I've been thinking the same as the OP. Its really a shame as his most important work in life, being on a pedestal for the fight against cancer fund raising is now a downer for those who believed in him. Those are the folks I feel for.

He inspired countless cancer patients.

He founded Livestrong. I think the organization does good things, although maybe not as much as the PR suggests. Lance Armstrong and Livestrong | Lance Armstrong | OutsideOnline.com

He provided excitement to a generation of cycling fans. I still think the videos of Lance's great TdF rides are thrilling, even though I know they are the product of dopage. Kind of like the last years of Can-Am which was just a parade of 917/K30s, or a woman with a platinum wig, pneumatic breasts and gel-filled lips.

He helped revive the popularity of road cycling in the US. Remember when road bikes were practically going away?

He tainted an entire generation of American cycle racers. With only a few exceptions like Chris Horner, almost every top-level American road racer of that era has been exposed as a long-time, systematic doper. That doping was both compelled by and enabled by Lance. We think of the Spanish as notorious dopers, but on the hard evidence, we were the dirtiest country of all.

He quashed the careers of talented competitors who could have won, but not for the unstoppable train of doping riders. Admittedly he had plenty of company here. But think of the promising young riders who labored for their whole careers and retired, legs and youth spent, with nary a result at the top level, because the top 10 or 15 spots were filled with cheaters.

He hurt people who tried to stop doping in cycling, from Greg LeMond, a real hero whom Lance tried to destroy, to journalists who tried to report the truth. He did so while lying blatantly, deliberately, and pathologically.

He has hurt the sport of cycling, badly, and it continues to hurt. Again, he's not the only doper to harm cycling as a sport, but he's the biggest one.

In the end, it is complicated. I've realized that from the earliest threads on Lance and the USADA. To me, it is black and white that he be stripped of his wins. Whether he should be erased from the history of cycling and thrown down into the eight circle of the inferno, is unclear.

Wearing my Lance shirt today for you guys

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8...876f3d72_c.jpg

It's clear to me that Lance was a doper and a cheat. Everyone in the peleton was a doper and a cheat, and anyone who rode clean would've been remorselessly spat out the back. It's hard to believe that the tour organizers and the sport's governing body weren't aware of what was going on and, at best, turned a blind eye to it. Lance was a symptom - maybe the most egregious, but the rot ran deep and wide, and there's no guarantee that the sport is clean even today.

Blame the well paid corrupt oversight organization for not providing and enforcing consistent rules.
Take their salaries, retroactively.

They all were doping - why only chastise the one who cheated best.

This.

Defend what??

Who knew?? Whole global wrist band phenomenon was the warning sign for me. It seems like everyone the mainstream media presents as a saint is subsequently unveiled as a dirtbag.

And do you know how many fisheyes those things caused in paint??? GM actually put out a bulletin concerning them. Opps sorry back to defending Lance SmileWavy

"The roof the roof the roof is on fire
The roof the roof the roof is on fire
The roof the roof the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let the motherfcker burn
Burn motherfcker burn"
-Bloodhound Gang

Fair athletic policy.....or politics?

Boy, ain't it the truth...

It's a sad day for cycling. I was a fan, but not any more.

You mean there were people who thought he wasn't on the juice??

No doubt he was in absolute top shape and was an amazing athlete before setting records and "winning" the tour by juicing but stealing the title from the other dopers is the real shame.

Most of the records in sports set now a days would most likely be done with juice. It has become so sophisticated in formulations and intricate with payoffs that it is everywhere.

A top athlete who doesn't juice will probably not beat records set with juice. Sport is spectacle alone and no longer comprised of gentleman competing. Even high school sports are poisoned and records are set above normal on juice. Truly sad. I say erase any records or titles he ever won and banish him from any competitions. He should be made an example of for using his support base, family, fans, teammates, cancer supporters, etc. for such a selfish end. What a douche

It's a shame that you feel this way, and I'm sure there are many more who have made the same decision.

Cycling is much more than Lance Armstrong. No doubt he was a huge influence but he is only part of a much bigger world.

Agreed. I like the arena of cycling. Most of those I have met have been top drawer folks.

Lance
 

Lance is a symptom of the sad state of affairs in sport, politics and modern life in general.

The immense over exposure of celebrity and the crazy money coupled with the relentless dumming down of the general public make Lance doping, baseball roids, HGH in football and all the rest rather inevitable.

Flo

No one living was inducted into the Hall of Fame (baseball) this year. The steroid users (confessed or believed) Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa all fell far short of the necessary vote. I think that's hopeful. Doping in sports persists in large part because the powers that run and influence sports don't make it a high enough priority.

^^^ This.

I don't know if this was intentional, but it's damned funny. :D