Lance Armstrong Is A Tired Doping Subject; We Know His Narcissistic Story All Too Well
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
I thought we were done with bike-racing narcissist Lance Armstrong in January 2013 when he fessed up to Oprah that he doped to win those Tour de Frances way back when. It wasn’t a true I’m sorry confession because Armstrong the bully told Oprah all the other cyclists were doping so he was just doing what all the other racers were doing at the Tour.
That’s his story and he’s keeping to it — even seven years later on ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 Sunday night, picking up where Michael Jordan and the Last Dance Bulls left us after five weeks of Bulls/Air Jordan drama the previous Sundays.
The difference, obviously, is that the NBA is a major U.S. sports league and bicycle racing is a fringe sport in this country, which cares more about cornhole than cycling races. The nation’s biggest pro bike race — the Tour of California — tapped out last fall after a nice run.
But Armstrong, a Shakespeare-like tragedy character and a well-known name, doesn’t define bicycling in this country anymore.
You do, the millions of every day people during this COVID-19 pandemic who are literally pedaling away, the folks who wiped cobwebs off their old clunky hybrid bikes in their garages and are biking the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.
I went back to the Strip myself today, part of a personal 101.13-mile bicycle exodus to remember and honor those lost at war on Memorial Day today.
It all began with cycling from Summerlin through Red Rock Canyon to the Late Night parking lot on State Route 160, then a return ride to the Red Rock scenic drive.
This gorgeous ribbon of pavement is close to cars, but open to bicyclists and walkers at the exit off state route 159.
How scenic is this?
Then, it was down to the Strip and over to Raiders stadium.
And then back in Summerlin, where I hopped on the 215 western beltway for a ride along the paved path to the Sky Canyon development and back to finish the century ride.
The Armstrong tale is complicated because even though he was jerk who took out his teammates who ratted him out, there was a legitimate army of fans who bought into Armstrong’s Live Strong message of supporting cancer patients. He brought awareness to a painful topic for so many — cancer and how this horrific disease gripped so many people.
But don’t let him define bicycling in this country.
A byproduct of this pandemic is the legions of Americans pedaling in their neighborhoods and on community trails, not the Spandex Cowboy racer types but average folks in cargo shorts, T-shirts and sneakers.
The Lance documentary part two is Sunday on ESPN. I’ll watch after I do a long bike ride.
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