Lance Armstrong May Face Lifetime Ban Amid USADA Charges, Could Be Stripped Of Titles
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, threatening to strip his victories in those storied cycling races.
Armstrong could face a lifetime ban from the sport if he is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. The move by the agency immediately bans him from competing in triathlons, which he turned to after he retired from cycling last year.
Armstrong, in a statement Wednesday, dismissed any doping allegations as “baseless” and “motivated by spite” and noted they came just months after federal prosecutors closed a two-year criminal investigation against the cyclist without bringing an indictment.
The charges by the agency were first reported by The Washington Post.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s letter to Armstrong informing him of the charges also said the agency was bringing doping charges against Johan Bruyneel, manager of Armstrong’s winning teams; team doctors Pedro Celaya and Luis Garicia del Moral; team trainer Pepe Martin; and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari.