Dear Lance Armstrong,
I’ve been in quite a state this week, ever since you announced you were going on Oprah and word got out about your impending confession. I’ve been pacing around the house, my insides at a continuous low boil, and pretty soon I’m going to lose all my friends because my internal focus is bordering on a mood disorder. It finally dawned on me that I will get no sleep until I get a few things off my chest and into your head for consideration.
Deep inside I always hoped you would come clean. But you need to understand something. Even people who struggle to follow reality TV show story lines can see through you now. The motivation behind all your decisions is to preserve your ability to be a rich, public figure. Without an identity in sports, you can not achieve that, and for now, you are banned from sports for life, at least the ones that are governed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) like running and triathlon.
If you can change public opinion enough, you believe that you can get your ban reduced for your disgusting crimes against the athlete profession and the career trajectories you’ve negatively affected…allowing your return to competition in triathlon in a few years. Nobody ever said you weren’t smart.
If public opinion shifts enough such that you lose your leprotic status in the sports world, the governing body of Triathlon may start to view you as a way to raise the profile of their sport. They just might come to your aid, giving you the arena for athletic prowess that you so desperately need in order to remain relevant.
You know what just might make your plan work, Lance? The silence of professional athletes on this issue. Over the years, we have all been taught that taking a public position on you is a lose-lose situation. One outspoken tweet previously prompted 80 angry replies by your army of defenders. Your army was so strong that endurance athletes trying to build fledgling public identities of their own couldn’t afford to speak their minds. Even though everyone now knows the truth, we have been trained in silence. But things are going to change, Lance.
Professional athletes are going to realize that unless we speak up, the governing bodies of our sports will make the decisions for us. They will mistake our silence for approval. We have seen what you and your friends have done to the sport of cycling, and we will not trade the integrity of our sport for the media coverage that you may bring us. If our governing bodies are going to go to bat for you, they will do so knowing that they will have a mutiny on their hands.
Why would we fight so hard to protect our sports? Here’s what you have never understood, Lance, in all your years as an athlete. To you, the most important thing in sports is winning. But the central tenet of being a professional athlete is not winning; it is fair play. In your warped world, everyone is a cheater, but in reality, 99% of us are doing it right. A commitment to fair play is THE defining element of the profession. We sign agreements to it. Regularly. If you violate that, you may seek forgiveness as a person, but you need to find a new job. The public may not understand sports as a profession, which could lead them to feel sorry for you, but we will help them understand.
A doctor who intentionally harms a patient will never practice medicine again because the central tenet of medicine is to “do no harm.” A lawyer who lies under oath or commits a crime will never practice law again, because adherence to the law is the foundation of their profession. If a financial planner steals a client’s money, if a teacher has a sexual relationship with a student…each profession has its unforgivable sin, and in sports it is doping. I do not wish for you to go to hell, or live a miserable life…I simply want you, along with all the other cheaters, to find a new profession so that mine continues to mean something.
There will still be pro athletes who are reluctant to speak up, but to them I will say this: For every cheater, there are 99 of us doing it right. If we allow our governing bodies to aid in softening Lance’s sentence, we will suffer far more than we benefit. If we allow Lance to be used as a marketing tool to elevate the public profile of our sports, guess who will swallow all the appearance fees? Guess who will drain the sponsorship budgets? Do you really think you will be on an even playing field with someone who can demand that the fastest bikes and the best gear be saved exclusively for him? Guess who will cast a shadow of doubt on your clean performances? Is it worth it? If we don’t start taking a firm line on cheating, demanding lifetime bans for all athletes who intentionally cheat, then we have no profession. We must take a stand for fair play, and the time is now.
I beg you Lance. Do the right thing tonight. True forgiveness comes to those who not only apologize, but stop contributing to the problem. Make a career for yourself as an advocate for cancer, or pour your heart into a working class job like your clean competitors have had to do to make an honest living. Real people are hurt by cheaters, and a person who was truly regretful would see that. We compete clean. It is our hippocratic oath; our swearing in. Our profession will never be a true profession until we draw a hard line protecting what we stand for. You have an opportunity to do something noble tonight, Lance. Retire.
