Has he no shame? Defiant Lance Armstrong defies critics by posting provocative picture of himself surrounded by yellow jerseys he won by cheating... and image is already mocked in new set of hilarious memes



Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last month after an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Picture sweeps the internet as new meme poking fun at Armstrong's cheating scandal




Lance Armstrong has posted a picture on Twitter of himself relaxing surrounded by his tainted Tour de France yellow jerseys in what is seen as a provocative gesture toward his opponents, but it appears the internet may have the last laugh.



The Texas cyclist was stripped of the seven titles last month after the U.S. Anti-doping Agency (USADA) found that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his record-breaking Tour de France run.



But Armstrong is clearly not letting it get to him, as he posted a panoramic photo on Twitter of him lounging in his home - surrounded by the one thing the USADA can't take away from him - with the cap tion 'Back in Austin and just layin' around...'

Cheek: Lance Armstrong posted a picture of himself lying down surrounded by his yellow jerseys

Meme: It wasn't long before internet jokesters took Armstrong to task over the Twitter image

The jerseys are hanging in frames on the walls near the L-shaped sofa, each spotlighted by an individual lightbulb, with a pair of curtains left open to clearly display the last of them.

Last month, the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the sanctions recommended by USADA, who concluded Armstrong and his U.S. Postal team ran 'the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.'

All Armstrong's results from August 1, 1998 were expunged from the record books, including his seven consecutive Tour de France 'wins' from 1999 to 2005, and the 41-year-old was banned from cycling for life.

It wasn't long before internet jokesters took Armstrong to task over the image - as he was mocked in hilarious memes based on the photo.



Last week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) also announced last week that it would not appeal the sanctions, while the International Olympic Committee has opened an investigation which could see Armstrong stripped of his road time-trial bronze medal from the 2000 Games in Sydney.



Admirers? Another Twitter user took the image of Armstrong and added other famous cheaters

Disgrace: All Armstrong's results from August 1, 1998 were expunged from the record books, including his seven consecutive Tour de France 'wins' from 1999 to 2005, and the 41-year-old was banned from cycling for life

Armstrong did not cooperate with the USADA investigation and has consistently denied wrongdoing.



The doping allegations brought critics out of the woodwork, who blasted the cyclist as a cheater who shamed the sport.



Betsy Andreu, the wife of Armstrong's former teammate Frankie Andreu went so far as to call Armstrong the 'Bernie Madoff' of sport, telling NBC's Rock Center that he played the world and the media like a fiddle for years while knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.



She said: 'Bernie Madoff was one of the biggest frauds in the history of the world, in the history of finance maybe? Lance is the biggest fraud in the history of sport,' she told the TV station.



Playing dirty: Dutch soccer bad boy Mark van Bommel and his yellow cards were also in on the Lance Armstrong fun

Shamed: The doping allegations brought critics of Armstrong out of the woodwork, who blasted the cyclist as a cheater who brought shame to the sport



Passive aggressive: Though he has since removed the line '7-time Tour de France champion' from his Twitter profile, the picture is sure to be seen as provocative gesture

Last week, Armstrong also cut formal ties with his cancer-fighting charity to avoid further damage brought by doping charges and the removal of the Tour titles.

Armstrong resigned from the board of directors for Livestrong on November 4 after he had previously quit as chairman of the charity on October 17.



Though he has since removed the line '7-time Tour de France champion' from his Twitter profile, the photo posted over the weekend is sure to be seen as provocative gesture.

The fall-out from the USADA's verdict has been extensive, with 11 of Armstrong's former team-mates receiving six-month bans after admitting their own doping offences in the course of their testimonies against him.