On this day in 2012: Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles and given life ban
Armstrong dismissed proceedings as a “witch hunt”.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him from cycling for life on this day in 2012.
The 40-year-old elected not to contest doping charges brought against him, dismissing proceedings as a “witch hunt” and claiming he did not feel the process was a fair one.
In a statement, Armstrong said: “If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance.
“The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colours. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided.
“What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?”
In a television interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2013, Armstrong admitted taking banned substances – including EPO – to help win the Tour de France.
