Yes, I am disappointed in Lance Armstrong. I'm disappointed he was also one of the cheaters in the cycling sport. I'm disappointed he lied against all the people who stood behind him, supported and defended him. Do I feel betrayed by Lance? Yes. Yes, I do. And I know millions of others feel betrayed as well. Many of them will turn their back on their former hero. I can't do that. Lance inspired me with what he did, what he said, how he was. He did, and I can't change that, Lance inspired me and has had a large impact on my life, he taught me the love for cycling, he taught me what it is to train like hell. Lance will never be over for me. I can't let him fall like millions of people did.
On top of that I now (finally) understand why he doped. For Lance doping was something everybody COULD use, it was everybody's own choice. It was not something only he could do; it was a choice everybody had to make. He didn't saw it as an unfair advantage, because it wasn't unfair in his eyes, everybody could choose to dope as well. So when Lance says it didn't feel like cheating, but it was a fair fight, I completely understand. There was just one thing he, and all the other dopers forgot, it was not allowed...
Am I saying we should all feel sorry for Lance Armstrong? No, it was a choice he made. And with him a choice many of his teammates made. All I'm saying is that we should make a marginal comment with his doping use and that of all the other cyclists. The Tour de France is over 3.000 km in 3 weeks, going over some of France highest mountains, it is not easy, for nobody. People who say doping makes cyclists fly on Mont Ventoux or Tourmalet, don't know a thing about cycling.Cycling is one of the hardest sports for your body, you're in an uncomfortable position for about 6-7 hours a day, and that day after day. Doping doesn't make you twice as fast. Lance Armstrong didn't win the Tour thanks to doping, Lance won the Tour because he was prepared to do whatever it takes to win. Because he's a fighter, and because he wanted it more than anything else in the world. He won because he was obsessed by the Tour de France and by winning it and he wasn't afraid to cross the lines of what's allowed to achieve his goal.
At the end, Lance did probably the same as many other cyclists. But Lance isn't like the other cyclists and that's why the consequences of his doping confession are a lot heavier than with other cyclists. He didn't won just once but he broke all the records and won seven times. On top of that Lance wasn't just a cyclist, he was a source of inspiration, a cancer fighter,a chairman and also those things suffer after his confession. And that's something Lance doesn't deserve.
Lance Armstrong might has cheated and lied but he's no bad person, like some people think. Lance has done a lot of good things as well, but of course everybody now forgets about those. What is still, in my eyes, the best thing Lance has ever done isn't winning the Tour, but it's giving HOPE. Hope for people fighting against cancer, hope that cancer doesn't have to be the end, hope that it's possible to have a great, healthy life after the decease. Lance brought Livestrong to the world, an organization that supports people in their fight and invests money in research and development of medicines. Lance Armstrong made sure that the fight against cancer didn't get forgotten. People should also remember these things and not just the mistakes he made as a cyclist.
Eventually, in my eyes Lance will always be seven times Tour winner. He will always be the founder and head of Livestrong, one of the most inspiring people in the world and most important; my hero.
Catya Leroux
