Lance Armstrong: Blow to kids' idol, brings new respect for Dad
| Norfolk, Va.
Today my four sons lost their hero听Lance Armstrong when the International Cycling Union agreed with US authorities on the charges he鈥檚 both a doper and a pusher, stripping him of all seven Tour de France titles. Maybe that鈥檚 a good thing because they learned that their dad, who once had a shot at pro-cycling and shied from it because he feared the pressure of an ingrained doping circuit, was telling the truth and not just making excuses.
Learning that the International Cycling Union has stripped Lance Armstrong of his Tour de France titles for not only doping, but allegedly bullying teammates into doing the same, is like learning Superman doesn鈥檛 hail from Planet Krypton and Clark Kent faked all his stories for the Daily Planet.
Mr. Armstrong denies doping, but chose not to fight USADA saying the process was biased against him. Now my boys roll their eyes at him and think he's the one making excuses. Our 18-year-old, who鈥檚 body has become a temple as he rows crew and who wants to be in law enforcement, is feeling particularly betrayed. 鈥淚 believed in him. I really believed and it made me sick to know he鈥檚 not just a doper, but a pusher as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel stupid for holding on so long too. I鈥檓 just so angry at him.鈥�
For months my sons have sought the truth and fallen back on excuses such as, 鈥淲ell he鈥檚 done good things for cancer research.鈥� True. That鈥檚 true, but if there were an International Parenting Union, we would have to flag that as well because he devastated the ability of any athlete to champion a cause by creating world-class doubts.
Our son Avery, 13, has gone into dejected shrug mode, 鈥淲ell, he did win. I guess that鈥檚 something. He did amazing things, but鈥e cheated so they weren鈥檛 really real.鈥�
Quin, 8, asked the tough one, 鈥淥K, so how do I know who to believe anymore?鈥�
Thinking about it, the dawn finally broke for me, 鈥淵ou can trust the people you actually know: your father, brothers, and you can trust me,鈥� I said.
Since our eldest son was a toddler it has been our family tradition to watch the Tour de France and hear all of my husband鈥檚 insights from his school days of cycling. He was one of those guys shaped by the film 'Breaking Away' and later, after meeting some pro cyclists, he changed his life path because he believed what they told him back in the early 1980s about the pressures of doping.
Our kids have heard a hundred tellings of how he鈥檇 wanted to be a pro cyclist, 鈥淏ut I knew I could never live that kind of a lie.鈥�
Up until now the boys had rolled their eyes and thought their dad was just trying to rationalize his 鈥渇ailing.鈥� He still cycles daily. He also sails in Laser听competitions听and runs, but his dream never went the distance because he believed 鈥� rightly so 鈥� that he would have to compromise his values. What did Dad become? He became a designer 听for a major daily newspaper here in Virginia, to which he bikes like the roads of Norfolk are those on the Tour de France in Paris 鈥� just with more potholes.
Today, the boys know the real winner was their dad and all the other athletes who chose not to dope or live a lie. They learned that winning isn鈥檛 winning if it came dishonestly. Most importantly, they learned that no power on earth can strip you of the title of 'Honest Person' unless you let them.
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