A pariah for 13 years.
Everything changed in October for David Walsh.
Journalist of the Year 2012.
Sports Journalist of the Year 2012.
Yet nothing much had really changed on October 22nd.
The day the United States of America Doping Agency (USADA) published its 'reasoned decision' became a watershed for the house of cards built up over those 13 years by Lance Armstrong in particular, but behind a canopy of untruths and complicit deceit by any number of agencies involved in professional cycling. USADA Reasoned Decision full pdf
The book 'Seven Deadly Sins' encompasses many of the stories and methods by which various cyclists, soigneurs, management and administrators either incriminated themselves or others exposing methods of cheating remarkable by their complexity or simplicity. Not that Armstrong was in any way the only one: remember the graphic illustration from the New York Times on drug-influenced victors from the Tour de France (TdF)? NY Times TdF Dopers' Illustration
This book is written by David Walsh, that pariah, or 'troll' as he was repeatedly described and spoken down to by Armstrong. Their contact begins prior to the confirmation of cancer in Armstrong, and the two men appear to have enjoyed each other's company. This changes after a personal verbal & thinly veiled attack by Armstrong on Christophe Basson who declined team offers to dope during the 1999 'Tour of Redemption', and thus instead was seen to 'spit in the soup' by the other members of the peleton who shunned him.
After granting a personal interview to Walsh in 2001 which is perceived as being offensive to Armstrong, their relationship deteriorates to the point where other journalists are denied access to the US Postal Service Team (Armstrong's cycling outfit and a federal agency to boot!) if they sit by Walsh in Press Conferences, and ultimately force media colleagues to choose which man they wish to speak with, at the exclusion of the other...
Lance Armstrong comes across as one of the most driven and least likeable characters in sport, beyond playing a part of a pantomime villain in his single mindedness and ability to weave a spell over most media even if fear pervades his team from the end of the last century just as he returned from his testicular cancer.
It was the doctors dealing with the disease in an Indianapolis hospital whose enquiries to the stricken racer whom had not excelled at all in the TdF thus far (only finishing one, in 1995 finishing 35th) raised the first questions about his judgement and character. Among the questions asked was whether Lance Armstrong had ever used performance enhancing drugs-the response shocked all whom were present including his team mate and friend Frankie Andreu, and his fiancee Betsy. He admitted that he had taken EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, cortisone and steroids. This testimony proved emotionally and personally draining for anyone whom by chance was present that day, as Armstrong repeatedly instructed lawyers to intervene, deny and claim defamation suits against anyone testifying.
The element of the story that is possibly the most disturbing is actually not the cooly described pre-glory days drug taking, but the systematic and ultimately cynical abuse of those whom had cancer, or were dealing with the disease, and the fund raising which by the end appears more and more of a front rather than anything more altruistic. Armstrong comes across in the text as strong arming public opinion at the same time as his formidable legal team are restricting publication of anything that might be considered obstructive to him. His 2004 lawsuit against the Sunday Times eventually yielded £400,000 to Armstrong, although in the week before Christmas the paper announced it was to sue for up to £1 million Sunday Times to sue Armstrong.
The other area that is seen as being controversially helpful to the drug cheats are the UK libel laws, an area in which we are so unclear about within sport, and as to how the law may be used 'against' the spirit of sport.
In the instances concerning doping, and the concealment and bullying of witnesses, the UK laws appear to have been used again and again to prevent key information coming to be rightfully published and therefore be open to challenge by the protagonists in the scandal. Not only do they confer a veil of silence on those 'accused', they also appears to offer little protection to those brave enough to come forward offering detail of cover ups and drug abuse. How can that be right?
More in the next blog on a natural follow up to the book that had to be published in france because of those laws, 'LA Confidential'(2004) and the 2007 book 'From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the tour de France'. Wonder at why it took so long? Not much had changed in the detail on October 22nd, just a failed federal investigation, but a proverbial baton passed from them to USADA...
