The latest on Lance Armstrong, from Tour de France to doping allegations

The United States Anti-Doping Agency presented evidence about Lance Armstrong’s doping.

UPDATE, March 6: Lance Armstrong gives an exclusive sit-down interview with Sports Illustrated. Check it out.

The downfall of seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has been one of the most compelling stories of the past year.  Bookmark this page to keep up with the latest news and find previous reports on the disgraced cyclist.

• Armstrong’s use of performance enhancing drugs and other techniques were detailed in Tyler Hamilton’s book The Secret Race. More.
• The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released its doping evidence against Armstrong in October. Read the evidence.
• Numerous sponsors dropped Armstrong in the wake of the USADA evidence was released. More.
• Armstrong stepped down as chairman of his influential non-profit, Livestrong. More.
• The cyclist, now stripped of his seven Tour De France titles, appears in a two-night interview with Oprah Winfrey. More.
• SCA Promotions Inc., which paid Armstrong $12 million in bonuses for three Tour de France victories, filed suit in February, 2013, for the return of its money in the wake of his doping admissions. More.
• The Justice Department, on Feb. 22 of 2013, joins a lawsuit filed in 2011 by another disgraced cyclist, Floyd Landis, which could claim $100 million in damages caused by his used of PEDs while riding with the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. More.
• In late February two more lawsuits are filed against Armstrong, including one from an insurance company. More.

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Lance Armstrong admits to doping, calls his career “one big lie” in Oprah Winfrey interview

WATCH PART TWO: The second installment of Armstrong’s interview airs on OWN at 9 p.m. ET/PT, 8 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. MT. Or stream it here.

The first night of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Lance Armstrong saw the disgraced rider formally admit to doping and come clean about other details from his career.

In brief, he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs, that he fell victim to his own “mythic” image and, in sum, his success was “one big lie.” Read more.

But Lance’s admissions weren’t the only story: Reaction was swift and, in many cases, outraged from those who know Armstrong and know the sport. The New York Times blogged during the show, then rounded up reaction afterward. Read more.

Hours before his interview with Winfrey aired, the International Olympic Committee announced it has stripped Armstrong of his bronze medal in the Time Trial at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Read more.

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Report: Lance admits doping during interview with Oprah Winfrey

UPDATE, Jan. 17: Hours before his interview with Oprah Winfrey aired the International Olympic Committee announced it has stripped Lance Armstrong of his bronze medal in the Time Trial at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Read more.

Jan 16: The director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency tells the Associated Press that while Oprah is a start, Lance Armstrong will need to speak under oath if he wants to start really clearing his name. That will not happen “talking to a talk show host.” Read more.

Jan. 15: The New York Times is quoting sources who say that Lance Armstrong admits to doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped on Monday.  CBS News is reporting he is in talks to pay back sponsorship money earned while with the Postal Service. Read more.

Jan. 14: Lance Armstrong sure didn’t look or sound like someone facing a public gallows on Sunday.

The seven-time Tour de France winner (since disavowed by the Tour) took a break from an afternoon jog to tell an Associated Press reporter that he was “at ease” and would be “candid” in his scheduled interview on Thursday with Oprah Winfrey.

Learn what sources close to Armstrong told The Associated Press that the cyclist will say (in part) during Thursday’s interview and read more of what he had to say Sunday in this story.

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Lance Armstrong agrees to interview with Oprah Winfrey on Jan. 17

Tyler Hamilton’s memoir discussed doping in pro cycling.

UPDATE, Jan. 9: Will Lance Armstrong confess his doping to Oprah Winfrey? Sounds like he might: 90-minute interview planned for Jan. 17 on Oprah’s Next Chapter. Details.

Jan. 4: The New York Times is reporting that cycling superstar Lance Armstrong is considering whether he should confess to doping while winning his seven Tour de France titles. There are, however, numerous legal hurdles that the American would have to navigate should he confess. Read more.

Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles and banned for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) sanctions against the American. The UCI decision was the latest development in the Armstrong investigation that exploded on

Greg LeMond announces bid for presidency of International Cycling Union

Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, now wants to run the International Cycling Union (UCI) in an effort to clean up pro cycling.

The three-time Tour winner (1986, ’89, ’90) announced that he will challenge current UCI president Pat McQuaid after being asked about it this past weekend at the Change Cycling Now conference in London.

“If we want to restore public confidence and sponsors, we must act quickly and decisively,” LeMond told French newspaper Le Monde. Read the story in Outside Magazine.

