I remember being given Lance Armstrong’s book, “It’s Not About the Bike”. I burned through it in a weekend.
It was a powerfully moving and inspirational read, the type of book you stop recommending to friends because you know they’ve been there and done that.
After reading Armstrong’s book, I become an evangelical fan of cycling, the Tour de France, and Lance Armstrong.
Life-time bans add to Armstrong pressure
Which is why I’ve struggled to reconcile the snowballing nature of the accusations against the man. There seems to be a persistent hoard of individuals ready to make damming claims against the tour legend.
We now know that a number of his teamates are drug cheats, that his team doctor, assistant doctor, team manager and team trainer are all accused of being involved in drug violations.
Have we now reached the point where it’s a matter of when rather than if Armstrong will be found guilty?
It’s an ugly thought, no doubt, but one that seems increasingly likely to prove true.
One of the problems with intelligent reasoning and critical thought is that it behoves us to apply such thought consistently.
And so we’re forced to consider which is more likely:
* That Armstrong remained completely drug free whilst dominating a sport riddled with the most advanced performance enhancing drugs ever made.
* That he remained clean whilst his team coordinated an elaborate and long-term drug program.
* And that all his accusers are motivated to lie in the most appallingly immoral way to destroy the legacy of one of sports global icons.
Or should we consider the possibility that Armstrong is another drug cheat in a sport full of drug cheats?
And so it is that current furore around Armstrong elicits the kind of cognitive dissonance that gnaws away at the rational part of my brain.
I want him to be innocent.
I want to cling to the miraculous and inspirational story of the cancer survivor who became a legend. I want none of the exceptionally good work that his story has enabled to be undermined by his fall from grace.
But more than that, I want the truth. I want to know that we’ve not been duped by another athlete or by a sport that has consistently let itself down.
I can’t untangle myself from the fact that the ugly truth is always better than a beautiful lie.
Lorry
Guest
Monte, the best post of the article sir!! well said!!
monte
Guest
Cheer up if you're a fan, sport is entertainment, it's not suppose to be a moral contest. It's like taking movies too seriously and complaining that they used special effects to trick you. The point is, it was great to watch (when Lance actually went for stage wins). The Landis ride was also spectacular (reminded me about the Eddy Merckx stories). Role models and heroes are just a fantasy whether they are legitimate in real life or not. They're ideas that we aspire to be, to make us do better than we've done before.
Richie (Melbourne)
Guest
Clyde, I appreciate this is not really the forum for raising such questions - I have long pondered the sport of rugby and wondered just what goes on behind closed doors in the training rooms, or in recovery sessions. Cycling is obviously a different sport, and the intense endurance events such as the TDF require a very different form of fitness as opposed to the relatively short 80 minutes of rugby. The gains that can be made by increasing performance by 5% on the TDF are far greater than those that can be made across rugby match. Without giving specifics, do you know of doping in national or international rugby? Whether it be to aid recovery, to allow better training, or to give greater impact / strength?
zacbrygel
Roar Guru
Ye I agree. Couldn't have put it better.
Sean Lee
Expert
Great article Clyde. Well said.
zacbrygel
Roar Guru
Greco-Roman, where is the proof that they all dope? You talk about the evidence but what is this so called 'evidence'?
Lorry
Guest
I think all this moral hand wringing is a bit ridiculous in a sport such as cycling where everybody does it... Im sure we are going to get to some point in the future where technology and performance enhancing drugs of some kind are used by athletes.... it's a dark and scary thought but.... Has Cadel evan's NEVER used performance enhancers? What I think is stupid about Lance's actions though are the apparent big increase in diseases that these drugs ca lead to.... Crazy stuff for someone with his medical history....
JonD
Guest
I agree that the book inspires young sufferers to face their trials with courage and determination. I think it can inspire anyone facing any challenge. However the number one lesson from the book should be to young men to check their balls! I can't say for sure if it would have made a difference in Armstrong's case but if he'd been diagnosed earlier recovery would have been a lot easier.
sheek
Guest
Greco-Roman, So are you giving us the low-down 'dope' here.....
sheek
Guest
I actually disagree with both those statements. They might be catchy motivational phrases, but not necessarily well thought out. For some unfortunate people, pain never leaves them, sometimes physical, moreso emotional, especially traumatic experiences. And there are those who say that quitting is acceptable (providing you rebound), but its what you do next, to rectify your mistake, which is more important, & furthermore, character building. There's no sense in flogging a dead horse, is there. You know the old saying, roughly, it's not how many times you get knocked down, or defeated, but how many times you get back up, or come back to try again.
GrecoRoman
Roar Guru
I think there's plenty of evidence coming out of the sport to show that doping is endemic. No big deal from where I sit. They all do it, so it's pretty much an even playing field.
zacbrygel
Roar Guru
How can you say that? Where is your proof that all cyclists have doped?
BigAl
Guest
My guess is that Armstrong would 'reconcile with himself' by saying that he has done nothing that everybody else hasn't done !
rohan
Guest
Well written & and I suspect an accurate reflection of how many of us are thinking. He is, still, my favorite sportsman and I too cling to the silly hope that he is innocent. Paul's post is eloquent support.
Australian Rules
Guest
Quitting might not last forever, but tattoos do.
GrecoRoman
Roar Guru
Armstrong doped. All pro cyclists are doped. Armstrong would be a complete dope if he didn't dope. Just the way it is.
Pall4Lance
Guest
I read the book as well. After reading it, i believed him. I'm inclined to apply critical thinking but that said, if a guy says he didn't do it, he didn't do it (spare me the accusations of being naive). I also apply the reasoning that if it were me and i was being accused of something i did not do, how terrible that would be. This has a certain poetic tragedy about it though. For me, if george hincappie comes out and says lance doped, well then it would be the integrity of lance v george, that would be tough.
tommy
Guest
Clyde, I think I'd rather this all be swept under a massive carpet never to be spoken of again!
NickF
Guest
He is my dilemma, Lance Armstrong won his last TDF years a go and he won his first so many more years before that. The drug used, and the techniques used back in the nineties and naughties, would have to me more primitive than used today. If/when Lance Armstrong is found guilty, how in earth can we have any belief that any rider since then is clean. The performance ot the SKY team and Bradley Wiggins has been so overpoweringly better than any other opponents this year. Last nights mountain didn't seem to put a dent into the team, only a pucnture was able the bring the numbers down. As Clyde said, I would like to believe, but should I have doubts?
PJ
Guest
Mat Coch aren't you a knuckle head for getting such stupid tattoos. As the famous saying goes "one cannot put a brain in a statue" you sir are that statue -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.