|
|
|
|
|
Is Lance a Dope?
(Rant: August 2005) Lance Armstrong is a world-beater. He’s won the
grueling Tour de France an unprecedented seven consecutive times, beat
cancer, raised gobs of money for charity and dates a sexy rock star. Everyone
likes Lance, how could you not—unless you’re one of his frustrated
competitors—and with his recent groundswell of popularity he’s become a
beacon inspiration synonymous with intensity and integrity. But is he really
all that? The new report out of France about Armstrong’s alleged doping with
the performance-boosting drug EPO (a test was performed on Armstrong’s sample
from 1999) is troubling. And while the man who sparked a charity benefiting
fashion trend (the yellow Livestrong wristbands) is emphatically denying the
accusations (there are some serious questions as to the test’s integrity)
itr’s not the first time the French or others have groused about Armstrong
and doping (just check out the book LA Confidential by David Walsh and
Pierre Ballester). Do I believe the
allegations? I don’t want to, but let’s take the case of Lance’s former
wingman Tyler Hamilton. He won Olympic gold in Athens (2004) and then had it
rescinded for blood doping. He later got the medal back because the lab
procedure and checks to verify the doping had not been followed according to
the documented process and the Olympic Committee, not able to cross its Ts
and dot its Is, erred on the conservative side knowing full well what
Hamilton had pulled. The stain on Hamilton’s reputation has rippled. His
sponsor dropped him and his name is never mentioned in a sentence without
being coupled with doping. The point being, where there’s smoke, there’s
fire. Hamilton like Armstrong
has denied any wrongdoing. Some say that doping is
just a part of the sport and that the only fault in doing it is getting
caught. Was that not the way with Major League Baseball pussyfooted around
the steroid issue for the past twenty years? Look at wat a mess that’s
become. Turning your head the other way is not the solution. And what about
Rafael Palmeiro having to eat the words he professed under sworn testimony to
a Congressional committee that he never used steroids? He sounded a lot like
Lance then and he’s now serving a ten game suspension. Frank Robinson, the
Nationals’ skipper has publicly denounced Palmerio and suggested that the
slugger’s entire career (a sure Hall of Famer based on stats without an
asterisk) be wiped off the record books. Should the same happen to
Lance? According to the rules of
the race, performance enhancing drugs and blood doping is illegal, so if
Lance doped and they can prove it, then by all means, wipe out the seven
wins. It’s not fair to Miguel Indurain, who won the Tour five times in a row,
or Eddy Merckx, who’s worn the yellow jersey through more stages than any
rider or even American Greg Lemond, who won the Tour three times, twice after
being shot in the back by a shotgun. It’s easy to understand
why athletes want to boost their performance. In any sport you’re dealing
with the top echelon where littlie separates the champs from well-conditioned
also-rans. And then there’s the issue of pressure, money and ego. Cycling is
an extremely tough sport that most Americans don’t fully appreciate (the Tour
de France is a hellacious 2,200 miles that includes 8,000 foot climbs,
unbearable heat, torrential rains and pileups). I’m not one of those human
bullets bathed in neon, but I am a cycling enthusiast and I can tell you that
out on a long ride when you’ve been cranking along at a good clip and then
you hit a headwind or a hill (or even a shallow incline) and something saps
you. It’s like hitting the wall in a marathon and you search endlessly for that
something within you to keep you going, and most times, there’s no answer.
With Lance, there’s always an answer as he just keeps rolling along like the
Energizer Bunny. Blessed with a ultra low heart rate an unfathomable lung
capacity, he has the tools to give him the edge. And he’s a fierce competitor
too, but does EPO play into that equation? The recent test, said
that Armstrong’s urine from 1999 showed traces of EPO in samples taken at the
end of three stages. Other racers also tested positive. Why the test was
ordered, who ordered it and why it was leaked to the media without going
through the appropriate channels is unclear. The reason the test has been called
inappropriate and bogus is because the testing rules requires two samples (A
and B) for verification (because of contamination, error, integrity and so on)
and the A samples have been destroyed. The technology for testing for EPO now
is far more advanced than it was in 1999. What is clear though is
what Lance should do. He needs to erase the uncertainty. Uncertainty that may
stop millions of dollar from rolling into charities. Uncertainty that may
lead adoring adolescent fans believe it’s Ok to cheat. Uncertainty that may
later stymie Armstrong’s purported political aspirations (though you know
leaving the woman who saw him through his cancer and bore his children for
Sheryl Crowe will come back to haunt him). I’m on Lance’s side, but he’s still got one more hill to climb. What he needs to do it pull out the list of tests he’s taken over the years that show he’s clean and get it in the press. (People pay more attention to consistency than a dubious blemish). Challenge his critics: if they have more samples tucked away in a lab somewhere in France, dig them up and run tests on them. Let the results speak for themselves, but make sure you have your own legal-scientific team on hand to oversee the process and make sure the tests are run on a neutral site. And finally, if all else fails, sue. Sue the lab, sue the paper, sue the race, but by all means get back your good name. Your good name will ensure your future. Your good name will continue to do good for cancer research and your good name will continue to inspire. Take the lead. Be aggressive. Cross the finish line one more time and put this one to bed. - TBM |
|
|
|
|
|