Tour de France: Can Lance Armstrong keep his Teflon image?
| Arenberg, France
As Lance Armstrong tries for a record eighth victory in the Tour de France this month, his image is under attack amid increasingly detailed doping allegations from ex-teammate Floyd Landis.
In a Wall Street Journal expos茅 this weekend, Landis portrayed him as a Texan cowboy who has flouted everything from stop signs to morality to antidoping rules, and encouraged his teammates to join in. He described Armstrong getting blood transfusions on the team bus when the driver pulled over and feigned a breakdown.
But Armstrong鈥檚 Teflon persona has so far deflected not only Landis鈥檚 claims, but all previous accusations about his character, his marital problems, and his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Unprecedented for his success and leverage in the US cycling community 鈥� those who speak against him are severely punished 鈥� he has strengthened his immunity by becoming an established celebrity outside the cycling world.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 a guy who hangs out with Matthew McConaughey, Bono, and Ben Stiller,鈥� says Neal Rogers, managing editor of American cycling magazine VeloNews. 鈥淎 lot of people, especially in the US, they don鈥檛 equate Lance Armstrong with athleticism any more.鈥�
A modern folk hero who makes $20 million
In a recent TV commercial for his team sponsor, RadioShack, Armstrong sits atop a bike in a small office, lecturing his assistant on the finer points of voicemail etiquette.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the 21st century ... if all you have to say is, 鈥楥all me,鈥� just send a text message,鈥� Armstrong says, channeling his inner Jerry Seinfeld.
On the office walls hang three framed posters of the seven-time Tour de France winner in action. Each have a different one of the following motivational words underneath: Inspiration. Courage. Perseverance.
Presenting himself as an affable guy who鈥檚 not afraid to ham it up, Armstrong is also a modern folk hero 鈥� a driven world-class athlete who survived cancer. When he announced his return to cycling in 2008, he said he was aiming to build awareness for cancer.
Armstrong, a consummate businessman, raises money for cancer research through his LiveStrong foundation.
He rakes in an estimated $20 million annually 鈥� due in part to endorsements from companies such as RadioShack, Nike, and Anheuser-Busch.
None of those firms have blinked at allegations from Landis, who first accused Armstrong of doping in May.
鈥淥ur agreement with Mr. Armstrong and [Team RadioShack] remains unchanged,鈥� Nissan spokesman David P. Reuter told The Wall Street Journal last week, echoing other sponsors鈥� comments.
Many accuse Landis of seeking revenge amid bitterness that he was singled out for doping in a sport that for many years tolerated, if not condoned, systemic drug use. Armstrong has also called into question the credibility of Landis, who recently admitted lying about his own doping in an autobiographical book and in arbitration hearings over the failed drug test that stripped him of his 2006 Tour de France crown.
A Twitter offensive
In a statement after the most recent Landis allegations, Armstrong said that he had too much work to do in his 鈥渃ontinued fight against cancer鈥� to reply to the charges 鈥� a tactic he's frequently used to deflect criticism.
鈥淭his has been a constant thing with him, anytime he comes under pressure he takes out the cancer flag,鈥� says Paul Kimmage, a sports journalist for the Sunday Times in London.
But Armstrong rarely finds himself on the defensive; he has worked hard to proactively control his image in the media.
He鈥檚 limited media access to the point where reporters regularly rely on his Twitter feed for quotes. He has also punished disloyalty from former teammates and associates.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a very harsh price to pay [for speaking against him] because of his power within the sport,鈥� says Mr. Kimmage, a former professional cyclist who revealed his own doping experiences in the book Rough Ride.
Armstrong attacks media like a tough Tour stage
When negative stories have been published, he鈥檚 responded quickly and harshly.
In 2005, French newspaper L鈥櫭塹uipe accused Armstrong of using the banned drug EPO in the 1999 Tour de France.
The paper reported that France's 颁丑芒迟别苍补测-惭补濒补产谤测 antidoping laboratory, which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, had decided to retest samples from 1999 after developing an EPO test in 2000. Of twelve samples analyzed, six were Armstrong's and showed EPO use, the paper reported. It ran an in-depth feature, quoting lab director Jacques de Ceaurriz as saying that there was "no possible doubt as to the validity of the results."
Armstrong attacked the paper, calling their science 鈥渇aulty鈥� and blaming strained Franco-American relations for continually making him a target of doping allegations.
Armstrong had previously launched a lawsuit against a former L'Equipe journalist, Pierre Ballester, for coauthoring a book "L.A. Confidentiel: Les secrets de Lance Armstrong" that included statements from Armstrong's masseuse and others that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
No antidoping agency has ever accused Armstrong of failing a drug test.
Why Landis accusation may test Teflon image
But though Armstrong has successfully parried repeated attacks throughout his career, Landis鈥檚 allegations 鈥� tainted as they may be by credibility concerns 鈥� may present a more difficult battle for him.
鈥淭he thing that makes these different is the fact that it鈥檚 someone as high profile as Landis, an ex-teammate,鈥� says Daniel Benson, the editor of Cycling News. 鈥淚t was someone who was really in the circle and the level of detail is staggering.鈥�
Right now it鈥檚 Landis鈥檚 word against Armstrong鈥檚. But that could change: the US Food and Drug Administration has launched a federal investigation into the matter.
How loyal is Armstrong's cadre?
The investigation is being chaired by Jeff Novitzky, the hard-nosed investigator who jumped into dumpsters outside the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) to find syringes and other materials to break the BALCO steroids ring. His work ultimately helped bring down more than a dozen athletes affiliated with BALCO, including baseball player Barry Bonds and track star Marion Jones, who had to give up her five medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
鈥淭he reason that this won鈥檛 go away is that there is this federal investigation now,鈥� says Mr. Kimmage of the Times. 鈥淎nd Floyd cast the net to include people like [former Armstrong teammates] George Hincapie and Dave Zabriskie. They may be 鈥榣oyal鈥� to [Armstrong], but they will not go to jail for him.鈥�
Even if Armstrong were to be guilty, however, his supporters and sponsors may still embrace the Lance brand.
鈥淚 think people have sort of made up their minds about Lance,鈥� says Rogers of VeloNews. 鈥淭here are people who hate him and see this as vindication and the people who love Lance, they鈥檝e already turned a blind eye. I don鈥檛 think this is going to change that much.鈥�
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