tells Oprah that he stopped juicing after 2005, but the United States Anti Doping Agency says that's not true. And he claims he never forced his teammates to cheat, despite nearly a dozen of them testifying otherwise. But Lance's drive to succeed went far beyond what other cyclists were doing. And his scamming almost put the brakes on an entire sport. Free audio post production by alphonic.com confidence.

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From Wondery. I'm Sachi Kol. And I'm Sarah Hagie and this is Scamflancers.

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[Sachi Cole]

like a Legend Lance Armstrong was one of the biggest sports celebrities of the early 2000s. His massive success helped bring cycling to a wider audience, especially in the US his total dominance was framed as an inspiring tale of a cancer survivor beating the odds. But the ruthless ambition that made him a cycling superstar also drove him to win at any cost. You might think you know the story, but it's so much worse than just a case of doping. And while he says he feels remorse, it's hard not to think he's just trying to backpedal to save his reputation. This is Lance Armstrong, Tour de Fraud legend before Lance Armstrong became the world's most notorious cyclist. He's a kid growing up near Dallas in the mid-70s. Lance's mom was just 17 when she had him, and she and his dad quickly got divorced. Things are hard, but Lance's mom loves and supports him unconditionally. When Lance is three, his mom marries a new man, Terry Armstrong. Terry is a strict drill instructor type, and Lance hates him. He later says that something as small as leaving a drawer open could be enough for his stepdad to beat him with a fraternity paddle. When Lance is still a child, he starts competing in swimming and cycling, and Terry becomes even more intense. Terry later tells the Guardian about a time that 9 year old Lance fell off of his bike in the middle of a race. Terry says he told Lance, if you're gonna come out here and quit and cry, we're done. I'm not gonna have a quitter. Anger and spite become powerful motivators for Lance. When Terry bosses Lance around, Lance tells him, you're not my dad. And later Lance will say the same thing to his coaches. At 15, Lance wants to start competing in triathlons but most races have a minimum age of 16 for insurance purposes. So Lance and his mom forge his birth certificate. And even though he's so much younger than the competition, he smokes everyone. After just a couple of years, Lance catches the attention of USA Cycling, the group that oversees the sport. In 1991, he joins a team sponsored by Motorola. And a year later, at 20, Lance competes at the Barcelona Olympics. He's hot stuff in America, but his new European rivals are in a whole other league. He ends up finishing 14th. Lance is embarrassed by his Olympics performance and he feels like he has something to prove. So in the summer of 1993, he sets out to win the thrift drug Triple Crown, a trio of cycling events held in the U.S. any rider who could win all three races will get a $1 million grand prize. Lance wins the first two races, setting him up for a massive payday. If he can win the third and final race, he doesn't want to leave it to chance. So he meets up with the captain of the rival team most likely to beat him. They sit down in a hotel room and Lance lays out a deal. If the rival team agrees to let him win, Lance will give them $50,000 of his $1 million in winnings. And since they weren't in the running for the 1 million in the first place, that sounds pretty good to them.

[Sarah Hagie]

This is so far the second bit of fraud I'm hearing about Lance Armstrong. From changing his birth certificate to then doing this.

[Sachi Cole]

I know it's a lot of lying. So early on and on the day of the final race, Lance manages to get a comfortable lead. His biggest competitor, an Italian racer, makes a run for it. But it's all for show. The racer eases up and Lance coasts to victory. After the race, Lance finds the Italian racer at the hotel. He hands the guy a cake box filled with $100,000 in cash, even more money than he promised. And he says, merry Christmas. Lance is already willing to do anything to win. But as he starts competing more overseas, he'll be racing against people he can't just buy off. And soon his commitment to cycling dominance will be put to the test. Over the next two years, Lance mostly keeps his winning streak going. He takes first place in a few races around Europe. He even wins a stage in the Tour de France, which means that he came in first on one of the days of the weeks long race. He's starting to become well known amongst hardcore cycling enthusiasts and already starting to take stuff like cortisone and testosterone. Both are illegal in pro cycling, but most athletes take them anyway. Actually, people have been taking substances to get ahead as long as the Tour de France has been around. When the race started in 1903, its competitors were mostly blue collar factory workers and amateurs looking for a cash reward to endure the grueling distances and cope with the pain. They'd get drunk, drink dangerous stimulants, and sniff ether soaked handkerchiefs.

[Sarah Hagie]

You know what, I just kind of assume in the past, before they really knew the long term effects of drugs, that people were just doing this all the time.

