Categories: AwardsEvanescent RidersIn Memoriam

2012 Anti-V Moment of the Year: Bullies are really just pussies

As referenced in the 2012 V-Moment of the year article and ensuing discussion, it was a most Vawesome year for cycling. It’s been hypothesized here and on cycling sites with more integrity that the fantastic racing of 2012 may be, at least in part, attributed to a cleaner peloton. Unless you watched the Tour de France you’d think the days of foregone conclusions and three week coronations are quickly becoming a thing of the past. It is in this vein we bring to you the Anti-V Moment of 2012: Lance Armstrong’s ceasing to fight the charges against him.

Now usually, we try our best not to delve into the seedy side of cycling. There is just way too much cool about our sport to focus our collective energy and attention on asshats. Besides, we’ve got bikes to ride. But the COTHO’s public announcement that he would no longer fight, er, defend himself against allegations of systematic doping, money laundering, blackmail, intimidation, and international douchebaggery has to be the biggest Anti-V moment of the year, if not in the history of pro cycling.

The COTHO could have feasibly taken one of three tacks as the winds of pressure, evidence, and public opinion continued to blow against his house of cards. Tack one would have been to continue lying, bribing, and digging an ever deepening hole as he steadfastly proclaimed his innocence. This obviously hadn’t been working for the past 10-odd years but at least it allowed him to maintain his base of supporters. Even as it became more difficult for him to maintain the faÃ§ade he still had a sizable group of survivors, apologists, journalists, and mis-guided cycling fans who believed.

Tack two would have been to come clean (pardon the pun) and admit to the whole sordid mess he created but he didn’t have the ball to do this either. Who knows what his reasons are for not being honest? Best guesses are he’s rationalizing a set of excuses ranging from mitigating his financial liability, evading criminal implications, and blaming the corruptness of the sport. Maybe he’s trying to save face in some twisted way. But for as cliché as Tyler Hamilton even admitted in his tell-all; the truth will set you free. The COTHO could have stood in front of those microphones and cameras and said “Hey, you know what, I doped. I made some poor choices and lied to everybody and for that I’m deeply sorry.” Had he done so his detractors would probably still be his detractors and he would have given his supporters a legitimate reason to continue supporting him but at least everybody could say he fessed up and there is some integrity in doing that.

Alas, he took the Anti-V tack. He stopped defending himself, er, lying without admitting to anything and seems to be hoping to just fade into the background. In essence, he’s taking his toys and going home. What’s striking about this is that it is contrary to what we’ve come to understand about the guy. If anything, we’ve come to know him as a fighter, both in life and on the road. But this latest, and hopefully last maneuver was just plain weak. (Notice I’ve added the categories of “Evanescent Riders” and “In Memoriam” to this article in addition to “Awards”. The first two are much more fitting.)

Perhaps it belies the true nature of the man. A nature that involves intimidation, serial emotional and physical aggression and even violence. A nature that includes socially isolating his victims, arguing them into submission, and propagating rumors, gossip, and lies about them to sway public opinion in his favor. A nature that involves amplifying the mistakes of others in order to strengthen his own self-image. A nature whereby there are many innocent bystanders who are too fearful of repercussions to come forward themselves. The nature of a man who may be trying to compensate for his own insecurities and feed his own narcissism and megalomania. The nature of a simple bully who ultimately shows himself to be a big pussy.

Marko

Marko lives and rides in the upper midwest of the States, Minnesota specifically. "Cycling territory" and "the midwest" don't usually end up in the same sentence unless the conversation turns to the roots of LeMond, Hampsten, Heiden and Ochowitz. While the pavé and bergs of Flanders are his preferred places to ride, you can usually find him harvesting gravel along forest and farm roads. He owes a lot to Cycling and his greatest contribution to cycling may forever be coining the term Rainbow Turd.

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View Comments

eightzero says:

Jan 18 2013 at 8:38 am

@seemunkee

Found this on a news site this AM. Which one of you posted it?

Li(v)eStrong. The "V" is silent.

