Pity the poor purist with the gall to get his hopes up.
The Tour de France is all but finished, and the plot feels sinkingly familiar. Scandal rolls. Suspicion reigns. As usual, you can’t spell peloton without EPO, which is exceptionally bad news for any cycling fan who made the mistake of wishing it were otherwise.
Sometimes our heroes let us down.
Sometimes, though, we do the dirty work all by ourselves.
I don’t mean to condone performance-enhancement here. There’s an argument to be made in that direction, but frankly it’s beside the point, given the thrust of the facts of ground. A fool wastes his breath trying to justify the inevitable. A wise man knows well enough to simply learn how to live with it.
Those who can, do.
Those who can’t, dope.
Those who don’t, well—what is Floyd Landis doing these days?
In a perfect world, every athlete would be as natural as Robert Redford in a field full of rye. In this one, we have to make-do with something a little more human. Cheaters prosper—always have, always will. The only variable is how long it takes us to face the truth, and how rationally we react once we finally do.
When I was kid, I believed in untainted idols.
I also believed in Santa Claus, Superman, and the fundamental decency of Lance Armstrong.
Some convictions, alas, just aren’t made to stand the test of time.
Life is an exercise in managed expectations. The less you want, the happier you’ll be with what you get. A hundred years ago the Tour de France was a bunch of malodorous boozehounds riding bikes through the mountains. If anti-doping zealots want to pretend that it is or ought to be something more than that—fine. But the pretending doesn’t make it so. And it certainly doesn’t mean the rest of us have to live and die with the next urine test.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Because the only thing worse than righteous bombast is righteous impotence.
And I for one would rather shut my mouth and let it be than get duped into only just saying, is all...
Just Saying, Is All... | The Real Dopes at the Tour de France
Editorial
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About the Author Ryan Alberti (senior writer)
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28 days ago
Ryan,
Amazing. It takes talent to make the Tour de France relevant to Americans. And you did just that dude!
Your point about exercising caution with personal expectations is well taken my friend. Then again, I'm a Coug. Without such perspective on life and the "big picture", we would be extinct.
Write on!
Lew
26 days ago
Ryan,
I just had to read this piece today while I was sulking from morning about some injustice in our legal system here in India, and there you are inking it all on the Bleacher board. A wonderful read. That prayer reminds me that they do try to change things but only after the deed has been done. Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis and that other guy from Europe who failed two send in his samples/attend the 2 tests held and went some place else at that time, the Tour has become so irrelevant and notorious as a bed for dope testing and positive dope test results, much like Olympic Wrestling or so!
Great read, thank you for the article.
Sarah
26 days ago
Great read Ryan, I completely agree that the Tour de France needs to simply be taken for what it is and we can then move on.
BT
6 days ago
I have never been a fan of the Tour De France; but I am definitely becoming your fan. I always love your quotes and the Serenity prayer is so appropriately used here.
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