Lance Armstrong to get lifetime cycling ban, be stripped of Tour de France titles
Posted Aug 24, 2012 8:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong will soon no longer hold his seven Tour de France titles, and could even lose other awards and prize money.
The news that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will strip Armstrong of his titles came Thursday night only hours after Armstrong dropped his fight against doping allegations.
While Armstrong still claims he is innocent, he says is tired of fighting the claims, saying “enough is enough.”
This marks a large change in opinion by Armstrong, who said the following after winning his seventh Tour title back in 2005.
“The cynics and skeptics, I’m sorry for you, I’m sorry you can’t dream big and I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles,” Armstrong said.
So how will the allegations effect Armstrong’s legacy? Peter Flax, editor of Cycling Magazine, says it will certainly have an impact.
“It definitely appears to me like it was an unfair process that came after him, but at the same time I think it’s an acknowledgement on his part, not spoken, that he’s cornered, that the charges are accurate and he’s guilty of a lot of these allegations,” Flax said.
Not only will Armstrong lose his Tour de France titles, but there are some reports he could even lose his bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics.
Armstrong says he will spend his time now staying fit, raising his children and helping raise money and awareness to fight cancer.
