Armstrong Stripped of Tour de France Titles

The US Anti-Doping Agency has officially stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him from the sport for life for doping, after saying it would do so last night. That announcement came after Armstrong dropped further challenges to USADA accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the premier bike race from 1999 to 2005, reports the Wall Street Journal. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Armstrong said in a statement. "The toll this has taken on my family and on me leads me to where I am today—finished with this nonsense."

Though Armstrong has admitted nothing, dropping his fight is viewed by the agency as an admission of guilt, notes AP. Armstrong insists the USADA has no authority to strip him of his titles, though agency head Travis Tygart says it does. The decision could be appealed by the International Cycling Union, the governing body of the sport, but it has never before challenged a decision of the USADA. The UCI this morning said it will wait for the USADA to explain why Armstrong should be stripped of them before commenting on the case, noting the World Anti-Doping Code requires this in cases "where no hearing occurs." Tour de France organizers are also holding off on commenting. (More Lance Armstrong stories.)