What a Painful Story

I just watched 60 Minutes on the Lance Armstrong investigation. Tyler Hamilton was so obviously in pain answering the questions. I believe Tyler is a stand up guy that came into the sport of cycling when performance enhancing drugs were not only prevalent but pushed on the riders as something they had to do to be competitive and successful in the sport.

As with any wound that has become infected and festered, it has to undergo lancing so the poison will be drawn out. That is the first step toward healing. For Cycling, a sport I dearly love, this is happening now. What will emerge, after all this pain, will be a better sport. A fairer sport will emerge, relying on riders' natural abilities without an unfair advantage to the ones that dope. Many riders, especially the neo-pros and U23, are making statements that they Bike Pure. They will not and do not take these drugs. They, and many others that have been in the sport for years, want a level playing field not dirtied by the use of these drugs.

As painful as this first step is, it is necessary. Once the light shines on the darkness of drug use in cycling, or any sport for that matter, then it can be stopped. Will there always be people that want to cheat, sure. Will they have a means that is sanctioned, promoted, and even supplied by their managers and other team personnel to do so: let us hope not. I want to see the sport clean. I want to applaud the natural talent and sheer determination of honest riders as they give their all as they finish: whether on the podium or farther back in a cycling race.

Other riders were contacted to meet with the Grand Jury on the Lance Armstrong investigation of allegations. Of the names we have heard that were called to testify … not all of them can be labeled as handily as the ones that have come forward to this point. I leave with one last thought … this isn't just about Lance Armstrong … this is about the Cycling that we love. It is painful for me but I will endure it for the sake of a pure Cycling sport in the end.