[Sachi Cole]

I would be gacked out of my mind if I was alive during 1903 and people were huffing substances. I would be zooted all day.

[Sarah Hagie]

All day. Are you kidding me?

[Sachi Cole]

Well, now there are more sophisticated substances on hand, ones that will actually help you compete. Lance moves to Cuomo, Italy, where the team trains in challenging high altitude conditions. But despite using enhancements, Lance's team keeps losing. And he starts taking his frustration out on everyone around him. One night, he's out with a teammate and the teammate's girlfriend at a small restaurant. They're waiting for their wine and pizza, but Lance is burning with impatience. He thinks his order is taking too long, so he says, quote, these fucking Italians. Can't they bring the fucking wine? But Lance is desperate to get back to winning. So when he finds out about EPO through the grapevine, Lance thinks he's hit the jackpot. EPO is an anti anemia drug. It's meant to increase your body's red blood cell count, which allows you to exert yourself longer than you normally would. And unlike the drugs that Lance has been taking episodes, there's no way to test for it at this time. Then, in late 1995, Lance learns that a teammate of his is working with an Italian doctor named Michele Ferrari. No relation to the sports car family, Michele is an unassuming man in his early 40s with black hair and thick glasses. He's a legit doctor and sports medicine expert. But he's known in cycling circles for his off book EPO specialty. Michele operates in secret. Instead of a traditional office, he works out of a beat up station wagon. Players usually pay him a percentage of their earnings out of pocket in order to avoid scrutiny. Lance is intrigued, and soon after meeting with him, he decides that Michele is a genius. Lance agrees to go on a personalized EPO program and starts paying Michele tens of thousands of dollars a month. At the beginning of 1996, Lance is the top ranked cyclist in the world, so he can afford the treatment and maybe that's why, even though Lance lived with a teammate when he moved to Como, he's now in a beautiful house on the lake, all by himself, while his other teammates crowd into an apartment together. Soon enough, Lance's doping gets results. In 1996, he racks up a few big wins in Europe, including becoming the first, and to this day, the only American to win a prestigious 200 kilometer race in Belgium. But he gets sick with bronchitis and has to drop out of the Tour de France. He still competes in the Olympics, and he signs an endorsement deal with Nike. Lance's EPO habit has given a critical boost to his cycling career. He's confident that Michele's treatment is exactly what he needed. But soon, Lance will have far greater problems. It's late October 1996, and Betsy Kramer stands in a conference room at a hospital in Indiana. She's here with her fiance, Frankie Andreou, to visit Lance. Betsy is a feisty brunette from Michigan with a thick Midwestern accent. Her fiance, Frankie, is a boyishly handsome brown haired cyclist on Lance's team. The three of them are all friends. Frankie and Betsy are two of the only people who can be honest with Lance. And while he normally has pretty thin skin, he appreciates that they call him out on his crap. But now Betsy is too worried about her friend to argue with him. Lance is in the hospital recovering from brain surgery. After dropping out of the Tour de France. He started having pain in one of his testicles. Betsy heard that Lance didn't go to the doctor until one of his balls swelled up to the size of a lemon. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had already spread to his chest and his brain. He started chemotherapy and had surgery to remove his brain tumors.

[Sarah Hagie]

I knew he had cancer, but I didn't know it was that severe.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, well, Lance is pale and bald. He doesn't even have eyebrows. Two doctors start asking Lance questions about his medical history. Betsy suggests that they should all leave the room to give Lance and his doctors some privacy. But Lance says it's fine. And he goes on to reveal some disturbing information. When the doctors ask if he has ever used performance enhancing drugs, Lance matter of factly responds, yes. He lists everything he's been on, including epo, cortisone, testosterone, human growth hormone and steroids. Betsy is shocked. She makes Frankie leave the room with her, and in the hallway she tells him, quote, I'm not fucking marrying you if you're doing this shit. That's how he got cancer.

[Sarah Hagie]

That was honestly the first thing that came into my mind hearing about a lot of this.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah.

