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 façade 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.
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errr... Beaverton ;o)
@JFT
Did you race back then? If so, for who? That's when I started: I rode for Chev/LA Sheriff Development, Team Oregon, then Fat Tire Farm.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/news/andreu-qa-armstrong-took-a-big-step-after-spiraling-out-of-control_271850
Great interview with Frankie Andreu. He has consistently shown a level of class and integrity during the LA saga that few others have come close to. He easily has been one of the most affected by Lance's war of retribution against those that testified/spoke up against him and could claim righteous indignation to go on endless rants about how Lance deserves to suffer, yet he chooses to show restraint, and even empathy. Honesty, I don't know how he does it, I can't imagine keeping it together like that all these years without exploding publicly at least once... he's a saint!
Now I'm not saying the way he is dealing with it is better than anybody else. I'm in no position to judge anybody who has had to deal with the wrath of the Lance war machine and if they want to go postal (pun intended) then good on them, but I have always felt that Andreu's approach lifted him above the fray and eliminated any opportunity for the Lance loving public to simply dismiss him as a "hater" or someone with an agenda of their own.
My level of respect for Saint Frankie continues to rise and I hope he and Betsey get the vindication they deserve about what happend in that hospital room in 1996.
@LA DaveAndreu a saint? He was a doper - maybe a more principled doper in the aftermath, but a doper nonetheless.
@Marcus
Fair point Marcus. I have been very vocal about how i have no sympathy for those that have cheated and then claim that they were forced or coerced by Lance...something he didn't do. I don't mean to absolve him of the fact that he cheated but he came clean of his own volition (in an interview with the times in 2006... not a federal deposition where he was sworn to tell the truth or face jail time), and I believe he did it to try to clean up the sport he loves. He did not try to write a book, or go on a tour and take peoples money, etc., etc..
Saint may be too strong a word, but I was referring to his actions and statements since coming clean and having his (and Betsey's) lives turned upside down. I feel if there is anybody in this whole mess deserving of my respect, It's him.
@Marcus
Instead of "Saint Frankie" now I'll just call him "Nice Guy Frankie".
@scaler911
Fuck em. Double fuck anyone that isn't a Cat V.
Double fuck UCI and USAC.
And for the record, I'd SO fuck Nikki Cooke. I'd pay money to lay face down in Marianne Vos' dirty bathwater.
After all the shit I just saw, no wonder I'm drunking fuck. Merckx dammit!
@eightzero What a coincidence! I have some of the aforementioned bathwater in my yard right now and would be glad to accept $100 for it. Or even $20. As low as $5, even.
This morning I got up pre-dawn and rode my non-PED addled carcass 120k into a headwind from Port Melbourne to Torquay to do a swim race. Frankly, I ate shit all the way then swam like an anchor...PED free though. Made me feel good. COTHO has left me feeling empty but I'm still loving the bike. I don't blame Stuey, Cav, Jens etc for their words, the sport is their actual life, not something others like us view from outside and pontificate about. Of course they're going to try to see something other than what we observers are seeing.