Oprah Winfrey speaks with Lance Armstrong during an interview on the controversy surrounding his cycling career on Monday, January 14, in Austin, Texas. Oprah Winfrey's exclusive no-holds-barred interview with Lance Armstrong, "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive," has expanded to air as a two-night event on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The interview airs Thursday, January 17, and Friday, January 18.
(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, on Thursday announced he would no longer contest charges that he doped his way to victory. The 40-year-old legendary cyclist still maintains he's innocent.
Here are five key questions and answers to help you better understand the complicated development in a longstanding controversy involving one of the most achieving endurance athletes of all time:
1. What has Armstrong been accused of and what does he say?
The United States Anti-Doping Agency charged Armstrong with doping and trafficking of performance-enhancing drugs. Several members of Armstrong's former team also were charged.
Armstrong vehemently maintains that he has never doped and that he has never failed a drug test. He accused the USADA of pursuing an "unconstitutional witch hunt" against him and he maintained the USADA does not have the right to prosecute him. On Monday, a U.S. Federal Court ruled against the cyclist.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency has brought formal charges against Lance Armstong, a seven-time Tour de France champion. He denies using performance-enhancing drugs. Click through the gallery to see other athletes accused of using drugs to boost their careers.
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The cyclist explained Thursday that he would no longer fight the charges, saying that the ongoing battle had taken a toll on him personally and on his family.
Read Armstrong's statement in full on his site.
2. What does Armstrong's decision not to contest USADA's charges mean?
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is the body responsible for monitoring drug testing for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports for athletes in and out of active competition. USADA says Armstrong's decision not to contest the charges means there will be no hearing on the actual charges and as a result he will receive "a lifetime period of ineligibility and disqualification of all competitive results from August 1, 1998, through the present."
What's behind the Armstrong headlines?
3. What about Armstrong's record seven Tour de France titles?
Right now it's unclear what this will mean for the seven wins. USADA says that Armstrong will be "disqualified from any and all competitive results obtained" since August 1, 1998.
USADA says that Armstrong will be stripped of seven Tour titles, all of his other titles and the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics. Travis Tygart, USADA's CEO, told the New York Times that it also means that Armstrong cannot coach or have any "official role" with any Olympic sport or other sport that adheres to the World Anti-Doping Code.
However, the International Cycling Union, based in Switzerland, the world governing body for cycling, said Friday that it will not act until it hears directly from USADA, suggesting it wants to see more details on the case.
It's unclear if USADA has the power to "strip" Armstrong of his Tour de France titles or if that jurisdiction lies with the UCI.
Officials with the Tour de France are waiting before they comment on Armstrong's case, the Washington Post reports.
On his site, Armstrong wrote: USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours.
Cyclists say 'good riddance' to Armstrong
4. Where does this leave the sport of cycling?
There have been numerous other allegations of doping against cyclists. The Internet magazine Slate recently examined how many cyclists dope compared with other athletes. Tour de France winners Floyd Landis and Alberto Contador were involved in doping cases and had their Tour titles taken.
Landis accused Armstrong of doping, prompting Armstrong to fire back that Landis was a liar and had no credibility.
Just last month, a French Tour de France cyclist was suspended while an investigation into doping could take place. In Armstrong's case, USADA said it had numerous witnesses ready to testify at a hearing that Armstrong had indeed doped. Those witnesses include some of his teammates, such as Tyler Hamilton and George Hincapie, legends in cycling.
Hamilton told CBS's "60 Minutes" in May that he helped Armstrong dope. Hamilton's credibility has been questioned because he himself doped, and has been stripped of a 2004 Olympic time trial gold medal.
5. What does this mean for Armstrong's legacy?
Armstrong is famous for his work on behalf of cancer research under his Livestrong Foundation which he says has raised $500 million. The foundation will turn 15 in October. An online petition has popped up to rally for Armstrong. Nike, which has a contract with Armstrong, announced Friday that it will stand behind the athlete. Anheuser-Busch also said it's supporting the pitchman of its Michelob-Ultra brew. Though many others feel that fans who believe he did dope shouldn't forgive him.
Armstrong's cancer foundation still strong
Only time will tell whether Armstrong will remembered for all the good he has done or whether, as some believe, he cheated his way to victory. ESPN's Darren Rovell contemplated how tough it will be for many to decide what they think of Armstrong. Rovell retweeted a picture of one angry fan's take on Livestrong's iconic yellow bracelet.
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Cyclist Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins and banned from the tournament for life, the International Cycling Union announced Monday, October 22. Pictured, Armstrong addresses participants at The Livestrong Challenge Ride on Sunday. He stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer charity on Wednesday, October 17.
Armstrong leads his teammates during the final stage of the 1999 Tour de France.
Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later.
In 1995, Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France. He finished 36th overall and finished the race for the first time that year.
Armstrong rides for charity in May 1998 at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997.
Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999.
After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders.
Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time.
Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001.
After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race.
Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003. It was his fifth consecutive win.
Jay Leno interviews Armstrong on "The Tonight Show" in 2003.
After his six consecutive Tour de France win in 2004, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with his then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year.
Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive victory.
As a cancer survivor, Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century.
In 2009, Armstrong suffers a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain along with more than a dozen other riders.
Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground using yellow chalk ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year.
Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation.
In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to the hospital. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis.
Ahead of what he said would be his last Tour de France, Armstrong gears up for the start of the race in 2010.
Lance Armstrong looks back as he rides in a breakaway during the 2010 Tour de France.
Armstrong finishes 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer.
Armstrong's son Luke; twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radioshack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France.
The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010.
In February 2012, Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June. He got back into the sport after retiring from professional cycling.
Olympic track star Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison in 2008 for lying to federal prosecutors investigating the use of performance-enhancing substances.
Baseball outfielder Barry Bonds, the single-season and all-time home run record holder, was convicted in 2011 of obstruction of justice for impeding a grand jury investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds had testified that he thought his personal trainer was giving him arthritis balm and flaxseed oil, not steroids or testosterone.
Slugger Mark McGwire evaded questions about steroid use before Congress in 2005 but in 2010 admitted that he had used steroids during the 1990s.
Pitching legend Roger Clemens is on trial on charges that he lied to Congress in 2008 about being injected with human growth hormone and steroids by his former trainer.
Home-run hitter Sammy Sosa was among the players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 testing by Major League Baseball, according to the New York Times.
Mixed martial arts heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem failed a random drug test in 2012 but blames it on prescribed anti-inflammatory medication for an injury.
New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Charles Grant tested positive for banned substances in 2008 and was suspended for the rest of the season. He is currently a free agent.
Former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister tested positive for a banned diuretic in 2008.
Shawne Merriman, then of the San Diego Chargers, was suspended for four games after testing positive for steroids in 2006.
Former linebacker Bill Romanowski admitted using steroids during his career.
Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was suspended for four games after violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs in 2010.
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