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Why I'll Always Love Lance Armstrong

Posted: 21/01/2013 00:00

Lance Armstrong lied. A lot. To everyone. His own Mam, His children. The public. His employers. For years. Thousands upon thousands of untruths.

I don't care.

And I don't mean I am disinterested. I'm not. Far from it. I mean that I don't care. Not because I encourage massive amounts of deceit as part of a healthy-balanced lifestyle. But because the man is my hero. Always will be.

I remember reading It's Not About the Bike when I was first able to use my hands, lift my head off my chin and sit slightly upright. I don't have words to tell you what it felt like. To feel the power and determination leaping off the page. To be that mentally and physically worn down and desperate- and to feel like he was talking right at me. To then be able to see this man, on this bike. Alive, well, thriving. Hope and health personified. Words don't do it justice. It certainly got me through some horrendous moments. The times where there was no reassuring myself. When all was hurt and pain and loss. Where the present was unbearable, the past was too painful to look back on and any future seemed terribly unlikely at all.

Oprah had 112 questions she prepared for Lance. I've been preparing mine for years. There's so much I want to know; like how the hell did he ever learn to trust his body again after it took him to the very edge and made him peer into the precipice? How can he love so fearlessly in relationships and be able to lean on another person like that? Bring children into a world he knows has every chance of letting them experience the pain he has suffered physically? How did he manage to cultivate such a sense of unshakable certainty in all aspects of his life? Does it come naturally to him? Does he have to work it like a muscle? Is it part of his training - as vital as the physical components?

I find it remarkable a body that has suffered as much as Lance Armstrong's can do any of the things he has been able to do physically over the years. But not as remarkable as I find it that he can get up, leave the house everyday, go to work and not be completely paralysed by fear. That he doesn't live his 'what ifs' on a constant loop. Doesn't continually scan his body for signs of illness returning. That he really is future focussed and is so free of the past that he can inspire thousands of people with his story by telling it continuously, without having to relive it every time he does so.

How did he do it? And then consistently keep doing it? What kind of strength must that take? I find it astonishing. That the fear does not come to haunt him in the night. That he is able to live his life 100% free of vulnerability. Because that's what he did. Pushed his body in ways we are really just coming to discover. All in total trust that he could handle it. Without ending up peering into the abyss again. Without being plunged back into the darkness. Into that nameless, formless terror. That defies description, but is felt all too well.

Lance can give back his sponsorship money, his titles, his many accolades. But he will never be asked to erase the hope he has given to so many of us. Nobody knows why some people recover from illness and some do not. We are no closer to understanding why this is. And to hide Lance Armstrong away, to try to erase the memory of who he is, and what he has achieved - it just makes the journey to our finding out how and why some do recover so spectacularly, all the longer. And that scares me. I'd like to know so much more about the way Lance Armstrong's mind works. What he tells himself. What his inner story is about his own body. What he does to reassure himself. I want to know it all. Because I think Lance Armstrong is a genius at wellness. And no one will ever be able to take that away from him.

Just like nothing will ever take away what has work has done, and continues to do for me to this day. And the rest of the story? The scandal? The untruths?

I won't ever care.

 

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Lance Armstrong lied. A lot. To everyone. His own Mam, His children. The public. His employers. For years. Thousands upon thousands of untruths. I don't care. And I don't mean I am disinterested. I'...
Lance Armstrong lied. A lot. To everyone. His own Mam, His children. The public. His employers. For years. Thousands upon thousands of untruths. I don't care. And I don't mean I am disinterested. I'...
 
 
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10:45 PM on 02/20/2013
Read Tyler Hamilton's book, 'The Secret Race'. It may inform your view. He did what many others did, and still do, but the profile of his character is far from flattering. Bullying, intimidating, threatening, unstable, violent. These are not the traits of a hero. Most disappointing is that the true hero's, those guys who rode clean and came 28th (the few) or left the sport because of where it was leading them, are forgotten, some penniless and others who had worked from when they were 6, 7, 8 years old to live their dream as a professional cyclist released when they got to the top, after the early mornings, the hundreds of thousands of training miles, at full tilt, in pain, released it was all the emerald castle, there was nothing there for them but corruption, drugs, money, manipulation and disappointment. There is success and there are hero's and Mr Armstrong is no hero, not now, not then, not ever.
11:51 AM on 01/25/2013
Your fawning over Armstrong pales next to the evidence that he probably caused his own cancer in the first place.

