Memoirs of a Cyclist

 Lance Edward Armstrong

This man was a legend. Lance Armstrong always exceeded expectations whether it was in triathlons or the esteemed Tour De France cycle races, but all his credibility has been washed away.  

I remember learning countless time about what a success story Armstrong was. To be exact, at Salisbury Middle, Mr. Lawson taught me every aspect of healthy living, which included daily dieting and proper exercise. At the time Lance Armstrong was the "Poster Boy" of all our class discussions because of his devotion to health living, exercise, and community outreach with the Livestrong campaign. With the teachings from middle school in mind, I found it hard to believe that he was doping. But as an athlete I understand the mentality of wanting to be the best and doing everything in your power to get there. HOWEVER, that means you have to put in the extra workouts and sessions to be the best, not cutting corners and hoping that you don't get caught. 

This is a tragic event but the irony is that it is showing up in sports more frequently than most commissioners would want. My concern is the negative impact these athlete impress upon their admirers. Believe it or not, children look to athletes as role models because of their success and the ease to emulate them; example: my childhood hero was Freddie Adu. I enjoyed watching Freddie Adu play for D.C. United plus I could see myself in him because that was a time in my life where I played soccer and was very talented. 

But I digress, Oprah on the Oprah Winfrey Network interviewed Lance to address the findings of the allegations. This video was the seller that bought me on the fact that Lance Armstrong cheated. Livestrong meant so much to so many people but has its impact diminished?

 

*For people that want to get straight to the point please start video at time 0:40*