So I was wrong about Lance Armstrong.

It was announced recently that the International Cycling Union (UCI) was going to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour De France titles from 1999-2005 and ban him for life from cycling because of doping charges. The Union agreed with the claims made by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in August that suggested Armstrong was involved in an elaborate attempt to circumvent positive drug tests while he was racing.

Let’s get something clear: I don’t approve of cheating or doping on any level of the sport. Cheaters disgust me and I hate the lot of them. Doping strips athletes of their humanity. But Lance Armstrong is one of those rare cheaters whom I can’t learn to hate.

Armstrong’s work to battle cancer and the over $500 billion he has raised through his Livestrong Foundation have benefitted countless people and families. Ever since being diagnosed with and beating cancer in the 1990s, Armstrong has dedicated thousands of hours to make sure nobody else has to go through cancer. Armstrong’s battle with the disease is the one bright spot on his now-tarnished career and it is the only reason why I am still inspired by him.

But this entire ordeal with Armstrong is a not a one-way street. The UCI said that Armstrong never failed a test when he was racing. But the USADA said in August that he cheated during those seven years. So where did these magical drug tests come from? The UCI.

To be honest, the sport of cycling is not popular here in the States and, quite frankly, it’s boring. Thanks to Lance Armstrong, the United States and others around the world found someone to watch and root for in the Tour De France, the premier race in the sport. But according to Irish journalist Paul Kimmage, in his defamation lawsuit against the UCI, the Union’s leaders, president Pat McQuaid and former president Hein Verbruggen, covered up the Armstrong tests to let the sport remain popular and relevant. The lawsuit stems from testimony from former Tour winner and disgraced cheater Floyd Landis saying the UCI protected star riders. If a teacher helps a student cheat on a test, isn’t the teacher just as guilty?

So a big congratulations to you, cycling. Thanks to UCI’s leadership that was only concerned about the popularity and television ratings and a subsequent cover-up scandal of the greatest champion in your history and humanitarian, your sport will forever be lost in an ignominious black hole of irrelevance. I, like many other sports fans, will always remember the debacle of Lance Armstrong and the desperate cover-up to make cycling matter.