After the new allegations made against Lance Armstrong by French newspaper Le Monde, according to which Armstrong admitted in 1996 that he had used performance-enhancing substances before his cancer illness, the seven-time Tour de France winner strongly denied the accusations. Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman called the claim "absurd", and Dr. Craig Nichols, who treated Armstrong at Indiana University Medical Center when the Texan was ill with testicular cancer, also refuted the statements.

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Dr. Craig Nichols, who was also heard in the trial, has said that he did not recall Armstrong to have said that he had used banned substances in cycling. In a sworn affidavit, Nichols said he and other medical personnel visited with Armstrong that day about his medical history before he started chemotherapy.

"Lance Armstrong never admitted, suggested or indicated that he has ever taken performance-enhancing drugs. Had this been disclosed to me, I would have recorded it, or been aware of it, as a pertinent aspect of Lance Armstrong's past medical history as I always do," Nichols said. "Had I been present at any such 'confession,' I would most certainly have vividly recalled the fact," Nichols said. "I would have recorded such a confession as a matter of form, as indeed, would have my colleagues. None was recorded."