[Sarah Hagie]

I don't know what these drugs necessarily do long term, but they're obviously manipulating his body in a way that is not natural to him.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. And for what it's worth, lots of people suspect that there is a connection between the drugs and Lance's cancer. But there's no conclusive evidence that one caused the other. Frankie tells Betsy he isn't doing the same drugs as his teammate. But Betsy suspects that he's lying. And she's right. Frankie was doping with Lance just a few months ago. Betsy knows that this hospital room confession will change her relationship with Lance forever. She might be shocked, but for Lance, cheating is just like riding a bike. Lance's cancer recovery is brutal. But after just a few months, he gets a clean bill of Health. In January 1997, he's declared cancer free. And though he tries to get back to racing, his team is worried about his performance. They restructure his contract to give themselves the option to cut Lance loose, which Lance hates. Even though he gets back on the bike, they drop him over the summer. Luckily, Lance finds a scrappy team willing to take a chance on him. It's sponsored by the US Postal Service. Lance knows he probably won't be competitive for the next year, but he calls his old friend Michele anyway and quickly gets back on epo. He seems more mellow and less angry. He's even settled down and gotten engaged to a woman he met during his recovery. They get a kitten and they name it Kimo. In March 1998, two months before the wedding, Lance has one of his first big comeback races. He's pretty confident about this one, but even with epo, he performs terribly. And he's told to help another racer on his team win rather than going for it himself. Lance ignores his coaches, he quits the race, and he decides to move back to Austin. He lays around, drinks margaritas and plays a lot of golf. And he does some soul searching. He doesn't need racing. He could just focus on Livestrong, his new cancer charity. But after a few weeks, he realizes he can't be chill. He decides to recommit to racing with a new spite. Lance wants to stick it to Terry, to the team that dropped him, to everyone who thought he was down and out. Beating cancer is great and everything, but Lance really wants to get back at anyone who has ever pissed him off.

[Sarah Hagie]

You know, I do think spite is a great motivator, but for someone like Lance, who has a dark spirit, in my opinion, yes, I really Think that is a scary motivator.

Yeah.

[Sachi Cole]

I also recommend spite to most people. But Lance has a dark passenger that is taking over. Clearly.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, he's a villain in his own life, and now he's fueled by spite from people who are like, dude, you aren't doing okay.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. But with Michele's careful oversight, Lance trains harder than ever. He thinks that his CANC treatment has actually made him an even better racer by forcing him to lose unnecessary muscle. And he decides that in order to take advantage, he needs a better team around him, A team that's even more committed to doping. Lance takes on a new leadership role with the USPS team. He pushes them to get a new manager, and he also helps them find a new team doctor. Apparently, the old doctor wasn't aggressive enough about pushing drugs on the cyclists. Lance was so frustrated at the doctor's stinginess, he had his wife go around distributing cortisone tablets to his teammates. The new doctor is more than happy to give the racers the drugs Lance thinks that they all need. With his new team assembled, Lance keeps his eye on the prize, winning the 1999 Tour de France. The Tour is a brutal race. It lasts for just over three weeks. The course changes every year, but it covers about 3,600km, spread out over 20 stages. They're basically biking from New York to Vegas. Racers get rest days and stay at hotels every night, but they're riding between four to seven hours each day for three weeks straight. And that year, Lance shocks the racing world by winning the first stage. His new approach to doping works, but it is risky. Last year, one of the best teams in the Tour had their supply of EPO confiscated. It was a huge scandal. Between the investigation, the hearings, and the subsequent suspensions, the players were all functionally banned from professional cycling for more than a year. The team physiotherapist who tried to transport the drugs even faced criminal charges. So now Lance and his teammates have to cover up their syringe bruises. They have their team masseuse secretly transport the drug supply, and they hide the used syringes and soda cans. They also hire a guy to deliver the drugs on a motorcycle. He's a friend's gardener, and everyone calls him Moto Man. The media is already on alert, so they're very suspicious of Lance's unlikely dominant performance. At the first press conference during the Tour, a reporter straight up asks him if he's doping, and Lance denies it. But towards the end of the Tour, it seems like his critics suspicions are confirmed. Lance tests positive for Cortisone. So he gets a doctor to secretly backdate a prescription for a cream for saddle sores to explain the test. The cycling authorities don't want another scandal, so they decide to believe him.

[Sarah Hagie]

Oh, wow. It's interesting. Who just gets to be believed like that? They're like, you know what? Easier to believe this guy and just pretend this is normal than to question anything.

[Sachi Cole]

Some people are lucky like that. Sarah. Well, the cortisone incident is a near disaster, and the U.S. postal team remains super cautious. They manage to keep the other drugs hidden, and Lance wins the Tour de France in record time. As he approaches the finish line at the Champs in Paris, fans wave American and Texan flags. It's a beautiful moment. A cancer survivor making a historic comeback. Lance's win is front page news in the US it sparks a moment of national pride in what had been an obscure sport, and he becomes a full on superstar. Lance makes the COVID of People magazine, goes on Larry King Live and the Late show with David Letterman, and visits the Clintons at the White House. But some in the press are still skeptical. There was a doping scandal just last year, and Lance is literally recovering from cancer. How is this possible? The concerns are easily drowned out because Lance Armstrong is becoming a pop culture phenomenon. He's about to sprint to the peak of global fame, and from there, the only place to go is downhill.

