It was late January in 2011 and the sun was just beginning to rise over the ragged peaks of the Grampians.
I had left Ballarat pre-dawn, and because of delays caused by flooding on the Western highway, had taken a secondary route towards Adelaide which had swept me to the south of the famous ranges.
I hadn’t planned on attending the Tour Down Under at all.
In fact, I hadn’t the time to spare.
But with cycling legend Lance Armstrong saddling up for one final ride, I felt that I would forever regret not seeing his last race.
I stopped for a short break in Balmoral, a quiet little town that had yet to wake up, and checked on the welfare of my bike that was lying sideways in the back of our van. I smiled.
This unexpected, last minute dash to Willunga for the penultimate stage of the TDU promised to be a beauty.
I passed through Strathalbyn just as that day’s stage was finishing and immediately my excitement began to bubble. Cameron Meyer and Thomas de Gendt shot from the main street after crossing the finishing line and almost side swipped our car as they swerved onto the busy bypass I was taking. It was impeccable timing.
Arriving in Willunga later that afternoon I scouted out my camping spot – a small park just a couple of hundred metres from the centre of town and the base of the Willunga Hill climb. I hauled my bike from the van, poured myself into my lycra, and set off to experience the slope myself.
A sharp ramp as the hill climbed out of town seemed to be the worst of it, and I spun my way to the top, passing a few other cyclists on the way (and of course being passed myself) before following the ridge top route that the pros would take on the morrow.
I lost my nerve on the descent back into McLaren Vale. The darkening hour, coupled with a twisting, unfamiliar road and a strong cross wind saw me reaching for my brakes as, at 65 kilometres per hour, the front of my bike began to weave dangerously with each gust.
By the time I arrived back at the park, its parking area had filled with motor homes. As I rolled out my swag on the lush grass for a well earned sleep, it felt as though I was at the Tour de France. The atmosphere was already building and there was a carnival feel in the air. By three in the morning though I was cursing as pop up sprinklers squirted into action, drenching me in a matter of seconds and ruining what had been a peaceful night under the stars.
I rode over to McLaren Vale the next morning and watched the riders sign in, before racing back to Willunga (against a substantial wind) in a bid to resume my position before the peloton arrived.
There were people everywhere. The finish line area was packed like sardines and the hill was lined with supporters along both sides. I only caught glimpses of Armstrong as he streaked past, tucked deep within the peloton, but it didn’t matter. While he had been my motivating reason for going, the event itself was something bigger. Besides, it was more fun watching Mark Cavendish, battered and bruised from a serious crash a couple of days earlier, sweat and curse his way up Old Willunga.
As soon as the race was over, it was back in the van and home, arriving in a comatose, but happy state, well after midnight. I’d completed a round trip of over 1300 kilometres just to catch a few fleeting glimpses of a Texan, but it was the race (and Cavendish) that won my heart. It remains one of my best cycling experiences.
While the Tour Down Under had been growing from year to year, it was Lance Armstrong who gave it the kick along it needed to become a must see spectator event. Crowds went from the thousands, to the hundred thousands – and stayed at that level even post Armstrong.
While USADA’s just published ‘Reasoned Decision’ document confirms what many suspected all along, it does not erase the influence that Armstrong has had on bringing cycling to a greater audience – especially outside of Europe.
He brought people to cycling who might otherwise not have bothered with the sport. His story, was, and still is, something of a fairytail. His battles against Pantani and Ullrich were engrossing, and remain so despite the asterix that each now carries next to his name. Unfortunately for Armstrong, cancer was not the only thing he cheated.
That USADA have published their findings is a good thing. But how do you adequately punish someone who no longer participates in the sport? Strip his titles? Yes, but will he care? Maybe a little, but it won’t bring his world crashing down. When he wakes up in the morning he’ll still be a loving father to his children, and they will still adore him because he is their Dad.
And does it really matter if Armstrong suffers minimal loss from all this? The real hope will be that the whole affair will serve as a deterrent to the next generation of riders and help to flush out the last of the old school dopers.
