Dowsett does not condone shamed 'legend' Armstrong's actions (From Maldon and Burnham Standard)

Dowsett does not condone shamed 'legend' Armstrong's actions

3:58pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in Local Sport

ALEX Dowsett insists he was misinterpreted when he claimed shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong was still a “legend”.

The 24-year-old, who finished his last race of the season, the Tour of Beijing, on Saturday, said in an interview last week that Armstrong was “still a legend of the sport. A guy who had cancer, came back and won the Tour de France.”

But the reigning British time-trial champion, from Maldon, said he was referring to the work Armstrong had done for his cancer charity Livestrong, not his cycling achievements, which have been discredited following accustations from the US Anti-Doping Agency that he doped while racing.

Dowsett said in a statement: “When I was quoted saying Lance Armstrong is a legend, this was in regard to the charity work he has done.

“Also when I said it doesn’t matter, what I mean is that we are racing clean now and it is a different sport to what it was back then.

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, I was just about to start stage three of the Tour of Beijing and I wasn’t clear in my thoughts.

“I do think what Lance has done is completely unacceptable.”

Team Sky rider Dowsett finished in 114th place in the Tour of Beijing but was pleased with his race, which involved an attack off the front on stage one and getting into a break-away on stage four.

And it turned out to be a decent tour for Dowsett’s team overall, with their team leader, Edvald Boasson Hagen, making it onto the podium in third place.