Been ages since I last posted. Feeling a bit compelled to dust off this blog today.
I might as well call myself a Lance apologist. It's not that I'm denial about his doping or that I consider him an honest rider or a man of fine moral character. Nope. I acknowledge that he cheated. I don't think he's a nice man. I believe he competed and ruled with an iron fist. And yet, I can't get upset about his doped up wins.
Curious? Read on...
In my humble opinion, performance enhancement in sports can be a morally gray area. How can we be certain that the line we draw is not an arbitrary one? Let's take Michael Phelps for example. Should he have been allowed to sleep in a high altitude chamber? That's good for red blood cell growth. Is that fair? How is that much worst than EPO which artificially boosts red blood cells? One is a custom dosage pharmaceutical, the other is a custom manufactured bedroom. Is that the line?
I'm not arguing that we should allow doping in sports. It's very disappointing when your favorite athletes turn out to be cheaters. However, let's be honest with ourselves, we often expect our best athletes to be super humans. To break the next record. To win the hardest Tour de France ever seen. It's exciting for audiences. It generates revenue for sponsors. It's a seemingly win/win/win situation. But, are we able to put our own expectations in check? Often I see the same people who complain about doping also complain about "pansies" in sports - the men (or women) who seemingly don't push themselves far enough for the pleasure of the armchair or amateur athlete. You can't always have it both ways.
Another reason I can't get worked up about it all is due to the permissiveness and prevalence of doping during most of Lance's years in competition. I've read enough accounts from other athletes and those involved in the sport to believe that doping was a systemic problem. The UCI often turned a blind eye or set low bars when it came to drug tests. I can't find it in myself to become outraged about Lance's case when he was part of a larger problem. A greedy problem.
The worst thing about the prevalence of doping during the past is that we would probably have to go far down the line to find the pan y agua (dope-free) athlete who maybe deserved to win - the truth is, we won't know who deserved to win. I find this exercise in 'fairness' almost pointless. Based on both anecdotal and empirical research of cycling results of that time, there is a high likelihood that most of the top standing riders of the sport used some illegal performance enhancement method. If they didn't, chances are they would remain in the lower rungs of standings. Cyclists win an epic 3 week battle with a matter of seconds - the smallest bit of illegal assistance could have pushed someone up from 3rd tier to top tier. I won't go so far as to say it was an equal playing field. My point is that a lot of people were guilty - many have come out to say so.
So then, is it Lance's wicked web of lies that pisses people off? Do they feel deceived? I don't. I'm not surprised by it, but at the same time I can understand why others who don't follow the sport closely could be shocked. Some of these same people who feel deceived are also pissed that he's thinking of coming clean. Wow. Witch hunters, choose your preference.
Mostly, I'm over it, and ready to move on. Cycling is a different sport now. Doping is under greater control, and that's good enough for me.
I do have a breaking point, though. If Lance wants to come clean, he should purge himself of everything. Don't half-ass it, dude. Either show the fortitude and ambition you did in the past and take this with you to the grave. OR write a tell-all book or show remorse or regret for everything you've done. Of all of lance's qualities that I don't admire, I have always admired his ambition, his grit, his discipline, his work ethic, and his confidence. I believe this man would have still been a top athlete in his sport without doping - maybe not 7 tours, but still a great cyclist and a great athlete - which makes his doping legacy all the sadder.
So Lance, be strong. I don't want any of that wishy washy I only took testosterone shit. Own what you did, whether that's privately or publicly - I don't care, but own it 100%. Then show us what an incredible athlete you can be without drugs so that we can all move on.
