It Was Inevitable

Armstrong was going to "get it" anyway as more witnesses were coming forward with the doping allegations. Not all of them were cheats like Lance, either:

Tyler Hamilton, who this month was stripped of his Olympic gold medal from 2004 for doping, was one of them. His book, “The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups and Winning at All Costs,” is set for publication next month.

George Hincapie, one of the most respected and well-liked American riders in history, also came forward. He was the only rider to be at Armstrong’s side for all of Armstrong’s seven Tour victories. He has never admitted doping, so his testimony threatened to rock the sport.

It took others more time to come around.

“It really wasn’t until the last few months when we were able to reach out to all the witnesses we believed had information and sit down with them,” Tygart said. “They all agreed to testify truthfully.”

Those witnesses might not be testifying against Armstrong at his arbitration hearing, but they may be called to testify against several of Armstrong’s former associates, whom the antidoping agency also charged.

He was cooked no matter what. He had no choice but to throw in the towel. He will never be in the same league as Greg LeMond, who raced clean throughout his career.