Lance Armstrong Has (Finally) Had "Enough"; Cycling Does Not Thank Him

The news was a bombshell. Lance Armstrong had thrown in the towel in his fight against the United States Anti-Doping Agency. “Enough is enough,” declared the former biker — who will be stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and who is henceforth banned for life from cycling. The sport of cycle has been stripped of a part of its history.

I never cared for Armstrong, like many French followers of the sport. I found in him all the wrongs of the world. Arrogant, too comfortable in a collar; I hated the Texan. However, this morning, in learning that “The Boss” would be losing his seven victories on the Great Loop, as well as all other wins, I was full of bitterness. Indeed, the foremost victim is not Armstrong but the sport that gave him everything.

I am among those who believe that with or without doping, Lance Armstrong was above the competition. He prepared like no one else, had an armada around him and possessed a mental advantage over his opponents that made him a mythical icon. When a cyclist “disobeyed,” one sometimes saw the American take responsibility on himself in order to restore order. Certainly, this was not cycling champagne, full of suspense, but it was an era — an era which henceforth has disappeared.

Cycling Sees a Page of Its History Brutally Torn Out

Personally, I was always fascinated by the history of my sport. I always enjoyed reading summaries of previous Tour de Frances, wonderful races by their conclusion. I love to read stories from the Merckx, Anquetil and Hinault years. But what will we tell future generations about the competitions at the beginning of this century?

Nothing remains. Nothing but boxes stripped of the winner’s name. Today the Tour de France and, more generally, the entire sport are in mourning. They have just witnessed a page of their history brutally torn away.

The fact that they have attacked a nearly bygone era only increases my bitterness. What are the limits to this relegation? How far must we climb back? Back to the Anquetil years, who admitted to doping after his career ended?

The Armstrong case serves as a lesson, but what a mess. Every anti-doping agency has had many chances to trap him during his career, and again before his 2009 comeback. Unfortunately, at the time, the former USPS leader was protected by the International Cycling Union. The consequences feel even more tragic this morning.

I am sad for my sport, for sports in general. The 2000s are now nothing. There now remains in the collective memory, for the next several years, nothing but the memory that a doper lost his titles more than 10 years after his first victory. How sad…