The real tragedy rests with those who were bullied into doping. I can forgive Armstrong his doping, but not the abuse of power that he, and partner in crime Johan Bruyneel used, in threatening their own team members with dismissal should they not follow the dastardly plans set by the evil Dr. Ferrari.
Having said that, the bans imposed on those implicated during the Armstrong years are laughable. While Hincapie and Barry have retired, Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Zabriskie and Danielson must be rubbing their hands together with glee at the prospect of serving the majority of their six month bans during the off season.
If, as each of them say, they were happy to come forward and provide evidence, surely they can accept the consequences of their actions and face sanctions of a greater length. Had the plea bargain not been offered, I wonder how many of them would have spoken out?
One suspects that USADA’s 1000 page dossier may have been substantially smaller.
So where to from here?
By all means, strip Armstrong of his titles, but don’t award them to anyone else.
Leave them blank as a reminder to all of the dark days past. Anyone who dopes from this point on is a fool and must be dealt with severely. Nothing less than lifetime bans will be sufficient for future transgressors.
The elephant in the room has finally been exposed. It’s time to look forward.
helmet
Guest
NOTE: This reply is being posted after Rabobank's announcement that they are pulling out of cycling sponsorship after 17 years in the ring (through Festina etc. etc. ad infinitum). Initially I was quite angry with Rabobank and I seriously considered relieving them of my insignificant funds in some kind of piss weak protest. I was with David Millar on this and thought - 'How dare they when we're trying to clean up... usher in a new era... blah blah blah". Then I stopped. Rabobank are not doing this to punish cycling in general - least of all their riders in particular. They are doing this because the UCI has now been well and truly exposed as a completely corrupt and corrupting organisation. Corrupting and destroying a sport it was created to protect and promote. It seems to me that the UCI is the alpha and the omega of this whole sorry saga. My reply being: It is not so much a matter of the UCI having any balls as a matter of misdiagnosis. Rather than accepting offers of witches and scapegoats it may be time to ask some serious questions of the UCI. Like when will they be recognised as the rather dishonourable organisation they have become, when will they be diagnosed and removed before metastasis endangers the entire organism?
Sarah
Guest
I agree entirely. It seems that as long as Travis Tygart got "his man" and got his name and face into every publication across the world, he's a lot less concerned about getting anyone else. It is an absolute disgrace that millions are happy to lynch Armstrong, while those around him who admitted to doing the same thing hide behind Armstrong, blame him for their own decisions in life and take a slap on the wrist.
Sarah
Guest
"The real tragedy rests with those who were bullied into doping." Come on, are we actually letting these guys claim peer pressure? How old are they and in what high school are we playing this ridiculous scenario out in?! I can just picture it now, Hamilton holding a syringe, gets busted by his parents and claims it wasn't his, he was just holding it for Lance. How about these guys man up and admit it was their choice! Everybody has a choice, even people who cycled with Lance had a choice! It is completely unacceptable and pitiful to blame anybody else for the poor decisions they made in life. I watched every single stage Lance ever raced in and sat in awe every time he spoke. So I thoroughly understand that he carried serious clout. But if the world wants to see Lance "come clean", I want to see those who testified against him come clean too, because if a person has any ounce of morals, they cannot be broken, by anyone. If you're willing to break them for anyone else, I don't believe they were ever there in the first place! And as for Cadel Evans, he is staying suspiciously quiet considering his suspicious connections! Considering a good few stories was all it took to bring Lance down, Cadel has a lot to prove!
Sarah
Guest
That is an absolutely disgraceful thing to say. You may not agree with what he allegedly did to win on the bike but the cancer community is certainly much richer for his survival!
