I got into road cycling for a few reasons. Considering the timing (circa 2003) it's hard to deny that Lance was a factor.
1. fell out of touch with my mountain biking buddies
2. got sick of having to drive 30 minutes to get to a decent trail
3. during an unusually wet summer, I was disheartened by considerable trail erosion caused by mountain bikes
4. lost my nerve due to an injury. Walking the technical sections or avoiding the more technical trails altogether because your shoulder is guaranteed to dislocate on your next endo can be a bummer after a while.
There are plenty of times I've pretended to be Lance or one of his lieutenants on some hilly rides. Regardless of how he did it, he and his teams' consistent dominance of that race was truly awe-inspiring, and will probably never be repeated by anyone. I just hope that people don't stop riding because of these revelations.