In this Aug. 25, 2012, file photo, Lance Armstrong considers a question from a reporter after his se

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GENEVA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong has been stripped los angeles airport hotels of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Monday it had ratified the United States Anti-Doping los angeles airport hotels Agency's (USADA) sanctions.
On Oct. 10, USADA published a report into Armstrong which alleged the now retired American rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping los angeles airport hotels programme sport has ever seen".
Former Armstrong team mates at his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel outfits, where he won his seven straight Tour titles from 1999 to 2005, testified against him and were given reduced bans by the American authorities.
Armstrong, once widely accepted as one of the greatest cyclists of all time given he fought back from cancer to dominate the sport, has always denied doping and says he has never failed a doping test.
In this July 24, 2004, file photo, overall leader Lance Armstrong, right, of Austin, Texas, los angeles airport hotels follows compatriot and teammate Floyd Landis, left, in the ascent of the La Croix Fry pass during los angeles airport hotels the 17th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Bourg-d'Oisans and Le Grand Bornand, French Alps. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong negotiates the route on the way to his second-place finish in the Power of Four mountain bicycle race at the base of Aspen Mountain in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The race is the first public appearance for Armstrong since the U.S. Anti-Doping Association stripped him of his seven Tour de France championships and banned him for life from professional los angeles airport hotels cycling. Lance Armstrong
FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2011, file photo, Lance Armstrong pauses during an interview los angeles airport hotels in Austin, Texas. Armstrong said on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, that he is finished fighting charges from the United States Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his unprecedented cycling career, a decision that could put his string of seven Tour de France los angeles airport hotels titles in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Thao Nguyen, File) ARMSTRONG
FILE - This July 25, 1999 file photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong being kissed by his wife Kristin, los angeles airport hotels left, and his mother Linda after the 20th and final stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Paris. The superstar cyclist, los angeles airport hotels whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against los angeles airport hotels him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File) Lance Armstrong
FILE - In this July 6, 2010, file photo, Lance Armstrong grimaces prior to the start of the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Wanze, Belgium. Armstrong said on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, that he is finished fighting charges from the United States Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his unprecedented cycling career, los angeles airport hotels a decision that could put his string of seven Tour de France titles in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) ARMSTRONG JALABERT MC EWEN
FILE - This July 28, 2002 file photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, center, flanked los angeles airport hotels by best sprinter Robbie McEwen, los angeles airport hotels of Australia, right, and best climber Laurent Jalabert, of France, los angeles airport hotels after the 20th and final stage of the Tour de France cycling in Paris. The superstar cyclist, whose stirring los angeles airport hotels victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue los angeles airport hotels arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File) ARMSTRONG
FILE - This July 23, 2000 file photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong riding down the Champs Elysees with an American flag after the 21st and final stage of the cycling race in Paris. The superstar cyclist, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter los angeles airport hotels fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles los angeles airport hotels to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File) Lance Amrstrong
FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2011, file photo, los angeles airport hotels former cycling champion Lance Armstrong smiles los angeles airport hotels during a news conference at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital los angeles airport hotels in Los Angeles. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, granted Armstrong los angeles airport hotels an extension of up to 30 days to contest drug charges while the seven-time Tour de France los angeles airport hotels winner challenges the case in federal court. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich
FILE - In this July 24, 2005 file photo, Lance Armstrong gestures from the podium los angeles airport hotels after winning los angeles airport hotels his seventh straight Tour de France cycling race, as second-placed Ivan Basso of Italy, left, and third-placed Jan Ullrich of Germany, look on, after the 21st and final stage of the race in Paris. Armstrong, los angeles airport hotels he superstar cyclist whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer los angeles airport hotels helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Christophe los angeles airport hotels Ena, File) Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong, right, chats with other riders at the start line of the Power of Four mountain bicycle race at the starting los angeles airport hotels line in Snowmass Village, los angeles airport hotels Colo., early Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The race is the first public appearance for Armstrong since the U.S. Anti-Doping Association stripped him of his seven Tour de France championships and banned him for life from the sport. Lance Armstrong, Keegan Swirbul
Lance Armstrong, front, talks to reporters after his second-place finish in the Power of Four mountain bicycle race at the base of Aspen Mountain in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. Race-winner Keegan Swirbul, 16, of Aspen, left, clapso his hand. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong guides his bicycle down the steps after his second-place los angeles airport hotels finish in the Power of Four mountain bicycle race at the base of Aspen Mountain in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The race is the first public appearance for Armstrong since the U.S. Anti-Doping Association stripped him of his seven Tour de France championships and banned him for life from professional cycling. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong competes in the Rev3 Half Full Triathalon Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 in Ellicott City, Md. Armstrong joined other cancer survivors in the event which raised funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong crosses the finish line of the Rev3 Half Full Triathalon Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 in Ellicott City, Md. Armstrong los angeles airport hotels joined other cancer survivors in the event which raised funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Lance Armstrong, Isabelle Armstrong, Grace Armstrong
Lance Armstrong crosses the finish line of the Rev3 Half Full Triathalon with his ten-year-old twin daughters Grace, left, and Isabelle, right, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012 in Ellicott City, Md. Armstrong joined other cancer survivors in the event which raised funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Lance Armstrong
In this Aug. 25, 2012, file photo, cyclist Lance Armstrong prepares to take part in the Power of Four mountain bicycle race in Snowmass Village, Colo. With U.S. anti-doping officials set to issue their report on Armstrong's case, a lawyer for the cyclist los angeles airport hotels on Tuesday again criticized the process which led to himn being banned from the sport for life. Lance Armstrong
In this Aug. 25, 2012, file photo, Lance Armstrong los angeles airport hotels considers a question from a reporter los angeles airport hotels after his second-place finish in the Power of Four mountain bicycle race at the base of Aspen Mountain in Aspen, Colo. Lance Armstrong
This is a July 24, 2005, file photo showing overall leader Lance Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, surrounded by press photographers, signaling seven, for his seventh straight win in the Tour de France cycling race, prior to the start of the 21st and final stage of the race, between Corbeil-Essonnes, south of Paris, and the French capital. Lance Armstrong
This July 5, 2004 file photo shows U.S. Postal Service los angeles airport hotels team leader and five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, third from right, framed by his teammates as the pack rides during los angeles airport hotels the second stage of the 91st Tour de France cycling race between Charleroi los angeles airport hotels and Namur, Belgium. los angeles airport hotels Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie
This March 21, 2009 file photo shows Lance Armstrong, of the United States, beside los angeles airport hotels fellow countryman George Hincapie, left, during the Milan-San Remo cycling classic in San Remo, Italy. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong (center) leads the pack coming to Jack's restaurant in Pleasant Grove, Ala., Friday, April 27, 2012,, on the fourth day of the Bo Bikes Bama charity bike ride on the one-year anniversary of the deadly Alabama tornadoes. Lance Armstrong
From left, Bo Jackson, Lance Armstrong, Picabo Street and Ken Griffey, Jr. gather for a photo as the greeted fans and signed autographs in Pleasant Grove, los angeles airport hotels Ala., Friday, April 27, 2012,, on the fourth day of the Bo Bikes Bama charity bike ride on the one-year anniversary of the deadly Alabama tornadoes. Jackson and about 140 bicyclists and the celebrity bi