Lance Armstrong Quits Fighting

In a statement to the AP this evening, Lance Armstrong said enough is enough, he wasn’t going to fight the USADA, and indicated that his fans should have faith.

There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now.

Calling the USADA investigation against him an unconstitutional witch hunt, he continued

I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. 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.

As the AP reporter notes, that certainly means the USADA will treat his statement as an admission of guilt and proceed with their case against him recommending a lifetime ban and strip his titles. What the UCI will do is another matter. The sport is in turmoil with Judge Sparks writing, as he threw Lance’s lawsuit against the USADA out

As mystifying as USADA’s election to proceed at this date and in this manner may be, it is equally perplexing that these three national and international bodies are apparently unable to work together to accomplish their shared goal — the regulation and promotion of cycling. However, if these bodies wish to damage the image of their sport through bitter infighting, they will have to do so without the involvement of the United States courts.

USA Cycling’s late-breaking show of support for UCI, and apparent opposition to USADA’s proceeding, indicates there’s more drama to come. A possible outcome is the USADA bans Lance and the UCI refuses to uphold it citing their jurisdiction.

As I’ve mentioned before, whether you think Lance doped or not, of grave concern is the governance of the sport. I’ve heard that USA Cycling is in disarray.

The AP concludes their story with this statement from Lance’s testimony during a trial regarding the 5 million dollar bonus he received for winning the TDF

It’s not about money for me. It’s also about the faith that people have put in me over the years.

People have faith yes, but when it comes to the sport, it’s absolutely about the money.

Lance’s full statement is available on his website.

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