Sincerely,
Lauren Fleshman
Professional runner drawing a hard line for #FairPlay.
I’m sure my son a special Olympian and his team mates run clean! Thats a competition worth watching!!!!!!
That’s an ingoineus way of thinking about it.
Lauren – thanks for this. This is EXACTLY what I have been thinking (without me having the eloquence to put it so well).
Well said Lauren, thank you for so eloquently putting into words what so many of us feel. I say that what Armstrong did is worse than the doping of team sport athletes like Barry Bonds or even Olympians. That’s because ball players’ and Olympians’ role in their sports, while important, is one small part of a large number of contests that involve many athletes. But Lance Armstrong completely ruined those Tour de France events in every single year that he doped and won, because winning is THE singular goal of the Tour. The incredible efforts of all those athletes, trainers, supporters, organizers and sponsors were all crushed and spat upon by one incredibly selfish, inconsiderate man. His transgression is further compounded because the Tour is the preeminent event for an entire country and for an entire sport. Every Frenchman and cycling fan was also cheated out of their once a year big event by this heartless, cruel liar. I am a humble amateur triathlete, but I don’t cheat and I sure as heck don’t want Lance Armstrong associated with my sport.
Lance did terrible things. He ruined some cycling careers, he made a mockery of many believers, he belittled, he lied, he stole money, ruined a business… the list goes on. Oh, and yes, he took drugs. But this for me is the least of the crimes because in cycling he arrived on the scene when this was the prevalent culture. I don’t like it, but putting yourself in his position all those years ago – a top (if not THE top) rider on a world level KNOWING that success would not be possible unless you took drugs. On one of the 2012 Tour’s big climbs the time for the fastest guy to the top would have ranked 49th ten years ago. Clearly he was one cheat amongst many. I hate that, but for me it gives some perspective. More is said of Lance than ever was said of Eastern Bloc athletes (and a few Chinese athletes), especially the female athletes where many world records are still out of reach and will be, maybe forever. It takes stronger moral fortitude than most of us have to say No.
Lance committed very big wrongs, but it is also wrong to exaggerate his deeds. He did not single-handedly ruin the careers of clean riders – he needed a peleton of dirty riders to help. It is also wrong to draw even a vague comparison with child molestation.
There are many, many people who have committed infinitely more heinous crimes than Lance’s. And they have drawn only a fraction of the intensity of ire.
Personally, I hope he gets a second chance… and that’s even though I believe he was still lying to Oprah – 2009, 2010 tours.
Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France clean in an era of dopers. To say doping was required for winning is to ignore the great feats achieved by those with true odds stacked against them.
-SD
Well said Lauren. The attention and recognition should go to all the honest athletes not ones who try to cheat the system and whose only regret is getting caught.
Great article Lauren – Jesse has competition in the writing stakes! One thing I’d like to know; if Lance did come totally clean and somehow find it within himself to show true remorse (unlikely, but let’s just dream…), do you think there could be any role for him in sport in future? I’m no LA fan by the way; I was prompted to ask as I am a triathlete (of sorts) who couldn’t help notice you quote Bishop Tutu on your site – a noble and wonderful human being rightly revered for his role in South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process. I’m South African too and have found myself surprisingly torn between absolutely damning Lance and willing him to prove himself worthy of forgiveness…
Thanks Alan. Yes, I think that if Lance were truly regretful, there is always a space for forgiveness, but I still believe that athletes that have doped at his magnitude should not be permitted to return to elite level sports as professionals. I believe that life is rich and full and if Lance is to fully absorb what he and other athletes have done, he would be inspired to do something significant to fix the problem, and would recognize that he has disgraced himself as a profesional sportsman, but that he can still do a lot of good. He can lead a movement for Anti-doping. He can promise not to capitalize on his athletic fame in the future if he continues to compete, refusing appearance fees and endorsements that would all have been earned on a dirty past. His entire image was built on lies, and even if he stops doping, he will be taking what little money triathlon and running have for professionals for simply showing up and running the Chicago Marathon as a celebrity for example? It is simply wrong for my moral compass to do that, and a repentant man would see how he affects the sport as a whole and do only good from now on, with no monetary agenda.
