Today the cycling world is a buzz with news that Lance Armstrong could be about to make a confession. On the back of this article in the New York Times.
What, if he does make some sort of confession, will it mean to the sport? Honestly, I have no idea. What I do have some thoughts on is what it will mean to the fans. The die hard Armstrong fans.
A lot will depend on the extent of the confession. Anyone who has read the hundreds of articles since the USADA reasoned decision will know, Armstrong will be doing this on his terms and trying to minimise the grief for himself. That is what he does. I expect if there is an admission of drug use, it will be as soft an admission as possible, and he will be hurling people under buses left, right and centre, trying to take the heat off himself. I imagine Johan Bruyneel may be getting through the odd finger nail about now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had another shot at Hamilton, Flandis, the Andreus and Tygardt, to name but a few.
To the fans. Those people still wearing their Livestrong bands and spouting shit like “500 tests with out a failure” and “they were all doing it, just that Lance was the best!” That bunch of zealots will turn this around and be calling him the messiah of anti doping. (Thanks John Galloway for the title.) The group that have been steadfastly behind the Yellow Curtain will shift their rhetoric to put him back on the pedestal they love to see him on. And you watch Lance lap it all up.
I have no idea on the perjury business in the USA, but I will be interested to see how it all plays out given his testimony under oath that he has never cheated. Hopefully one of the American readers can fill us in on that. I have heard that the statute of limitation for perjury is 5 years, and he lied under oath in 2005. It will be interesting.
The thing that frustrates me is the fact that he built his now massive empire on a lie, and even if he confesses, I doubt he is going to lose a great deal. I really hope I am wrong. The way he has treated people in the past is a disgrace, and he should be made accountable for all the grief he has caused. Sadly, it wont happen.
The other point of interest for me is the reaction of current riders. Bradley Wiggins has had some very interesting things to say over the years about lance, it will be interesting to see what he has to say about it all.
Good old Lance, he is the gift that just keeps giving.
I’m no expert on UK libel law but I think The Sunday Times will definitely be awarded the £650,000+interest+costs they paid out to LA in the Kimmage settlement of a few years back. Jeffrey Archer went to prison for a very similar offence (perjury and fraud ie lying to win damages)
Wiggins will want to be squeaky clean himself before he starts throwing any stones at Lance