Here is how the saga unfolded:
2011: February 16th — Lance Armstrong announces he is to retire for the second time.
May — Armstrong forced to deny claims made by former team-mate Tyler Hamilton that they took performance-enhancing drugs together.
2012: February 4th — An investigation into alleged doping by Armstrong is dropped by federal prosecutors in California.
June 13th — The United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) confirm they have initiated legal proceedings over allegations of doping against Armstrong.
June 30th — Usada confirm they will file formal doping charges against Armstrong.
July 9th — Armstrong files a lawsuit in a US federal court asking for a temporary restraining order against the agency. Armstrong also claims Usada offered "corrupt inducements" to other cyclists to testify against him.
July 11th — Armstrong re-files lawsuit against Usada after initial lawsuit was dismissed by a judge as being a "lengthy and bitter polemic", designed to attract media attention and public sympathy.
August 20th — Armstrong's legal action against Usada dismissed in court.
August 24th — Armstrong announces he will not fight the doping charges filed against him by Usada, saying in a statement he is "finished with this nonsense" and insisting he is innocent. He is stripped of all his titles and banned for life from cycling by Usada.
October 10th — Usada claim 11 of Armstrong's former team-mates have testified against him. The organisation say the US Postal Service team "ran the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".
October 17th — Armstrong resigns as chairman of his cancer charity, Livestrong, on the same day that he is dropped by sponsor Nike.
October 22nd — The International Cycling Union (UCI) ratifies Usada's decision to ban Armstrong from cycling for life and to strip him of his seven Tour de France titles.
November 2nd — The World Anti-Doping Agency announces it will not appeal Usada's decision.
December 5th — The International Olympic Committee postpones a decision on whether to strip Armstrong of the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics until the International Cycling Federation formally notifies him of their decision to annul all his results since August 1998.
December 17th — Armstrong is stripped of the BBC overseas sports personality award won in 2003.
December 23rd — The Sunday Times announces it is suing the American for the damages and legal fees it paid him in settlement of a libel action he brought in 2004.
2013: January 5th — The New York Times claims Armstrong is close to confessing to his doping past.
January 9th — Armstrong announces he will break his silence over the allegations in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
January 14th — Armstrong apologises to the staff at his Livestrong cancer foundation ahead of recording his interview with Winfrey.
January 15th — Winfrey claims Armstrong came clean to her about his use of performance-enhancing drugs during their interview, saying he was "forthcoming" when she asked him in detail about the allegations.