For its part, the UCI recently appointed a British judge, a British lawmaker and an Australian lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into the role the sport’s governing body played in the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. Read more.

Swany Gloves makes the best gloves and mittens for skiing and snowboarding. We’re also dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Lance Armstrong formally severs ties with his cancer charity Livestrong

Pat McQuaid, UCI president

UPDATE: Lance Armstrong has formally severed his ties with Livestrong, the cancer charity he founded. Story.

(Nov. 2): The World Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday that it would not appeal the decision by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in its case against Lance Armstrong. Story.

Lance Armstrong has been officially stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) sanctions against the American, Reuters reports.

“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. Lance Armstrong deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” UCI president Pat McQuaid told a news conference.

Read the article to find out how the USADA and Armstrong responded, as well as who might receive the Tour de France titles won by Armstrong. More.

On Oct. 23, former Armstrong teammate Steffen Kjaergaard, who rode on the U.S. Postal Service team in the Tour de France in 2000 and 2001, admitted to doping and was placed on leave as Norway’s cycling federation sports director. Read more.

The UCI decision is the latest development in the Armstrong investigation that exploded on Oct. 10 when USADA released all of its evidence against Armstrong, more than 1,000 pages and sworn testimony from 26 people, about the cyclist’s doping activities while racing with the U.S. Postal Service Cycling team. A 200-page document was made public. Read the document.

Over the course of the following week the fallout continued as Nike ended its contract with Armstrong and a number of other sponsors, including Radio Shack, Trek, Oakley and Anheuser-Busch, followed suit. In addition, Armstrong stepped down as Chairman at Livestrong, his cancer-fighting charity. Read more.

Riders who testified included Armstrong teammates such as Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie. Armstrong attorney Tim Herman called the report “a one-sided hatchet job” that used the testimony of  “serial perjurers.”

The allegations will seem familiar to anyone who has seen recent interviews with Tyler Hamilton or read his book The Secret Race about his life in bike racing before and after he tested positive in 2004 for having someone else’s blood in his system. Among many other things, the book undercuts the argument that, just because someone has passed a drug test, he or she is clean. Read an Outside Magazine Q&A with Tyler Hamilton.

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It’s official: Wiggins becomes first Brit to win Tour de France

What else did Bradley Wiggins need to do to prove he was the best rider in the Tour de France? Nothing, but he still proved it on Sunday in Paris, once again helping to lead out teammate Mark Cavendish to the Stage 20 win. So, the final classification  winners:

• OVERALL: Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nabali
• POINTS (Green Jersey): Peter Sagan
• CLIMBER (Polka Dot): Thomas Voeckler
• YOUNG RIDER (White): Tejay Vangarderen
• TEAM: Radioshack-Nissan
• COMBATIVE: Chris Anker-Sorensen

Learn more about the race at the Tour de France website, including the overall standings.

Previous stage results during the Tour de France:

