diff --git a/virtualenv.py b/virtualenv.py
index d1a344a..1d46506 100755
--- a/virtualenv.py
+++ b/virtualenv.py
@@ -613,7 +613,6 @@ def main():
     parser.add_option(
         "--download",
         dest="download",
-        default=True,
         action="store_true",
         help="Download preinstalled packages from PyPI.",
     )