F@CK Lance....Inspire Yourself!

Drugs in the "Le Toure De France" have been there since the inception. At the first tour in 1903, there was alchohol and ether to control pain. In the teens and twenties, nitroglycerine and strychnine were the PED's of choice. The thirties and forties saw the rise of amphetamine, caffeine, and cocaine. And the fabulous fifties and sixties saw the advent of animal hormones, blood packing, and every stimulant herb known to man. In 1965, the Tour officially outlawed any PED's, but no one took that seriously. The 70's and 80's began the mixture of steroids, amphetamine, and the beginings of Human Growth Hormone garnered from human cadavers....can you say Lyle Alzado? Those early growth hormones derived from cadavers had a tendency to bring a variety of diseases and cancers from the conditions the corpses died from. Then things got really serious in the fabulous disco nineties when human growth hormones were synthesized, and the use of EPO began. Many of the first users died from their blood thickening so much that they stroked out, but mixing blood thinners with them helped out there. Now this new century has brought even greater glucosteroids, better human growth hormones, better EPO, super powerful testosterone agents, and a myraid of new drugs and masking agents that the testing agencies don't even know about yet. There are hundreds on non-approved pharmacological substances being developed worldwide for only one purpose.....to enhance human performance without current detection. Now, having said all that, I never doubted for a day that Lance was doing PED's for his entire career as a young triathlete, a professional cyclist and tour rider, and up until his ban, as a masters triathlete. The tour is a race beyond any measure of regular human endurance. Without PED's, it would either have to be outlawed or altered in a way to allow more off days and shorter stages. And it would become more of a war of attrition than a race. What disturbs me most about lance, is that he acted as the don of a drug cartel involving 18 people, including his own and other team riders wives. He used intimidation, coercion, and confrontation to involve some riders that were reluctant to use the PED's, and got their family members involved as drug mules. Like all good dons, he got you involved in his illegal activities so you couldn't rat him out, and he kept all the money for himself. I believe that Nike knew this for years, but there was just too much livestrong money coming in to stop the gravy train until the release of the documents forced their hand. Of course, they cut a deal so that they could continue raking in the money for livestrong apparel. Reminds me of the livestrong race I ran in Philly last year where the sheeple were all dressed in their yellow and blue to the tune of hundreds of dollars each. Now, don't get me wrong, amazing things can come from evil, and livestrong will be an enduring organization that has and will help thousands with treatment and support for cancer. It's just that if you want to be inspired, go look in the mirror! Give yourself goals and then bust your ass to meet them. They don't have to be spectacular....just things that bring out the best that YOU can be. And as always, beware the cult of personality!