While I did say it was likely he doped, I couldn't say he did until the USADA provided the necessary evidence.
Well, the USADA released hundreds of pages of Armstrong's former teammates saying he doped on multiple occasions. Now the International Cycling Union (UCI) has stripped Armstrong from his seven Tour de France titles and banned him from the sport.
I can't say much other than it's a shame that Armstrong doped. It will be interesting to see who is awarded with those seven vacant titles - especially considering most cyclists during that period doped anyways.
The most concerning question is how can a single man cheat the system so easily. While the media can and will continue to focus on Armstrong, I find it disturbing that he could cheat hundreds of drug tests - and not get caught - until now.
Cycling needs a complete shake up, much like Major League Baseball did in the mid-2000s. I don't want to say the sport is tarnished, but when the greatest cyclist is outed in this way, it doesn't look good.
That would be the equivalent of Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, or Jerry Rice being removed from their respective positions as greatest in their sport.
It will be interesting to see if the public turns on Armstrong. On one hand, he is a cheat. But this is also a man that has raised over $500-million towards cancer research.
There will be a split among people. Those who can overlook his cheating because of his charity and those who have the pitchforks out and are ready to bring him down.
I'm split. I admire his charity work, but the kid inside me is just so disappointed with the news that he cheated. I remember watching every Tour de France that Armstrong participated in and he was someone I looked up to. He had character, he had guts and he was a good person. It's just disappointing that someone you looked up to turned out to be a cheat.
As for my original column in The Projector, I wouldn't say I was wrong, but I did write too much with my heart.
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