Four Corners: Oct 15

Next week Four Corners presents “The World According to Lance”, reported by Quentin McDermott, which looks at Lance Armstrong and the lengths he went to in winning.

After winning the Tour de France seven times in a row, Lance Armstrong might well have been the greatest sportsman of all time.

Not only had he won the most coveted of all cycling races, he had done so after recovering from advanced testicular cancer.

Lance Armstrong maintains he has never used performance enhancing drugs.

He claims he has never tested positive in hundreds of drug tests.

Many who know him well now say he is lying.

“The doctor started asking Lance a couple of banal questions, and then boom, have you ever used any performance enhancing drugs? Lance, hanging onto his IV, rattled off EPO, testosterone, cortisone, growth hormone and steroids. My eyes popped out of my head.”

This week Four Corners reporter Quentin McDermott talks to people who worked for Armstrong, rode with him and some who raced against him. What they reveal will shock you.

The story they tell describes a ruthless competitor who will do anything to win races and earn millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements. These people tell a story that details over ten years of drug use, that began before he was diagnosed with cancer. They also tell a story of a man prepared to vilify former friends and employees if they dare to cross him.

How did he get away with it? Why did officials fail to act against him when, on three separate occasions, drug test results raised questions about his use of drugs? Why did the world governing body for cycling accept donations from him that clearly compromised its ability to treat Armstrong as they would any other competitor?

Monday 15th October at 8.30pm on ABC1.