ON THE same day Lance Armstrong's legacy was erased from the record books, Canberra cyclist Stephen Hodge took matters into his own hands and removed his name from the ACT's list of sporting elite.
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Hodge has written to the ACT government offering to relinquish his place in the ACT Sport Hall of Fame and said he would ''support any action'' the government took to rebrand the criterium track at Mount Stromlo named in his honour.
Cycling ACT will meet on Monday to decide if the Stephen Hodge Achievement Award will continue.
The world is still coming to grips with Armstrong's fall from the top of world cycling and the UCI stripping him of his seven Tour de France titles on Monday night.
While Armstrong still refuses to admit guilt, self-confessed drug cheat Hodge has tried to maintain some dignity by taking the initiative.
Hodge said last Friday that he had taken EPO during six years of his professional career and he resigned as Cycling Australia vice-president.
Hodge was inducted into the ACT Sport Hall of Fame in 2002. The Hall of Fame includes some of the biggest names in Australian sport such as Mal Meninga, James Hird, David Campese, Brad Clyde, Alex Jesaulenko and Michael Bevan.
ACT Sport is expected to meet this week to discuss whether Hodge still has a place in the Hall of Fame. A decision on the name of the track at Mount Stromlo will not be made until the ACT election is finalised.
In a letter to a government official, Hodge proposed that his name be removed from the Hall of Fame.
''I believe that most ACT residents would agree with me that given my admission of use of performance enhancing substances, it is inappropriate to be recognised in this way,'' Hodge wrote.
Despite Hodge's offer to be removed from the record books, ACT Sport chief executive Mark Cartwright said the organisation would stick to its initial process to judge Hodge's case.
''We have been notified of a letter from Stephen Hodge in which he volunteers to remove himself from the ACT Sport Hall of Fame,'' Cartwright said.
''We'll advise of a decision in due course.''
Hodge's letter eases a potential controversial decision to kick him out of the Hall of Fame.
His eligibility will not be put to the Hall of Fame membership. Instead there will be a meeting with a committee to form a consensus on his future.
Hodge competed at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, raced in 10 world championships, six Tours de France and had a world ranking as high as 40.
But while he has worked for the good of the sport since retiring, Hodge's image has been tainted by his drug admission.