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[Sachi Cole]

After that first Tour de France win, Lance goes on to win the next five tours in a row. By 2004, he's 32 years old and he's on top of the world. He signed massive endorsement deals worth almost 10 million dol. His memoir, It's Not about the My Journey Back to Life, has spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Multiple US Presidents have appeared with Lance for cancer initiatives, and those bright yellow Livestrong bracelets are everywhere. Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Bono, all friends of Lance, are wearing them. Lance isn't just a star in cycling, he's a full on celebrity and he's soaking it all up. He made a cameo in the Ben Stiller comedy Dodgeball, he left his wife, and he's now dating Sheryl Crow. If it makes you happy, you know. But even with all the fame and all the money, or maybe because of it, Lance is still doping. After 1999, cycling authorities developed a test to check for EPO, so Lance's team had to step up their cheating. They start injecting EPO at night so that it barely shows up on their daytime tests. And on top of that, they've started doing blood transfusions, which, just like epo, increase blood oxygen capacity before the Tour, team doctors draw two cups of blood from each rider. Then they reinject them with their own blood during the race. Of course, if you accidentally get another person's blood, you could die, so it's a big risk. But at this point, Lance's team is a doping machine and he pressures them to do it. They even do transfusions in front of Cheryl. He tells her that all the other cyclists are doing it too. And the reality is fame, wealth and consistent success have turned Lance from a brazen asshole into a total control freak monster his behavior is plenty bad off of his bike, but he might be even worse when he's riding one. Towards the end of the 2004 Tour de France, Lance gets passed by an Italian rider. Lance has a four minute lead overall, so he isn't worried. But he does have a petty score to settle with this dude. The writer got busted for doping a couple of years back and he recently testified against Michele. Lance took this as a betrayal. He called the guy a liar in the press, but he's still pissed. Lance tells his teammates not to follow him and he pedals hard to catch up to the Italian writer. He starts ruthlessly mocking him. He puts his hand on the Italian's back and shit talks him in Italian. Sarah, can you read this translation?

[Sarah Hagie]

He says, you made a big mistake. You shouldn't have testified against Michele, and especially not sued me for defamation. I have no problems. I have time, I have money, and I can destroy you whenever I want. Holy crap, that is so scary. This isn't life or death. This is a sport. It's, yes, very impressive. He's so talented. But if your talent hinges so hard on all of these things, what is the point? Like why? Why do you want to live such a stressful and evil life?

[Sachi Cole]

Well, the other writers are shocked too. As Lance grins ear to ear while bullying this guy, the Italian retreats and moves to the back of the pack. This mid race dust up is even picked up by TV cameras. Lance, directly in front of a camera, moves his hands to his lips, makes a zipped lips motion and pretends to throw away the key. His behavior raises some questions with the cycling press, but ultimately nothing comes of it. Lance wins his sixth consecutive Tour de France and becomes the favorite to win a record breaking seventh time the following year. No other racers can touch him. Lance has ridden decades of grievances and beefs to total domination and steamrolled tons of friends and teammates. Now he has just one task. Making sure they all keep their mouths shut. In July 2005, Lance wins his seventh Tour de France. As predicted, he's handed a mic after his win. It's the first time any Tour winner has had the opportunity to give a speech like this. So of course, Lance decides to address his haters.

[Lance Armstrong]

And finally, the last thing I'll say for the people that don't believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics, I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry you can't dream big, and I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. This is a hard sporting event, and hard work wins it.

[Sarah Hagie]

This is his seventh Tour de France. Who's the villain? Like, I just don't understand who he's addressing. Like, you're winning. You did it. You got away with it. Like, why are you still the underdog in this story?

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Lance actually retires from cycling after this record smashing achievement. So his biggest priority becomes protecting his legacy. In 2004, a cycling journalist published a book in France that accused Lance of doping. The book had credible sources, including Lance's friend Betsy and his former masseuse, the one who snuck him drugs during the tour. In October 2005, Lance faces off with Betsy in a conference room near Detroit, Michigan. They're not fighting about the book, though. The insurance company that covered Lance's cycling bonuses for his Tour wins thinks that Lance cheated and they don't want to pay up. They've asked Betsy to give a deposition confirming Lance's doping, and Lance is here to intimidate her. As she tells the story of Lance's hospital room confession, he stares daggers at her. Right after the deposition, Lance leaves for New York. He appears in an episode of Saturday Night Live with Cheryl, and he makes a joke about testing his urine for drugs.