I wish so much that he would apply his passion and dedication to something of that nature.
Well done, thanks for speaking up. We need to hear from more professionals on this (for the reasons you note)
As previously stated, he should get the same punishment as the others (6 months). People will always doubt his achievements. Everything will be suspect. That should bother him as much as being banned in the long term.
Or perhaps the others should get the same punishment as Lance! Which of course I know is not possible, but the point is that Lance provides the ultimate example of the fact that our system is far too soft, and that athletes who are doing it right need to learn from this lesson that we better speak up and demand tougher sanctions or we’re effed.
I believe in second chances. A lifetime ban for him or anyone else is too much on the first offense. Would almost seem that getting caught rather than admitting is a lesser offense? There was still no direct evidence that he cheated when WADA banned him.
If he was doping for such a long time, why would that be considered a 2nd chance? He was continually cheating, it was not a one time event..
My point was that people like him, Hamilton, et al do not stop this until they get caught. To them this is justified. Only when they realize the repercussions do they straighten up. The rules (precedent) has been 6 months on your first offense. Even though, technically, he was never caught, the WADA went for lifetime ban before the Oprah moment.
Contador was likely cheating in his previous wins but was not caught. When he was caught, he received 6 months and lost 1title. Nobody presumed he was guilty, stripped him, and banned him for life.
Not defending Lances behavior, but trying to apply the same methods to the punishment.
Thank you for this post. Well done!
Scott
Wait, 99% of elite cyclists at the time were doing it clean? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that’s a great joke.
That is not what I am saying at all. I am saying that of the total number of people pouring their heart into running and triathlon as a full commitment, professionals in their lifestyle and dedication, (not just the people you see on TV), 99% of them are doing it clean. I have no illusions that the tour de france was 99% clean, or anywhere even close!
Lauren, you say “…I have no illusions that the tour de france was 99% clean, or anywhere even close!…” Then if that was the case with EVERYONE racing (and in pro cycling in the time), shouldn’t that be taken into consideration? Do you, as a pro, really advocate a lifetime ban if caught? What about guys like David Millar who was touted as “the” next great thing in cycling? He tested positive, served a suspension and is not only back to cycling and successful but a great and honest advocate against doping AND beloved by his peers and the fans in the sport alike? I think EVERYONE is worthy of a chance at redemption and they continue to provide role models that show that we’re all human, capable of mistakes but more importantly…capable of rising above them to become better people.
David Millar, is a great example because he came clean and suggested maybe his ban was not significant enough. Armstrong tested positive multiple times and covered it up knowingly. Armstrong threatened people that told the truth, Armstrong threatened teammates that questioned using substances for armstrong’s gain. Armstrong very obviously continued to lie to Oprah on his “apology” he deserves no respect and should not be allowed to compete in the Austin Texas 5 k let alone a world class event. Armstrong should not only be banned for life but should be fined, significantly, since every penny he ever made was because of substance abuse. I do feel sorry for his kids having to live with their fathers disgrace. I hope he is able to change something to be able to raise honest kids. In the meantime lets stop talking about him and continuing to feed into this, lets go out and race clean.
So many things make this world wnoedrful to me.Like my backyard or the fire fighters,trees,myroom.But most of all my parents.the trees giveme oxygen to breath,the fire fighters make sure no one gets hurt.My room gives me space and shelter,the backyard let me play.And my parents,they take care of me.So you see i could keepnameing until i run out of room.
Outstanding article, Lauren. You make me proud to be an athlete. There has been so much rationalizing and hypocrisy about doping. You give me hope that we can still have a world and a sport where people have ideals and stand up for them.
As much as I dislike the guy, I don’t see how any other pro-cyclist is/was banned for 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years for getting caught doping, yet Lance is banned for life.
