It's official: Lance Armstrong is retiring from professional cycling, ending a comeback attempt that began in 2008, three years after he initially quit the sport. Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor, became an international hero by overcoming his health problems to win a record seven consecutive Tour De France titles from 1999 to 2005. Through it all, Armstrong was dogged by accusations that he relied on performance-enhancing drugs. A glut of circumstantial evidence has surfaced linking Armstrong to banned substances, and he is now the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. What is his lasting legacy? (Watch a report about Armstrong's retirement)
He is a hero and a villain: "There is no easy summation" of Armstrong's career, says Philip Hersh at the Chicago Tribune. He was "one part champion and hero" and "one part seemingly a false idol, stooping to the ethical common denominator" of scandal-plagued cycling. His rivals have described him as egotistical and unfriendly, but he was also "unfailingly empathetic to the cancer survivors" who found new hope in him.
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