Lance Armstrong has pleaded guilty to careless driving in Aspen, Colorado.
The cyclist’s girlfriend Anna Hansen initially told police it was her in the driver’s seat when the pair collided with parked vehicles in Aspen last year.
Anna Hansen later admitted that she lied to avoid media attention.
Lance Armstrong, who won and was then stripped of seven Tour de France titles, received a lifetime cycling ban after confessing to systematic doping.
The incident which led to his careless driving plea happened in December 2014.
Driving in icy conditions, the couple’s SUV collided with two parked cars.
Officers traced the accident back to Lance Armstrong and his girlfriend.
A local police report quoted by the Aspen Daily News said Anna Hansen became “upset” when the veracity of her initial account was questioned.
“We’ve had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years,” Anna Hansen was quoted as saying in a police statement, reported the Aspen Daily News.
“I just wanted to protect my family.”
According to court records, Lance Armstrong paid $238.50 in court fees and a fine of $150.
Lance Armstrong entered his plea by mail, thereby avoiding a court appearance.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong is due in court after being accused of leaving the scene of an accident and crashing into two parked cars.
According to police, Lance Armstrong left the scene in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, before officers arrived.
According to recent reports, his girlfriend Anna Hansen told police she was driving, before changing her story.
Lance Armstong, 43, who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles for doping, faces court on March 17.
He could face a fine and up to 90 days in jail if convicted of the charges of leaving the scene and driving too fast for the snowy conditions.
Anna Hansen, 33, who lives in Aspen, was initially cited for the incident after telling police she had been driving the couple home from an Aspen Art Museum party.
She claimed to have lost control and hit two parked cars, before speaking to the owner and offering to pay for the damage, the police report said.
The Aspen Daily News reported that the couple had made the “joint decision” to avoid negative headlines.
Officers then spoke to the valet at the event, who said Lance Armstrong had driven away from the gala.
On January 12, the charges were transferred to Lance Armstrong. Anna Hansen will not face charges.
Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banned for life from racing in 2012 by the US Anti-Doping Agency after he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
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