1995

Armstrong wins a stage at the Tour de France. He finishes 36th, the first time he finishes the race.

1996

Armstrong is diagnosed with testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his lungs, lymph nodes, abdomen and brain; undergoes surgery the next day to have the malignant testicle removed.

1997

He establishes the Lance Armstrong Foundation to benefit cancer research and cancer patients.

1999

En route to winning the 1999 Tour de France, Armstrong tests positive for the corticosteroid triamcinolone. He evades sanctions by providing a back-dated doctor’s certificate claiming the substance is in a skin cream.

2000

– Wins the Tour de France for a second consecutive year and two months later wins the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympic Games.

– Publishes book: It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

2001

Wins the Tour de France for the third time.

2002

– Wins his fourth consecutive Tour de France.

– A 21-month investigation into whether the US Postal Team used performance enhancing drugs during the 2000 Tour de France closes after finding no evidence of illegal drug use.

2003

Armstrong wins his fifth consecutive Tour de France by 61 seconds.

2004

Wins his sixth consecutive Tour de France.

2005

Wins his seventh Tour de France in a row. The newspaper l’Equipe alleges that EPO was found in several samples provided by Armstrong during the 1999 Tour, when these were retested for research purposes. The UCI commissions a report into the affair from the Dutch anti-doping consultant Emile Vrijman.

2006

Report is released; it clears Armstrong’s name. However, in March 2015 the UCI’s Independent Commission finds that “UCI had no intention of pursuing an independent report; UCI’s approach prioritised the fight against Wada and the protection of its star athlete”.

2008

– Armstrong announces his return to professional cycling.

– UCI president Pat McQuaid states that Armstrong will be permitted to make his comeback at the Tour Down Under in January 2009 in spite of the fact that their rules state he should be available for out of competition testing for six months beforehand; he is not eligible to race until 1 February but is permitted to race from 20 January.

2009

– Armstrong comes third in the Tour de France.

– He crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to a hospital. The same day he denies allegations of doping made by former team-mate Floyd Landis.

2010

– Armstrong hires a defence lawyer to represent him in a federal investigation into allegations of fraud and doping.

– Armstrong comes in 23rd place in his final Tour de France.

2011

Armstrong announces his retirement from professional cycling, saying he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer.

2012

– Justice Department prosecutors announce they are closing a criminal probe of Armstrong without filing charges that he used performance enhancing drugs.

– The US Anti-Doping Agency notifies Armstrong of an investigation into new doping charges.

– Usada announces it has filed doping charges against Armstrong. Armstrong’s attorney calls the decision to charge him “wrong” and “baseless”.

– Armstrong files a federal lawsuit in a Texas district court to halt the doping case against him.

– A federal judge dismisses Lance Armstrong’s lawsuit against the United States Anti-Doping Agency saying his right to due process is being violated.

– Declares he will no longer fight charges of illegal doping. Shortly after Armstrong’s announcement, Usada says it will strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and impose a lifetime ban on him.

– Usada’s report on Armstrong is released. It accuses him of leading “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.

– Armstrong announces he is stepping down as chairman of Livestrong.

– Nike terminates its contract with Lance Armstrong. Anheuser-Busch also announces it will not renew its contract with Armstrong after it expires in 2012.

– UCI strips Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and bans him for life.

– Oakley announces it is severing ties with Armstrong.

2013

– The International Olympic Committee strips Armstrong of the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

– In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admits to using banned performance-enhancing drugs.

– The US Department of Justice joins a lawsuit against Armstrong that was originally filed by former team-mate Floyd Landis.

– The Justice Department files a lawsuit against Armstrong and his company Tailwind Sports for millions of dollars that the US Postal Service spent to sponsor his team. The complaint charges that the use of prohibited drugs constitutes a breach of contract.

– Brian Cookson ousts Pat McQuaid in battle for UCI presidency.

2014

– Cookson announces formation of Independent Commission for Reform in Cycling (CIRC) to look into historic doping in the sport and the UCI’s relationship with Armstrong.

– Armstrong meets CIRC.

2015

– An arbitration panel orders Armstrong and Tailwind Sports to pay $10m (£6.5m) in a fraud dispute with a promotions company SCA for what it called an “unparalleled pageant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy” that covered up his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

– Armstrong pleads guilty to careless driving for hitting two parked cars in Aspen, an incident for which his girlfriend initially took the blame, and pays a $238.50 fine.

– UCI publishes report from Independent Commission for Reform in Cycling, which asserts that Armstrong “benefited from a preferential status afforded by the UCI leadership”.