• Stage 20: Bradley Wiggins grew his lead and cemented his grip on the overall victory by winning the time trial and extending his lead over everyone. Here’s what they were reading in The Guardian.
• Drug test confirmed:Frank Schleck’s “B sample” has come back positive for a banned diuretic, the rider said on Friday. Schleck, who was pulled from the race on Tuesday when the first blood test came back positive, continues to insists he does not know how the banned drug got into his system. Read more.
• Stage 18: Is there anything Bradley Wiggins can’t do? The overall race leader led out teammate Mark Cavendish to victory in Stage 18, the second of this tour by Cavendish  and the 22nd of his career, putting him in a tie with Lance Armstrong. Read more.
• Stage 17: Leader Bradley Wiggins thrived on final day of difficult climbing in the Pyrenees to finish second in the stage (tied with teammate Chris Froome). Alejandro Valverde won the stage. Read more.
• Rivalry? A simmering rivalry seems to be apparent between Wiggins and Froome, who has shown himself to be the stronger climber. During the final ascent in Stage 17 Froome pulled ahead and gestured at Wiggins to pick up the pace, which some riders suggested was disrespectful. Learn more.
• Stage 16: The “circle of death,”  the nickname given to this stage’s brutal climbs, finished any chance for Cadel Evans to defend his Tour de France title, while Bradley Wiggins maintained his lead. Read more.
• UPDATE: Luxembourg rider Frank Schleck, after testing positive for a forbidden diuretic at the Tour de France and being pulled from Stage 16, has suggested he may have been poisoned. Read more.
• Day off: The schedule said Tuesday is a rest day at the Tour de France, but the teams in contention worked hard on strategy for the coming stages in the Pyrenees.  Read more.
•  Stage 15: A day after tacks flattened 45 tires, the peleton experienced a sleepy day, letting a six-man breakaway escape and cruising to the finish as Pierrick Fedrigo earned France its fourth stage win this year when he edged American Christian Vande Velde. More.
• Stage 14: Luis León Sánchez won the 14th stage of the Tour de France with a brilliant ride, but most people will remember the stage for the sabotage committed by someone at the top of the final climb, where carpet tacks thrown on the road caused as many as 30 flat tires, including one for defending champion Cadel Evans. Race officials asked French police to investigate the incident on the Mur de Peguere climb.
• Stage 13: German Andre Greipel won a photo-finish sprint to win his third stage victory of this Tour after pther top sprinters, including Mark Cavendish, were unable to keep up over a late climb and did not factor in the finish. Read more.
• Stage 12: David Millar won his second stage ever at the Tour as part of a 5-rider breakout that stayed away for more than 130 miles. Read more.
•  Stage 11: Bradley Wiggins moved closer toward becoming the first  Briton to win the Tour de France when he survived the toughest climbing stage to extend his lead, while Cadel Evans cracked on the final climb and fell to fourth. Read more. 
• Stage 10: Briton Bradley Wiggins survived a day of climbing and kept the yellow jersey as Thomas Voeckler won the stage, followed by Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt. Read about the stage.
• Stage 9: Race leader Bradley Wiggins blitzed the field to win Stage 9,  a 41.5km time trial, and put some serious time into his rivals.  Wiggins explained why he’s a natural at time trials.
• Stage 8: Bradley Wiggins performed well in Stage 8, won by Frenchman Thibaut Pinot,  to retain his overall lead. 
• Stage 7: The real race begins as Bradley Wiggins takes possession of the overall lead after a climbing finish creates separation among the riders. Defending champion Cadel Evans finished third. More.
• Stage 6: A large crash again dominated the news in Stage 6, causing several abandonments, while Peter Sagan won his third stage in this tour by besting Andre Greipel, winner of the previous two stages. Read more.
• Stage 5: Andre Greipel again out-sprints the field for a win, besting his rival Mark Cavendish. 
• Stage 4: Andre Greipel dodged a significant crash, which claimed Mark Cavendish, near the end of the stage and then sprinted to victory.
• Stage 3: First-timer Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale captured Stage 3 with a convincing win in the final sprint to claim his second stage win.
• Stage 2: Here’s how Mark Cavendish surged to win his 21st stage on the Tour. More.
• Stage 1: See how Peter Sagan won in his first-ever Tour start over Fabian Cancellara. More
• Prologue: Fabian Cancellara wins the prologue at the Tour de France for the fifth time. More

LAST YEAR: The  Tour de France in 2011 saw Cadel Evans claim victory with a late, stirring time-trial win. Andy (2nd) and Frank Schleck (3rd) became the first brothers to grace the podium together. Sammy Sanchez was King of the Mountains, Mark Cavendish earned the green jersey for most points, Pierre Rolland won the best young rider competition and Team Garmin-Cervelo was tops among teams.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for updates on the Tour and more adventures.

Week 2 at the Tour de France: Greipel claims 3rd stage victory in photo finish, Wiggins still on top

UPDATE (Jan. 18): Lance Armstrong admits to using performance enhancing drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Read More.

Find Week 3 at the Tour: This blog post covers the first two weeks of the 2012 Tour de France. Find results from the final week and all stages of the Tour right here.

Andre Greipel won a photo-finish sprint to win Stage 13 of the Tour de France, his third stage victory of this Tour, while Britain’s Bradley Wiggins retained the overall lead.

The mostly flat stage had one major climb, which Greipel managed to assault with the rest of the leaders. Other top sprinters, including Mark Cavendish, were unable to keep up over the climb and did not factor in the finish.

The overall standings remain the same: Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nabali top the podium. Learn more at the Tour de France website, including the overall standings.

