Garmin cycling team boss denies doping ban report

The Hague, Netherlands: A director of Garmin-Sharp has denied that any of the cycling team’s riders have been banned for six months by the US Anti-Doping Agency as part of its doping probe into seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Jonathan Vaughters said Thursday that a Dutch media report about six-month bans is “completely untrue.” Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported Wednesday that Vaughters and four other former Armstrong teammates have been given six-month bans to come into force in late September. [caption id=“attachment_368524” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  In this file photo,  Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas, toast team director Johan Bruyneel with a glass of champagne during the final stage of the Tour de France cycling race. AP[/caption] De Telegraaf cites unnamed “well-informed sources” in its report that Vaughters, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde received the bans after admitting to doping and agreeing to give evidence against Armstrong. Vande Velde and Zabriskie are part of the Garmin team. Armstrong has always strenuously denied doping. AP