Thoughts on Lance Armstrong, from Fabrice Rouah
I recently saw this article: "Armstrong Sued Over Prize Money" . Sure to be the first of many lawsuits against him.
It's worth remembering that doping constitutes only a tiny part of an athlete's activities. Most of their time is spent training, in the gym, exercising, dieting, etc. You cannot transform an out-of-shape and overweight cycling wannabe (me!) overnight into a Tour winner simply by giving him dope.
We all know Armstrong's story but it's worth repeating. Testicular cancer that spread to his brain and to 12 golf ball-sized tumors in his lungs; given less than 50% chance of survival; refused a cancer treatment that would damage his lungs; insisted to his doctors that he would survive return to competitive cycling when they were telling him that he would be confined to a wheelchair.
His remarkable recovery wasn't due to doping, but to his determination and will.