I haven’t written in over a week now. I admit I feel guilty about that – there was a time when I wrote the occasional interesting blurb in amongst an almost daily blather of today on my ride… One can only talk about the same 14 kilometers so many times.
Of cours of late, I’ve been entirely distracted – my wife might say obsessed – with riding the fantastic Ridley X-Fire I was lucky enough to have my friends help me acquire. They spent their Friday night and all day Saturday on my scorching hot roof, re-shingling so I could afford to buy a new bike. It is a direct result of their willingness to help me that I have this bike. Each one of them is a participating member, nay, a founding member of our little ride-to-work clan. I have great friends.
But the shoe – what about the shoe? Well…if you follow cycling at all, then you probably know that today was the day that USADA dropped their Reasoned Decision on the UCI, this being the paperwork that outlines and supports their decision to sanction Saint Armstrong. Following on the heels of this 1000+ page tome (the summary is 202 pages alone) were a flurry of pro riders confessing their involvement in doping, their deep regret and their wish for a clean sport for the up-and-coming riders. They of course had no choice being their own affidavits detailing what they knew and why they knew it were included in the release.
My first reaction to seeing fan favourite George Hincapie’s sworn testimony that he and Lance used EPO and blood transfusions was congratulatory. I was glad to see respected riders, a rider without an axe to grind or a grudge with Armstrong, tell the truth. Not just his truth but a corroborating truth that fit with the other 10 former Armstrong teammates that have confessed. The urge to put Hincapie, Leipheimer and the rest on a little pedestal was strong, pushed on by all of the “well done, we’re still you’re fans” tweets that flooded out in the aftermath.
But then…what about the clean-and-honest folks? The ones who told the truth without being backed into a legal corner? The ones who had everything to lose and nothing but a clean conscience to gain? Greg Lemond challenged Armstrong in the middle of a press conference and Armstrong, using his cancer-shield, beat down Lemond in brutal fashion. Hincapie, sitting beside Armstrong, said nothing. In the end, Greg’s conviction cost him his company – Lemond Bikes – a joint venture with Trek. Trek of course a sponsor of Armstrong’s…oh, and Armstrong as an owner of Trek let’s not forget.
And what about Frank and Betsy Andreu? Present in a hospital room during a conversation with two doctors, they listened as Lance rattled off a list of performance-enhancing drugs he’d used pre-cancer diagnosis. With no axe to grind, they kept the information largely to themselves until forced into testifying in the SCA case (in very short – the SCA was an insurance company obliged to pay Lance Armstrong $5mil for winning the 2005 Tour de France. They tried to reneg saying he’d cheated to win. Ultimately Lance won the case as there’d been no stipulation from SCA that he not use PEDs. Interesting). Once that happened, Armstrong went on a mission to discredit them, particularly Betsy – from petty name calling “ugly hag” to allegations of jealousy and on and on.
These were innocent people put in a position where they were obliged to tell the truth under oath and when they did, they suffered the wrath of the Lance machine. Where’s their pedestals? Where’s their kudos and support? Why are people who kept silent, who watched Lance attack their former friends and teammates, who pocketed untold sums and made careers being hailed as brave heros over those lost their careers, had their names dragged through the mud and vilified by Armstrong’s army?
And what of those that, when faced with choice – dope or know you’ll never be competitive, never win, never achieve that glory – made the right choice and rode clean until the futility became too much and they retired. Riders that may have become household names had the playing field been level. Individuals – sons, brothers, fathers – who’s careers were demolished, earnings drastically reduced and opportunities stolen by a group of cheaters, led by a ruthless, domineering, multimillionaire capo.
Lance Armstrong is a thief, a thug and a bully.