[QUOTE=Hill Climber Don't even bring up WWI or II. This is a cycling issue. Not a war issue.[/QUOTE]


Sorry to bring up a war. The United States wouldn't be around without help from the French during the Revolutionary War. We owe our independence in a very large part to the French.

This is about heroes. Lance, through his life, his foundation, and a vast marketing machine, has set himself up as an inspiration to millions of cyclists and millions of cancer survivors. He may say he's not a hero, but he clearly is. And he has said over and over that he has never taken performance enhancing drugs. He attributes his victories to hard work, smart training, good nutrition, and focus. Fine. They're going after him because he has, in some sense, made himself a target. They won't go after the entire pro peloton because that would ruin the race. The Tour loses, the sponsors lose. It won't happen.

Heroes are human. Einstein cheated on his wife. Bad, but it doesn't make him less of a physicist. However, if he had stolen his ideas from other physicists then he's a cheat in a different sense. You can't cheat. And you don't get to cheat and stand there better than everyone else and say you don't. I'm not saying Armstrong did. I think the tests are flawed, and there is information that we don't have.

Cycling is a grueling, often bitter, magnificent, world sport. I want to believe in all these guys... from Armstrong to Basso to Zabriskie and every other American, French, Basque, Italian, Belgian, Spanish, German, Russian, etc. rider in the pro peloton. I got into cycling because of Lance, but I don't stick around because of him. I cheered more for Savoldelli descending to regain the lead during the penultimate stage of the Giro than I did for Lance's final time trial.

And if everyone's cheating, then go after all of them. Tear it down and start over.