Lance Armstrong, the disgraced former 7-time Tour de France cycling champion who has fallen hard and fast from glory, has just parted with another trophy of his former life – his massive family estate in Austin, Texas.
Reported by The Austin American-Statesmen and Candy Evans, the deed of trust filed with Travis County last week showed that the home found a buyer by the name of Al Koehler. Koehler is founder of Royalty Clearinghouse, an oil and gas royalties and rights company. The final purchase price is still unknown.
Armstrong has owned the 1.7 acre, 7,850 square-foot estate since 2004 and invested heavily in a full renovation and design project, which he debuted in a 2008 issue of Architectural Digest. At the time of publication, he told the magazine, “when I walk into that house, I heave a sigh of relief: I am home. I take off my shoes, walk around barefoot, just feeling the rugs, floors. Home is very private; here, nobody’s going to mess with me. It’s a very comforting feeling.”
Amid his personal and professional turmoils of the past couple years and his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his illustrious career, Armstrong decided to decamp to a new refuge and sell the home. Several media reports suggest that Armstrong may be required to return money to his former sponsors that generously supported him during the years he was doping.
Images via Robert Reck/Architectural Digest