At the end of the day, we don’t know how ruthless and evil behind the scenes everyone else was, because they’re not in the spotlight like Lance has been, so from a judicial system standpoint, it is ridiculous that he should be banned for life and others caught doping weren’t / aren’t.
Banned for life is too light a sentence. He should be doing jail time. What Lance Armstrong did was cheat to such an extreme degree that no one else had a chance to win in SEVEN tours. He detroyed the event SEVEN times. The hundreds of other competitors, trainers and support teams who worked so hard to have an opportunity to compete in and win the tour in each of those years had no chance due to Armstrong’s extreme cheating. To me, that’s criminal. And don’t give me that “everyone cheats” because they don’t. Some dope and get caught and punished. Some dope and probably get away with it. But, believe it or not, there are a lot of people in this world, including the sports world, with pride, self-respect and integrity. Most people are not slime balls. And in any case, the result of other participants’ doping come nowhere near the catastrophic results of Armstrong’s: robbing every other competitor of the opportunity to win the tour SEVEN times.
I think I read a study in Runnersworld that said more than 50% of those surveyed
would take PEDs if they could win an Olympic medal, even if the drugs led to
health issues down the road. I believe more than 1% of professional racers have used PEDs or other methods of cheating, Even non-professionals have used PEDs. I could probably have gotten EPO as an ICU nurse.Would I have used it?
I concur with your idealistic level playing field, but it is far from real.
While cycling is in the news, I believe many if not most other sports are affected,
especially pro football, but they studiously avoid significant testing.
Incidentally, I have to laugh: Eddy Merckx had the nerve to condemn Lance
even though he himself had tested positive for PEDs in his career and even was
kicked out of the Giro after a positive result.
Excellent.
Hilarious that she is so disturbed by this. Really, you couldnt sleep and your insides boil…how pathetic! I wish my life was so easy that I had nothing else to concern myself with except for what another athlete did with THEIR own body! MOVE ON PEOPLE!!!
You realize by composing this “article” you are only increasing Armstrong’s time in the spotlight. Do us all a favor and let Lance die the slow and lonely death that he has created for himself. Every time someone brings him up (in good taste or bad) it only perpetuates his legacy. Pete Rose is banned from baseball, Lance will be banned from Cycling. Everyone knows his crimes. Having him win a few local triathlons will not change this.
Lauren,
As one of the Lance fans who held out for his actual confession, I certainly concur that THE only way to cure this PED epidemic in all sports is the institution of a “One & Done” lifetime ban for verified PED use. As a college runner in the late 1970’s I knew no one who used PED’s other than the extra cup of coffee, and it has forever been disheartening to hear of elite professionals and even high level age groupers stooping to cheating. Your take on how it affects professional endurance athletes is dead on and the harm it does to all the silver medal winners is irrepairable. Let’s hope others will follow your lead on this!
Steve
I would:
Send a letter and form to document to every athlete overseen by WADA requiring them to sign one of two limes: (a) I am an athlete who has neve cheated in any fashion x____________
(b) I am an athlete who has cheated by the method(s) of _____. It is the duty of all my fellow athletes to sign an identical. petitition of their own free will, not to seek leniency nor deny their competitors the opportunity confess their error
Thanks for this Lauren, my runner teenage daughter is a big fan of yours and I can now see why. Her and I have talked a lot about this, and she herself has said exactly as you have, that Lance should just disappear out to the public eye as a favor to endurance sports. Let’s hope more professional athletes match your boldness!
Well written article Lauren.
Three things: (1.) You can’t call out an athlete because of your personal suspicious, how fair is that? I would rather see a dirty athlete get away, rather than see a clean athlete get falsely accused. There are so many professional athletes only a few degrees from suspicion, that if individual athletes take it upon themselves to call out other athletes, there would be a lot of collateral damage. (It would be a big mess.) Are you familiar with the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1940s? (2.) I believe in 2nd chances; I believe in redemption; I believe in forgiveness. Human beings are capable of making mistakes (big mistakes), redeeming themselves and becoming a better person. Lookup the Apostle Paul, Eva Peron or Malcolm X, etc. (3.) Lance is a liar and a cheat; is that an unforgivable sin? Lance cheated in a sport, is that equal to being a pedophile?
