The United States Anti-Doping Agency is bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, threatening to strip his famous victories in those cycling races.Armstrong could face a lifetime ban from the sport if he is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

The move by USADA immediately bans him from competing in triathlons, which he turned to after he retired from cycling last year.Armstrong, in a statement on Wednesday, dismissed any doping allegations as "baseless" and "motivated by spite" and noted they came just months after federal prosecutors closed a two-year criminal investigation against the cyclist without bringing an indictment.

The charges by USADA were first reported by the Washington Post.