.... the thing is I'm kinda sorry about all this Lance stuff. I marvelled at Lance's achievements not only on the bike but what he also achieved with the Livestrong stuff - and it's sad that it's come out that he cheated - but I temper that with the sure knowledge that at that time everyone else was doing the same anyway - cycling has always been a drug fuelled sport - way back when the Tour was in its infancy riders took stimulants - it was the only way to get through the event - it was 'par for the course' and excepted until the 1960's (even then it continued) - drug culture is endemic in sport generally, cycling might be at the forefront but just today there was a mention on radio that tennis may have a drug culture, certainly we know that athletics is tainted - it's a never ending spiral - has anyone thought of testing the darts players?
I think I still believe that Lance was the best of the bunch at that time - I'm pretty sure that his opponents would have all been using the same stimulants. The thing is we now know that the Lance bubble is most definitely burst - but we also know that cycling has been exposed under the brightest of spotlights - there can't possibly be a sport more rigorously examined - As for cycling right now - I'm 100% confident that the Sky riders are drug free and that cycling in general is as clean as it possibly could be - and that will do for me.
As for Lance - good that he owned up. Let's move on.
It all started in 2011 - we decided to ride Lands End to John O Groats, since then we've completed a number of 'challenges' raising over £15,000 for various charities. You can read about our adventures here, and also our on-going efforts to keep on cycling!
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ReplyDeleteI originally couldn't understand why they were on a witch hunt to destroy Lance, I though he was a bit of a knight in shinning armour, then I read the USADA case and more recently I just finished reading Lanced: The Shaming of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh, not exactly a story but a collection of news articles from 1999 to present, it is worth a read, yes half of them were doping, but Lance was a nasty piece of work who ruined peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteHello John, I am reading Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh. Up to six months ago I was a fan of Lance, in my mind there was no way he could have been doping, now after he has told all and now having read David's book, I agree he is a nasty piece of work. He should not be let off the hook by helping the UCI because he tried to destroy lives....
ReplyDeleteHowever having read a letter in the Cycling Weekly about someone's wife who had a lot of help from Lance's cancer charity he has done some good.
He is not a nice guy...