Lance Armstrong Doping Charges: USADA To Ban Cyclist For Life, Strip Him Of 7 Tour De France Titles

AUSTIN, Texas -- U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart says the agency will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling for life and strip him of his seven Tour de France titles for doping.

Armstrong on Thursday night dropped any further challenges to USADA's allegations that he took performance-enhancing drugs to win cycling's premier event from 1999-2005.

Armstrong says USADA doesn't have the authority to vacate his Tour titles. However, Tygart told The Associated Press that USADA can do it.

Tygart called the Armstrong case a "heartbreaking" example of a win-at-all costs approach to sports.

Loading Slideshow

• Sid Seixeiro

• Bruce Arthur

• Piers Morgan

• John Norton

• Dave Lozo

• Adam Kramer

• Jesse Spector

• pourmecoffee

• Evan Sporer

• Not Buster Olney

• Brian Phillips

• Willard Mitt Romney

• N I C O L E ♡

• rolandsmartin

• Reynaldo Piniella

• Shannon Byrnes

• Josh Hara

• Jimmie Tramel

• Dave Zirin

• Israel Gutierrez

• Anthony Lopopolo

• Alecko Eskandarian

• Brett Haber

• TeeJay Camp

• Adam Leventhal

• Cyclocosm.com

• Dave Zirin

From our partners

• The 50 Worst Sports Movies - Bleacher Report
• 20 Reasons Baseball Is The Worst - Bleacher Report
• Sports Stars Of The '90s: Where Are They Now? - Bleacher Report

Comments

[Maria Zamora]

04:42 AM on 09/14/2012

This is really sucky for Armstrong. I sure hope he recovers from the backlash of these events. Winning at all cost seem to be the motivation behind the ability enhancing drugs hes been taking. You got to give him credit for talent though. Hes got it, but cheating has a way of getting found out in the end.

[zipollini]

09:46 PM on 08/28/2012

Another good article

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/lance-armstrong-s-closest-confidant-may-have-forced-him-to-wave-the-white-flag.html

[zipollini]

01:08 AM on 08/28/2012

Prepare to get your eyes opened wide.

1. Go to CyclingNews.com

2. Click on the "Forums" tab at the top of the page.

3. Scroll down a little and click on the subject title "The Clinic"

4. Scroll down the page until you find the thread titled "The Evidence" and click on it

5. Read everything in that thread along with all the links and you will start to get an actual idea of the magnitude of the evidence that is out there.

[2002psm]

01:12 AM on 08/28/2012

Here's the shortcut to these instructions :)
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18295

[zipollini]

02:21 PM on 08/28/2012

Every time I tried to post that HP would delete it. I've been trying to post that as well as other links for days.

[happyblackman]

03:58 PM on 08/27/2012

I found it strange that LA was back in peak condition, after his cancer and chemo-therapy. I have seen that wipe the average person out. That being said, he has NEVER failed a drug test and it isn't cheating if you never get caught; or never cheated in the first place! He got shafted!

[Slaine 1212]

04:09 PM on 08/27/2012

He did get caught. There are several positive tests. This is part of the evidence the USADA has along with over 12 witnesses, not all of whom are cyclists and most of whom have no thing to gain by testifying under oath that Armstrong cheated.

[zipollini]

02:28 PM on 08/28/2012

Armstrong tested positive over 10 times over the course of his career.

Prepare to get your eyes opened wide.

1. Go to CyclingNews.com

2. Click on the "Forums" tab at the top of the page.

3. Scroll down a little and click on the subject title "The Clinic"

4. Scroll down the page until you find the thread titled "The Evidence" and click on it

5. Read everything in that thread along with all the links and you will start to get an actual idea of the magnitude of the evidence that is out there.”

[happyblackman]

02:36 PM on 08/28/2012

Let me revise my original post: I just don't care. Football is here and I won't hear about cycling until the next Tour De' blah blah blah.

[abhorson]

02:01 PM on 08/27/2012

Bastards .... call your Congressman and ASK HIM to withdraw recognition of the USADA as the official anti-doping agency, AND call that WORTHLESS president and tell him to have the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) take away ALL USADA's funding ...

[happyblackman]

03:54 PM on 08/27/2012

yawn.

[Just walkin the dog here]

11:30 AM on 08/27/2012

This is what is to be expected when the government contracts out the responsibility for justice. This privatized "agency" is contracted by the government and wants to simply look like they deserve the payments they receive.

All comments are from fallen, lying past racers and there are no positive tests.

