Lanced: The Shaming of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh, Paul Kimmage, John Follain, Alex Butler Page B
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Essay/s, Cycling, Essays & Correspondence, Sports & Outdoors, Individual Sports
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there was a logical reason for the differences. "When I was first interviewed by the police, I wanted to help them, but I didn't tell them the whole truth," he said. "Going to the courtroom, I knew there was no point in holding anything back, and decided I would tell everything when speaking under oath. That's the reason for the difference."
Simeoni was enraged by Armstrong's calling him a liar, an accusation that appeared in a number of newspapers. He confirmed during this year's Tour that he intends to sue the American for defamation. Personal squabbles such as this often disappear over time, but by bringing it into the Tour de France, Armstrong magnified it and invited us again to consider its significance.
According to those involved, when Simeoni and Armstrong joined the six riders at the front, the race leader made it clear that the peloton would not allow the breakaway to go on if it contained Simeoni. Two of the six suggested to Simeoni that it would be better if he dropped back. Not wanting to destroy the chances of the six, the Italian agreed.
Armstrong claims that when he and Simeoni returned to the pack, other riders patted him on the back and congratulated him on a job well done. Simeoni admits he got a hard time from a few riders. He also says Armstrong revealed his true self in the way he chased him down. Standing on the side of the road or sitting before our television sets, the salient point for us was that the peloton was supportive of Armstrong's action.
Armstrong was unrepentant, claiming that Simeoni was trying to destroy cycling.
"Simeoni is not a rider that the peloton wants to see in the front group," he said. "All he wants to do is to destroy cycling, to destroy the sport that pays him."
How has he tried to destroy the sport? By coming forward and admitting that while he worked with Ferrari, he doped, and, according to his sworn testimony, did so under the guidance of the doctor? The police and the prosecutor in the Ferrari trial, Giovanni Spinosa, believe Simeoni has told the truth.
Simeoni suffers now as Christophe Bassons did in 1999. The courageous young Frenchman dared to offer the opinion that after the Festina scandal in 1998, cycling had still not addressed its doping problem. He also said he didn't think a clean rider could finish in the top 10 of that year's Tour. For such honesty, he too was not wanted "in the front group" and was driven from the race, eventually from the sport. Bassons now teaches sport to children in Bordeaux, earning far less than he did as a cyclist but enjoying what he regards as a much richer life.
The evolution of the Tour de France is mirrored in other professional sports: performers in a glass bubble, content in a jurisdiction that exists above and beyond ordinary society and its laws. Within this world, the dominant feeling is entitlement. On the roadside, we watch the stars pass by and know not how to feel.
We grew to love the Tour de France because in the inhumanity of the challenge, man's humanity vividly expressed itself. The vacant expressions, the haggard appearances and the undying determination spoke of nobility. The irony in the turnaround of the past decade has been unmistakable. The route has been shortened, the road surface smoothened, and, happily, the challenge can no longer be described as inhuman. Sadly, the inhumanity is now expressed a different way.
Three years ago Redeker posed the question: "What is the direction of the hurricane that is carrying cycling towards such an improbable future?" The answer is that only God knows.
Champ or cheat?
David Walsh
August 28, 2005
"
Armstrong’s reply was short and to the point. “Extraordinary allegations,” he said, “demand extraordinary proof"
"
If it was the boldness of the headline -"The Armstrong Lie" - that made the immediate impact, it was the paragraph inset on the front page alongside a photograph of the American that summarised one of the most sensational stories that
Simeoni was enraged by Armstrong's calling him a liar, an accusation that appeared in a number of newspapers. He confirmed during this year's Tour that he intends to sue the American for defamation. Personal squabbles such as this often disappear over time, but by bringing it into the Tour de France, Armstrong magnified it and invited us again to consider its significance.
According to those involved, when Simeoni and Armstrong joined the six riders at the front, the race leader made it clear that the peloton would not allow the breakaway to go on if it contained Simeoni. Two of the six suggested to Simeoni that it would be better if he dropped back. Not wanting to destroy the chances of the six, the Italian agreed.
Armstrong claims that when he and Simeoni returned to the pack, other riders patted him on the back and congratulated him on a job well done. Simeoni admits he got a hard time from a few riders. He also says Armstrong revealed his true self in the way he chased him down. Standing on the side of the road or sitting before our television sets, the salient point for us was that the peloton was supportive of Armstrong's action.
Armstrong was unrepentant, claiming that Simeoni was trying to destroy cycling.
"Simeoni is not a rider that the peloton wants to see in the front group," he said. "All he wants to do is to destroy cycling, to destroy the sport that pays him."
How has he tried to destroy the sport? By coming forward and admitting that while he worked with Ferrari, he doped, and, according to his sworn testimony, did so under the guidance of the doctor? The police and the prosecutor in the Ferrari trial, Giovanni Spinosa, believe Simeoni has told the truth.
Simeoni suffers now as Christophe Bassons did in 1999. The courageous young Frenchman dared to offer the opinion that after the Festina scandal in 1998, cycling had still not addressed its doping problem. He also said he didn't think a clean rider could finish in the top 10 of that year's Tour. For such honesty, he too was not wanted "in the front group" and was driven from the race, eventually from the sport. Bassons now teaches sport to children in Bordeaux, earning far less than he did as a cyclist but enjoying what he regards as a much richer life.
The evolution of the Tour de France is mirrored in other professional sports: performers in a glass bubble, content in a jurisdiction that exists above and beyond ordinary society and its laws. Within this world, the dominant feeling is entitlement. On the roadside, we watch the stars pass by and know not how to feel.
We grew to love the Tour de France because in the inhumanity of the challenge, man's humanity vividly expressed itself. The vacant expressions, the haggard appearances and the undying determination spoke of nobility. The irony in the turnaround of the past decade has been unmistakable. The route has been shortened, the road surface smoothened, and, happily, the challenge can no longer be described as inhuman. Sadly, the inhumanity is now expressed a different way.
Three years ago Redeker posed the question: "What is the direction of the hurricane that is carrying cycling towards such an improbable future?" The answer is that only God knows.
Champ or cheat?
David Walsh
August 28, 2005
"
Armstrong’s reply was short and to the point. “Extraordinary allegations,” he said, “demand extraordinary proof"
"
If it was the boldness of the headline -"The Armstrong Lie" - that made the immediate impact, it was the paragraph inset on the front page alongside a photograph of the American that summarised one of the most sensational stories that
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