Armstrong Is Tired, and So Are We

161

September 2, 2012

Published in Il Sole 24 Ore
(Italy) on 25 August 2012
by (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Hourya Herrou. Edited by Audrey Agot .

Lance Armstrong came close to death when he was diagnosed with cancer at 25 years old, but he went back on the bike to win the Tour de France seven times. Now he says he has had enough. He has had enough explaining that he was not doping; he has had enough of being chased by demons, suspicions and voices around him.

He was born with a physical predisposition to be an athlete — his heart could reach 200 beats under stress — and he was exceptionally popular but also completely obsessive. He is known for being a collector of beautiful women and being on the first page of the press. Yet, he is ending his career in the most distasteful manner: So was this prestige real?

Doubt and rumors are buzzing. So what is it? OK, he is retiring. OK, he has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Why do fans that followed him need to know now, after 10 years, that they have been duped? If he has been doping, why not say it straight away? At least we are not being fooled. Even if this Texan man has won using chemical products, he still deserves some credit, and forever. With the Lance Armstrong Foundation, he has given strength and a voice to millions of cancer patients. It was the voice of hope and life.

Armstrong è stanco E anche noi

Ha guardato in faccia la morte, quando ha scoperto di avere il cancro a 25 anni, e si è rimesso in sella per vincere sette Tour de France consecutivi. Ma ora Lance Armstrong ha detto basta. Basta dover chiarire che lui non ha assunto sostanze dopanti, basta dover essere inseguito dai fantasmi, dai sospetti, dalle voci.
Lui, fisico nato per lo sport (il suo cuore sotto sforzo arriva a 200 battiti), atleta pop come pochi, maniaco integrale, collezionista di donne bellissime e di prime pagine, chiude nel modo più amaro una carriera fulgida: ma fu vera gloria? Dubbi, voci, come un ronzio. E allora? Ci sta che si ritiri, ci sta che gli siano revocati quei sette Tour, ma gli appassionati che lo hanno seguito perché solo ora, dopo una decina d'anni, devono sapere che hanno assistito a una messa in scena? Se doping è, ditecelo subito, almeno non ci illudiamo. Poi, se anche il texano ha vinto con la chimica, un merito glielo riconosciamo, e per sempre: con la Lance Armstrong Foundation ha dato forza a milioni di malati di cancro. Altre voci. Di speranza e vita.

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