His book helping you? Fine.
Your uncritical support of the creep? Not so fine.

You should read the article from yeterdays HP where a librarian has removed all Armstrong books from the non-fiction section to the fiction section. The photograph has gone viral- that is the extent of the derision he is held in.

You haven't based your success, your money, your abilities- on a lie.
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Carrie Armstrong
02:23 PM on 01/25/2013
I did see it, certainly a very interesting perspective. I won't go down the road of lifestyle vs illness if you don't mind. It's never a conversation that leaves me feeling anything other than desperately sad. But your points are certainly worth noting and I do thank you for taking the time to make them xx
12:45 AM on 01/23/2013
This has inspired me to write another article "People who mug old ladies are really just misunderstood entrepreneurs".
08:57 PM on 01/22/2013
This man is a total disgrace. I recently bought my morbidly obese daughter a special fat burning bike to try and lose some weight and be just ever so slightly overtly plump. The whole thing has been a waste of a payday loan and now Gertrude is on a pizza bender to get over the stress of it all. Armstrong, you suck.
01:50 PM on 01/22/2013
Carrie - you ask why he was able to push his body so hard - the answer is "performance enhancing drugs". That's what they do - they allow someone to train harder, and recover morequickly than someone who never took them.

The effect is long lasting too - which is why people who used to take them have an ongoing advantage over people who never took them.

So his fight against cancer isn't as inspiring as you think. He used performance enhancing drugs.
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Carrie Armstrong
01:21 PM on 01/23/2013
It's always been about his ability to completely move on from his illness and live a life totally without fear. It's something so rare and if it was more understood and quantifiable I truly believe it could help thousands of others. I really hope we can all get to that place one day. Thank you for your comment xx
04:31 PM on 01/23/2013
OK fair enough.
10:26 AM on 01/27/2013
As someone who has cancer and lives with it everyday I completely disagree with you on identifying Armstrong as something special because he gets on with his life. Millions of cancer sufferers live a full life without fear as its absolutely pointless worrying about something you have no control over, you just get on with it. Your perspective seems to imply that people with cancer are paralysed in fear and find it hard to move on. In my experience this is nonsense, most sufferers I know realise the clock is ticking and its futile to waste precious time worrying about it. Enjoy every waking moment you have because we are all going to die sometime...
09:39 PM on 01/21/2013
I used to have a massive respect for Lance Armstrong. But what he did, for all these years, was so so wrong.
06:38 PM on 01/21/2013
Good article Carrie, be a while yet though before the witches park their brooms !
07:51 PM on 01/21/2013
Yes, they are waiting for the junkies to move their bikes.
09:06 PM on 01/21/2013
Some comments are simply out of this world ! x
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Carrie Armstrong
07:39 AM on 01/22/2013
Thank you xx
05:05 PM on 01/21/2013
Glad he inspired you it means his cheating lying and bullying were not entirely worthless! He still stood up in a court of law and lied like ahairy egg, I survived cancer too but he's no hero of mine.
04:59 PM on 01/21/2013
I bet the author would not encourage children to follow his cheating ways - such hypocracy .
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Carrie Armstrong
07:41 AM on 01/22/2013
Interesting reply, thank you xx
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Justinjuice
01:56 PM on 01/27/2013
It is a reply that is deserving of a proper answer.
04:58 PM on 01/21/2013
If you ask me he should get all his titles back or every tour de france from 1903 to 2010 should be null and void. If you look at the top 10 finishers from 1999 to 2012 almost every single competitor in the top 10 has been guilty in some form or another for drug cheating.
If you know about the cycling culture you will be aware that before the first tour de france drug taking in cycling started about 1890 or so, and was encourage through the first 30 years of the tour by the organisers. In 1930 the organisers made the tour a race for national teams in which the tour had to fund and in the rule book it was stipulated that although the organisers were paying for the teams they would not however supply the riders with drugs. they had to do that themselves.
The whole Tour de France has been a cheating drug fuelled frenzy since 1903 where most riders have never been penilised or disqualified.
05:54 PM on 01/21/2013
All you have done is stated some of the reasons why more recent rules, to prevent drug taking, were created in the first place. That's hardly a good reason to go on breaking them again and again, deny that you are doing it - and then to be rewarded for doing so!
07:22 PM on 01/21/2013
But all of them were rewarded for doing so. Did Verinque get a life time ban for the Festina affair and all his money taking of him, no he got a short ban and came back to win 2 King of the mountain titles all the while everyone was still taking EPO etc and what about Contador has he been stripped of all his wealth? But now they have the Bio DNA test which means riders cant drug again because their biological DNA will test against it. So finally we have a level playing field, but untill that happened if you did not use drugs it was not a level field.
Look back on the history of the tour and tell me that Lance Armstrong's treatment has been fair and inline with all the other cycling druggies who have been caught.
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
07:33 PM on 01/21/2013
Slightly off Lance Armstrong but on the cycling theme, I was amazed how widespread the use of drugs and blood cheating there has been throughout the sport of cycling - as you post @instant, almost to the point of encouragement. I know it is a wiki shortcut but spend a couple of minutes how this sport and its cheating started as early as the end of the 19th century. It is NOT in support of or admiration of any of the cheats but even Eddy Merckx was involved, the figures left me speechless

