As cycling fans around the world follow the 103rd Tour de France (July 2-24), it is inevitable that at some point the name Lance Armstrong will pop up.
After all, Armstrong was one of the most dominant athletes for nearly a decade, not to mention one of the most recognizable figures in the world.
He did what no one had ever done: He won the Tour seven times, and he did so consecutively from 1999 to 2005.
But of course that was all before the US Anti-Doping Agency found that his team ran "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
As we know now, his victories were aided by performance-enhancing drugs, and all his wins in the greatest bicycle race were stripped from him.
To this day, Armstrong still blasts USADA, calling it "one of the most ineffective and inefficient organizations in the world" and claiming its CEO, Travis Tygart, went after him only because he needed a case and a story.
Armstrong didn't act alone, and it was, darkly so, a team effort. A calculating tactician, Le Boss handpicked his teammates carefully, and together they were cycling's most successful team.
Quite a few of the riders who served under Armstrong's tainted reign are still involved in the sport. Here's a look at what he and his old teammates have been up to:
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An indelible image from the era was that of the US Postal Service's "Blue Train" setting a blistering pace at the front of the peloton, one that no one could match, let alone beat.
Levi Leipheimer was an all-rounder who rode with Armstrong on a few different teams at the Tour. He later admitted doping during his career.
Source: USADA
He now lives in Santa Rosa, California, where he runs a mass-participation bike ride. He also does promotion videos and coaches cyclists.
Sources: levination, Levi's GranFondo
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