On this day in 2012, Lance Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles for his use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions.
In 1989, while still in high school, Armstrong began training with the U.S. Olympic cycling developmental team. He became a professional cyclist and competed in the Olympics in 1992. But in 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had already spread throughout his body.
Thanks to treatment, Armstrong was back to training with the U.S. Postal Service cycling team by October 1997. In the interim, he’d started a cancer awareness foundation, Livestrong—which you likely remember from those yellow rubber wristbands. Armstrong became something of a hero to many dealing with cancer.
In July 1999, Armstrong won his first Tour de France. He’d win again every year until his retirement in 2007. He returned to the sport in 2009, placing third, and then 23rd in 2010. He retired again the next year at age 39.
In June 2012, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charged him with doping, banning him from competitive cycling for life and disqualifying his results since August 1998. The following year, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Read more about Armstrong at History.com and CNN.
