Greatest Lie in Sports History

In 2009 in a mountain somewhere in France, a girl stood waiting on the side of the road.  She was waiting for her hero, the man who gave her hope, strength, and courage.  She wasn't the only one waiting for this man.  Thousands of other people would wait on the side of the road for him to come racing by, even if they waited for hours and only saw him for a few seconds.  Everywhere in France, there were signs saying "Viva Lance!"  This famous phrase was chalked onto sidewalks, written on banners in coffee shops and on the sides of buses, and imprinted on wrist bands and bracelets.  Along with her Livestrong bracelet, this particular girl held a camera, desperately trying to snap a picture of Lance that she would cherish for exactly three years.  Then she would not care for him anymore, as well as the rest of humanity.  This girl was me.

I was lucky enough to go to the Tour de France in 2009, the same year that I won the track cycling national championships.  I'd just read It's Not About the Bike and Every Second Counts - two books written by Lance Armstrong.  These books made me feel like Lance was a really strong, honest man. I mean, how could he possibly dope??  How could this amazing man lie to millions of people including all of his fans and supporters?!  In 2012, when he announced that he wouldn't fight another case that accused him of doping, I almost completely lost faith in him.  As technology advanced, it became easier and easier to prove that he doped.

Now, he was done an interview on the Oprah Winfrey show (which will premiere on the 17th of January) in which he finally came clean and admitted that he doped (according to Oprah).
My first reaction was shock but a minute later, I realized that this wasn't really that surprising. Lance did what he felt was the right thing to do at the time - to lie to everyone.

Lance has done a lot for cycling. I do not think that he will ever be forgotten for his impact on cycling.  However, what I worry about is the reverse effect happening now that he has admitted to doping.  This is probably the greatest lie in sports history.  Lance represented cycling.  Lance=cycling.  He brought glory and popularity to cycling.  If one thing is for certain, he will not be forgotten.  I am worried about these recent events of Lance being stripped of his titles and then him now finally coming clean to have a negative affect on cycling. I am sad to tell you that I have been asked by FRIENDS if I dope.  Maybe this is a case of teenage ignorance... Of COURSE I don't dope!! I am not a cheat and I don't even know anyone who does dope!   By the look of things, cycling has really taken a turn for the best in it is becoming a very clean sport. However, I think that people need to remember that there are cheats in almost EVERY sport!

I hope people in power in cycling, including coaches, directors, officials, and professionals learn from this and help start a new generation of cycling. One in which cycling is a clean sport.  One in which people are cheering for men and women who are purely made of power and strength.