SACRAMENTO, CA - FILE: Lance Armstrong of the USA and riding for Astana rides in the Prologue of the AMGEN Tour of California on February 14, 2009 in Sacramento, California. According to reports on February 3, 2012 Armstrong will not be charged with allegedly using performance enhancing drugs and his criminal investigation is being closed by Federal prosecutors. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Lance Armstrong is dropping his fight against doping charges and will likely be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.
After years of denying claims of doping and fighting against charges, Lance Armstrong has decided to abandon his fight against doping charges and will likely be stripped of his Tour de France titles, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, said he will no longer fight charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Despite deciding not to continue to fight the charges, Armstrong maintains his innocence.
"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said, according to the Associated Press. "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."
Armstrong, who retired last year, will also likely face a lifetime ban from cycling. Armstrong had the option to enter arbitration to continue to fight the charges, but opted against it.
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," he said.
For more on Lance Armstrong and the worlds of running and cycling, visit Podium Cafe and Stride Nation. For more on Lance Armstrong, stay tuned to this StoryStream.
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