The only possible benefit of the doubt that
can be given is that a man with a famously short fuse and arrogant attitude has
genuinely had enough, and that following his close brush with death he’s
someone with a real appreciation that life’s too short to spend it engaging in
long running disputes. Maybe it was a snap decision. But to not
defend the enormous expenditure of energy and willpower it took to drive
himself to seven Tour victories seems a perverse decision.
As someone
who’s certainly no expert on cycling (I only bought my first road bike 10 weeks
ago, fortunately just early enough so I can’t be accused of jumping on the
Bradley Wiggins bandwagon!) I can’t really comment on the doping allegations
and whether his performances could only be done with artificial
assistance. Certainly it seems that “everyone was at it” during the
Armstrong era, so unless he was really an extreme outlier in the talent and
endurance stakes, or that the way he rebuilt his body following testicular
cancer gave him some form of advantage by stripping out all non-cycling muscle,
or simply that he had the best team and psychological edge over all of his
competitors, it seems unlikely he achieved such dominance without cheating.
Either way,
the effect of Armstrong not defending himself on his status as an inspirational
icon is huge. Lance Armstrong’s feats, books and Livestrong foundation
have no doubt inspired millions to get fitter, not to mention cancer
sufferers. The sense of disappointment and deja vu that many will feel at
the fall of an icon is strong.
Whilst I
doubt it will cause anyone to stop exercising who has already started to get
fitter, it does mean that fewer people in future will be inspired to challenge
themselves based on Armstrong’s example. His books will likely end up in
the remainder bins.
No-one else
in sport has the combination of profile and extraordinary back story to step
into the gap Armstrong as a sporting inspiration. Paralympic althletes
may be incredibly inspirational but lack the high profile. Usain Bolt is
bigger in global profile and a great role model, particularly showing that
sport can be fun (although his insistance that the 400m is too hard work to
train for isn’t quite so inspirational for general fitness). Mo Farah and
Jessica Ennis are fantastic but don’t have the global reach yet. And on
the cycling front Bradley Wiggins has brought a modest and humourous attitude
to the Tour that was distinctly lacking during the Armstrong era, but has a
long way to go in terms of Tour de France wins.
Maybe the
answer is that we should all stop looking to icons to inspire us to do sport
and exercise? Maybe we should just take personal responsibility for our
health and fitness, get out there and do it ourselves. We shouldn’t be
expecting Olympic sports stars and Premier League footballers to be role models
and the basis to inspire a generation.
Get inspired
by the people around us, by our friends and neighbours who do extraordinary
things like running marathons or triathlons whilst holding down jobs. Get
motivated by the person on the next treadmill in the gym, by the local martial
arts or dance instructor, by the regular walkers or the people we see cycling
to work in all weathers.
We can all
achieve lifetime fitness that will make our lives better and happier, and
inspire others to do the same. Even if we’ve been put off sport at
school, we can all find activities we enjoy and which will help us get fitter,
whatever our starting level. Taking part in Konkura’s sport and fitness challenges are a great way to find new exercises
and workouts, motivate your training, track your progress and make new training
friends. And yes, there’s a growing section for cycling challenges– Lance,
you’re very welcome to join in, as long as you promise you’re clean.
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