Armstrong To Be Stripped Of Tdf Titles

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will be stripped of his titles, according to the US Anti-Doping Agency, after the American revealed he will no longer fight the organisation’s charges.

The USADA said Armstrong will be barred from cycling for life for using performance-enhancing drugs to record an astonishing run of wins, including victory in cycling’s most prestigious race from 1999 to 2005. Armstrong has continually denied the charges.

Armstrong maintains his innocence, but announced his decision after a US federal court dismissed his lawsuit against USADA on Monday, paving the way for the agency to continue its case against him.

USADA said in June it had evidence that Armstrong used banned substances, including information supplied by former teammates.

Armstrong accused USADA of launching an unconstitutional witch hunt against him as he declined to pursue procedures that could take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 40-year-old said he was growing weary of the fight and the strain it had put on his personal and professional life.

Armstrong said in a statement on his website: ‘Today I turn the page.

‘I will no longer address the issue, regardless of the circumstances. I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in undeserved communities.

‘There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say ‘enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now.’

‘The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.’

USADA chief Travis Tygart told AFP that Armstrong would be stripped of all his results dating back to August 1998.

USADA says Armstrong used banned substances, including the blood-booster EPO and steroids, as well as blood transfusions dating back to as far 1996.

The 40-year-old said he has passed hundreds of drug tests during his career and that he adhered to the rules that were in place at the time of his Tour de France wins.

Armstrong continued: ‘The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced.

‘The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves.

‘It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.’ 

The Texan, who survived testicular cancer prior to his record-breaking Tour wins, says he will be focusing on his work with his cancer charity.