In the summer of 2005, I stood on the Champs Élysées feverishly snapping pictures of Lance Armstrong as he ascended the podium erected in the middle of the famous avenue. The Texan had just secured his record seventh and final Tour de France title, assuring that he was the event’s greatest champion. Well, that moment didn’t happen. Sure, I’ve got a photo next to me right now of him with his arms raised in victory as he looks back my way, but that must be my eyes playing tricks on me. Because on Thursday night the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stripped Armstrong of his Tour titles and banned him for life after Lance gave his Chief Joseph impersonation and told the world “he’d fight no more forever.” So who was the champion I should have seen that day and the other six times Armstrong won the race?
It should be easy enough to just bump each year’s number two up to number one, hand them the trophy and adjust the record books accordingly. Unfortunately, this is cycling, so clean blood is a little tricky to find.
Read Full Article »