Lance Armstrong, You Can Keep the Yellow

Most Americans feel the same about watching the Tour de France (TDF) as they feel about professional soccer games.  What is it about European sports that it often gets compared to watching paint dry or grass grow?  I do feel the same about the sport of soccer, but when it comes to the tour, I really had no choice.  My mother was born in France and my grandfather was an avid follower of the tour each year.   I was brainwashed quite early. 

I can remember visiting France in the summers as a child.  During the month of July we were surrounded by the tour everywhere we went.  Helicopters, motorcycles and roadside cameras followed the event making it available on every national television.  Even local cafés and bars had a television set up to see who was in the lead for the day.  With my grandfather speaking very little English, and myself only knowing enough French to keep from being arrested, we found a way to transcend language with our mutual interest.   I admired and followed the French riders, but with the rise of Greg Lemond, I found an American cyclist to follow and be proud of.  Even more impressive was the story of a man, shot during a hunting accident, almost died, then came back to win the tour twice (a total of three tour wins).  Greg Lemond easily won the respect of my grandfather and many French cycling enthusiasts, and became an American household name. His life story, couldn’t be topped.  Or could it?

A decade or so later, the name Lance Armstrong would soon replace Lemond’s, tenfold.  We all know the story.  Badgered by the French press (not the one you use to make that disgustingly strong coffee on Saturday mornings), Armstrong endured slanderous story after slanderous story.  Tested, taunted and re-tested, Armstrong evaded capture over 500 times.  Rumors of bribes to the UCI (Union Cycliste International), disgruntled discredited riders accusations of drug use and federal cycling officials making claims of Lance’s arrogance and questionable behavior during routine and surprise drug screenings, the man’s name remained untainted.  The critics only made themselves look like fools. 

Drug use is rampant in all sports.  Cycling isn’t immune and matter of fact it has been around since the days of amphetamine use in the early 1900’s.  Technology has advanced, which has created both better ways to test and better ways to beat the system.  When the testing became more aggressive, the champions all started dropping like flies. Verinque, Pantani, Riis, Zulle, Ullrich, names that intimidated other riders and stood on the podiums of national tours for over a decade.  Armstrong, being the rider with the most Tour de France championships, was an obvious target, it goes with the territory.  With only questionable sources pointing the finger at Lance, it all remained rumor.   

The names of Americans caught up in the doping scandals have been on the rise.  Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton are two Americans who have been caught and have made claim about Armstrong’s past use.  Their stories have been dismissed by most because of their own guilt with fans claiming they were just trying to sell their books. 

Today at 6pm (5-22-11, Central Standard Time), that may all change. 

The CBS show “60 Minutes” has spent the last 3 days advertising that tonight’s episode will air a story about further claims that Armstrong is as guilty as all the rest.  Even worse for Armstrong is the testimony this week to a grand jury by his ex-teammate and longtime best friend George Hincapie.  I’m sure the story will cover this extensively, despite the advertisements focus on Tyler Hamilton’s portion of the interview.  This is huge in the cycling world.  Not the claim itself, but who is making the claim.  It would be like Robin testifying against Batman. 

I am not making judgments about this scandal, I am merely expressing my sadness as a fan.   And it takes away from any thoughts I have about other past greats like Indurain, Hinault and Merckx.  

My sadness has come as I feel it is a loss.  When I feel weak, when I have had to push on, when I have had to endure things I thought I couldn’t endure, I would think of one image.   The image of a devastated man who fought back against cancer and rode like no other TDF competitor I’d ever witnessed.  When he would pass another rider in the mountains like they were sitting still, it gave me chills up my spine (in the good way).  It gave me the strength to go on, the strength to fight harder, the strength to put up with the pain and say “F” it, I’m not giving up.  I think after this story airs,  I am going to have difficulty wearing yellow for a long time.