Following Lance Armstrong’s admission of being doped throughout most of his time as professional and that he would not have been able to win seven Tour de Frances without doping, his long time friend and collaborator Michele Ferrari says that the Texan is wrong, however he acknowledge that doping has had a massive impact on the level of top sport.

“Professional sport (not just cycling) has evolved to the levels that we know today thanks also to drugs or at least in the presence of drugs or methods used with the goal of optimizing performance,” the doctor claims.

But according to Ferrari the effect of doping is often highly overrated.

“Scientific studies on the topic are often inadequate and come with conflicting conclusions. The athletes and the media tend to overestimate the effects, with the result that they are considered indispensable to compete with opponents who may use the same methods/substances.”

As for the claims of Lance Armstrong, that he he didn't think he could have won all 7 Tour de Frances without using testosterone, EPO and blood transfusions, Ferrari points out that the Texan is wrong.

“If his way of taking testosterone was the one reported by several teammates (microdoses diluted in olive oil, under the tongue), this could not have more than a placebo effect. The amount absorbed with this mode of administration and dosages are negligible and certainly have no effect on performance or recovery.”

“Therefore Armstrong would have achieved the same level of performance without resorting to doping, also thanks to his talent which was far superior to the rivals of his era.”