Lance Armstrong Stripped of Tour de France Titles
Cycling’s governing body has stripped Lance Armstrong of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005, The Associated Press reports. The UCI also banned Armstrong for life following the damning report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of leading a doping program on his teams.
President Pat McQuaid said the UCI has accepted the USADA’s report and will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said in a news conference in Paris that he considers UCI’s judgement “totally logical” and said, “Lance Armstrong is no longer the winner of the Tour de France from 1999-2005.” Armstrong stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong charity last week, and Nike almost immediately ended its relationship with the cyclist.