| 2012.10.17 |
Every day lately I've read at least one news article about somebody getting
fired from their job with team such-and-such as a function of their complicity
or participation in organized doping. In at least one case, a rider was offered
two contracts: one for riding (clean) and another, ten times the value of the
former, for riding and participating in the team's EPO program. And today I
read that Nike dropped Lance Armstrong — and Armstrong stepped down from
Livestrong probably to keep it in Nike's good graces. This after Armstrong was
banned from the sport for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France wins.
As a kid I enthusiastically followed the sport. Armstrong at the time was
a new rider on the Motorola Team, joining the likes of Frankie Andreu and
Andy Hampsten. I never raced — the most I've done is an MS-150 — but I've
always admired those who raced and did centuries and stuff. It's tough to
learn that one's heroes really are just as flawed as the rest of us — just
in a more spectacular fashion. And so as Armstrong falls to earth with smouldering
wings, perhaps we find we all got burned.
Links:
"Armstrong Steps Down From Livestrong as Nike Cuts Ties", Bicycling.com
"Bassons: 'People Now See I Wasn't Lying'", Bicycling.com
"RadioShack Says Bruyneel Will No Longer Manage Team", Bicycling.com
"George Hincapie Admits Doping", Bicycling.com
"American Levi Leipheimer Fired for Doping by His Belgian Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team",
Bicycling.com
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