Previous stage results during the Tour de France:

• Stage 12: David Millar won his second stage ever at the Tour as part of a 5-rider breakout that stayed away for more than 130 miles. Read more.
•  Stage 11: Bradley Wiggins moved closer toward becoming the first  Briton to win the Tour de France when he survived the toughest climbing stage to extend his lead, while Cadel Evans cracked on the final climb and fell to fourth. Read more. 
• Stage 10: Briton Bradley Wiggins survived a day of climbing and kept the yellow jersey as Thomas Voeckler won the stage, followed by Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt. Read about the stage.
• Stage 9: Race leader Bradley Wiggins blitzed the field to win Stage 9,  a 41.5km time trial, and put some serious time into his rivals.  Wiggins explained why he’s a natural at time trials.
• Stage 8: Bradley Wiggins performed well in Stage 8, won by Frenchman Thibaut Pinot,  to retain his overall lead. 
• Stage 7: The real race begins as Bradley Wiggins takes possession of the overall lead after a climbing finish creates separation among the riders. Defending champion Cadel Evans finished third. More.
• Stage 6: A large crash again dominated the news in Stage 6, causing several abandonments, while Peter Sagan won his third stage in this tour by besting Andre Greipel, winner of the previous two stages. Read more.
• Stage 5: Andre Greipel again out-sprints the field for a win, besting his rival Mark Cavendish. 
• Stage 4: Andre Greipel dodged a significant crash, which claimed Mark Cavendish, near the end of the stage and then sprinted to victory.
• Stage 3: First-timer Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale captured Stage 3 with a convincing win in the final sprint to claim his second stage win.
• Stage 2: Here’s how Mark Cavendish surged to win his 21st stage on the Tour. More.
• Stage 1: See how Peter Sagan won in his first-ever Tour start over Fabian Cancellara. More
• Prologue: Fabian Cancellara wins the prologue at the Tour de France for the fifth time. More

LAST YEAR: The  Tour de France in 2011 saw Cadel Evans claim victory with a late, stirring time-trial win. Andy (2nd) and Frank Schleck (3rd) became the first brothers to grace the podium together. Sammy Sanchez was King of the Mountains, Mark Cavendish earned the green jersey for most points, Pierre Rolland won the best young rider competition and Team Garmin-Cervelo was tops among teams.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for updates on the Tour and more adventures.

Week 1 at the Tour de France: Bradley Wiggins takes lead ahead of defending champ Cadel Evans

Find Week 3 at the Tour: This blog post covers the first week of the 2012 Tour de France. Find results from the final week and all stages of the Tour right here.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that this was Stage 7: The real race began on Saturday when Bradley Wiggins took possession of the overall lead in the Tour de France after a climbing finish began to create separation among the riders. Team Sky teammate Chris Froome led Wiggins up the final climb before breaking away for the stage win. However, defending champion Cadel Evans showed his mettle, staying with the pair to finish third. More.

The overall standings now show Wiggins in the lead with Evans 10 seconds back and Vincenzo Nabali 16 seconds off the lead. Previous leader Fabian Cancellarra rode well, but could not keep pace and now stands 11th, 1:43 off the lead. Read more at the Tour de France website, including the overall standings.

Previous results during the first week of the Tour de France:

• Stage 6: A large crash again dominated the news in Stage 6, causing several abandonments, while Peter Sagan won his third stage in this tour by besting Andre Greipel, winner of the previous two stages. Read more.
• Stage 5: Andre Greipel again out-sprints the field for a win, besting his rival Mark Cavendish. 
• Stage 4: Andre Greipel dodged a significant crash, which claimed Mark Cavendish, near the end of the stage and then sprinted to victory.
• Stage 3: First-timer Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale captured Stage 3 with a convincing win in the final sprint to claim his second stage win.
• Stage 2: Here’s how Mark Cavendish surged to win his 21st stage on the Tour. More.
• Stage 1: See how Peter Sagan won in his first-ever Tour start over Fabian Cancellara. More
• Prologue: Fabian Cancellara wins the prologue at the Tour de France for the fifth time. More

LAST YEAR: The  Tour de France in 2011 saw Cadel Evans claim victory with a late, stirring time-trial win. Andy (2nd) and Frank Schleck (3rd) became the first brothers to grace the podium together. Sammy Sanchez was King of the Mountains, Mark Cavendish earned the green jersey for most points, Pierre Rolland won the best young rider competition and Team Garmin-Cervelo was tops among teams.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for updates on the Tour and more adventures.

Danielson might have a “home state” advantage in USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado

Tom Danielson of Team Garmin-Cervelo

We’re just two weeks away from the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge (Aug. 22-28) in Colorado. All the big names from the Tour de France podium (Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck) will be in the race, but many people say that the REAL favorite is Tom Danielson of Team Garmin-Cervelo.

Maybe that’s because he might have an “adopted” home-state advantage. After all, as the Denver Post reports, he did graduate from Fort Lewis College and now lives in Boulder. Perhaps more important, this season he owns a third-place finish in the Tour de California and a ninth-place finish in the Tour de France.  Read more.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for updates on the Tour and more adventures.