Lance Armstrong’s name cleared
I was so happy to read about this on ESPN today:
A Dutch investigator’s report cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, calling the accusations against him “completely irresponsible” and raising the possibility of misconduct by anti-doping authorities.
Armstrong is a modern day hero that extends past the world of professional cycling, and even sports. He was a rising superstar in the world of cycling in the mid 90’s when he found out that he had testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and brain. He battled his cancer and won, then came back to one of the toughest endurance events there is in sports - winning the Tour de France a total of 7 times. His winning ways are an inspiration that is magnified not only by his comeback from cancer, but also by his efforts with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the high profile LIVESTRONG wristbands that have spawned so many copycats.
Shortly after Armstrong won his last Tour de France and retired, he was attacked on several fronts with drug usage accusations. The French sports writers were particularly brutal - jealous of the insurgent American that had dominated “their” race for so long? Perhaps.
Armstrong has repeatedly denied using any banned substances. We live in a time where the sports world is awash in controversies and is attempting to survive a difficult time as Barry Bonds & Sammy Sosa (MLB), Chris Andersen (NBA), and Tyler Hamilton (Olympic Gold medalist in Cycling) are accused, suspected, admitted or banned from their sport for the use of drugs in the past year.
So, it is really nice to see that Armstrong’s good name has been cleared, and we can all move forward with a hero’s legend intact. My three favorite athletes of all times (besides all current and past Denver Nuggets players of course!) are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Lance Armstrong. Three living legends - none are perfect, but they do all define excellence in their respective sports and they did it or are still doing it fairly, and with character, dignity, and hard work. Tobey will hear plenty about these three athletes from me as he grows up.