Lance Armstrong has had enough. The record-setting cyclist did something late last week that he didn't do during his illustrious career: He quit.
Armstrong announced last week that he would no longer fight the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency over allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs during a career that included seven Tour de France championships. Armstrong maintains his innocence, but said "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now."
The USADA officials wiped Armstrong's name from the record books Friday, and was waiting for the International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body, to do the same thing.
Armstrong said the decision to strip him of his titles and ban him for life follows a "witch hunt" without a shred of physical evidence. He reminded everyone of the hundreds of doping tests he took and passed through the years. The USADA said it had overwhelming physical evidence of Armstrong's cheating, based on drug tests from 2009 and 2010.
Is Armstrong's decision to stop fighting the USADA an admission of guilt, or is it the act of a man simply worn out by years of legal battles? Is he a drug cheat or the victim of an unwarranted investigation? The official end result is likely to be the same no matter which side you believe: Armstrong is almost sure to lose his titles.
But will Armstrong win the war of public opinion? That remains to be seen.