Where Lance Armstrong Went Wrong

. . . based strictly on my impressions, which were formed by occasionally tuning in to cycling events like the Tour de France, Olympic events, and newscasts.  

Lance Armstrong was unable to appreciate his personal best.  

The LiveStrong Foundation came out with statements following Armstrong’s fall from grace that they are still dedicated to the mission of supporting people with cancer and people with people with cancer.  That is hugely important, and no mistakes of Armstrong’s should take away from that, or his lack of confidence could gain power as an infectious agent.  

People beat cancer.  

People are able to LiveStrong, both during the fight and after.  

Some people are not able to beat cancer, 

and they leave behind survivors who need to LiveStrong.      

I imagine that surviving cancer and feeling compelled to continue using chemical cocktails to enhance performance on a world stage must stem from a supreme level of insecurity.  

I am reminded of Erma Bombeck’s book I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow Up, I Want To Go To Boise.  One of the children interviewed for the book said something along the lines of “people who want to do drugs should try chemo.”  This kid clearly knows something.  We know that performance enhancing drugs have negative side effects.  Why risk doing something which might cause more cancer?  

I have not had cancer, so I don’t know, but many people report seeing cancer as a turning point.  If they survive, they often demonstrate a resolve to make life count extra from then on.  To value it, appreciate it, and maximize the potential found in it.  Armstrong moved forward from cancer to become a father, to become incredibly fit, with or without doping.  We may not know what he would have been capable of on his bike without performance enhancement,  but he had to have had something going for him that he undervalued.  Doping won’t get you across the finish line without work.  He worked, he trained, and he will never know what might have been.  He never believed in LiveStrong. 

How sad.  

Now banned from many sports due to his illegal behaviors, Armstrong could continue to train, and even achieve his clean personal best; but without the validation of sanctioned competition, only he would know for sure what he accomplished.  Because for so long, his post-cancer reality was fake.  

(While the LiveStrong slogan is incorporated into this essay, this essay is unrelated to the LifeStrong Foundation, and may not represent the LiveStrong Foundation’s opinions.  I am writing only my own thoughts; which represent how I understand that slogan and Lance Armstrong.)