Tout est fini
Lance Armstrong is not the greatest cyclist in history. That honor belongs to Eddie Merckx. Lance was and is a remarkable athlete, a freak of nature with incredible lung capacity, stamina, focus, and will. To people suffering cancer or other life-threatening disease, Lance is a hero who faced impossible odds and triumphed.
Today, after refusing to continue fighting allegations that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency stripped him of all athletic titles earned since August 1, 1998. Lance is also barred from competing in Olympic or professional sports for the rest of his life.
To many, this comes as a tacit admission of guilt. "See, I told you he was doping," a co-worker addressed me this morning.
I can't agree.
Ever since his first Tour de France win in 1999, Lance has been dogged by allegations of doping. Ever since then, he has categorically denied it. “I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."
Doping is the curse of the professional cycling circuit. The winner of the 2010 Tour de France, Alberto Contador, recently had the maillot jaune figuratively stripped from his back and awarded to the second-place finisher, Andy Schleck, after being found guilty of doping.
Endurance athletes like cyclists are always seeking that little extra edge. They try to find ways to hold a little more oxygen in their blood or add muscle to power up the steep mountain stages where the race is won or lost. Not all of those are legal. Back in the early years, racers used ether or alcohol to dull the pain of lactic acid building up in the big leg muscles. Amphetamines were common, as was cocaine. Lately it's been steroids and EPO.
As Armstrong has repeatedly pointed out, there has never been credible evidence to support charges of illegal doping. His performance has always been extraordinary. His blood and urine tests have been clean.
But pedestals are built to give lesser men an easier target. The USADA's behavior has been questionable at best. Deals were made with riders who were themselves guilty of doping. Charges would be forgotten for their testimony against Armstrong. The agency would stay their hand until after the 2012 Tour de France.
Cycling is a brutally competitive sport. Sure, some athletes make friends with their opponents, but competition also creates resentment and ill will. How do you defend yourself against malicious allegations? How do you defend yourself when the lack of physical evidence is merely proof of your cunning and guile?
I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (The Crucible, by Arthur Miller)
"We're winning the fight against doping in sports!" crowed the USADA. Maybe they are. Maybe it's not a ruthless witch hunt by an ambitious prosecutor. Maybe Lance has been gaining unfair advantage from clever chemistry and lying through his teeth all this time. I'm not in a position to know.
I do know this. It's over. Here's the statement he made yesterday evening. Tout est fini. Until we find some other hero to humble.
Today, after refusing to continue fighting allegations that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency stripped him of all athletic titles earned since August 1, 1998. Lance is also barred from competing in Olympic or professional sports for the rest of his life.
To many, this comes as a tacit admission of guilt. "See, I told you he was doping," a co-worker addressed me this morning.
I can't agree.
Ever since his first Tour de France win in 1999, Lance has been dogged by allegations of doping. Ever since then, he has categorically denied it. “I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one."
Doping is the curse of the professional cycling circuit. The winner of the 2010 Tour de France, Alberto Contador, recently had the maillot jaune figuratively stripped from his back and awarded to the second-place finisher, Andy Schleck, after being found guilty of doping.
Endurance athletes like cyclists are always seeking that little extra edge. They try to find ways to hold a little more oxygen in their blood or add muscle to power up the steep mountain stages where the race is won or lost. Not all of those are legal. Back in the early years, racers used ether or alcohol to dull the pain of lactic acid building up in the big leg muscles. Amphetamines were common, as was cocaine. Lately it's been steroids and EPO.
As Armstrong has repeatedly pointed out, there has never been credible evidence to support charges of illegal doping. His performance has always been extraordinary. His blood and urine tests have been clean.
But pedestals are built to give lesser men an easier target. The USADA's behavior has been questionable at best. Deals were made with riders who were themselves guilty of doping. Charges would be forgotten for their testimony against Armstrong. The agency would stay their hand until after the 2012 Tour de France.
Cycling is a brutally competitive sport. Sure, some athletes make friends with their opponents, but competition also creates resentment and ill will. How do you defend yourself against malicious allegations? How do you defend yourself when the lack of physical evidence is merely proof of your cunning and guile?
I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (The Crucible, by Arthur Miller)
"We're winning the fight against doping in sports!" crowed the USADA. Maybe they are. Maybe it's not a ruthless witch hunt by an ambitious prosecutor. Maybe Lance has been gaining unfair advantage from clever chemistry and lying through his teeth all this time. I'm not in a position to know.
I do know this. It's over. Here's the statement he made yesterday evening. Tout est fini. Until we find some other hero to humble.