There will be no grand tour of last bicycle races for Lance Armstrong, who announced his retirement -- dubbed Retirement 2.0 -- from the sport effective immediately.

The 39-year-old raced in January at the Tour Down Under in Australia, which he previously said would be his last international race. The announcement brings to an end any possibility that he might compete in the upcoming Amgen Tour of California or Quizno's Pro Challenge in Colorado.

Armstrong returned to pro cycling in 2009 after announcing Retirement 1.0 in 2005. He's retiring now to spend more time with his family and work to fight cancer with his Livestrong Foundation. ....   more »

Lance Armstrong followed up his swan song in the international pro cycling arena with a fund-raising Twitter ride in the state of Queensland, Australia.

Armstrong's final appearance as a cyclist in an international bike race ended with a 67th place in the Tour Down Under. The 39-year-old finished 6:42 minutes behind winner Cameron Meyer, 23, of Australia.

The next day, ...   more »

Sports Illustrated has delivered the latest grist to be chewed on regarding allegations that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Available in the current issue, "The Case Against Lance Armstrong" also is posted online at the Sports Illustrated website. Reporters Selena Roberts and David Epstein went back as far as 1993 to uncover tests that sources say reveal suspicious activity.

Armstrong has steadfastly denied doping during his career. But he is the subject of a federal probe launched about the same time that Floyd Landis admitted to a career of doping and implicated Armstrong as well. ...   more »

The U.S. Postal Service supplied slightly more than 60% of the annual budget of the pro cycling team led by Lance Armstrong from 2001 to 2004.

The $32 million sum -- including $6.1 million in 2001; $7.61 million in 2002; $8.23 million in 2003; and $8.66 million in 2004, plus a total of $400,000 for a junior program -- was revealed in documents released to ESPN.com under a freedom of information request. ...

Meanwhile, the AP received studies commissioned by the US Postal Service that valued its sponsorship of the team during those years was at least triple the amount it invested ...   more »

"We revolutionised the way people train, the way they build morale in the team, the way they preview the courses, the way they race, the way they sell the sport, the way they tell that story around the world.

''I leave knowing that I did my best, and I don't need somebody to give me a plaque or give me a statue, it has been very good to me.''

-- Lance Armstrong speaking at a press conference ...   more »

A reported sore knee will keep Lance Armstrong from competing in his "comeback" triathlon in New Zealand on Jan. 29, but he still plans to compete in Australia's Tour Down Under the preceding week.

The 2011 Blue Lake Multisport Festival was expected to be Armstrong's first test at a triathlon, a new career for the 7-time Tour de France winner ...   more »

We already know that Lance Armstrong's return to the 2009 Tour de France helped boost the viewership on the Versus cable network -- as 41% more people watched the race last year than in 2008.

Now Bloomberg reports that he also helped fatten the wallet of the Amaury Sport Organization, owner of Le Tour and other cycling events around the world.

 [Update: Dec. 23, 2010 -- That assertion has been questioned by John Wilcockson of VeloNews, who reports that Amaury revenues climbed in 2009 due to the return of the Dakar Rally, a motor sports race. In summary, Wilcockson found that Amaury's revenues dropped in 2008 when the Africa-based Dakar Rally was cancelled due to terrorist threats. When it returned the following year, revenues returned to normal.] ....   more »

Federal prosecutors investigating whether Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs as a member of the US Postal Service team are in France collecting evidence, according to reports.

Sources told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that US investigators met with French, Spanish and Italian police representatives at Interpol headquarters in Lyon.

The move to Europe comes about a week after RadioShack teammate Yaroslav Popovych was questioned by a grand jury .....   more »

Although Lance Armstrong will be limiting his pro cycling in 2011 to the Tour Down Under and a few domestic races, he'll be competing for a triathlon championship on the world stage.

Coach Chris Carmichael says that Armstrong will compete in the 2011 Ironman World Championships at Kona, Hawaii, on Oct. 8, 2011.

The event requires that participants swim 3.8 km (2.3 ...   more »

Lance Armstrong will return to Adelaide in January to compete in the Tour Down Under bicycle race, which he says will be his last outside the US.

The 39-year-old Texan launched his comeback at that race in 2009 after a 3-1/2 year hiatus from pro cycling.

In a statement, Armstrong said:

“I’m excited to be competing in my last professional ride outside the U.S. at the Tour Down Under. It will be my third time ...   more »