The findings of the US Anti-Doping Agency’s two-year investigation into Lance Armstrong’s financial records, emails and lab tests leave the legacy of the seven-time Tour de France winner in tatters. Far from being the clean cycling champ who defied 600 dope tests to take the sport to another level, Armstrong stands exposed as a user of a cocktail of banned substances who also tried blood doping methods to stay ahead of competitors in a gruelling sport.
Armstrong stands accused of leading teammates into a delusional world of doping offences. There is evidence showing he was the ringleader in a secretive operation that used a disgraced Italian doctor’s methods to run the biggest doping conspiracy the sport has seen. It is up to the International Cycling Union to strip him of medals that adorned the pinnacle of his career, once considered an inspiration to all.
The most damning confession is in his US Postal Service teammates’ testimony, including loyal and trusted friend George Hincapie, who rode alongside him when he won each of his Tour de France titles. Colleagues were forced into omerta-like silence to attain such sporting glory and all the success that goes with it. Catching such a big fish in the doping net gives all sporting disciplines a chance to get rid of athletes who use performance-boosting drugs and other sharp practices. If sport isn’t clean, life itself can be said to be dirty in this cynical age, in which people chase success no matter what the cost.