WoobliesFan
Guest
First line is spot on.....SPOT ON!.....2nd, I'll leave it alone.
kid
Guest
true... but if a 16 year old wins the under 14 road race he's no hero.
vitalyg
Roar Guru
Hmm, you know, it's been like two days. I'm sure the revelations in the USADA report are a launching pad for many actions you mention above. I'm not clear as to why you feel it was possible to do it all simultaneously. Or maybe you don't feel that way, but you certainly come across that way in your post.
vitalyg
Roar Guru
I'm not too comfortable with the 6-month suspensions myself, but I also realize that to catch the big fish, you have to let a few small fish go. Hincapie is retired, so not much can be done against him, but I hope that UCI takes the USADA case to CAS and demands 2-year bans across the board. And this being Levi's second time getting busted, he should get a lifetime ban. I doubt that the U.S. attorney will reopen the case against Armstrong. First of all, the conduct he's accused of is not illegal in the U.S. What the investigation was focused on was whether US Postal (read: government) money was used to buy illicit substances. That could be charged as fraud, etc. With two recent botched prosecutions of athletes, I'm not sure the government is going to go after Armstrong again, but if his image drops further, perhaps once the elections pass the district attorney will give it another go. It seems Bruyneel is on the hook in Belgium. Hope they put that bastard away for a bit.
William Goat
Guest
In addendum to my previous post, I ask the jury/audience to consider the following scenario- Team BMC rides a tactically triumphant race & overhauls Team Sky during the TdF 2012 & finishes as winners with Cadel Evans the winner of the GC (ably assisted by one G. Hincapie as chief lieutenant) general cheering all around or do we hear a chorous of boos because Hincapie is a drug cheat & all wins associated with him are tainted ? What do you mean we didn't know he was a confessed drug cheat ? until after the race was over (conveniently) for everyone & now he has retired ? Oh, you mean we only want to punish the arrogant one but otherwise everyone else can go about their business as before except those who have retired or will have served their 'bans' prior to the start of a new season. Oh I see, now we have convicted the central star of the biggest conspiracy in doping & cycling history we don't need to worry about anyone else, after all, the whole problem is fixed ! Yay for us ! The USADA's king, we sure showed that arrogant Texan bastard ! So what of the rest of cycling ? Is it clean now ? Has anyone gained from the blood-letting ? Have new processes been put in place to control the sport ? Are the sanctions/bans we instituted a deterent for future athletes ? Have we stopped this ridiculous, drawn out process from occuring again ? What yardsticks do we have to measure our future performance by to ensure we do better next time in consideration of our current performance ? Or is the whole show more about getting LA & f**k cycling , it will survive, just let me get my 15 minutes ?
Cycling
Guest
I think what Lance Armstrong is doing right now is having a good laugh at everyone, he was in cycling for the money and now that he has made that money, I don't think he cares what people think of him. I am saying this because I can't fathom how someone could ever do what he did to cycling if he had any respect or love for the sport. In my opinion he would miss his money more than he will ever miss the titles.
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
His empire was built on crossing a finnish line before his competitors.
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
"How much did he defraud from TourismSA. Was it $2.5m?" I think most would agree that Tourism SA gat their money's worth, was the Sydney Olympics a failure because of positive Drug tests by athletes? They got more than $2.5m worth of value easily.
William Goat
Guest
It concerns me that people such as Hincapie gave evidence to the USADA before they competed in this years TdF & despite the USADA knowing they had admitted to doping offences they were still able to compete. It seems the UCI has been complicit in covering up doping & sweeping scandal under the proverbial carpet, has the USADA got it's own carpet ? The bans seem to be conveniently over the off-season too, which again makes me wonder what banning them is supposed to achieve if it doesn't stop them from competing ? & since LA is sooo guilty, & for example, Hincapie is so very strongly linked to LA, shouldn't he be getting the same treatment as LA ? Or is my impression that the USADA deemed the show trial of getting LA more important than actually cleaning up the doping & the sport of cycling closer to the mark than I wish it might be ? I have written long & hard for the rights of LA under the legal process the USADA uses, never having claimed his actual guilt or innocence, so I accept he is guilty as charged given the evidence the USADA has compiled. However, is this only about LA ? or is the USADA supposed to be the guardian at the gate of the whole sport ? Another question also comes to mind. Now that the USADA has proven so strenuously it's case against LA, has it not also proven that the US District Attorney of California would be able to re-open it's own previously abandoned investigation into the US Postal team ? I await with eagerness to see what comes from this judgement & who follows through & in what manner.
