Lance Armstrong Open Thread

I tried to write something intelligent, but it would be unnecessary. The DA is a worthless bunch whose only sliver of success was found beating a dead horse.

The political wrangling of whose money was spent on which investigation, with cooperation from what other organizations being moot, I think that weightlifting and power sports in general can use this investigation as a mirror. If you have the time, go to http://www.usada.org and read the Reasoned Decision document for greater context of the investigation’s findings.

What is most troubling to me is not that some people on some team cheated by using oxygen vector doping, augmented by steroids and hgh, to win races, even big races. It doesn’t even bother me that they did so under well-paid medical supervision. The sickest detail revealed by the sum of these affidavits is that after all the rah-rah, go-get-’em, character-building teachable moments provided in developmental cycling when these men were kids, juniors, and then espoir athletes of varying caliber, the fruit of their commitment and the commitment of those supporting them was to dump them in a (professional) scenario where the choice to cheat with drugs was hardly a choice at all. Like saying to high-level young musicians graduating from Julliard: “OK, now to make anything of yourself, you are going to have to start using heroin and methamphetamines immediately, because all great musicians use these for creativity and energy and you will amount to a pile of unfulfilled promise if you do not as well.” Then the Don of this doping culture on the American side is touted as a God in man’s clothing for well over a decade, and everyone and their dog has one of those yellow wristbands saying cancer sucks and somehow everything is alright.

Weightlifting, take heed. When former administration of the UCI will be shown to be complicit in this entire debacle, and indeed, the current administration to similar ongoing programs in professional cycling, realize that every block-shouldered, acned, vascular woman with a mustache breaking a weightlifting world record is just another mark against your sport in the eyes of the world. Every parent on the fence about getting in touch with a local cycling club for their son is now back on the ground.

And I should add that all of the 11 current and former teammates of Armstrong implicated in this investigation IN ALL CASES implicated themselves as well. There is no one-way finger pointing in this investigation, and there will be reckoning in and out of the court of public opinion for all involved.

It would additionally not be very surprising to learn that despite the depth of accusations brought forth by the affidavits and supporting evidence in this case, the implicated parties are probably hiding just as much again. Damage control. For instance, the same people involved with USPS/Discovery/Astana/Radioshack cycling trade teams were all working for teams prior to Mr. Armstrong, and it is rather convenient that everyone magically gave up the ghost when they were no longer under the spectre of Armstrong-related management and medical staff. When riders, managers and doctors begin talking about domestic North American doping, pre-1999 (teams like 7-Up, Coors, Motorola, Saturn, etc.) where many of these guys cut their teeth, then we can all talk about truth and reconciliation. Until then, remember that you are only hearing as much as they are saying.