Lance Armstrong Won't Fight USADA Charges

The Associated Press is reporting that Lance Armstrong will no longer fight charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Photo: Kurt Hoy

Published August 23, 2012 10:16PM

The Associated Press is reporting that Lance Armstrong will no longer fight charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. The announcement means Armstrong could lose his seven Tour de France titles and likely eliminates any lingering thoughts of him competing in this fall’s Ironman World Championship.

Lance Armstrong said Thursday night he is finished fighting a barrage of drug charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, putting his unprecedented string of seven Tour de France titles at risk along with his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists in history.

The decision sets up a likely lifetime ban from the sport and the possibility that Armstrong will be stripped of his signature achievement – the extraordinary run of Tour titles he won from 1999-2005.

Armstrong, who retired last year, declined to enter arbitration – his last option – because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he has passed as proof of his innocence.

“There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now,” Armstrong said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. He called the USADA investigation an “unconstitutional witch hunt.”

Read more: Ap.org

Read Armstrong’s official statement here.

Also from Velonews.com – Commentary: Armstrong the martyr changes the conversation by refusing arbitration

Lance Armstrong