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_cycling
11:34 PM on 01/21/2013
It left me speechless too when I found out. Thats why I think things should stand as they stood at the end of the non Bio DNA erra and start a new point in cycling history that really started last year with no one in the top 10 done for doping.
If he did not cheat to win the Tour, the other 7 riders who would have took his place at the top of the podium most certainly did.
Give him his titles, leave him be and start a new drug fre era in cycling.
03:42 PM on 01/21/2013
"Why I'll Always Love Lance Armstrong"

Can't you think of any better role models ? I used to like Jimmy Saville but I've changed my mind in the light of the recent revelations. I could teach you to be rational as well if you like.
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Carrie Armstrong
07:42 AM on 01/22/2013
Thank you for your comment-and your very kind offer xx
03:14 PM on 01/21/2013
My hero is Joaquín Guzmán. Sure he is the most wanted man according to Forbes.com. And sure he profits off the misery of others, causes death and destruction to countless numbers of people. But he was born into a poor family in a poor area of Mexico, his family had very little and he worked from a young age picking oranges. Despite this upbringing he has managed to run a successful business making millions for himself and his family, employing many people who otherwise would go hungry. This is an inspiring story as I myself struggle with poverty and take hope in the fact that it is possible to make a success of yourself regardless of social status and finacial security during childhood. Would you not agree Carrie Armstrong?
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Carrie Armstrong
07:45 AM on 01/22/2013
How lovely we live in a place where we all get to believe exactly what we want. And no one gets to choose it for us.I didn't know any of this info about Joaquin Guzman, thank you very much for telling me xx
02:42 PM on 01/21/2013
He's cheated make him pay it all back!!
02:31 PM on 01/21/2013
What a silly article. It's a pity he didn't care quite so much about the honest people he cheated out of winning races, those he lied to, and even sued for telling the truth. If you are really shallow enough to need some role model in order to live your life in a certain way (you don't of course) - then there have to be better ones than him to follow.
06:04 PM on 01/21/2013
Quite.
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Carrie Armstrong
07:46 AM on 01/22/2013
Very interesting, thank you xx
02:12 PM on 01/21/2013
Does this author really mean "disinterested"? Looking at her surname, maybe she does....

She's right not to care though. It's ridiculous to arbitrarily say that certain substances equate to cheating, while training, psychology, diet, and genetic inheritance are all considered perfectly fair. Especially when things like certain cold-medications are banned. The whole thing is a nonsense and an industry. As far as I'm concerned, the man's still a seven-times winner, and no-one can take that away from him.

The only way drugs in sport could possibly be unfair would be if not everyone had access to them. You know, like not everyone has access to training and resources, or to 'special bikes'....
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Carrie Armstrong
07:48 AM on 01/22/2013
You are completely right- I meant uninterested. Thank you so much for pointing this out xx