UCI Agrees To Strip Armstrong Of Tour Titles, Impose Lifetime Ban

The Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) today agreed to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and ban him for life in the wake of USADA's report accusing him of "leading a massive doping program on his teams." UCI President Pat McQuaid announced that the body has accepted USADA's report "and would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport." Tour de France Dir Christian Prudhomme has said that the race "would go along with whatever cycling's governing body decides and will have no official winners for those years" (AP, 10/22).

Following the UCI announcement, Oakley said that it has severed its longstanding sponsorship of Armstrong. The company added that it will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation, which it referred to as a "positive force" (Oakley).