Everything changed in October for David Walsh.
Journalist of the Year 2012.
Sports Journalist of the Year 2012.
Yet nothing much had really changed on October 22nd.
The day the United States of America Doping Agency (USADA) published its 'reasoned decision' became a watershed for the house of cards built up over those 13 years by Lance Armstrong in particular, but behind a canopy of untruths and complicit deceit by any number of agencies involved in professional cycling. USADA Reasoned Decision full pdf
The book 'Seven Deadly Sins' encompasses many of the stories and methods by which various cyclists, soigneurs, management and administrators either incriminated themselves or others exposing methods of cheating remarkable by their complexity or simplicity. Not that Armstrong was in any way the only one: remember the graphic illustration from the New York Times on drug-influenced victors from the Tour de France (TdF)? NY Times TdF Dopers' Illustration
This book is written by David Walsh, that pariah, or 'troll' as he was repeatedly described and spoken down to by Armstrong. Their contact begins prior to the confirmation of cancer in Armstrong, and the two men appear to have enjoyed each other's company. This changes after a personal verbal & thinly veiled attack by Armstrong on Christophe Basson who declined team offers to dope during the 1999 'Tour of Redemption', and thus instead was seen to 'spit in the soup' by the other members of the peleton who shunned him.
After granting a personal interview to Walsh in 2001 which is perceived as being offensive to Armstrong, their relationship deteriorates to the point where other journalists are denied access to the US Postal Service Team (Armstrong's cycling outfit and a federal agency to boot!) if they sit by Walsh in Press Conferences, and ultimately force media colleagues to choose which man they wish to speak with, at the exclusion of the other...Lance Armstrong comes across as one of the most driven and least likeable characters in sport, beyond playing a part of a pantomime villain in his single mindedness and ability to weave a spell over most media even if fear pervades his team from the end of the last century just as he returned from his testicular cancer.
It was the doctors dealing with the disease in an Indianapolis hospital whose enquiries to the stricken racer whom had not excelled at all in the TdF thus far (only finishing one, in 1995 finishing 35th) raised the first questions about his judgement and character. Among the questions asked was whether Lance Armstrong had ever used performance enhancing drugs-the response shocked all whom were present including his team mate and friend Frankie Andreu, and his fiancee Betsy. He admitted that he had taken EPO, testosterone, growth hormone, cortisone and steroids. This testimony proved emotionally and personally draining for anyone whom by chance was present that day, as Armstrong repeatedly instructed lawyers to intervene, deny and claim defamation suits against anyone testifying.
The element of the story that is possibly the most disturbing is actually not the cooly described pre-glory days drug taking, but the systematic and ultimately cynical abuse of those whom had cancer, or were dealing with the disease, and the fund raising which by the end appears more and more of a front rather than anything more altruistic. Armstrong comes across in the text as strong arming public opinion at the same time as his formidable legal team are restricting publication of anything that might be considered obstructive to him. His 2004 lawsuit against the Sunday Times eventually yielded £400,000 to Armstrong, although in the week before Christmas the paper announced it was to sue for up to £1 million Sunday Times to sue Armstrong.
The other area that is seen as being controversially helpful to the drug cheats are the UK libel laws, an area in which we are so unclear about within sport, and as to how the law may be used 'against' the spirit of sport.
In the instances concerning doping, and the concealment and bullying of witnesses, the UK laws appear to have been used again and again to prevent key information coming to be rightfully published and therefore be open to challenge by the protagonists in the scandal. Not only do they confer a veil of silence on those 'accused', they also appears to offer little protection to those brave enough to come forward offering detail of cover ups and drug abuse. How can that be right?
More in the next blog on a natural follow up to the book that had to be published in france because of those laws, 'LA Confidential'(2004) and the 2007 book 'From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the tour de France'. Wonder at why it took so long? Not much had changed in the detail on October 22nd, just a failed federal investigation, but a proverbial baton passed from them to USADA...
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