[Sarah Hagie]

Oh, shut up.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Sarah, you're about to hate him more. Because a few days later, when Lance is deposed, he goes on the offensive, and he paints Betsy as unstable. This is also when he calls his former masseuse a whore. The following year, Lance's attacks and denials pay off. The insurance company is forced to settle and pay him $7.5 million. At this point, Lance must be feeling absolutely untouchable. He goes on jogs to soak up the sun with Matthew McConaughey. Films cameos in the cinematic classic you, Me, and Dupree. And he breaks up with Sheryl Crow. He starts going out with celebrities like Tory Burch, Ashley Olsen, and Kate Hudson. But Lance doesn't know that there is another threat to his dominance. And this isn't just one of his old friends. It's his own teammate. A year after Lance's retirement, Floyd Landis wins the Tour de France. Floyd looks like a Mennonite turned cycling pro. He's pale, redheaded, and has a thin goatee. Floyd was on a team with lands from 2002 to 2004 and often played second fiddle, so this win feels like a dream. But immediately after he's crowned champion, Floyd tests positive for artificially high levels of testosterone. He quickly holds a press conference to deny cheating, but it's a disaster. Here's a Clip. I declare convincingly and categorically that my winning the Tour de France has been exclusively due to many years of training and my complete devotion to cycling.

[Sarah Hagie]

Okay, listen, if you're gonna go and deny something, do it with your whole chest. Don't be stumbling around mumbling your words. At the very least, Lanz is an effective communicator of his quote, unquote innocence. You know what I mean?

[Sachi Cole]

Correct.

[Narrator/Commentator]

Floyd is just a bad liar. His delivery is stilted and fumbling. But 15 minutes after the press conference, he gets some helpful advice from a pro.

[Sachi Cole]

His former teammate, Lance.

[Narrator/Commentator]

Floyd and Lance hadn't kept in touch, but Lance calls him and says, look, when people ask if you've ever performance enhancing drugs, you need to say, absolutely not. Floyd must feel conflicted about getting this advice from Lance.

[Sachi Cole]

He used to bully Floyd all the time when they were teammates.

[Narrator/Commentator]

And Floyd suspects that Lance is only calling him now to try and protect himself. If the authorities start digging into Floyd's cheating, they might uncover the entire years

[Sachi Cole]

long scheme that made Lance famous.

[Narrator/Commentator]

Floyd is forced into arbitration to fight the doping allegations, which lasts for several months. He spends $2 million on his own defense, but it doesn't work. In September 2007, he's barred from pro cycling for two years. He's the first Tour de France winner to be stripped of his title in over a century. Floyd sinks into a deep depression and develops a nasty binge drinking habit.

[Sachi Cole]

At one point, he falls off a

[Narrator/Commentator]

ladder and breaks several bones. That gets him hooked on painkillers, and he spirals even deeper. At his lowest point, he starts downing up to a fifth of Jack Daniels and 15 pills a day. And then, to add insult to injury, Lance announces he's coming out of retirement. When Floyd's ban is up in 2009, he tries to join Lance's team for the Tour. But the team's manager says that Floyd is too toxic.

[Sarah Hagie]

I do feel for him. I know he cheated, but he fell so quickly. And now he has to watch the real villain of his sport try and make a comeback.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, Floyd is angry. I mean, Lance doped as well. Why is he the one who has to take the fall? So in April 2010, he writes an email to the head of US Cycling providing a step by step overview of the team's doping program. And he names names, including Lance. Then, in an interview with espn, Floyd finally admits to doping publicly. He says, quote, I want to clear my conscience. I don't want to be a part of the problem anymore. But it'll take more than a whistleblower to take Lance down. Lots of people in pro cycling are shocked by Floyd's confession, but not Travis Tygart. Travis is 39, with a stern but friendly face and short hair with a pronounced widow's peak. He's been the head of the U.S. anti Doping Agency, or USADA, for a few years now. He pleaded with Floyd to come clean back in 2008, and Floyd actually reached out to Travis before sending his whistleblowing email. So Travis has been excited about the chance to finally expose Lance. Travis is serious and humble, and he believes in playing by the rules. He's a devout Christian, and he used to be an athlete and a coach, and he wants the sport he loves to thrive. Travis especially hates that Lance cheated while on a team funded by the US Postal Service, which got tens of millions of dollars from taxpayers.

