GENEVA, The fate and legacy of global cycling icon Lance Armstrong could take a decisive turn when the International Cycling Union (UCI) meets to decide on the American's spectacular fall from grace on Monday.
For some observers, the credibility of the sport's governing body, the UCI, may also be on the line.
Armstrong's reputation as the cancer survivor who claimed a record seven consecutive Tour de France victories is now in tatters after he was handed a life ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
The USADA have also stripped Armstrong of his wins after finding him guilty of being at the centre of the biggest doping program in sporting history. On Monday in Geneva, the UCI, whose president Pat McQuaid succeeded Dutchman Hein Verbruggen only in 2006 -- a year after Armstrong had secured his seventh and final yellow jersey -- is expected to give its official ruling having spent weeks studying the thousands of pages of the USADA report.
If the UCI does not support USADA's recommendations, the case could be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.