LANCE LOSES

The doping scandal surrounding world renowned cyclist Lance Armstrong, has come to an abrupt and unfortunate end.

Armstrong won his battle with testicular cancer, but decided late last week to surrender in his battle with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The agency had long alleged that he used banned substances during his stellar cycling career, a charge he has emphatically denied.

Armstrong’s announcement that he will no longer fight the charges against him comes with a hefty price tag. He will now be banned for life from cycling events and is likely to be stripped of his record 7 Tour de France titles.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the USADA, led the latest charge to expose Armstrong as a cheat. He claims that Armstrong’s wins, which made him a global sports icon following his battle against cancer, were aided by banned substances, including steroids and blood doping.

“It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes,” Tygart said. “This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all-costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition.”

Although Armstrong decided to give up his fight, he continues to maintain his innocence, saying the wins were legitimate and within the rules, but a prolonged fight wasn’t worth it to himself or his family.

“There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now,” Armstrong said in a statement. He also called the USADA investigation an “unconstitutional witch hunt” and said he saw no reason to participate in any further proceedings that might clear his name.

“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,” Armstrong said. “But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.”