[Sarah Hagie]

Oh, wow. That is just another layer I did not even realize.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, well. Travis contacts a no nonsense investigator with the FDA who has brought doping cases against famous athletes like baseball icon Barry Bonds and Olympic sprinter Marion Jones. And this guy kickstarts an investigation with the FBI and the Department of Justice. The prosecutor interviews Lance's former teammates and offers them immunity if they'll testify against Lance, and they take the deal. Meanwhile, Floyd files a lawsuit alleging that Lance defrauded the government. Since his team was funded by the Postal Service, the government has the option to join this lawsuit, but thus far, they haven't taken it. Travis is looking forward to seeing the prosecutor bring Lance down. But in February 2012, about two years after Floyd's confession, the Justice Department makes a shocking announcement. They're dropping the investigation against Lance. They don't explain why, but Travis thinks that the Obama administration might be afraid to pursue such a controversial case during an election year. But it doesn't matter, because Travis is there to pick up the pieces. His agency can't pursue criminal charges like the DOJ can, but they are able to ban Lance from the sport for doping. And if they can reveal the truth, other people might start holding Lance accountable. Travis contacts the cyclists who cooperated with the Justice Department's investigation, and they all agree to talk to him. He also interviews Betsy and the masseuse. The stories he hears are horrifying. Some described the US Team atmosphere like being part of the mob. They had a code of silence, and Lance acted like an enforcer to maintain order. Travis tells the guardian that one case in particular stood out to him. A young cyclist who grew up in an abusive home where his dad sold drugs. Sarah, can you read this quote?

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, it says he ran to cycling to escape, only to find out a few years later he'd been pulled back into the very thing he was trying to get away from.

[Narrator]

I knew and our board knew we

[Sarah Hagie]

couldn't let that sit idle. Oh my gosh, that is so sad. It's hard to be at the top of any sport and to be on like an official team and I can't imagine how hard it is for someone who grew up that way.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, the witness testimony paints a damning portrait of Lance as a bully and a cheat. Travis agency tells Lance about their investigation and Lance responds by immediately leaking the letter letter to the media. He refuses to meet with them and sues them, claiming their arbitration process infringes on his due process rights. He tries to get a judge to stop the investigation, but the suit is dismissed. The USADA investigation continues through the summer of 2012 and the evidence they compile is overwhelming. They find that Lance used a whole host of banned substances including epo, blood transfusions and testosterone, along with masking agents. Most damningly, they find that Lance participated in a quote, sophisticated scheme and conspiracy to dope, encourage and assist others to dope and cover up rule violations. In August 2012, they put out a thousand page dossier detailing their investigation. They announced that Lance is stripped of all seven of his cycling titles and is banned from cycling for life. Lance was given the chance to testify or formally challenge their findings at several points during their investigation, but he refused. So now he can't do much beyond grandstanding. He maintains his innocence but decides not to challenge USADA's decision. He says this isn't an admission of guilt, but rather a protest of an unfair process. Travis is relieved that some justice has been served and that Lance's ride might finally be over.

[Audible Ad Voice]

Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy romantasy series, Become your friend group sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation, or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating all in one easy app. With plans now starting at $8.99, you'll get access to over 1 million audiobooks and podcasts, including trending bestsellers, the hottest new releases and exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobook every month, plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at $8.99. Audible Be fascinated. Be fascinating.

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[Song Vocalist]

I Feel Like A legend

[Sachi Cole]

through October 2012, Betsy witnesses the fall of an empire. Lance gets dropped by eight sponsors in a single day, losing deals with companies like Nike, Anheuser Busch, Trek bicycles and Giro helmets. Forbes estimates that lance loses over $150 million in future earnings. He also has to step down from Livestrong. Betsy must feel vindicated, but how could she forget his asshole behavior at his depositions and his refusal to admit the truth for so long? A month later, she sees Lance post a defiant photo of him lounging at home with his 7 Yellow Tour championship jerseys framed on the wall. The caption reads, back in Austin, just laying around. Okay Lance, it's so divorced guy energy.

[Sarah Hagie]

It is also like earlier on when he was being really arrogant and annoying. In this way he was considered like a winner and a legend and one of the best cyclists in the world. But now he's not. And he just looks like a full on loser to everyone.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, he does seem like a loser. But around Christmas time, Betsy gets a surprising phone call from Lance. And this time all the bluster and ego are seemingly gone. He says he wants to talk to her and Frankie. He apologizes, and over the next 40 minutes he actually sounds heartfelt and remorseful. Here's Betsy talking about the call in the documentary the Armstrong Lie.

