Michael O'Hair

Something more to fan the flames.



Taken without permission from :   http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3033358





DALLAS (AP) - The company that owes Lance Armstrong $5 million for winning a

record sixth straight Tour de France is withholding payment of the bonus,

citing allegations in a French book that he used performance-enhancing

drugs.

SCA Promotions Inc. points to doping allegations contained in "L.A.

Confidential, the Secrets of Lance Armstrong," published in June by La

Martiniere. Armstrong has denounced the book's claims as "absolutely untrue"

and launched defamation lawsuits against the publisher and authors.



Chris Compton, an attorney for SCA, said the company wants to see

Armstrong's medical records before releasing the money.



      "We've requested (drug) test results to disprove the allegations -

clean test results that should be easily attainable," Compton said Thursday.

"We're not planning on releasing them to the media or doing anything other

than verifying that they exist."



      Armstrong's U.S. Postal Cycling Team filed a lawsuit this month in

state court in Dallas, claiming the SCA didn't have the right to question

Armstrong's Tour victories, which were upheld by cycling authorities.



      The team, jointly owned and managed by Tailwind Sports and Capital

Sports and Entertainment, hopes to resolve the dispute through arbitration.



      Bill Stapleton, founder of Capital Sports and Entertainment and chief

executive of Tailwind, did not immediately return telephone messages from

The Associated Press on Thursday.



      The book, written by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, relies in part

on allegations by a former Armstrong assistant, Emma O'Reilly.



      In it, she claims Armstrong once asked her to get rid of syringes and

give him makeup to conceal needle marks on his right arm. She acknowledged

that she didn't know what was in the syringes.



      After Armstrong's third Tour victory in 2001, Tailwind paid SCA a

$420,000 premium to insure the risk for his bonuses in future years would be

met by SCA.



      SCA paid Armstrong $1.5 million in 2002 and $3 million in 2003.



      Compton said the company has put the $5 million for 2004 into a

custodial account with J.P. Morgan.



      "Our story is, we've posted $5 million while we perform an

investigation that we're compelled to perform," Compton said. "We have an

excellent record paying claims."











      Video Home