Lance Armstrong faces the loss of his seven Tour de France titles and a lifetime ban from cycling, but backers of his advocacy work for cancer patients showed undimmed admiration on Friday.
“Thanks to all the amazing @livestrong supporters worldwide,” Armstrong said on Twitter, speaking of the Livestrong cancer awareness network his charitable foundation supports. “Donations today were UP 25x over yesterdays. Thank you thank you thank you!”
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Lance Armstrong Foundation chief executive Doug Ulman told ESPN that $3,200 came in Thursday to the organization’s website, a fairly typical day.
As of 4:30 pm (2030 GMT) on Friday, Ulman said $78,000 of unsolicited donations had been received, with 411 people donating compared to 45 on Thursday.
“Our mission is strong as a result of so many generous people,” Ulman said in a Twitter posting.
The US anti-doping agency said it was banning Armstrong for life and stripping him of the record seven Tour de France titles that helped him become a US sports hero and gave him a platform to speak out about cancer.u00a0