Forget the cycling - The Alternative Armstrong Legacy

Some good discussion above.

The one thing that struck me as I was reading it all was how devastating it would be if people started turning against (and stopping funding) an organisation that was a real force for good and had such a positive impact on people's lives.

LA has now removed himself from Livestrong - perhaps we must now all allow Livestrong to become so much greater than the man who initially founded it.

Let us break the connection between the yellow wristbands and Lance Armstrong, and instead use them to proclaim to the world that we are proud to support the fight against cancer and that one man cannot undermine that.

What you need to remember is that Lance was a cyclist. If he hadn't have gotten cancer, he'd still have cheated, and the other 90% (conservative estimate) of the peloton would also still have cheated. If he hadn't recovered from cancer, that same 90% of the peloton would still have cheated. It was a fact of professional cycling life. The guy was a doping cyclist (who happened to win a lot) - not better, no worse than the other doping cyclists (and cheats from other sports). Any one would think he murdered children or started illegal wars, the way he's been talked about recently. Oh, and I don't see all the other cyclists, the reporters, the magazines, the bike companies, the sports-wear companies, etc, offering to give back all the money they earned during that era. And I don't hear the current crop of cyclists (on football-level salaries and endorsement contracts) offering to reduce their earnings back to a level they would be at if the 'Lance effect' had never happened. There are a lot of hypocrits out there, happily taking the coin, but only too willing to shoot the goose that laid the golden egg!

You've got to remember that if Lance told the truth he would be financially ruined which is maybe not a bad thing. However he would go to prison for quite a long time for lying under oath and also defrauding the USA government! When you defraud the USA goverment you go to jail full stop.

Also what about all the people that did believe in him and still do? Maybe that's why he cant come and tell the truth. The guy is dammed if he does and dammed if he don't which is a real hellish place to be!

If the UCI didn't cover up the positive test then we would never be in this mess. Lance would have been caught and that would have been that.

That's the problem with lying, you get so used to it that it becomes your truth. You get yourself in to a big hole that only God can get you out of if he wants to.

I however do think Lance will come clean but who knows when that will be.

I feel sorry for those that did look up to him. I did to. I met him 3 times in total the first during the cycle in Paisley then Dornoch and also chat on the Col du Tourmalet in 2010.

Another phoney...bang bang bang! What a sad world.

Awesome amount of sense here .... awesome.

I, too, was a Lance believer. I bought a yellow wristband in 2004 and never took it off until .... this weekend, as I was pulling off my cycling jersey after a spin round Richmond Park, the band came off with the jersey. Accident, fate, a sign or what? It hasn't - and won't - go back on.

Sympathy to all you guys who have lost people to cancer. Your hope deserves better than to have been let down by a sporting cheat.

No probs mate, didn't take offence, perhaps my wording was a bit askew.

The package that he delivered through Livestrong was that he was the cyclist who survived cancer AND won 7 Tours de France. It is this whole package that has always been touted by Armstrong and also it is the complete package that provided so much inspiration to so many. To find out now that he cheated and, furthermore spent years lying and bullying others who questioned him must make some of those who were inspired feel that the rug has been pulled from beneath their feet.
I sympathise with those who looked towards him for inspiration, especially those fighting cancer. Armstrong's deceit to them is far greater than that to the cycling world and he owes them a massive apology.

I, personally, dont like the idea that i supported LA and nothing could be further from the truth to be honest.

My comment was merely to point out that he did overcome cancer, whether that was through drugs or pure chance i dont know, but he was a lucky man who has since gone on to ruin everything he appeared to stand and campaign for.

Mavisto, I lost my father to cancer, so I hope you'll understand my comments below are made with best intentions. You shouldn't feel bad about citing LA as a beacon of hope to your wife - if it HAD helped her deefeat the disease, you wouldn't care about the cheating aspect.. And if it gave her hope and eased her thoughts that's a positive. As to his cheating, yes deplorable but even finishing the Tour without going outside the time limits after his illness would have made an amazing story, never mind winning. That alone should serve as encouragement to cancer-sufferers - after all, EPO was developed to help people recover from the effects of chemo and as you observe, beating cancer is largely down to chemistry, he just went those steps further, into the darkness. The other saving grace in the whole story is that he's genuinely passionate about fighting cancer and helping sufferers. Bottom line is don't beat yourself up for believing the dream and trying to encourage your wife with it - it was the right thing to do aat the time. I hope this comment hasn't upset you - not my intent and if it has, I apologise.

mavisto, my deepest sympathy to you and your family.

Your response clearly shows my lack of insight in such matters and i apologise if anything i said has upset you.

You should never forget that he DID beat cancer and fought like mad to do it, an inspiration on that part

What he did afterwards will never be forgotten or forgiven but you cant knock him for his fight againt his own cancer.

'really didn't want to believe that someone who had survived all those chemicals being pumped around their system would willing want to put some uncontrolled sh!t in their bodies all for the sake of winning a bike race.'
People do this for far less reward than winning a bike race. It's no surprise to me in the slightest. Regularly used to see people standing outside the chemo suite, holding their IV tree and smoking. No millions of pounds at stake there, they just liked smoking. Made me wonder what was the point of it. Then you remember the thousands who don't act like idiots afterwards and it gives you the motivation to keep on trying to beat cancer.