Talkback: Dave Scott calls for Lance Armstrong to be allowed to race Kona
pwhent
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in General Chat
Dave Scott can't be serious can he? Corporations wouldn't be attracted by Lance Amstrong's presence. All his big corporate sponsors couldn't dump him fast enough when the truth was revelaed and his web of lies unravelled. There is no place for Lance Armstrong in triathlon.
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Maybe we should get a serial killer to do Kona. That would get some attention too.
Lance should be allowed. The rest of cycling through the years have all cheated at some point, but been allowed to race again in major pro event like TDF etc. Let Lance race says I.
Much rather - let us see Dave Scott race again in Kona!
Let Him race after all Hulk Hogan denied steroid use and was a huge role model in Wrestling for his Hulkamaniacs.Then under Oath he had to admit his past wrong doings but still graces the Squared circle and still earns a packet.Let Lance race......CLEANLY!
I don't want him in the sport. Yes, others were doping at the same time but no-one was so cold and calculated as Lance in his pursuit to destroy other people's lives and reputations. I don't know of any other cyclists that did what he did when it came to bullying, spinning and intimidation anyone that questioned him. He took it to another level far beyond the rest and IMHO, shouldn't be allowed back. He also earned an absolute fortune on the back of all this cheating. I bought and read all his books and believed the hype back in the day, what a disgrace. Allowing him back in would send out a message that cheating is definitely worth the risk, because people will let you back in no matter how evil you are. That's my 2p at least.
First - perspective. I practically danced an Irish jig when Armstrong got busted. Finally, I thought, the World have realised the enormity of this sporting fraud! BUt his downfall hasn't been enjoyable; it hasn't been a celebration for clean sport. The fact that Armstrong doped is irrefutable; but it was his behaviour off the bike that ignited the acrimonious public backlash. In the court of public opinion, he's been hung, drawn and quartered. RIghtly or wrongly. Personally, I can't say his treatment wasn't justified in many ways.
However, Armstrong was a bullish competitor. He was outspoken, brash, fearless. Was he the best of his era? He can never make that claim because of the doping. His treatment of Bassons, for instance, was that of an outright sociopathic bully; but he confronted Bassons unlike the rest of the peloton who cowardly shunned Bassons. The Pats and Heins of this World at the UCI have walked away scott free; the big fish who were no doubt complicit are escaping; the other teams were no doubt sweating bullets hoping and praying the spotlight stayed on Armstrong and his team.
Did he deserve how he was treated? You could comfortably argue in many ways yes. But he's also paid for the crimes of everyone. He's become the whipping boy for an entire sport. As a ferocious competitor, I'd love to see him race and I think there's room for Lance's redemption.
Maybe triathlon can be the sport that forgives, asks him to respect the second chance he's being given, and let him toe the line.
No one else who was caught cheating in cycling, have a lifetime ban. Most are still competing at top level. Let Lance compete in triathlon. It would certainly bring attention.
I can't think of a better role model for kids coming through the grass-roots programmes than Lance. He really embodies fair-play, integrity and sportmanship. Just imagine, your kids could be the ones running hand-in-hand with L.A down the red carpet at Kona!
How flipping desperate are you lot? You want to bring a wasted doper in to 'promote' your sport! I find it insulting people are even entertaining the idea. L.A is toxic - FACT.
But Gatlin, on the otherhand...
Despite the emotional Oprah interview it seems he still denies half the allegations and is pretty clear that he'd dope if he could get away with it.
And for those who complain that he got longer than others, consider that unlike others he actively bullied others into doping, threw close friends off the team if they refused and bribed his way out when caught.
He also sued anybody who even suggested he might be doping and dragged their reputation through the mud. He accused Greg LeMond of being addicted to hard drugs and accused his former soigneur of being a prostitute.
As for the suggestion that he'd have won anyway, let's see how he did in his earlier years. His best Tour finish was about 34th. He came 6th and 12th in the 96 Olympics (time trial and road race). Then he gets cancer and comes back, working with Michele Ferrari, the best doping doctor. Suddenly he's unbeatable.
The sad thing is that people equate "they were all doping" with "doping made no difference to the results". Doping affects people differently, depending on their physiology. It affected LA more than most, as can be seen from results and testimony of people like Tyler Hamilton. And then there are those who didn't dope. We know there were some because Armstrong used to play a big role in driving them out of the sport. See Bassons, Andreu...
An American journalist once said that the only reason to visit Dr Ferrari was to tell him to get the hell out of your sport. The same applies to Armstrong today.
All interesting but I can't help thinking that the bigger issue is - do we want Ironman to be the pinnacle of our sport with all its staggering profits, high prices and commercial spin-offs - who decreed that the winner of Ironman is the 'world champion'?
As much as I hate to say it, I'd rather see Armstrong at Kona, than Ramsey!...
Triathlon has until recently been seen as a clean sport. I say until recently as I'm staying to hear a lot more about doping at all levels age group and up in the media and I'm reluctant to welcome Lance back in at a time where we're fighting to keep the clean image.