Reports Indicates Lance Armstrong Offered to Bribe Other Cyclists in Philly

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. has uncovered court documents indicating that Lance Armstrong offered to bribe other cyclists at a group of races back in 1993, including one in Philly. New Zealand cyclist Steven Swart gave a sworn deposition during a 2006 lawsuit involving Armstrong.

Swart alleged that Armstrong offered an opponent $50,000 to help fix the CoreStates U.S. Pro Cycling race in Philadelphia as well as events in Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The bonus was offered for anyone capturing all three, which Armstrong did.

Swart also emphasized that he was operating under the assumption that Armstrong would have won all of the races anyway, so he saw the $50,000 as a bonus. He says it was divvied up amongst the Coors team.

This is just the latest allegation in Lance Armstrong’s well-documented fall from grace. A recent doping investigation has resulted in Armstrong stepping down as chairman of Livestrong, losing his deal with Nike, having his name removed from Nike’s training center, and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. [Philly.com]