Chilling Insight....

[Tim Bennet.]

Made me think that maybe with drugs being so prevalent in cycling perhaps Lance did take something to be as good as he was for so long. With most of the top riders on something then surely he must have been to be able to compete with them. He was from the older generation too when it was much more likely riders were on gear. Would like to think he didn't but who knows.

Sadly, I think this conclusion is not only logical, but the one more and more people are reluctantly beginning to accept. It was watching LA's win in the rain at Sestriere during his first Tour win that inspired me to do more cycling than just the odd camping tour. As a cancer survivor myself I know what a powerful inspiration he was to many who have battled with the disease. I took a group of recenty recovered cancer patients out to do the 'Ride of the Roses' with him in Texas, and know many (all) of those would be crushed if they knew part of his recovery story had been a fake.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

With the LA saga, as with every race that I follow, I decided a while ago to blinker myself. I am a big fan of LA, and Kloeden more recently and a few others I really like in between too.

Personally I find it much less painful to not think about the doping. I know that this is exactly the attitude that lets the cheats get away with it, but really, when it comes down to the bare bones of it, I'd rather be there on the turbo, or the edge of the sofa smilling, gasping and exclaiming in awe of these guys prowess, than thinking "yep, f**king cheating, what a bunch of to**ers."

Its a poor attitude, and one not reflected in any other aspect of my life, I just got sick of not believing my sporting heros were that good.

I condem riders like the chiken, vino etc (vino actually brought bitter tears to my eyes when he got busted, and I finally understood how a couple of my friends felt when England football team was knocked out of the world cup).