Dopé! Dopé!

Way back in 2005 when Lance Armstrong retired from cycling (the first time) we were lucky enough to have front row seats to observe his victory lap around the Place de la Concorde. At the time, the American Embassy owned a building on the Place and from our seats on a first floor balcony, three feet above the throngs of people jamming the sidewalk, we could hear the crowd chanting, ‘dopé! dopé! ’ as Lance rode by. Even back then, the majority of French people were convinced Lance was doing drugs. Now, after the mountains of evidence recently released by the USADA, I would say the majority of Americans consider him guilty of doping as well. However, regardless of his guilt or innocence, Lance’s behavior off the bike is what disgusts me the most. He was a HUGE bully and even intimidated the family members of individuals that dared to speak the truth. His character is that of a narcissistic pathological liar with zero concern or empathy for others. Younger aspiring riders literally retreated to their homes crying because he virtually forced them to drug for the first time in their life (in order to remain on his team). Obviously, they had a choice (and many simply left) but these kids spent their lives dreaming of the opportunity to ride with Armstrong. Imagine how disillusioned they felt in that moment (they finally meet their hero and discover the ugly truth). This is about much more than just Lance’s personal doping. This is about his wrongdoings as a human being that go way beyond that. He ruined many people’s lives yet is still letting others celebrate him as a hero.