The Harsh Truth...

This morning I opened up my computer homepage to see a headline story reading “Armstrong evidence overwhelming”. Initially, I was excited by the fact that finally, the sport of cycling had failed to come up with any proof that Lance Armstrong engaged in a doping conspiracy during hisTour de France wins. Unfortunately, the more I read the quicker I realised that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I was a big fan of Armstrong. I think that what he endure, overcame and achieved in his life and career is nothing short of incredible. I chose to believe him when he said time and time again that he’d never taking performance enhancing drugs and that he’d won a the Tour de France on hard work, perseverance and talent alone. To me, it was one of the biggest and best sporting stories in my lifetime, perhaps even in history and it was a perfect example of a miracle coming to life.

The US Anti-Doping Agency however has submitted a report to the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency on why it banned Armstrong from the sport for life in August. Included in the report were over 1,000 pages of supporting evidence which “shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen”. It included testimonies from 26 people, 15 of them Armstrong’s ex-teammates, who claim they were pressured into taking the banned substances themselves, to improve Armstrong’s chances of winning the world’s most prestigious cycling race 7 times between 1999-2005.

I think more than anything I’m just disappointed by these latest claims. I’m a supporter of the Live Strong Foundation and my local hospital has recently opened up the Lance Armstrong wing. People contributed and supported his foundation not only because of his high profile, but more so because of his story. Millions of people win the battle against cancer every year, but very few are able to achieve such impressive feats in the way that Armstrong has. His story was one of hope, one of faith and one of a single man beating incredible odds.

All I hope is that in light of these latest findings, that the support for the Live Strong Foundation doesn’t diminish, because beyond the doping allegations, the fame and the money, is cancer. It is still one of the world’s most vicious diseases and it is still without a cure.

What a sad day in sport and a sad day in humanity.