Armstrong hits back at Landis over doping claims

Paris: Lance Armstrong fired back at former team mate Floyd Landis, who has publicly accused him of using performance enhancing drugs, following reports he was now working with law enforcement agencies.

Armstrong`s lawyers issued a statement on the cyclist`s team`s website countering Landis` claims that Armstrong cheated during his seven Tour de France wins. In the statement, Armstrong`s lawyers posted a series of private emails which they claimed were between Landis, his personal doctor and cycling officials and sponsors. "Even a superficial review reveals a troubling, angry and misplaced effort at retribution by Landis for his perceived slights," the statement said."While these types of repeated, tired and baseless accusations against Lance have been proven false in the past, it is quite regrettable, but telling, that so many in cycling are now attacked by a bitter and scorned Landis who, quite simply, has zero credibility." The posting of the emails came a day after Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France win, confessed to using blood-boosting drugs after pleading his innocence for years. Landis also pointed the finger at Armstrong in emails he sent to media organisations, saying he had witnessed him using illegal drugs. Armstrong, who has never failed a doping test but has long been accused of wrongdoing by critics and opponents, strongly denied the claims. Doping and sporting authorities have asked Landis to provide evidence to back up his claims while the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Landis was now cooperating with the US criminal unit that investigated several high-profile athletes, including disgraced Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones. Bureau Report London: Forget rigorous workout schedules, finding humour in real life situations could be just enough to keep you hale and hearty. A new study has revealed that laughter can do as much good for your body as going for a run. The findings showed that volunteers who watched 20 minutes of comedies and stand-up routines experienced a dramatic drop in stress hormones, blood pressure and cholesterol. Their appetite was also stimulated just as it is with exercise. "There`s no doubt about it - the `high` people get from mirthful laughter is very similar to the endorphin rush you get from light to moderate exercise," express.co.uk quoted lead researcher Lee Berk from Loma Linda University, California, as saying. Even for diabetics, laughter can be the best medicine. In one study, people who watched a funny video during dinner had lower blood sugar levels after the meal compared to the people who watched a video of a lecture. "It was quite by accident that we stumbled across this finding. The expectation of watching a video was enough to raise levels of feel-good endorphins and boost amounts of a hormone that helps our immune systems fight infection," Berk said. IANS