Lance Armstrong's apparent involvement with George Hincapie's Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team is currently outside of UCI jurisdiction meaning his lifetime ban from the sport is "not implicated" as things stand, the US anti-doping agency [USADA] has said.
The logo of The Move podcast, a joint venture between Hincapie and Armstrong, can clearly be seen on the jersey designs for the new project which is aiming to start life as a UCI Pro Team in 2026. The team has aspirations of reaching the Tour de France within the next five years.
The two former US Postal Service and Discovery Channel teammates are active with the podcast for much of the year before then increasing their output during the Tour. Other speakers include Johan Bruyneel - the duo’s former US Postal DS - and Sir Bradley Wiggins, who featured on the show during last year's race.
Armstrong received a lifetime ban from professional cycling after admitting in retirement that he had used performance enhancing drugs to cheat his way to seven Tour de France titles between 1999 to 2005. However, his apparent sponsorship of Modern Adventure with The Move is currently unaffected.
"As of now, our understanding is that this venture is outside the UCI jurisdiction and that of any WADA Code signatory. So, the lifetime ban on Lance Armstrong under the WADA Code is not implicated," a USADA spokesperson told Cycling Weekly on Wednesday evening, before highlighting that the situation could change if the team is granted a UCI licence once the registration process is complete.
At the time of the investigation into Armstrong's activity, USADA labelled the unveiled doping ring as the 'most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen'.
Hincapie denied any major involvement from his friend in the new project when asked about Armstrong in a recent press conference. "He is not involved in any way in the organisation or the structure of the team," he said. "But I will lean on him for advice from time to time, I’m sure."
Hincapie later told The Escape Collective that he and his team of associates had been "fully transparent" during the UCI registration process with the new project. "I am part-owner of the podcast along with Lance," he said. "I saw it as an opportunity to promote the team through those channels and gain more support through that outlet, as we have a big viewership during the Tour. No other affiliation beyond that. Looking forward to a great show this year talking about the Tour."
"The UCI registration process is still underway, and all sponsorship arrangements are part of that review," he added. "We've been fully transparent about the structure and are working with our legal team to ensure everything meets their requirements. We're very excited about what we're building and the momentum we have so far to help support cycling here in the USA and abroad."
Cycling Weekly contacted the UCI for comment and to ask whether Armstrong’s involvement in the team could be an issue moving forwards. The world governing body had not responded at the time of publication.
