Lance Armstrong pleads guilty to reckless driving

Fallen sports icon Lance Armstrong has pleaded guilty to hitting two parked cars in Aspen, Colorado, on December 28, and leaving the scene without contacting police, the Aspen Daily News reports.

Armstrong paid a fine of $238.50 by mail; he will not have to appear in court.

"Charges of failing to report an accident and driving too fast for conditions were dismissed against the former professional cyclist as part of a plea deal," the Aspen Daily News said.

"The 9th Judicial District on Monday received a check from Armstrong's attorney for $238.50 to pay a fine and court costs, and the case is essentially closed, court records show," the paper added.

Armstrong's girlfriend, Anna Hansen, tried to take the blame for hitting the two cars, telling Aspen police she wanted to keep his name out of national headlines.

Just two days ago, Armstrong was ordered by a Texas arbitration panel to pay back $10 million in Tour de France prize money and bonus payments.

It's just the latest of several negative headlines that Armstrong has appeared in. In an in-depth interview with the BBC that aired in January, Armstrong said that if he had to go back to his Tour de France days he would probably cheat all over again.

Armstrong's troubles are far from over. He is also being sued by the federal government and former teammate Floyd Landis in a whistleblower fraud action, the AP notes.

The US Anti-Doping Agency, or USADA, stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour titles in October 2012. In its "Reasoned Decision," USADA said that evidence against Armstrong showed beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, with Armstrong as its leader, "ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

Armstrong's net worth, according to The New York Times, was estimated at $125 million in 2012. In August, Armstrong told Dan Patrick that he still believed he won those seven Tours.

[via Aspen Daily News]