The International Cycling Union (UCI) finally confirmed today that Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles. UCI president Pat McQuaid stated emphatically while reading his statement that "Armstrong has no place in cycling. He deserves to be forgotten." In addition, Armstrong has been stripped of all other titles won since the 1st of August 1998 and banned for life for doping.
They also announced that they will meet at the end of this week to decide whether the titles and prize money, gained from 1999 until 2005, will be reallocated in his place. However, it has been intimated by Tour director Christian Prudhomme that the titles would be vacated. It also means that 9 of the last 14 Tour titles have been 'won' by drug cheats.
Armstrong has been stripped of his Tour titles and banned
for life by the UCI
McQuaid went on to say "I’m sorry we couldn’t catch every damn one of them red-handed and throw them out of the sport at the time", conceding that the ever-growing anti-doping movement has still work to do to catch up with the drug users in the sport.
What does this all mean for cycling?
The optimist in me likes to think that this is surely the last possible high profile doping charge in cycling. In a sport that has struggled with drugs since the start of the 20th century, maybe the conviction, albeit a few years late, of the so called 'greatest' ever cyclist is the sign to all others now and in the future that there's just no point in cheating. Whether it be while they are active, or years after, they will get caught and any achievements in the sport will be spoiled and reputations forever marred.
The reality, however, is that cycling may never recover from this, despite McQuaid's pleas for the sport to 'start anew' all over again. Yes, we are used to cyclists being stripped of titles and chucked out of tours, but this is somehow different. The sheer depth of the deception is almost unfathomable. Armstrong has been held in such high esteem over the years, boosted by his work outside of cycling, that no one ever really thought that it were possible he could have cheated. Now that it has come out that so many fellow riders not only knew but participated in the doping schemes, it seems to bring to light a ruthless and controlling influence that Armstrong and the men behind the scheme have had over those around them.
All this comes in the wake of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) 1000 page report which condemned Armstrong for doping offences, based on the testimony of 26 fellow riders. Armstrong has never been caught for doping, and has claimed his innocence throughout, finally 'giving up' the fight claiming that he has always been a marked man and can never influence or change that.
There are still holes in both sides stories which have done nothing to improve the image of either. The number of tests conducted, the validity of the sworn testimonies - there is still a lot to be accounted for. No matter what comes out in the future, there is already sufficient doubt around Armstrong and his achievements for not only the authorities to take action, but for the public to question anything he has done or may do in the future.
Cycling as a whole now has a huge job to pull itself out of the mess once again. More than ever, fans will take emphatic stage wins and tour wins with a pinch of salt, knowing that despite the efforts of the anti-doping authorities, there are always cheats ahead of the game.
