Suing cyclist denies links to Armstrong

Greg Strock, the former junior cyclist suing USA Cycling and a former coach for doping him against his will, said he is now trying to stop speculation that his lawsuit has spawned about two-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Strock has released a statement saying that Armstrong, one of his teammates on the U.S. junior team when Strock claimed he was doped by their coach Rene Wenzel, did not witness or know about any of the doping incidents.

"I have always admired Lance as an inspiration and hero as so many other around the world do," Strock's statement read. "I would hope this statement will end any discussion of a relationship between my lawsuit and Lance. There simply is none."

Strock said he and Armstrong never traveled to the same races during the period of alleged doping, 1990-91. He said he also believes Armstrong was not injected with the drugs that he says Wenzel injected in him.

Strock's suit claims that Wenzel doped him by claiming that the injections were vitamins or "extract of cortisone." Strock now believes they were steroids that made him ill and ended his cycling career.

Speculation about Armstrong began because of a reference in Strock's suit linking the drugs with testicular cancer. Strock, almost a full 10 years after the alleged doping, has not contracted cancer, so the reference apparently concerned Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor.

Strock had also said during a television interview that one of the reasons he waited so long to file his suit was because of the possible adverse publicity it would bring to Armstrong.

Neither Armstrong's agent nor his coach have returned telephone calls for comment about Strock's lawsuit.

- Lynn Zinser may be reached at 636-0376 or lzinser@gazette.com

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