Success?

I have no agenda here. On several occasions I have told of my respect for the positive elements of his career. I speak of Mr. Armstrong. He was an inspiration to many, the single most influential cyclist in history of compelling people to ride. He had charisma. He beat cancer. He raised millions for research. He won seven tours and married a rock star. That is all the good. Most of it anyway. 

You know the bad. He cheated, he lied, he bullied, he doped. All to be successful. And to be successful in the sports world means to win. Begging the age old question what would YOU do if in his Sidi's? 

If a magic but dangerous concoction was offered to get my rapidly deteriorating ass to a high-profile and profitable finish line and subsequently erode my health (or community standing) would I?

I don't know. That is as honest an answer as I can give. I just don't know. I might. How dangerous? I would hedge. What is the cost? Will it kill or just injure? Is it illegal because of political, medical, moral or sportsmanship reasons? Are there any alternatives? Can I take just a little and try it first? Is there a guarantee that it will work? What are the odds of getting caught? Are their nasty side-effects? Is everybody else doing it? How much does it cost? 

The list goes on. You might be a hard liner. Perhaps the UCI should have a zero tolerance policy. Maybe, just maybe we (the collective we) could get over ourselves and cut some of the hypocrisy that pervades almost all facets of professional sports. That is a maybe the size of Moby Dick. Lotsa blubber. 

Performance enhancing drugs have been used in sports and specifically pro cycling almost since inception. That famous grand tour in France every year has had volumes written about the riders and their favorite PED cocktails. It is told of many riders in the 'golden age' using a 50/50 combination of heroin and cocaine washed down with whatever local pinot noir happened to be available. Making today's scandals pale in comparison. Here is one story from my current read, Lance Armstrong's War by Daniel Coyle:

Tour champion Fausto Coppi said all riders took drugs, and anyone who claimed differently knew nothing of the sport. The interviewer asked if Coppi had used them. "Yes, when it is necessary," he replied. And when was it necessary? "Almost always." 

Badda bing. Like I said I have no agenda. Lance is going to get hammered because that is the world we live in. It is all about success. And when you succeed by breaking the rules, the litigation floodgates officially open with a new definition of it based upon how many zeros appear before the decimal point.

Let's please move on. Take the lesson, learn from the mistakes, improve. 

I will do it organically thank you. I want to be a lover and a storyteller. 

That is success in my book.