Lance Armstrong Reportedly Ready to Come Clean to Oprah
Lance Armstrong is gearing up to admit that he was doping throughout his illustrious cycling career ... and he will make the admission to Oprah Winfrey this week ... so says a new report.
Armstrong will not go into great detail, says USA Today, but will make the admission during an interview that tapes Monday and airs on Thursday.
The seven-time Tour de France winner has adamantly denied any wrongdoing for years, often attacking anyone who accused him.
Armstrong was banned for life and stripped of all his Tour de France victories last year.
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Lance Armstrong I'M BACK ON MY BIKE
For the first time since he was banned from pro cycling for LIFE, a sponsorless, titleless, cancerless Lance Armstrong was seen on his bike this week ... training ... just for the hell of it.
TMZ has obtained photographs of Armstrong in Waikoloa Village, HI yesterday -- riding his bicycle on a local highway with another rider.
Sources tell TMZ, Armstrong has been hanging around the Hawaiian town for the last week -- riding his bicycle, swimming at the local public pool, and visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
In the photos, Armstrong is wearing a Livestrong jersey, despite stepping down as chairman from the foundation earlier this month in the wake of his doping scandal.
He's also wearing a helmet made by Giro -- one of the sponsors that kicked Lance to the curb this month.
As for the bike, Lance's rep tells us Armstrong has traded out his iconic Trek for a Crumpton -- "a local bike maker from Austin, TX."
Lance's rep also says, "[Armstrong] will continue to stay active and try to be the fittest 40 year old out there (he's now 41)."
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Lance Armstrong Sorry Nike ... I'm an ASICS Man Now
Lance Armstrong has GIVEN UP on Nike ... after Nike gave up on him ... 'cause the disgraced athlete was sportin' a pair of ASICS while jogging in Texas this weekend.
As we previously reported, Armstrong was dropped by nearly all of his sponsors last week ... in the wake of a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in which Armstrong is accused of being one of the worst cheaters in the history of sport.
In addition to being banned from cycling for life, Armstrong was also stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles early Monday morning.
Plus, several major Livestrong donors are calling for their money back ... claiming they were duped into donating to the charity "based on a fraud."
Despite the criticism, Armstrong -- who stepped down from his role as president of Livestrong because of the scandal -- wore his yellow bracelet on his wrist this weekend.
The charity vows it will continue to raise money for cancer research ... even without Lance.
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Lance Armstrong Stripped of Tour de France Wins
Lance Armstrong is no longer a Tour de France winner -- after the International Cycling Union announced it will officially strip him of his seven titles amid allegations of doping.
"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten," ICU President Pat McQuaid said at a news conference this morning. "This is a landmark day for cycling."
McQuaid announced that the group accepted the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's massive report accusing Armstrong of direct involvement in what it called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
The International Cycling Union said they will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Armstrong has also been banned from cycling for life.
This final blow comes after Lance lost his endorsement deals with Nike, Giro Helmets, Trek Bicycles, FRS energy drink and Anheuser-Busch. He also stepped down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer-fighting charity.
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Lance Armstrong No Apologies or Admissions at Livestrong Event
Lance Armstrong took the mic at a Livestrong event last night -- the charity he stepped down from this week -- but did not directly address his doping scandal, only saying it's "been a difficult couple of weeks for me and my family."
The gala dinner -- which was held in Austin, TX -- was expected to raise $2.5 million.
Armstrong is still a member of the board, but stepped down as its chairman on Wednesday as the doping scandal that has followed him for years continues to tear down his legacy.
He lost his endorsement deals this week with Nike, Giro Helmets, Trek Bicycles, FRS energy drink and Anheuser-Busch.
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Lance Armstrong THREE More Sponsors Pull Out
The bloodletting continues for Lance Armstrong ... the disgraced cyclist just lost THREE more huge sponsors ... including his bike deal.
Trek Bicycles has officially ended their deal with Armstrong ... ditto for the FRS energy drink company. Anheuser-Busch has also announced it will NOT renew Lance's deal to endorse its Michelob Ultra line when it expires at the end of the year.
Of course, Lance was already fired by Nike this morning -- and hours later, his bike helmet company followed suit.
How's your Wednesday going?
Bike Helmet Company DROPS Lance Armstrong
The bike helmet company that crafted Lance Armstrong's $15,000 helmet for the 2010 Tour de France -- and launched a full line of Lance Armstrong helmets -- has DROPPED the disgraced cyclist in the wake of the doping scandal, TMZ has learned.
A rep for Giro Helmets tells TMZ, "We will not be continuing our sponsorship of Lance Armstrong moving forward. We continue to support the cancer community through our association with LIVESTRONG."
Giro's not the first company to boot Armstrong -- Nike announced it would no longer be sponsoring him either, claiming Armstrong "misled" the company for more than a decade.
FYI -- the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a report last week, detailing Armstrong's direct involvement in what it called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Armstrong -- who's been banned from pro cycling for life -- still denies the doping allegations.
Lance Armstrong Booted from Nike Steps Down from Livestrong
Nike has ended its contract with Lance Armstrong -- claiming the athlete "misled" the company amid allegations of doping.
"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him," the company says.
