WINNING THE TOUR “7” TIMES IN A ROW CANNOT BE ACHIEVED ONLY WITH DOPING.

Artículo traducido del ESPAÑOL AL INGLES, para todos mis amigos de EEUU y CANADA.
Para los que quieran leerlo en ESPAÑOL, debajo de este mismo artículo en Ingles lo tenéis.

Mil gracias a mi amiga EVA ESPIGARES por la traducción.

                                                     TERREMOTO-ARMSTRONG

Añadir leyendaIf Lance’s lifetime ban is lifted, what would the other triathletes think of his coming back to competing in triathlons?
 I think it would be GREAT! I’m looking forward to the BOSS’s return!!!

 In the early 90’s, when a very young Lance Armstrong was a newcomer in the already over infected by doping professional road racing cycling, doping was a common practice among the main cycling stars, and the rest of the pack, in the championship. There was no way at the time to test for it.

By then, Lance had already won some stage races. I particularly remember the one he took in honor of his friend and teammate in the Motorola Team, his two index fingers pointing to the sky, Fabio Casartelli, who died in a crash a few days before on a descent during a stage of the Tour. The Spanish TV Channel, “La 2”, aired a documentary about Lance’s beginnings as a triathlete in the early 80’s, which caused a great impression on me. That was when I began to idolize Lance.

WHY DID LANCE CHANGE FROM TRIATHLON TO CYCLING?

When Lance arrived at the professional cycling he already was a triathlon champion, defeating all the Super-pros of that moment, at the age of 18. He also took part and won other prestigious events, and proved to be better than Mark Allen or Dave Scott, who ranked higher than he was that year. On this phase of his life, he already had in mind to compete and, of course, win the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. But, why did he take the leap to the cycling? There’s an easy answer. His dream was to take part in the Olympic Games, and since Triathlon was not considered an Olympic sport yet, he thought this dream could be achieved by becoming a cyclist, and he succeeded. Money might have been a reason too, but by then Lance was fully sponsored and traveled alone at the age of 14.

EPO IN THE 90’S?

In 1989 EPO begins to be available for therapeutic use, as well as for blood doping in certain sports, like cycling. But it is not until the early 90’s when it became widely used. The main professional cycling teams had their own devices to use EPO, and other doping agents, to achieve a better performance of their cyclists. There was no way at the time to test for it. In 1998, the Festina Team was proved to have been using a large haul of doping products, such as EPO, growth hormones and testosterone. Big cycling stars, like Alex Zulle, Laurent Brochard, Christopho Moreau, Niel Stephens and Richard Virenque, one of the most popular French cyclists of the time, whom we all remember weeping bitterly when he was not allowed to keep on the Tour and was sanctioned, like the rest of his teammates. Afterwards, several teams withdrew from the race. The reality is that there was a widespread network of doping involving all the teams. It would take a whole article to talk about all the doping scandals in the cycling.

LANCE BEFORE AND AFTER THE CANCER?

 By the time he had to face the most difficult stage of his life, the cancer, Lance had already won the US Cycling Championship. He also was a two times winner of the La Flèche Wallone and the Tour DuPont, as well as a handful of  other prestigious stage victories in Europe. In 1996 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his lungs and brain, and the doctors believed there were very little chances for him to survive. Shortly after he was declared cancer-free, the Cofidis team, who hired Lance when he was successful, cancelled his contract, as they thought Lance would never be fit for elite sport again. Then he was hired by the US Postal-Service Team, led by his friend and manager Johan Bruyneed, who thoroughly placed his trust in him. We all know the rest. Now we have to decide whether or not a Tour can be won only with doping. I think you also need an innate talent, and you have to start training from a very early age and, of course, be lucky enough not to get injured. Whether or not he used doping after his comeback would lead us to another debate.

THE IOC DISPOSSESSED LANCE OF HIS GOLD MEDAL? ALL THE SHIT INVOLVING THE UCI AND THE CYCLING IN GENERAL?

 I think it’s righteous the IOC dispossessed Lance of his medal, but the other two cyclists who accompanied him on the podium, Jan Ullrich and Viacheslac Eminov, were also involved in serious doping scandals. Why weren’t they dispossessed of their medals too? By the way, the UCI is seriously considering leaving cycling out of the Olympic sports. They are just a bunch of ignorant! Last year gold medal winner, Alexander Vinokourov, had tested positive during the 1997 Tour de France, and served a two year doping ban. Are those the Olympic values?

 Bjarne Riis, winner of the 1996 Tour as well as Alberto Contador’s team manager, admitted having used EPO and other doping agents after his case had prescribed. He got no sanction at all from the UCI. I’m not trying to say Lance is innocent, but I’m just saying they ALL are doped!!! Or, at least, 90% of them are, just in case one or two are really clean, so I don’t want them to get mad at me.

 All that I’m saying here is well known by everybody. Those who feel disappointed or believe things were different, as I’ve often read in some forums, are a little dumb.

ARE THERE DOPING CASES IN TRIATHLON AND IRONMAN?

 Yes, there are, unfortunately. Last year, several pros-triathletes tested positive, as well as in this year 2013. A few months ago, an age group (57) American triathlete, Kevint Moats, tested positive for high levels of testosterone in his body, so he was suspended for one year, after having achieved amazing results, such as 9h30min in Ironman, and 2h15min in Olympic Distance. Nevertheless, doping controls for pros are not as strict and severe as they are in cycling. During the first year doping controls were made in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, which was announced publically only a few days before the event, several pros run off the island. In 2004, triathlete Nina Kraft, who had made a sensational season and had been the winner of the Ironman of Frankfurt, as well as the Ironman in Hawaii, 17 minutes ahead of Natacha Badmann, tested positive for EPO, and was dispossessed of her victory, which went to Natacha instead. Nina confessed having followed a perfect treatment a month earlier, finishing it only 5 days before the race. She said the pressure from his country to be the winner was too much for her. She wanted to win no matter what.

WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE LIVESTRONG FAMILY?

The only two things in life Lance loves the most, besides winning, are his family and the Livestrong Foundation. His mother, Linda, has always been supporting Lance from his early days as a swimmer and a triathlete. It will be hard for Lance having to tell his children about this ordeal but, Lance, tell them the truth, tell them that you were a child prodigy, and also about your success in all the triathlons you took part in, and that after that, you moved on to cycling and also were a winner, then you defeated cancer, and then you won 7 Tour in a row, and that you were doped, like the rest of your rivals, and then you won in Ironman 70.3 at the age of 41, and that you can still speak loud and clear to the world, so bravely!

The Livestrong is a wonderful foundation established by Lance, aimed to save lots of lives. I think Lance’s detractors ought not to mix things, as his foundation raised up to 600 million dollars for saving lives, which is more than Obama could achieve with his Health care system.

NOW WHAT, LANCE?

Lance, I know many people will stop loving you now, and will hate you forever more, but it is true that, despite the doping, you keep on being awesome, and your hunger for winning will never be taken away from you, even if you first need that lifetime ban be lifted. I think that hunger for winning was what brought you here, and maybe you should have retired in time instead. I think your comeback to competing in triathlons caused the USADA to go after you, especially when they saw you were successful at the Ironman 70.3 in Panama. It’s also true that doping produce long term benefits to those who have systematically been doped, so that is an advantage.

The good news is that, if they take the ban away from you, and I believe they will, Ironman Chief, Andrew Messick, recently announced that you will be welcome to compete again as a pro, or for age group.

           BAD GUYS ARE NOT THAT BAD, AND THE GOOD ONES ARE NOT THAT GOOD.

By the way, you overcame bigger obstacles in your life.