The Buckingham

Photo Credit: www.keepingscore.blogs.time.com

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has announced that famed cycler Lance Armstrong will be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after being found guilty of drug charges.

The USADA has also said that Armstrong, 40, will face a lifetime ban.  And under the World Anti-Doping Code, he could also lose several other awards, event titles and cash earnings.  The International Olympic Committee may also strip him of the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Games.

Armstrong, who had retired last year, dropped his fight againt the USADA, bu declining to enter their arbiration process.  The cycler has pointed to all of the drug tests he passed as proof of his innocence while winning his Tour titles from 1999 to 2005.

Armstrong has faced drug accusations his entire career, but the USADA didn’t begin looking into his past until recently.  The USADA claims that he had used banned substances since 1996, and has several evidence to back their claims, including emails from Armstrong’s former teammate Floyd Landis.  They also said that they have 10 former teammates ready to testify against him.

These new developments could prove very harmful for Armstrong’s image.  He currently is viewed by much of the public as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, as well as an inspiring cancer survivor.