Lance Armstrong
Ten days until the tour de France starts.
I am not sure where this post is going to go as that statement conjures up so many emotions.
I remember when I was 15 years old the only coverage of the tour de France was on Saturdays. They would update the whole week in one afternoon. I never raced in cycling but was always intrigued. I would cross train on the bike in the summer to keep me in shape to downhill ski race. My friends and I would watch American flyers and the tour in July and go for long rides in the hot summer sun.
Years past and I followed the tour but never very closely. Then in 2000 along came Lance Armstrong. At first I was interested by the athlete and how brash he was. That quickly changed. By 2001 I was setting my alarm clock for 5:30 am to get up and watch the tour live. I don’t think I have missed a live stage in 9 years. Obsessed, maybe a little.
This all really is leading to my thoughts on the sport’s greatest athlete. There are Lance lovers and there are Lance haters. I don’t want to dwell on the haters to much but there are many that do not believe he has done this legally. They hold true that he has cheated by using illegal drugs to achieve almost super human feats.
Erythropoietin known as EPO is used to blood dope. I do not work in the medical trade but the long and short I stress the short is Epo enhances performance in athletes. It allows increased oxygen carrying capacity. Great for endurance athletes such as cyclists. Lance Armstrong has taken EPO. Wait a minute!
Lets back up to 1999 before Lance won any grand tours. Lance woke one morning and one of his testicles was swollen. By the time the tests were in Lance was diagnosed with brain and testicular cancer. After major surgery to remove both tumors he had months of chemotherapy to rid the rest of his body of the poison. This is a very condensed version of an amazing story of courage and perseverance that truly does the story zero justice. Please read one of his three books they changed my life.
During his recovery Lance was given EPO to help his recovery. He is a survivor.
I found his books comforting in a time when both of my parents were battling the deadly diseases. I don’t talk about feelings very well but this was a scary time, both found out within a couple of months of each other. Both were diagnosed in November it was a dark Christmas. I can happily say both have been clear and free for five years as of last month.
For the lovers, Lance is back after a three year layoff. He has nothing to prove he is the greatest. He is not collecting pay from his current team. He is back to raise awareness for the fight against cancer.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised over 250 million dollars to date. This money goes to cancer research not just the cancers that he had but all. 250 million and he is coming back risking his legacy to raise awareness. Cheater or not we are talking about a great human who knows how to give back. We all need a little Lance in us.
LIVESTRONG
Brady
Ten days until the tour de France starts.
I am not sure where this post is going to go as that statement conjures up so many emotions.
I remember when I was 15 years old the only coverage of the tour de France was on Saturdays. They would update the whole week in one afternoon. I never raced in cycling but was always intrigued. I would cross train on the bike in the summer to keep me in shape to downhill ski race. My friends and I would watch American flyers and the tour in July and go for long rides in the hot summer sun.
Years past and I followed the tour but never very closely. Then in 2000 along came Lance Armstrong. At first I was interested by the athlete and how brash he was. That quickly changed. By 2001 I was setting my alarm clock for 5:30 am to get up and watch the tour live. I don’t think I have missed a live stage in 9 years. Obsessed, maybe a little.
This all really is leading to my thoughts on the sport’s greatest athlete. There are Lance lovers and there are Lance haters. I don’t want to dwell on the haters to much but there are many that do not believe he has done this legally. They hold true that he has cheated by using illegal drugs to achieve almost super human feats.
Erythropoietin known as EPO is used to blood dope. I do not work in the medical trade but the long and short I stress the short is Epo enhances performance in athletes. It allows increased oxygen carrying capacity. Great for endurance athletes such as cyclists. Lance Armstrong has taken EPO. Wait a minute!
Lets back up to 1999 before Lance won any grand tours. Lance woke one morning and one of his testicles was swollen. By the time the tests were in Lance was diagnosed with brain and testicular cancer. After major surgery to remove both tumors he had months of chemotherapy to rid the rest of his body of the poison. This is a very condensed version of an amazing story of courage and perseverance that truly does the story zero justice. Please read one of his three books they changed my life.
During his recovery Lance was given EPO to help his recovery. He is a survivor.
I found his books comforting in a time when both of my parents were battling the deadly diseases. I don’t talk about feelings very well but this was a scary time, both found out within a couple of months of each other. Both were diagnosed in November it was a dark Christmas. I can happily say both have been clear and free for five years as of last month.
For the lovers, Lance is back after a three year layoff. He has nothing to prove he is the greatest. He is not collecting pay from his current team. He is back to raise awareness for the fight against cancer.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised over 250 million dollars to date. This money goes to cancer research not just the cancers that he had but all. 250 million and he is coming back risking his legacy to raise awareness. Cheater or not we are talking about a great human who knows how to give back. We all need a little Lance in us.
LIVESTRONG
Brady
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 |
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