Yearender cycling: Armstrong case sends shockwaves

PARIS - The Lance Armstrong scandal left a huge gap in cycling's record books and further tainted the sport in a year when Britain experienced Olympic bliss in the wake of Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France title.

Armstrong was banned for life and stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) uncovered what it said was the "most sophisticated" doping program ever found.

It was, however, a vintage year for British cycling as they won their maiden Tour through Wiggins and scooped 12 medals at the London Olympics.

But the feelgood factor for the sport was shortlived as on Aug 23, Armstrong announced he would no longer fight doping charges after failing to have the process blocked by a judge.

A picture posted by Lance Armstrong on his Twitter account on Nov 10, 2012 shows him laying on a couch with his seven Tour de France yellow jerseys in the background. The picture was sent to Armstrong's 3.8 million Twitter followers under a message reading "Back in Austin and just layin' around." [Photo/Agencies]

His decision prompted the US Anti-Doping Agency to announce the Texan would lose his Tour titles from 1999-2005.

It was not until mid-October, however, that the extent of Armstrong's fraud was exposed when USADA published a 1,000-page report featuring testimonies from former team mates incriminating the American, a cancer survivor who went on to dominate the sport's greatest race more than anyone else.

His accusers said that with Armstrong effectively in charge, hotel rooms were transformed into blood banks, doctors were paid off and riders were warned about tests in advance.

Faced with the weight of evidence from Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Jonathan Vaughters and more, the governing UCI had little choice but to ratify USADA's decision and leave a blank in the record books, with president Pat McQuaid saying that Armstrong had "no place in cycling".

As a result, Armstrong, who has always denied any wrongdoing, was dropped by sponsors such as Nike and even had his name dropped from the cancer foundation he himself created.

Lance Armstrong, founder of the LIVESTRONG foundation, attends the Clinton Global Initiative in New York in this file photo taken Sept 22, 2010. Armstrong has stepped down as a board member of Livestrong, the cancer-support charity he founded in 1997, the organization said Nov 12. [Photo/Agencies]

Rabobank, a long-time sponsor of the sport, also left cycling because of the negative effects of the Armstrong scandal.

With the sport on its knees, the UCI set up a commission to look into USADA's decision and into allegations that the governing body had failed to do everything it could in the fight against doping. Related: Cycling set for reform in wake of scandal

By that time, Wiggins was still trying to come to terms with the fact he had won the Tour.

The kid from the London district of Kilburn had an outstanding season, winning the Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine week-long races before becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France as Team Sky's obsession with details paid off.

Wiggins built his success on his impressive time-trialing abilities and benefited from his team's support in the mountains, with Chris Froome sacrificing his own chances for his leader but still finishing second overall.

The race was not the most spectacular in recent Tour history but it rewarded a rider and a team who left little to chance.

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