Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong yesterday announced his retirement from professional cycling at the age of 39.
“Today, I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling in order to devote myself full-time to my family, to the fight against cancer and to leading the foundation I established before I won my first Tour de France,” Armstrong said in a statement.
“My focus now is raising my five children, promoting the mission of (his foundation) Livestrong, and growing entrepreneurial ventures with our great corporate partners in the fight against cancer.”
Armstrong initially retired from cycling after the 2005 Tour de France, but returned to competition in 2009.
The American went on to finish third in the 2009 Tour de France and most recently placed 67th in the Tour Down Under in Australia last month.
There were hopes that Armstrong would race in the May 15-22 Tour of California, America’s biggest race after changes in the event’s drug test programme opened the door for him to do so.
Armstrong is the subject of a federal investigation in the United States after allegations of doping levelled by disgraced former team-mate Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour title for using illegal substances.
But Armstrong, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 25, has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has consistently denied allegations of doping.
UCI president Pat McQuaid dubbed Armstrong an “icon”.
“His contribution to cycling has been enormous, from both the sporting point of view and his personality,” said McQuaid.
“All sports need global icons and he has become a global icon for cycling.”
Contador rides
A relieved Alberto Contador took to the starting line for the first stage of the Tour of the Algarve yesterday less than 24 hours after being cleared by the Spanish cycling federation of doping.
And the three-time Tour de France winner insisted that for him victory was achieved even before the start of the race.
“After what has happened these past five or six months the most important thing is to be here,” said the Spaniard.
“For me it’s already a victory to be here.
“This week was intense for me and I hope to have a calm day but I’m far from my ideal form,” added Contador who has won the last two editions of the race.
Contador had been provisionally suspended since last August after failing a doping test during last year’s Tour de France which he won, but was cleared by the Spanish federation of intentionally doping.
The 28-year-old had repeatedly denied knowingly taking any banned substances, blaming the result on a steak he says was contaminated with traces of the muscle-building drug clenbuterol.