Lance Armstrong has given up his long battle to defend himself from charges that his seven Tour de France victories were aided, at least in part, by performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong, who has never failed a doping test, did not admit guilt but said that he was tired of fighting the accusations. “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough,'” the American cyclist said in the statement, which was posted on his website. “For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999.” The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency quickly responded by banning him from competitive cycling and stripping Armstrong of all his titles, which had made him one of the world’s most famous and revered athletes. Travis Tygart, president of the USADA, said in a statement, “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, but for clean athletes, it is a reassuring reminder that there is hope for future generations to compete on a level playing field without the use of performance-enhancing drugs” …
