Lance Armstrong and Nike will continue to ride together.
Armstrong said "enough is enough" on Thursday, deciding that he would no longer fight allegations from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. Armstrong was subsequently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from competitive cycling for life.
The news was hardly enough for him to lose Nike's support, however.
"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors," Nike said in a prepared statement Friday.
Nike has supported Armstrong since 2004, helping the cyclist's organization, Livestrong, raise over $100 million for cancer research. Armstrong, of course, is a cancer survivor himself.
Trek Bicycle Corp, meanwhile, has not yet pulled its sponorship, but is reportedly analyzing the situation. The bike company has sponsored Armstrong since 1999, and has also sponsored the Radio Shack Nissan Trek team at the Tour de France.
Armstrong's legacy has taken a major hit, and he's quickly become the subject of disappointment. Considering his impact when it comes to fighting cancer, though, Nike certainly faced a difficult situation when deciding whether to maintain its sponsorship.
Photo via Flickr/PoweriPics