Btw, this is not about defending Lance, it’s about logic, principals and perspective.
Lauren:
While 99 percent of certain groups of runners may or may not be doping, I think it’s a bit foolish to claim that 99 percent of the Tour de France peloton also is. The sport of cycling has become a joke, but I do believe Lance when he says that he felt it was a level playing field and to most cyclists in the peloton, and that it was akin to pumping up his tires and drinking water. Landis suggested 80 percent of the peloton was using transfusions and EPO while he was riding.
Not saying what he did was right, but just to point out that we aren’t going to find a leader in the sport of cycling to be a good example, because any winner of a major tour who claims not to be using is a liar just like Lance. The more troubling aspect of Lance to me is not that he used PEDs, but that he ruined lives, threatened people, intimidated others, and displayed unbridled selfishness. It’s sad for people who want to believe in the goodness of sports that a man who to some seemed like such a paragon of competition, perseverance, and hard work could be so heartless to other people in the process. I’d say that’s far worse than adding a drop to the pond of doping in cycling.
wow…..as an age grouper, i so applaude your stance on this issue. a very powerful letter. thank you
Good read and fair point. You have plenty of experience and credibility to have a well written and valid opinion BUT, your opinion is too presumptuous and unfair.
I always question what athletes contribute to society. They’re supposed to be our hero’s, someone we can look up to and strive to be, bettering ourselves in the process. But sometimes we forget they’re human. They fall and because we place them so high, they fall really hard. Then we bash, beat, and shake our heads in disappointment. No athlete has contributed as much to society as he has. He’s done more than just start a small business or help market a cause. He’s created an institution that has raised millions, spread awareness, and he has educated hundreds of thousands. We can’t ignore all the good he’s already done. Many elites (ill be careful and try not to generalize) bitch and moan about doing anything outside of athletics because it affect “recovery.” Many elites are inherently selfish and contribute nothing to society. They instead try to do the least amount of work to appease their sponsors. Give me free stuff, some money, and ill tell everyone about your product on my blog that maybe a hundred people read. Words like “support” and phrases like “travel stipends” mean more to athletes than the development of a product line. Lance used his position to create a foundation and you fail to recognize the complexity of the situation by placing him with other elites who contribute little.
Why do you think you’re allowed to say what he deserves? Especially as an elite, I’d imagine you’d show more empathy. Can you imagine if someone told you to stop doing something you love? I can’t. And what power or insight do you think you posses to claim he should find a new job? You’re right, he committed one of the most heinous crimes by tricking people. He can’t be trusted nor should he ever be. But that’s why we should place pressure on the governing bodies instead of the athletes. Showing hatred and lacking compassion is not the same as “protecting your sport” or challenging a system that makes a sport fair. Just like a screaming 6 year old at restaurant, we should blame the parents who’s responsibility it is to keep their child in check.
You misinterpret intolerance for your “moral compass”. Demanding a lifetime bans is not “taking a firm line against cheating”! Again, what power do you think you posses that gives you the right to tell someone “stop doing what you have loved to do all your life”? That’s not how we learn. Hitting a child as punishment teaches the child to fear and hate, not to understand. Lifetime bans open the flood-gates for fear, paranoia, abuse, and corruption by a governing body that’s already on shaky ground.
You can’t say what’s important or what drives all athletes and you unfairly swap Lance’s motivation to win and his “monetary agenda.” Lance could’ve retired in the 90’s when he was rolling in millions. Cycling isn’t like running. There’s actually a high demand for it. His pursuit for the development of the foundation and pursuit for athletic excellence should show why he’s not in it for the money, especially for some half-ass appearance fee from a marathon. Again, there’s much more money in cycling than running or triathlon.
