7th Heaven...Lance...U Tha Man!!! [Archive] - Oprano Adult Industry Forums

Nickatilynx

07-24-2005, 01:37 PM

Tomorrow is the end.

Barring accident, illness or sudden death, Lance Armstrong will cruise the Champs-Elysées in Paris and cross the finish line as the champion of the Tour de France for the seventh time -- a stretch of dominance that will likely never be equalled or extended, as Armstrong swears this is his last race.

Armstrong retained the yellow jersey, with a lead of 2 minutes 46 seconds, after yesterday's 19th stage. Italy's Giuseppe Guerini won the stage.

During his seven-year run at the top, Armstrong, the 33-year-old Texan, has became a first-name-only legend, the arc of his personal history -- from a cancerous deathbed to multiple champion of the world's toughest cycling race -- has become a true-life fable.

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His foundation has raised millions for cancer research. His story has provided hope to the disease's victims and their families.

But Armstrong's story isn't quite so simple and the arc of his narrative is not quite so seamless.

"His relationship with the public is maturing," says Daniel Coyle, the author of a well-received biography, Lance Armstrong's War.

"He's being seen more for who he really is, and less for this superman/saint ideal, which is a beautiful image, but it's not reality," Coyle said.

Perhaps no one has done more to poke holes in the Armstrong myth than David Walsh, chief sportswriter for the Sunday Times of London, who has pursued what he feels to be the true story about the American star with a drive and determination that matches anything Armstrong has managed on his bike.

It was Walsh who first detailed the intimacy of Armstrong's ties with Dr. Michele Ferrari, who guided Armstrong's training during his first six Tour victories even as Ferrari was being investigated in Italy for sports-related doping offences, though not as they related to his relationship with Armstrong.

It was only after Ferrari was convicted in October that Armstrong formally broke ties with a trusted member of his inner circle.

Most damaging, Walsh is the co-author of LA Confidentiel: Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong, a 385-page book that raised a number of troubling questions about exactly how Armstrong came from near death to the peak of a sport that has long been closely associated with performance-enhancing drugs.

While failing to find the proverbial smoking gun, in interviews with Armstrong's personal masseur, former teammates, a former team doctor and others, Walsh's book draws countless associations between Armstrong and banned drugs, something the American cyclist has always denied. He in turn has named Walsh in two legal actions related to the book, which has so far been published only in France.

The Irish author remains unbowed. He says his pursuit of the truth surrounding Armstrong is informed in part by his passion for journalism; a close friendship with Paul Kimmage, a former Irish professional cyclist who wrote about the drug culture in the sport in the 1980s; and in part the by the memory of his oldest son, John.

The 12-year-old was killed riding his bike in 1995. "My son was a great guy and he had a courage that I admire greatly, and an ability to ask questions," Walsh says.

David Walsh been Britain's sportswriter of the year three times.

"David is an activist, that's his word," says Coyle, who devoted a chapter in his book to Walsh. "He is utterly convinced of the accuracy and the nobility of his quest."

Despite Armstrong's denials, Coyle, who remains neutral on the possibility of the cyclist's use of performance-enhancing drugs, says, "I found the information that he raised troubling. Is it proof? No. Is it intriguing? Yes."

As a reporter, he's also earned the respect of his sources. "He's a journalist in the true sense of the word. He's an investigative reporter who wants to get to the core and the truth," says Betsy Andreu. Her husband, Frankie Andreu, was a teammate of Armstrong's during his wins in 1999 and 2000.

The Andreus were close enough that they were visiting Armstrong in hospital after his brain surgery for cancer in 1996. It was in that room, according to Walsh, that Armstrong admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to his doctors.

Betsy Andreu was one of two sources Walsh cited who would neither confirm nor deny the conversation between Armstrong and his doctors.

"Lance really, really hates me," she said yesterday. "He absolutely hates me. There are many, many reasons, but the no comment had a big effect. Lance and Frankie have gone their separate ways.

"While allegations about Armstrong's doping are unproven, his long ride in the public eye has yielded a fuller picture of him.

His highly publicized divorce from Kristen Armstrong, 14 months after she gave birth to their twin daughters and nearly concurrent with the start of his very public romance with singer Sheryl Crow, doubtless lost him some fans.

Ironically, even more details may emerge as a result of Armstrong's penchant for suing those who cross him. According to Coyle, Armstrong has 11 lawyers working on eight cases in three different countries.

"I'm kind of happy Lance is such a litigious guy," Coyle says.

"Hopefully somewhere in all of that the truth will come out."

He's at least shown that he's as ferocious in the courts as he is on his bike. "Lance has dealt with my client the same way that he deals with his opponents in bike races," said David M. Davis, a lawyer based in Austin, Tex.

Davis represents Mike Anderson, Armstrong's former assistant and mechanic, in a dispute with Armstrong over his dismissal.

Anderson says his relationship with Armstrong deteriorated after he inadvertently found a banned steroid in Armstrong's bathroom last year. In Coyle's book, Armstrong's camp portray him as a vengeful former employee looking to cash in. "His motto in racing is to make his opponents suffer and that's the way he's treating Mike in this litigation," Davis says.

But even as a bigger picture of Armstrong has emerged, it's barely made a dent in the mythic power of his story.

"The world might just shrug," Coyle says of the prospect of further details of Armstrong's background coming out. "There's likely going to be some calculations going because he's considered a force for good in the universe."

But for people like Walsh it doesn't mean that's where the story should end.

"Even when you have a doping culture you will always have people who play by the rules because they have respect for the rules. They're the guys who need our help, who deserve it."