Didn't watch it last night, but I DVRd it so I can zip past the BS. I'm guessing it will only take me about 10 minutes. I'll readily admit to having been a Lance fan in the past. I don't think he can fall any further in my opinion of him. When I was diagnosed with cancer I contacted Livestrong and got some support from them. I still keep my medical records in a Livestrong notebook(it has nice pockets to hold shit). I feel sorry for the organization, for all of those people who need a lift that they provided. Especially the kids that looked at him with hope that they could win their battle. Hopefully they can shed the taint of Lance and still do some good work, maybe stop paying so much in lawyer fees and even fund some research again.

Livestrong does not fund research.
scaler911 says:

Jan 18 2013 at 8:45 am

@Sauterelle

Careful now, once you start handing out The V-adge so freely everyone will want a piece. It's a slippery slope.

OK, I'm done now. Back to the testosterone and other manly stuff.

Ha! Who wouldn't want a V-adge?
wiscot says:

Jan 18 2013 at 8:45 am

@VeloVita

Overall, what I was most surprised at was that for someone who is known for preparing so meticulously, Lace seemed unprepared in being able to answer some of Oprah's questions, thereby either a. making himself appear entirely unbelievable and nonredeemable and/or b. setting the stage for more fallout (legal or otherwise). Perhaps some credit has to go to Oprah for at least making him uncomfortable with her questions and not just coddling him (as frankly I expected she would) Apart from the obvious ones like saying he was clean in 2009/2010; saying he didn't know whether or not he sued Emma O'Reilly because he sued so many people; and refusing to say if whether the hospital room confession actually happened or not, some of my favourites were:

- saying that it was a 'level playing field' but then saying he was able to 'phone in' the TdF victories. As Tim Johnson pointed out, if its a level playing field, you CAN'T phone it in.

- referring to suing people you knew to be telling the truth and receiving damages as a result as a 'serious flaw'

- and of course, the best was actually debating whether or not he called Betsy Andreu 'fat'

Yeah, given Oprah's well publicized weight issues over the years, I'm amazed COTHO made a "fat" jibe and that OW let him get away with such a pathetic attempt at levity. Given the whole COTHO/Betsy dynamic, I'd say she was the last one I'd make a "joke" about.
scaler911 says:

Jan 18 2013 at 8:52 am

From DrunkCyclist:

"One of my favorite statements to come out of last night was from long time DC friend and impaler, Vlad.
"That's why Ulrich was my favorite, he only got busted for coke & weed when he crashed his Porsche while driving drunk. He is a real hero for the kids""-Drunkcyclist.com
snoov says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:04 am

Hmmm, is it only in the UK that vadge is a synonym for a lady's nether regions? Of course AV-adge might be appropriate when discussing COTHO.
Marko says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:23 am

@wiscot

@VeloVita

Then I wasn't the only one thinking the "interview" devolved into a he said/she said romper room tiff. Of course Doprah and COTHO being the kiddies in the romper room talking about whether or not Betsy was called fat. Utterly ridiculous. Makes the Andreu's look even better.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/17/betsy-andreu-furious-at-armstrong/?hpt=ac_mid

Of course there is a talkshow pulp flavor to the video above.
wiscot says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:30 am

@snoov

Hmmm, is it only in the UK that vadge is a synonym for a lady's nether regions? Of course AV-adge might be appropriate when discussing COTHO.

I hear ya. Vadge is indeed slang for a lady's nether regions in the UK. Mind you, I think most women would find it less offensive than the "C" word. LA was a C last night, OW was a bit of a vadge at times.
Sauterelle says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:33 am

@wiscot

@snoov

Hmmm, is it only in the UK that vadge is a synonym for a lady's nether regions? Of course AV-adge might be appropriate when discussing COTHO.

I hear ya. Vadge is indeed slang for a lady's nether regions in the UK. Mind you, I think most women would find it less offensive than the "C" word. LA was a C last night, OW was a bit of a vadge at times.

I'm in the US and hear "vadge" a lot.
Marko says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:37 am

@Sauterelle Seems pretty ubiquitous these days. Based on all the women I hear using it it doesn't seem to offend. Happy Vajanuary btw.
Marko says:

Jan 18 2013 at 9:40 am

This. I'm firmly in the Cav camp now.