Your courageousness is misguided. You don’t represent pro athletes reluctant to speak up. Your opinion is only your own and it is presumptuous to think otherwise. From now on, Lance will never be used to “elevate” any sports public profile. I’m surprised you can’t see this. Instead he will be seen as a cheater and doubts will always be present. He’ll have a very dark shadow over him. I know he does when he shows up at a local group run in Austin. Why can’t he be seen as the reason why we put more pressure on WADA, IOC, USADA, etc?
The hardest part about writing this post was showing respect. I’m not trying to insult you but am only trying to give another point of view, one that is rare and unpopular. I think words like compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and learning are taken as being weak. Without sounding to hippy-dippy, fear makes other fearful and hate brings hate.
I love you blog, thinks its one of the few honest and original ones, but think you should’ve slept on this one a bit more. I feel your resentment, anger, or frustration (like many) is misguided.
Cheers,
Matt K
Matt,
I don’t really understand your veiw on punishment. I think the definition of punishiment is something along the lines of imposing something unpleasant on a person as a response to some unwanted or immoral behavior or disobedience they have displayed. In Lance’s case there was plenty of immoral behavior deserving the punishment he received. Is it okay for a heroine addict to do heroine because they love it, or a child molestor to do what they love. I think poor little Lance will be able to find some other avenue of competition that he’ll eventually love. He can still ride his bike and go for a run. He can live is life out like the rest of us normal people. It’s the road that he choose to take. I wish for the sake of the sport and other sports he would have been truthful and competed within his natural abilty, but he choose otherwise. It really is a shame but I certainly don’t feel sorry for him. I agree we should forgive him, but his punishment fits the crime in my opinion.
Owen
Wow Ms. Lauren,
You opened up a can of worms didn’t ya?!?!
Always the rebel!
Hey start another more positive thread about your impending parenthood!
Being a parent is the best thing that ever happened to me and maybe even saved my life back in the 70’s if y’all know what I mean. Living in Santa Cruz if you catch my drift!
Mulling any names?
That’s right Lauren… you speak the truth about mr. armstrong!!! (notice the intentional non caps).
II have one question that is clearly never going to be answered, and that is … Lance Armstrong’s samples when tested originally came up negative (there was no test for EPO at that time), the samples were frozen and retrospectively tested again in 2005 when a test for EPO had been created. Did all the other competitors that took part in the tour for those years have their samples re-tested at the same time – is this the reason that a new winner for each of the 7 tours has not been announced??
I do not condone what he has done, but judging by the number of cyclists who have tested positive for drug taking over the years, it’s a pretty dirty sport, if every other cyclist in those 7 tours did EPO then it was a level playing field, he still won.
Tina, you raise an excellent pint and in my opinion one that is at the heart of this matter in the first place. The reason Lane’s wins have remained vacated in the record books is because as a Bicycling magazine a few moths ago showed…you’d have to go to the 14th overall finisher or farther back to find a racer that hasn’t tested positive for doping and either been suspended or banned from the sport in each of those years. This isn’t a case that lots of guys were “clean” and only a few were doping, it actually the total opposite. I think those names should stay. Heck put asterisks by them to show the “age of doping” in cycling and we and the sport move on.
Lauren,
Thanks for this post, for your voice!
Kuddos to you Lauren for speaking up! Hopefully the whole country is now more eyes wide open in regards to Lance and the kind of person he is. I hope that the lifetime ban remains. While I certainly support second chances just as you pointed out some things don’t get a second chance. Lance’s action should result in the punishment he got. End of story. He can move on and do something else but he shouldn’t be allowed back into a sport regardless of the reasons. The whole everybody was doing it excuse doesn’t work for me and it certainly didn’t work for my mother when I was growing up. ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Lance will be given a second chance in that he can find a new path but he shouldn’t be given a second one in any sport that adheres to the doping ban.
