Give or take the matter of Escartin, Lance -- and his team that he put pressure on -- was the best of the 21 finishers, all playing the same game.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2012/10/15/lance-armstrong-tour-de-france-doping/1635499/
"Of the 21 top three finishers in the Tour de France during Lance Armstrong's victory streak, only one has not been tied to doping, according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
His name is Fernando Escartin, who finished third in 1999 -- the first of Armstrong's seven consecutive titles -- and even Escartin is subject to suspicion.
According to Italian court documents from 2004, Escartin received performance-enhancing drugs from doctor Michele Ferrari, the alleged doping mastermind for several riders, including Armstrong.
So perhaps it's not surprising that the director of the Tour de France declared that if the International Cycling Union (UCI) decides not to appeal USADA's decision to ban Armstrong for life and strip him of his seven Tour titles, there will be no replacement winner named for years 1999 through 2005.
"It indicates that no one in the races was above suspicion, which highlights the fact that doping was prevalent during the entire period," says Dick Pound, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency."