Has Lance Armstrong’s Doping Saga Finally Come to an End?

Over the past several months, the long and winding road toward what most assume will be Lance Armstrong's eventual admittance of using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to win the Tour de France a record number of times has played out largely online.

Critics and supporters have, of course, reacted to the controversy on Twitter and other social networks with statements of vitriolic condemnation and steadfast support. But Armstrong himself has also used social media to send cryptic, even boastful, messages to followers. And perhaps the most damning piece of the case against Armstrong was posted online in October.

But the drawn out repetitions of accusation and denial will finally reach an end this week with Armstrong admitting PED use in an interview with Oprah Winfrey scheduled to air on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. The interview was taped on Monday but the AP cites "a person familiar with the situation" as confirming Armstrong's forthcoming confession.

Armstrong has long been suspected by media, competing cyclists and other fans of relying on PEDs to win a record seven Tour de France titles from 1999 through 2005. He has steadfastly denied all accusations over the years, but Internet users reacted in shock last August when he posted an online statement staying he would end his years-long contention of doping charges by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) but admit no wrongdoing.

"I am finished with this nonsense," Armstrong's statement defiantly declared.

The next day he tweeted that donations to his Livestrong Foundation had soared to a 25-fold increase since his announcement. Armstrong founded Livestrong in 1997 after battling testicular cancer to help others struggling with cancer. Livestrong's record of good work and strong public image further clouded the debate over the significance of Armstrong's alleged PED use.

Some six weeks later, however, Armstrong and his supporters were hit with another bombshell when former Tour de France teammate George Hincapie used a tweet and post to his official website to admit for the first time that he took performance enhancing drugs and named names of other dopers for investigators. The USADA then released hundreds of pages of testimony from 11 of Armstrong's former riding mates, detailing PED use by the team.

Later in October, Armstrong finally acknowledged the mounting evidence and momentum against him in a fitting move for the social media age: by removing his claim to seven Tour de France titles from his Twitter bio.

He struck a more defiant tone in November, however, by posting a photo of himself reclining while surrounded by his seven Tour-winning jerseys accompanied by the expertly trolling caption, "Back in Austin and just layin' around..."

That image went viral with sports fans online, gaining more than 300,000 views on the multimedia-sharing network Mobli â€" in which, it just so happens, he's an investor.

Assuming Armstrong cops to doping this week, does that make him a disgrace â€" or do his achievements still outweigh everything else? Give us your take in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy Flickr, PoweriPics