Armstrong also announced he will step down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer-fighting charity as of this morning. Nike says they will continue to support the organization.
"To spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship," Armstrong says in a statement.
The move comes a week after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a report detailing Armstrong's direct involvement in what it called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
As we previously reported, Lance has been banned from cycling for life ... but he still denies any wrongdoing.
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Lance Armstrong 11 Cycling Teammates RATTED Me Out
11 former members of Lance Armstrong's United States Postal Service cycling team TURNED on the disgraced athlete -- and testified against him in an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
The USADA announced .... the cyclists who provided evidence to the organization include George Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton and disgraced former Tour de France champ Floyd Landis.
“The U.S.P.S. Team doping conspiracy was professionally designed to groom and pressure athletes to use dangerous drugs, to evade detection, to ensure its secrecy and ultimately gain an unfair competitive advantage through superior doping practices,” the USADA said in a statement.
“A program organized by individuals who thought they were above the rules and who still play a major and active role in sport today.”
The USADA says its investigation into Armstrong uncovered "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
As we previously reported, Lance has been banned from cycling for life.
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Barry Bonds Of Course I Support Lance Armstrong*
How's this for irony ... Barry Bonds -- the poster child for steroid abuse in MLB -- is coming to Lance Armstrong's defense after the cyclist was banned from cycling for doping ... claiming Lance got screwed over ( ... of course).
Bonds -- who was found guilty last year of felony obstruction of justice for lying during a federal investigation into steroid use by MLB players -- was leaving BOA steakhouse last night in Hollywood, when he was asked what he thought of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's ruling on Lance.
The photog asked Bonds if he thought Lance had been the victim of a witch hunt -- Bonds replied, "I don't know what they're doing, all I know is I love him. He's a great athlete."
Moral of the story -- for Bonds, the ends justify the means ... even if the means were dirty.
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Sheryl Crow Questioned By Federal Agents
If federal agents were looking for a smoking gun in the Lance Armstrong doping scandal ... they were hoping it might be Sheryl Crow -- this according to a new report.
The country-singer was called in by federal agents in late 2011 and questioned about any knowledge she might have regarding accusations that Armstrong was using illegal substances ... this according to The New York Daily News.
The move to question Crow makes sense ... she dated Armstrong from 2003 to 2006 (he won 2 Tour de France titles in that time span) -- and spent lots of time with him in Europe, traveling on private jets and in other locations where, according to the report, Armstrong allegedly participated in doping programs.
It's unclear what information Crow gave during her interview ... both the Feds and her attorney declined to comment.
As you know -- the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recently stripped Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France Titles in late August and banned him from the sport of cycling ... after he dropped his case to fight back against doping allegations.
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Laird Hamilton It's Okay If Lance Armstrong Cheated
Surfing legend Laird Hamilton thinks it's BS that Lance Armstrong got stripped of his Tour de France titles, but not because he thinks doping is wrong ... but because everyone was doing it.
Hamilton took the unusual position when our our photog bumped into him yesterday in Malibu ... saying he believes that if everyone is cheating in a sport, then it's "still an even playing field, it's still the best guy wins."
Hamilton also said he thinks the public coming down on athletes who are found to be cheating isn't right, saying, "I think it's a little bit of hypocrisy that we think these athletes are sterile people that are eating dry toast and then they're performing at these high levels. Rocket ships need rocket fuel to go to space. Athletes need the fuel they need to do what they need to do and let's be realistic about that."
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency hit Armstrong with a lifetime ban yesterday and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles after concluding he used performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong maintains his innocence.
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Lance Armstrong Stripped of ALL Tour De France Wins
Lance Armstrong is no longer a Tour de France champion ... the cyclist has been STRIPPED of his seven titles in the wake of allegations that he used banned performance-enhancers.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency made the announcement this morning ... Armstrong will not only lose his victories, he has also been banned from the sport of cycling for life.
Armstrong has adamantly denied the allegations ... claiming the testing process is "one-sided and unfair."
Lance released a statement responding to a USADA official yesterday saying, "There is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims."
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Lance Armstrong Banned from Triathlons Over Doping Allegations
Lance Armstrong has been BANNED from competing in triathlons ... effective immediately ... over new allegations that he participated in a massive doping conspiracy.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has smacked Armstrong with formal charges ... claiming Lance and 5 of his cycling associates conspired to use and distribute illegal substances from 1998 until 2011.
The USADA claims Armstrong has been using EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.
The USADA also claims it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.”
Now, Armstrong is firing back in a new statement .... claiming the allegations are "baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity."
Armstrong continues, "I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."
"That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence."
Lance Armstrong I'M DONE ... After 500+ Negative Doping Tests!!
Lance Armstrong is through defending himself against allegations he cheated to win his Tour de France titles ... because he says he's already given 500-600 samples that were ALL negative.
Armstrong, speaking on Gavin Newsom's new late night talk show, says he's not even arguing with people anymore who think he cheated -- "I'm not wasting any more of my time talking about it and you shouldn't waste your time talking about it. Let's move on."
Armstrong is currently competing in triathlons, and says he believes most people already made up their minds about whether he was juicing during his string of 7 consecutive Tour de France victories.
Newsom's new show premieres on Current this Friday night.