U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour De France cycling titles by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, USADA. He has also been banned from the sport for life.

A news release by USADA on Friday said Armstrong's decision not to take charges against him to arbitration resulted in the penalties, meaning his Tour de France titles from 1999-2005 are forfeited. The agency said he had “numerous anti-doping violations, including his involvement in trafficking and administering doping products to others.”

USADA's decision came one day after the 40-year-old Armstrong said he would stop fighting the doping charges even though there was “zero physical evidence” to support the allegations. He had never tested positive for banned substances, but USADA said it had evidence from more than a dozen witnesses that the star cyclist had used them.

Armstrong retired last year and had been a hero to many for overcoming testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.