[Betsy Kramer]

I still get emotional. It took a lot of courage for him to say he was sorry and for him to tell me he's done a lot of bad things to good people.

[Sachi Cole]

Betsy is probably hoping that her horrible saga with Lance is coming to an end. But weeks later she sees Lance on Oprah and he does finally publicly confess to using drugs. But something is off. He doesn't seem as apologetic as he did on the phone. Lance says he was clean for his 2009 comeback, which Betsy knows is a lie. And when asked about the fateful day in the hospital almost 15 years ago when Betsy witnessed him confess to using drugs, she freezes. Because here's what he says.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Was Betsy telling the truth about the Indiana hospital?

[Lance Armstrong]

I'm not going to take that on. And I'm laying down on that one.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Was Betsy lying?

[Lance Armstrong]

I'm just not.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah, I mean, I really do think this is very typical of him. Like, I don't know if I would have expected better if I was Betsy, but I could understand having hope for someone you once loved, you know?

[Sachi Cole]

Yes, exactly. Lance tells Oprah that he called Betsy to apologize, and she didn't want him to talk about the hospital room confession. That's another lie. And it gets weirder when Oprah challenges him on his past statements, calling Betsy crazy. Lance tries humor.

[Lance Armstrong]

I think she'd be okay with me saying this, but I'm gonna take the liberty to say it. And I said, listen, I called you crazy. I called you a bitch. I called you all these things, but I never called you fat.

[Sarah Hagie]

This is really just such a crazy response. To think one this is a joke worth making. But also, there is no world where Lance Armstrong answers a question the way he's supposed to and, like, is suddenly humbled and is like, okay, you know what? All that terrible stuff is behind me. This is who I am now. It's like, it's not even that. You know, he's just so arrogant, through and through.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, he's a jerk. And Betsy is stunned and furious. So to correct the record, she appears on CNN later that night talking to Anderson Cooper. She's on the verge of tears, and she says, you owed it to me,

[Betsy Kramer]

Lance, and you dropped the ball. After what you've done to me, what you've done to my family, and you couldn't own up to it, and now we're supposed to believe you?

[Sachi Cole]

Even at the very end, Lance refuses to lose. More than a decade after his Oprah confession, Lance is about to face another moment of truth. It's 2023, and he's dressed in a spacesuit and seated next to Modern Family actress Ariel Wintour and former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce. They're all contestants on the Fox reality show Stars on Mars, where celebrities compete with each other on a set designed to simulate life on Mars. Weirdly, this is kind of a nice change of pace for Lance. He's Spent a lot of the past 10 years settling lawsuits, including paying the US government $5 million. The government had eventually joined Floyd's lawsuit, and because he blew the whistle on the whole scheme, just over 1 million of the settlement goes to Floyd.

[Sarah Hagie]

I mean, at least Floyd gets something. He still is a cheater, but he did the right thing here.

[Sachi Cole]

Yes, well, other than that, Lance has appeared in a few documentaries about his life and his cheating. He comes across as an asshole in all of them. So you won't be shocked to find out that he doesn't look great on Stars on Mars either. So far on the show, he's butted heads with everyone from veritable nasty girl Tinashe to former NFL star Slash my second husband Marshawn lynch to former wrestler and MMA fighter Ronda Rousey. Lance had the audacity to make critical statements about trans athletes. When he's the one who spent years abusing hormones. He alienates most of the other contestants, and he ends up quitting the show. Even on Fake Mars, Lance can't get along with other people. These days, Lance hosts a popular cycling podcast, and he lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and his kids. Floyd started a medical marijuana shop specializing in former athletes seeking treatment, and he briefly funded a cycling team with cash he got from the whistleblower payout. Betsy and Frankie are still married and live in Michigan. Frankie is still active in cycling, and Travis is still the CEO of the usada. No American athlete has won the Tour de France since 2006, and no American has regained their legit yellow jersey status since Greg LeMond in the 1980s. And while cycling is supposed to be a cleaner sport these days, the most recent Tour winners have had the fastest average times on record. Sarah, is this our most detestable scammer? We've covered people before who have probably done worse crimes, but Lance is, like, the most unlikable person we've ever talked about, which is crazy because he's like a real celebrity.

[Sarah Hagie]

I think in a way, it's like he just had to find an outlet for his evil, and it happened to be cycling.

[Sachi Cole]

Do you think that he wanted to get caught on some level, or was he just that arrogant? Because it seemed like he was barely trying to hide this.

