For years, George Hincapie not only was a key cog on Lance Armstrong’s cycling team, but he also was one of Armstrong’s closest friends.
Now, according to a report by “60 Minutes,” Hincapie has joined other members of Armstrong’s inner circle in claiming the seven-time Tour de France winner used performance-enhancing drugs.
In what could prove to be some of the most damaging testimony yet against the world’s most famous cyclist, Hincapie reportedly told the grand jury in the Armstrong case that he and Armstrong supplied each other with the endurance-boosting substance EPO and discussed having used another banned substance, testosterone, to prepare for races.
The segment of the “60 Minutes” report dealing with Hincapie, which cites unidentified sources, aired Friday night on the “CBS Evening News.” A day earlier, the network broadcast an interview with another former member of Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team, Tyler Hamilton, who said he also used PEDs with Armstrong.
Hincapie often has been depicted as one of Armstrong’s most loyal teammates on the U.S. Postal team and was with him for all seven Tour victories. In an interview last year, Armstrong said Hincapie was “like a brother to me.”
Later, Hincapie released a statement through his attorney: “I can confirm to you that I never spoke with ‘60 Minutes.’ I have no idea where they got their information. As I’ve said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future. As for the substance of anything in the ‘60 Minutes’ story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation.”
The 37-year-old cyclist from New York has no known positive tests.