Lance Armstrong & Kristin Richard: The $14 Million Divorce Before the Doping Scandal

What Happened

Kristin Richard met Lance Armstrong in 1997, during one of the darkest periods of his life — he was battling testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. She quit her job in advertising to move with him to France and became his rock during treatment. They married in May 1998, and over the next five years, Armstrong would transform from a cancer survivor into the most celebrated cyclist in history, winning the Tour de France five consecutive times (1999–2003).

Their family grew with the birth of son Luke in 1999 and twins Isabelle and Grace in 2001. But the marriage that survived cancer could not survive success. In 2003, Armstrong filed for divorce, and the proceedings were handled with unusual secrecy. Both legal teams agreed to file the case as uncontested to maintain privacy about the monetary terms and reasons for the split. The settlement was reported at $14 million.

At the time of the divorce, Armstrong was considered an American hero — a cancer survivor turned athletic champion. But a decade later, the full picture would emerge. In 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. He was stripped of all seven Tour de France titles and banned from competitive cycling for life. In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admitted to doping.

The timing of the 2003 divorce meant that Kristin settled before the doping scandal destroyed Armstrong's earning potential and public image. Armstrong's net worth, once estimated at $125 million, plummeted after he lost endorsement deals with Nike, Trek, and others. Had Kristin divorced him after 2012, the settlement would likely have been dramatically smaller. Ironically, divorcing before the truth emerged may have been the most financially advantageous timing imaginable.

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