Americans Want to Preserve American Hero; Lured into Lance's Lies

As much as I would like to believe the fairytale story that Lance Armstrong has lived, there is overwhelming evidence of his guilt.

As part of a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, Armstrong’s former teammate Tyler Hamilton accused Armstrong of doping, bringing back suspicion which originally surfaced when Floyd Landis accused Armstrong of doping in 2006. Hamilton told 60 Minutes that he witnessed Armstrong inject himself, prior to multiple Tour de France’s. Originally, it was relatively easy for Armstrong to push these allegations aside, as he was able to point to Landis’s credibility, as Landis was stripped of his 2006 title for his own doping. Armstrong has also pointed to the 500 drug tests which he has passed without failing a single test.

Hamilton is not clean either, as he was suspended from cycling for two years after a positive test for doping in 2004. Hamilton is part of an ongoing federal investigation into Armstrong’s involvement in doping.

George Hincapie, another teammate of Armstrong’s who is not linked to doping, is also part of the investigation. It is reported that Hincapie told the grand jury that Armstrong used EPO and human growth hormones, making him the only clean cyclist with allegations against Armstrong.

So why believe Armstrong? Besides his 500 positive tests, he is a survivor of testicular cancer and since has been viewed as an American hero. Americans don’t want to see Armstrong’s inspirational story tarnished. People don’t a feel anything other than hope and pride when they put their Livestrong band on their wrist.

As much as we would like to believe Armstrong, it seems much easier to believe that his teammates, testifying in front of a grand jury, are telling the truth and that Armstrong is the liar. And with Hamilton and Hincapie testifying under oath, the theory of a witch-hunt is highly unlikely.

Whether Armstrong found a way to cheat hundreds of drug tests or if his positive tests were covered up in fear of fans losing interest in the sport, it is likely that the way Armstrong was able to pass his tests will always be a mystery. However, it is likely that many of his opponents also beat the system, as even admitted users like Hamilton, only tested positive a couple of times.

Believing in Armstorng’s innocence simply does not add up. Believing Armstrong would be saying that in his seven consecutive Tour de France victories, he was better clean than the majority of his competition was, while they were using PED’s.