Bondy.
Guest
I dont like this Australian angle looking heavilly all to clean ,it really doesnt sit well with me,just on Rogers "its not a whitch hunt" he rode for T Moblie for quite some time aiding Ulrich up against ironically Armstrongs Discovery team.
midfield general
Guest
Just read Rupert Guiness' piece about Rogers and Ferrari on SMH. C'mon Mick, attending a training camp with Leipheimer, Vino, Popovych, Kashechkin and expect us to believe you were sitting around drinking coffee? It seems clear that there is only one reason to consult the Italian Dr Evil in view of USADA report. I find the silence of current members of peloton, especially the Australians, deafening. If likes of Cadel and Rogers want to continue to derive public and corporate support as pro cyclists then they have a responsibility to clarify their position, especially as their names have been linked to Ferrari. Not to mention Matt White (US Postal ) and Neil Stephens (Festina) who worryingly hold positions as DS with Green Edge....People in cycling talk about moving forward but same characters with shady pasts keep getting recycled, it seems.
hamleyn
Roar Guru
Fair enough, a good view to have. I suppose I'm along a similar vein. I believe in their performance, unless it looks suspect (still can't quite believe Wiggins' performance this year). But I don't believe anything that comes out of their mouths anymore when it comes to doping. They've lied and duped us for so long, the sceptic in me just refuses to take anything they say on face value. Hein denying his "Lance never never never doped" seriously nearly made me wet myself with laughter. He is by far and away the biggest lunatic the world has ever seen. I could imagine him quite literally running around with fingers in his ears going BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Sammy Sanchez has had a few shady dealings himself if my memory serves me correctly (wasn't he investigated after winning Gold at the '08 Olympics?). Frankly, it doesn't surprise me he said that, no matter how ludicrous it may seem.
sittingbison
Guest
sorry, not Kimmage lol to be sure to be sure. But I did chip in to the Kimmage fund. Which is a clear demonstration that cycling fans have had enough of Hein and Fat Pat lying to and deceiving them. Even today Hein came out and flatly denied he ever said the infamous "Lance never never never doped" comment. Funnily enough, I have not lost faith even in the cyclists. I just look at the performance with open eyes, and if it looks strange am able to question it regardless of the rider. Made that choice when LeMond was getting dropped early 90s. The crucial distinction to genuine skepticism is that the performance is real unless it looks strange. Just like Tim says, the day I can't believe in the performance is the day I give up on the sport. As I have said numerous times, it pains me that the cyclists live in a bubble, are removed from reality, and are unable to say "Its great they are catching dopers". Yesterday Sami Sanchez 2008 gold medallist came out and said Lance was great and innocent until proven guilty. After the Reasoned Decision. Sheesh.
Sean Lee
Expert
Sounds like a great idea! I've foolishly set myself the goal of completing the 3 peaks challenge in 2014, so I might save it up until after that!
Rhys
Guest
Sean, the likes of Leipheimer, Zabriskie, Vande Velde, and Danielson may be rubbing their hands together with glee at a virtual off season ban, but I'll be very surprised to see any of them present on the 2013 Pro Tour. Given they're all in the mid to late 30s age bracket, together with their admitting to prolonged use of banned substances, I doubt their respective teams will want their drug cheating shadows hanging over the peleton. I doubt the majority of cycling fans would miss any of them.
hamleyn
Roar Guru
Whoa, with that level of scepticism, I'd be forgiven for thinking sittingbison was a pseudonym for Paul Kimmage! I haven't completely lost faith in the sport of cycling but I have in the cyclists themselves. Which is such a shame because, as you said, those guys listed above were my heroes. And all of them are cheating scum.