Lance's Mystery Doctor

When a British newspaper revealed that Lance Armstrong was working with Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari, on the eve of the 2001 Tour de France, it sent shock waves through the sports world that are still being felt. For the European press, who knew Ferrari's notorious reputation, it was as if Armstrong had tested positive for EPO, the illegal performance-enhancing drug. Though Armstrong and his then-U.S. Postal team tried to minimize the relationship, they've been under a cloud of suspicion ever since. And as usual, in such high-profile media controversies, truth was the first casualty.

In March 2005, I traveled to Italy to meet the elusive Dr. Ferrari—and some of his fiercest critics and supporters—for a profile of "The Legend" that appears in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Bicycling magazine. Ferrari rarely gives interviews, with reason, but I found him to be intelligent, funny, iconoclastic, and more than a little jittery, thanks to his October 2004 conviction on (relatively minor) sports-doping charges. Behind his dark reputation, I learned, lurks the mind of a brilliant sports scientist, a man who revolutionized training for endurance athletes. He was also far more deeply involved in Armstrong's training—and that of his Tour teammates—than has ever been acknowledged. (There's a great section on Ferrari in Dan Coyle's book,Lance Armstrong's War.)

Is he "guilty"? Not for me to decide, though there is disquieting evidence that points in both directions. Read and decide for yourself.

Note: The piece is not available online, so you'll have to buy the magazine, on newsstands until January 31. There's no cover line, but you'll find it on page 51.