August 25, 2012 – Nordic skiers who are also cycling fans have been following the recent news regarding Lance Armstrong’s battle vs USADA that came to a head late Thursday evening when Armstrong threw in the towel declaring he would not fight the doping charges being pressed against him.

Armstrong released a statement in which he wrote, “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now.” He called the USADA investigation an “unconstitutional witch hunt” challenging their jurisdiction in the case adding that he would not get a fair trial.

In turn the USADA claimed it would strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France medals and issue a life-time ban, mostly symbolic as Armstrong is retired. Then the official statements rolled out first by the UCI followed by USADA amidst a multitude of chatter and opinions on the epic saga.

At this juncture it’s not clear how things will unfold and what will happen if Armstrong is eventually stripped of his Tour wins (1999-2005) as several hurdles need to be overcome including the clear statute of limitations of 8 years despite USADA’s doping allegations dating back 17 years, USADA’s “reasoned decision” as required by both UCI regulation 273 and WADA article 8 (8.3 in Armstrong’s case), and ultimately who will be declared the Tour winners in those years.

Armstrong is also not going away quietly: a strongly-worded letter sent by his legal team to USADA lawyer, William Bock, III, disputes USADA’s jurisdiction over the case claiming it can only be heard before the UCI or by the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and for these reasons Armstrong cannot proceed into the arbitration adding, “You are on notice that if USADA makes any public statement claiming, without jurisdiction, to sanction Mr. Armstrong, or to falsely characterize Mr. Armstrong’s reasons for not requesting an arbitration as anything other than a recognition of UCI jurisdiction and authority, USADA and anyone involved in the making of the statement will be liable.”

Aug. 23 – Armstrong Throws in the Towel With Official Statement HERE.
Aug. 23 – USADA to Strip Armstrong of 7 Tour Titles and Enforce Lifetime Ban – UCI Reacts w/Statement HERE.
Aug. 24 – USADA Statement on Lance Armstrong – Lifetime Ban and Stripped of all Titles HERE.
Aug. 24 – Two Opinions on Lance Armstrong vs USADA  HERE.