Drug Wars

Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour de France medals, issued lifetime ban fromcycling

UPDATE: The USADA announced Friday morning that it has stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France championships. In addition to the removal of his titles, Armstrong has been issued a lifetime ban on cycling.

These developments come on the heels of an announcement from Armstrong late Thursday that he would not continue a fight against the USADA's doping allegations that became formal in late June.

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Late Thursday night, news broke that Lance Armstrong will not continue his fight against doping allegations from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, Armstrong had until midnight Thursday "to tell USADA whether he planned to fight doping charges through arbitration," and has decided not to pursue a fight against the charges.

In a statement released to the American-Statesman, Armstrong said:

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.

We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not (USADA chief executive) Travis Tygart.”

As CultureMap originally reported in June, Armstrong's long battle against doping allegations received new fuel to the fire with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's letter to Armstrong on June 12 and official doping accusations on June 28.

In July, the saga continued when Armstrong filed a restraining order (that was quickly dismissed) against the quasi-governmental agency, citing the doping accusations and investigation were unconstitutional — a violation of Armstrong's Fifth Amendment rights. He called it the result of a personal "vendetta" against him and his Tour de France championships.

It is unclear what the final result of the latest development in the USADA/Armstrong case will be, but signs point to the retired cyclist being stripped of his seven Tour de France medals and an Olympic bronze medal.

Armstrong's official public statement, released on August 23, can be read in full on his website.

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it's a lifestyle

Austin is one of the best places in America to be vegan, report says

The Beer Plant/thebeerplant.com

Vegans have made a large mark on Austin's local culinary scene.

Austin's vegan culinary scene has been steadily expanding over the last year, so much so that the Texas capital now ranks as the No. 6 best city in America for those living a plant-based lifestyle.

Austin moved up three spots in WalletHub's latest annual "Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians" study, after previously ranking No. 9 in 2023. The report analyzed 100 U.S. cities based on grocery affordability, vegetarian restaurant diversity, accessibility, and quality, and other vegetarian or vegan lifestyle considerations.

The city had a high affordability ranking with the sixth-lowest cost of groceries for vegetarians out of all 100 cities in the ranking. Laredo (No. 1); Greensboro, North Carolina (No. 2); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (No. 3); San Antonio (No. 4); and Tulsa, Oklahoma (No. 5) were the top five cities with the lowest grocery cost for vegetarians.

Factors that have enhanced Austin's diverse vegan scene throughout the year include a new bakery opening specializing in vegan olive oil cakes, and the addition of non-dairy mozzarella on the menu at all four Home Slice Pizza locations in Texas. But even larger chains are starting to make room at the dining table for vegans and vegetarians, too.

Home Slice vegan pizza It only took 19 years for Home Slice to find the perfect non-dairy cheese. Photo courtesy of Home Slice

"Just look at businesses like McDonald’s and Burger King incorporating Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers into their menus, for example," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "With meat prices rising significantly faster than vegetable prices, too, we may see a lot more people taking a foray into a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle in the near future."

Of course, Austin has plenty of legacy restaurants that focus just on vegan and vegetarian food, although they're subject to the same woes that keep other Austin restaurants on a tightrope between continued success and sudden closings. Bouldin Creek Cafe (with vegan and vegetarian versions of the same menu), Zucchini Kill, and the Beer Plant all have at least seven years under their belts; relative newcomers like the entirely plant-based fine dining restaurant Fabrik and sushi spot Nori also keep things fresh.

Gati vegan ice cream Gati, an East Austin shop specializing in vegan ice cream and vegan and gluten-free baking, offers more than 40 rotating flavors, like these seasonal pumpkin spice scoops.Photo courtesy of Gati

Austin was the only Texas city to make it into the top 10. Elsewhere in Texas, the only other cities to make it in the top 30 were Houston (No. 18), San Antonio (No. 20), and Dallas (No. 30).

The top 10 most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly cities in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Los Angeles, California
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Portland, Oregon
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Seattle, Washington
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 10 – Tampa, Florida

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

wallethub reports rankings vegan vegetarian austin