Lance Armstrong cannot ride for former teammate's charity, says USA Cycling
Lance Armstrong is living under a lifetime ban from competitive cycling because of his admission of far-reaching doping violations. As Bloomberg News reports, that ban is extending even to noncompetitive charity events.
Armstrong had intended to ride this weekend in the Gran Fondo Hincapie in Greenville, South Carolina, a charity race put on by Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service teammate George Hincapie. Also present would be fellow teammates Christian Vande Velde and Kevin Livingston, all of whom were part of Armstrong's 1999 Tour de France-winning team.
However, USA Cycling has deemed the event "an authorized activity," and thus Armstrong may not participate based on his existing ban.
"Under these provisions, an athlete’s suspension bars participation in an authorized activity such as this," USA Cycling told Bloomberg in a statement. "The UCI (International Cycling Union) has confirmed USA Cycling’s interpretation."
Armstrong has remained low-key since admitting to the doping in early 2013. His admission followed an extensive investigation conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that revealed the extent of Armstrong's doping conspiracy, one that included secrecy, threats, and a complete cocktail of drugs and drug-masking agents. Armstrong had his seven Tour de France titles and other honors and awards stripped from him as a consequence of the investigation.
While Armstrong has maintained that he probably would have continued the denials of doping charges had he not been caught, the Gran Fondo Hincapie would have been an opportunity for reconciliation. Several of the teammates present at the event testified against Armstrong, a fact of which he is no doubt aware. Hincapie has supported Armstrong's own charity endeavors in the past.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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