23. In 1995 there appeared to me to be a major change in the peloton It was becoming very difficult to keep up, and I learned that the reason was the widespread use of erythropoietin (“EPO"), a banned blood oxygen booster for which there was. at the time, no effective doping test. As the speed of the peloton increased we seemed to be confronted with the choice of using EPO or not performing well in races.
24. At this point in time people in the peloton were talking about EPO quite openly.
25. I recall that around this time Dr. Michele Ferrari, an Italian physician working with cyclists was quoted as saying thai EPO was no more dangerous than orange juice.
26. I also recall talking with my teammate Stephen Swart who said everybody was
taking EPO.
27. Around this time we got crushed in the Milan-San Remo race and coming home from the race Lance Armstrong was very upset. As we drove home Lance said, in substance, that, “this is bull ****, people are using stuff" and “we are getting killed." He said, in substance, that be did not want to get crushed any more and something needed to be done. I understood that he meant the team needed to get on EPO.
28. In 1995 and 1996 I lived in Como. Italy with Rider-4, Kevin Livingston, and Frankie Andreu.
29. Lance also lived in Como at the time but on his own and not with the three of us.
30. Eventually, I came to understand that Frankie Andreu had experimented with EPO, and he told me how I could obtain it in Switzerland, Kevin, Rider-4 and I discussed using EPO at this time and my understanding was that we all began using it around this time.
Page 4 of 16