Report: Christian Vande Velde to Testify Against Lance Armstrong in Doping Probe

Several of Lance Armstrong's former teammates—including native Christian Vande Velde—will testify in the United States Anti-Doping Agency's case against the seven-time Tour de France champion, according to a New York Times report.

Citing two anonymous sources close to the investigation, the New York Times reported Thursday that Vande Velde and fellow cyclists George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and David Zabriskie will be witnesses for the USADA, which recently charged Armstrong with doping while on the United States Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.

Also named as a witness was Jonathan Vaughters, director of Vande Velde and Zabriskie's team, Garmin-Sharp, which is currently competing in the Tour de France.

According to the New York Times report, the four riders, who were all part of the 2008 Olympic cycling team, opted out of the London Games because of their involvement in the case.

As of Thursday, none of the riders had confirmed their involvement, and the USADA declined to comment on the identities of any potential witnesses.

However, Garmin-Sharp's parent company, Slipstream, did speak out against a Dutch media report that the riders received six-month suspensions for admitting to doping.

"We can confirm that our (Tour de France) team is entirely focused on the Tour, and media reports of suspensions are untrue,” the company told the Associated Press.

Armstrong, who retired from cycling last year, has denied all doping allegations. If found guilty, he could be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

Armstrong addressed the reports on his Twitter feed Thursday:

@lance armstrong: So let me get this straight...come in and tell @usantidoping exactly what they wanted to hear in exchange for immunity, anonymity, and the opportunity to continue to race the biggest event in cycling.

@lance armstrong: This isn't about @usantidoping wanting to clean up cycling - rather it's just plain ol' selective prosecution that reeks of vendetta.

Vande Velde, 36, is currently making his 10th Tour de France appearance. He was part of Armstrong's winning U.S. Postal Service team in 1999, and finished fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009.

He has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, according to the New York Times.

After Stage 5, Vande Velde is in 57th place out of more than 190 riders.

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