Thank you Lauren Fleshman for writing this very elegant letter to Lance Armstrong and you hit the nail right on the proverbial head. Cheaters and Dopers need to find a real working job, they didn’t follow the rules, they broke them…leave being a professional athlete to those who believe in fair play and following the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules as well as the sport rules. Sport organizers, don’t give-in to a ‘has been’, a ‘cheater’, a ‘doper’ who you think will give your sport visibility, it sure will for all the WRONG reasons. Corporations, endorsements; give your millions you paid for these “cheaters’ and ‘dopers’ to REAL athletes who deserve the right to showcase their athleticism and their sport on a professional, clean level.
The thing that bothers me the most is the changing of winners in the previous races that Lance won. Not saying Lance should keep his wins. However if you simply move up the standings and award the former silver or second place winner first place or gold. How do you factor in breakaways that could have involved Lance. If a person drafts behind a team car they can be penalized. If a person drafts behind a doped cyclist in front of them. Or shares a workload in a breakaway with a doped cyclist. They gain an unfair advantage. I suppose there is no true remedy short of scratching all the results and having the race redone which is unfeasible so I suppose the way things are being done is the most fairest feasible thing to do. Though I wouldn’t call it the most fairest. I suppose Doping in a such a sport which is big on drafting and team work if done by even one rider muddies the result of the entire race.
For years and years I held Lance up to my kids as a model….not only did he lie to the entire world, bilk sponsors and private citizens out of millions of dollars—but the guy lied to his own kids!!! He deserves whatever he gets, and I won’t be shedding any tears for him…
Everyone makes mistakes or may have a lapse in good judgement but Lance took this way to far.One lie led to the next until there was no graceful way to come clean. I hope young aspiring athletes learn from this mans stupidity.
Thanks for the post!
Honestly, he ought to be run over with his own bicycle.
He knew full well what he was doing and lied repeatedly.
Lying is a choice and he made plenty of bad ones.
Great post!
I couldn’t have said it better myself, Lauren. Outstanding and very well written. I agree with Richard, I won’t be shedding any tears either.
Look up the drug bust records of every person who finished on the podium with Lance during his 7 tour titles. That’s 14 additional podium spots. 2 of them weren’t either busted via a drug test or confessed as part of an investigation. Those two were still part of teams with cheaters. I always assumed Lance cheated because it WORKS (unfortunately) and he would not have won if he didn’t. Period. No amount of hard work would have gotten him there. And he didn’t beat out some innocent athlete that would have won. Those athletes didn’t exist. I think Lance is a narcissistic, petty, self-aggrandizing ass. But the more this story has unfolded, the more sympathetic I’ve become, oddly enough. Let him compete. He’s already rich. He’s not doing it for the money because he won’t win any. He’s past his prime and everyone who beats him gets immeasurable bragging rights. Cheating implies you’re doing something the rest of the field isn’t. For cycling in the 90’s, doping was part of the “rules”. It was implicitly allowed – not explicitly but still allowed. Take the free pub, triathlete. If you’re in the top 10% of the professional ranks, you’ll beat him.
Now tell me that wouldn’t feel good!
Thanks for posting this outstanding article. I am a healthcare professional and my wife, five kids, and myself are avid bicycle riders. My high school daughter races on her school team. And, my oldest son does the same for his college team. The endless lying about his use of performance enhancing drugs is the eye opener for me. Reminds me somewhat of the denial that alcoholics and those addicted to both legal and illegal drugs rap around themselves.
Lauren,
I am not sure how I found your website, but I am glad I did! Your words were sharp and harsh and I loved it! Someone needed to say it. I am glad someone with a louder voice did just that. And yes, I realize I am six months late to the party. 😉
very nice post, my spouse and i certainly adore this website, keep on it
Lauren,
You’re MY hero…not the Lance Armstrongs and the like…
Kenny Ziedman
Great article, Lauren. You make me feel good being an athlete. There has been so much talk about the doping and other medical usbstances There has been so much rationalizing and hypocrisy about doping. You give me hope that where are people who still have ideks and stand up for them.
Thank you for your post. Wonderful writing.
Thank you Lauren, it’s unlikely he would have read those words if they were from a non professional athlete. I run & bike and am a big fan of both. I love to compete in both, but it empties my lungs when I find out that the best of the sport is an illusion.