Lance Armstrong

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Lore & Background

For much of his career, Armstrong faced persistent doping allegations, but no official investigation was undertaken until 2006. The first break came in 2005 when SCA Promotions, a Dallas-based insurer, balked at paying a $5 million bonus to Armstrong for winning his sixth consecutive Tour de France. SCA president Bob Hamman had read L.A. Confidentiel, a book by cycling journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh detailing circumstantial evidence of massive doping by Armstrong and members of his U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. In 2006, an arbitration panel ruled that SCA had to pay the bonus, but Hamman's real goal was to force an investigation by sporting authorities. His hunch proved correct; USADA officials asked to review the evidence Hamman had gleaned.

Reader's Guide

U.S. federal prosecutors pursued doping allegations against Armstrong from 2010 to 2012, convening a grand jury and taking statements under oath from former team members. The investigation was led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated steroid use by baseball players Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Former teammate Floyd Landis was a key witness, and according to the book Wheelmen, Landis at one point wore a recording device and used a video camera disguised as a keychain at investigators' request. On February 2, 2012, federal prosecutors dropped their criminal investigation with no charges. In June 2012, USADA accused Armstrong of doping and drug trafficking based on blood samples from 2009 and 2010 and witness testimonies. Armstrong filed a lawsuit to bar USADA from pursuing its case, but Judge Sam Sparks ruled in USADA's favor on August 20, 2012. Four days later, USADA announced Armstrong would be stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banned from cycling for life if he did not act. Three days later, Armstrong decided not to challenge the allegations, calling USADA's pursuit an "unconstitutional witch hunt." Under the World Anti-Doping Code, he was automatically banned from all sports whose federations follow the Code and forfeited all awards after August 1, 1998.

Did You Know?

• The first break in the doping case came in 2005 when SCA Promotions refused to pay a $5 million bonus to Armstrong, leading to an investigation.
• Former teammate Floyd Landis wore a recording device and used a video camera disguised as a keychain at investigators' request, according to the book Wheelmen.
• Armstrong hired a Washington lobbying firm in 2010 to raise concerns about federal agent Jeff Novitzky, but the firm concluded a full-scale lobbying effort would not have worked.
• On August 24, 2012, USADA announced Armstrong would be stripped of his seven Tour de France victories if he did not act fast; he chose not to contest the allegations three days later.
• USADA's report included testimonies from eleven former Armstrong teammates and fifteen other witnesses, totaling over 1,000 pages of supporting evidence.

The $5 Million Bonus That Cracked the Case Open

In 2005, SCA Promotions, a Dallas-based insurer, refused to pay a $5 million bonus to Armstrong for winning his sixth consecutive Tour de France. SCA president Bob Hamman had read L.A. Confidentiel, a book by cycling journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh, which detailed circumstantial evidence of massive doping by Armstrong and members of his U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. In 2006, an arbitration panel ruled that SCA had to pay the bonus. However, Hamman's real goal was to force an investigation by sporting authorities, believing that if someone in a position to investigate found that Armstrong had indeed doped, he could be stripped of his Tour victories – allowing SCA to get its money back. His hunch proved correct; officials from USADA asked to review the evidence Hamman had gleaned.

The Federal Grand Jury and the Landis Factor

U.S. federal prosecutors pursued allegations of doping by Armstrong from 2010 to 2012. The effort convened a grand jury to investigate doping charges, including taking statements under oath from Armstrong's former team members and other associates. They met with officials from France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy, and requested samples from the French anti-doping agency. The investigation was led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated suspicions of steroid use by baseball players Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Armstrong's former teammate Floyd Landis was a key witness, and according to the book Wheelmen, Landis at one point wore a recording device and used a video camera disguised as a keychain, at the investigators' request in an attempt to gather evidence against a team owner in California. However, based on testimony from Landis, the prosecutors soon turned their attention to Armstrong and the doping that took place on the U.S. Postal Service team years earlier. As part of his campaign to clear his name, Armstrong hired a Washington lobbying firm in 2010 to raise concerns about Novitzky, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. The firm worked for Armstrong for about three months, but, after arranging meetings on Capitol Hill, decided a full-scale lobbying effort would not have worked. On February 2, 2012, federal prosecutors officially dropped their criminal investigation with no charges.

The USADA Charges and the Legal Gauntlet

In June 2012, USADA accused Armstrong of doping and drug trafficking, based on blood samples from 2009 and 2010, and testimonies from witnesses including former teammates. Armstrong, denying all doping use in a statement, was suspended from competition in cycling and triathlon. He was charged in a letter from USADA, along with five others, including former team manager Johan Bruyneel. USADA said Armstrong used banned substances, including the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO) and steroids, as well as blood transfusions dating back to 1996. In July 2012, Armstrong filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, requesting that the court "bar USADA from pursuing its case or issuing any sanctions against him" based on the claim that "USADA rules violate athletes' constitutional rights to a fair trial, and that the agency does not have jurisdiction in his case." On July 10, 2012, after U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks threw out the initial lawsuit for being overly lengthy, Armstrong filed a revised lawsuit. The same day, three of Armstrong's former associates from the U.S. Postal Service team—Luis Garcia del Moral, a team doctor; Michele Ferrari, a consulting doctor; and Jose "Pepe" Marti, team trainer—refused to take part in arbitration and were automatically banned from Olympic-level sports for life. Judge Sparks ruled in favor of USADA on August 20, 2012, but questioned the timing and motivation of the agency's investigation of Armstrong, and their apparent "single minded determination to force Armstrong to arbitrate ... in direct conflict with [cycling governing body] UCI's equally evident desire not to proceed against him."

The Ultimatum and the End of an Era

Four days after Sparks' decision, on August 24, 2012, USADA announced that if Armstrong did not act fast, he would be stripped of his seven Tour de France victories — along with other honors from 1999 to 2011 — and banned from cycling for life. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, he would also be banned from competing in Olympic-level sports whose federations followed the Code. Three days later, Armstrong, while publicly maintaining his innocence, decided to not officially challenge the USADA allegations. In a statement, he said that USADA had engaged in "an unconstitutional witch hunt" based on "outlandish and heinous claims." He added that he would have been more than willing to fight the charges, but was not willing to take part in USADA's arbitration process, which he called "one-sided and unfair." Under the circumstances, he believed contesting the charges was not worth the toll on his foundation and his family. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Armstrong said. "For me, that time is now." Under the World Anti-Doping Code, by failing to contest such serious charges of doping offenses, Armstrong was automatically banned from all sports whose federations follow the Code—effectively ending his competitive career. He also forfeited all awards and prizes earned after August 1, 1998, including his seven Tour titles.