[Sarah Hagie]

I think he was just arrogant. I don't think he was trying to be caught. And, like, he would probably maintain to this day that he was mostly innocent. I feel like someone who wants to be caught and is in over their head, There's a moment of relief for them almost when, like, they're figured out. And he just kept mildly doubling down.

[Sachi Cole]

Do you think that you could get away with doping if somebody was like, hey, Sachi, you were, like, really fast? Sort of. In the same way, if somebody comes up to me and they're like, I like your outfit, my response is, oh, my God. Thanks. It was $4. Here's the exact store where I got it from. And I feel like I would just tell people I was doping. I'd be like, oh, you think I'm fast?

[Sarah Hagie]

Thanks.

[Sachi Cole]

I've been taking human growth hormone. Let me show you exactly how I do it. Yeah.

[Sarah Hagie]

There's no universe where I want something that badly. First of all, I'm not putting my body through any kind of trouble for a result. And I think, also, I truly believe he doesn't think he did anything really that wrong.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah.

[Sarah Hagie]

I'm sure a lot of athletes do different things to enhance her performance. I don't think that's really a huge secret, but I think it's the level and the arrogance that really sets him apart from other people. And that he hasn't been shamed into hiding away on, like, a farm somewhere, and that he's still around and has a podcast is crazy to me.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, shame on us for trying to get into a cyclist. Like, sports people are kind of the worst.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah. But we've covered athletes and sports, and, like, Tom Brady is a saint compared to this guy. You know, he's an honorable man compared to Lance Armstrong.

[Sachi Cole]

Okay, so that's the lesson. If you're gonna be in sports and you're gonna be wor. Stand next to Lance Armstrong because you're gonna look great. But isn't it nice to be surprised sometimes that you can still be disappointed?

[Sarah Hagie]

It is nice. I never really thought about him before today, and now I'm his number one hater.

[Sachi Cole]

That's what I like to hear. Can you imagine Lance Armstrong as a peloton instructor?

[Sarah Hagie]

He would kill at it.

[Sachi Cole]

He would kill.

[Sarah Hagie]

That's the safe distance he needs from people on a screen being edited, but scaring them to death.

[Sachi Cole]

It's a great place for somebody to call me a whore. I would actually allow my peloton instructor to say that to me.

[Sarah Hagie]

He'd be like, you know what? I didn't call you fat yet.

[Sachi Cole]

Straight up.

[Sarah Hagie]

Yeah.

[Sachi Cole]

I'd be like, you know what? You didn't. And that's why I come here every week. Lance, follow Scamflancers on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Scamflancers ad free by joining Audible. This is Lance Armstrong, Tour de Fraud. I'm Sachi Cole.

[Sarah Hagie]

And I'm Sarah Hagie.

[Narrator]

If you have a tip for us

[Sarah Hagie]

on a story that that you think we should cover, please email [e-mail] we use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were Wheel Men, Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever by Reid Albergatti and Vanessa o', Connell, as well as the ESPN documentary Lance, Alex Gibney's the Armstrong Lie and Stop at the Lance Armstrong Story.

[Sachi Cole]

Josh Terry wrote this episode. Additional writing by us, Sachi Cole and Sarah Haggie. Eric Thurm is our story editor. Fact checking by Sarah Baum. Sound design by James Morgan. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our music supervisor is Scaf Velasquez for Freeze on Sync. Our managing producers are Desi Blaylock and Matt Gant. Janine Cornello and Stephanie Jens are our development producers. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Lexi Perry, our producer. Our producers are John Reed, Yasmin Ward and Kate Young. Our senior producers are Ginny Blume and Sarah Enny. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Marcia Louie and Aaron o' Flaherty for Wondery.

[Matt Ford]

Hello, I'm Matt Ford.

[Alice Levine]

And I'm Alice Levine.

[Matt Ford]

And we're the hosts of British Scandal.

[Sachi Cole]

Yes, we are.

[Alice Levine]

And our new series starts with a loud, lovable woman from Bermondsey who becomes one of the most famous people in Britain.

[Matt Ford]

This is the story of Jade Gooding,

[Alice Levine]

the reality TV star who built a fortune just by being herself and then

[Matt Ford]

lost everything in one of the most public racism scandals Britain has ever seen.

[Alice Levine]

It's a story of fame and a

[Matt Ford]

change of the conversation around cervical cancer forever.

[Alice Levine]

Follow British Scandal wherever you get your podcasts or listen early and ad free on audible.