I'd hate to have any such agency hound me with innuendo and lies and make me prove over and over (at a great cost) that I was innocent. Watch for it if the Republicans get power, privatized courtrooms. That is exactly what this is.

[abhorson]

02:05 PM on 08/27/2012

You were going strong with the whole thing ... then, boom, the "Republicans" ...

go look to see who headed this whole entire witch-hunt from Capitol Hill !!

Biden has sponsored more damaging drug war legislation than any Democrat in Congress.

Hate the way federal prosecutors use RICO laws to take aim at drug offenders? Thank Biden.

How about the abomination that is federal asset forfeiture laws? Thank Biden.

Think federal prosecutors have too much power in drug cases? Thank Biden.

Think the title of a “Drug Czar” is sanctimonious and silly? Thank Biden, who helped create the position (and still considers it an accomplishment worth boasting about).

Tired of the ridiculous steroids hearings in Congress? Thank Biden, who led the effort to make steroids a Schedule 3 drug, and has been among the blowhardiest of the blowhards when it comes to sports and performance enhancing drugs.

Biden voted in favor of using international development aid for drug control (think plan Columbia, plan Afghanistan, and other meddling anti-drug efforts that have only fostered loathing of America, backlash, and unintended consequences).

Oh, and he was also the chief sponsor of 2004’s horrendous RAVE Act.

[Thaddeus Jude]

10:41 AM on 08/27/2012

Finally, a day when somebody as out of shape as I am can have as many Tour De France titles as Lance Armstrong!

[mjhellund]

10:20 AM on 08/27/2012

How much money have these idiots spent on Lance Armstrong and still never produced a positive test.

These USADA guys are about as interested in justice and due process as the NCAA.

[zipollini]

01:09 AM on 08/28/2012

Armstrong tested positive over 10 times.

[Stephen Thorpe]

07:07 AM on 08/27/2012

Witch hunt!

[Marian Bailey]

09:52 PM on 08/27/2012

Absolutely!

[Honolulu Lulu]

08:54 PM on 08/26/2012

It's totally un-American to come out here and attack Lance Armstrong based on hearsay and what such a controversial, non-governmental, "agency" like the United States Anti-Doping Agency dictates. Their own name, USADA, misconstrues the public into believing they are a "government agency." The USADA are the ones we should be far more concerned about than the Lance Armstrongs of our nation.

[abhorson]

02:06 PM on 08/27/2012

but they DO get government funds -- straight from the White House ... The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

[Honolulu Lulu]

06:26 PM on 08/27/2012

Receiving government funds does NOT relegate that the USADA is a government agency. USADA may THINK that they are a government agency, and mislead the public just by its name that they are, but they are not a branch of either state, local, or federal government in any way, shape or form.

And by your many posts that I've read, you should really be toning down the anti-Obama rhetoric. The USADA is a CONSERVATIVE fink tank headquartered in ultra-conservative Colorado Springs, CO. So you have been barking up the wrong tree.

[butchcliff]

07:56 PM on 08/26/2012

Great American Hero. Overcame so much.

[Paulie21]

04:53 PM on 08/26/2012

The US anti-doping agency is filled with dopes.

[Paulie21]

04:52 PM on 08/26/2012

USADA has no power to strip his titles. McCarthy-ites.

[zipollini]

07:07 PM on 08/26/2012

The UCI is required by their own rules to strip Armstrong of all his wins based on the outcome of USADA's arbitration process and Armstrong understands this. If they do not then they will be stripped of their international cycling governing body status by the IOC which they can ill afford to happen. Both they and Amaury Sports (the TdF promoters) will do that within a few days and the IOC will strip Armstrong of his Olympic bronze medal shortly after. This is all very cut and dried.

[Swedish Shibboleth77]

08:18 PM on 08/26/2012

What's NOT "cut and dried" is the fact that you never provide any sources or links and your intent is to DECEIVE.

[darrtown]

03:32 PM on 08/26/2012

False and completely inaccurate headlines by huffpo. You guys should be ashamed. USADA has no power to strip anything, especially from races they are not part of.

[Apple Baek]

03:00 PM on 08/26/2012

The USADA has some sort of grudge against Armstrong, the guy not one time failed a test! I like his sponsors stand firmly behind Armstrong and we acknowledge his amazing athletic accomplishments! I do not blame Lance for throwing his hands up at the USADA, he is a cancer survivor and should not be wasting precious time with that nonsense! To me what the USADA did only discredited their organization as being less than a credible trustworthy organization!