Cycling legend and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong revealed he will not fight the doping allegations brought over by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a staggering decision which is set to leave him stripped of all his titles which saw him become one of the most recognizable athletes in the world.
The USADA confirmed later they would strip the 41-year-old of all the Tour de France crowns, as well as the bronze medal he won at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The punishment will also carry all titles won by the American from August 1998 onwards.
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough'," a statement on Armstrong's official website said. "For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999.
"Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. 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."
The decision also means Armstrong will be barred in the future from competing, coaching, or having any role in any sport that follows the World Anti-Doping Code.
The USADA, formally charged Armstrong in June of doping and being the leader of a conspiracy to cheat with five other members of the championship winning teams. The Agency also said in a letter, written to Armstrong, that they have blood samples that are "fully consistent" with doping.
The USADA have primarily based their cases on eyewitnesses and inside information, a point which Armstrong's lawyers have argued were brought out through threats of ruining their careers, with Armstrong having never tested positive, a case which the former cyclist emphasized in his statement.
"If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA's process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and - once and for all - put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance," he said. "But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims.
"The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?"
Armstrong also claimed the USADA had no right to charge him. "From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs.
"I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges.
"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."
Armstrong, a cancer survivor, who beat the illness to win the Tour de France from 1999-2005, said he had grown tired of the allegations and would now fully concentrate on his activities outside the sport.
"Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances," Armstrong said. "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 underserved communities.
"This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause.
"I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet."
