Dan's Blog: I Wanted To Believe In Lance...

I always wanted to believe that Lance Armstrong did not use performance enhancing drugs(PED), but there was always something about him that kept me from thinking that he was "squeaky clean". I remember when he showed up on the racing scene as a young cyclist. Much was written about him. Talented, headstrong, hard to coach, tempestuous were some of the things I remember. I found him to be very arrogant. He showed some promise in his younger years and competed in many events and proving himself in both amateur and pro cycling. In 1996 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and after a well publicised treatment, he was declared cancer free in February 1997. During his treatment,
his professional cycling team fired him. They did not think that he could return to professional cycling. They also were not sure he would live.

Here is where I really wanted to believe in him. He started training and reversing the ravages from his fight with cancer. The US Postal Cycling Team hired him and he went on to win seven straight Tour de France titles. Some naysayers said that he could only do this if he was taking PED's. He adamantly denied taking drugs. I even defended him saying that no doubt that he took one of the banned drugs EPO as part of his cancer treatment. He continued a fight against the allegations until 2012 when he was stripped of his Tour de France wins and banned from competing for life. During his defense, he testified under oath that he had not taken drugs, sued news media for there reporting and bullied his teammates that were testifying against him. He damaged a lot of lives. It was his ex-teammates and families testimonies to the USADA (United States Anti Drug Association) that finally allowed them to take action.

Some people have defended Lance by saying, "All the riders dope". Others have said of his defense, "Oh, everyone lies". When I raced bicycles, we knew what the rules were. The rule book had an extensive list of band substances. And we knew the consequences of being banned. I was never drug tested, that was usually reserved for the event winners, and, well, I never placed that well. But I knew that since excessive caffeine was on the banned list, I too had to watch it because even drinking too much coffee could trigger a positive test. We read about how the Europeans were really good at using PED's and it seemed to us that the penalties were not very severe. Unfortunatly professional bicycle racing is still experiencing severe drug use.

Now he has finally agreed to a interview with Oprah Winfrey. It aired last night. I finally watched part of the interview this morning on YouTube. I do not have access to Oprah's channel. She ask him straight away if he had used PED's and blood doping. His answer was "yes" to everything. I found it interesting that he was adamant that when he made his comeback in 2009 after retiring in 2005 that he was drug and doping free. And yet he still placed a respectable third in the Tour de France. I would like to believe that he still could have won previous Tour de France's without doing drugs or doping. It was hard to tell from the interview if he was really remorseful for what he did or if he was sorry that he was caught.

So now where does this go? Some say that this is a way for him to get back into competing in triathlons. That may or may not happen even if his ban is lifted in a few years. The USADA has commented that he would have to swear under oath to them before they would ever consider lifting the ban. His sponsors have dropped him, and some which includes the US Government are starting legal action to retrieve the money that was paid him. Will this leave him broke? He has been stripped of his 2000 Olympic Bronze Medal. He has separated from the Livestrong cancer research organization. How will it fair? An interview on TV this morning with the CEO made it sound like they have confidence that they can continue. I never bought one of their yellow wristbands. He has published two books (that I have read) about his life, cancer, recovery, Tour de France wins and how he did it all with just hard work. Will he write another book and finally tell all?

So, I always wanted to believe in Lance. I am glad he finally admitted his involvement and his lies. This is what I wanted all along. I still will have to decide if I ever want to believe in him.