No matter your opinion on his personal character, Lance Armstrong is the baddest-ass bike racer of all time. There are maybe five other people alive today who know the ins and outs of road-bike stage racing better than he does. Which is why there were so many fans of Lance鈥檚听independent podcast, called , in which he weighed in as an insider-turned-permanent-outcast on the strategy, grit, idiocy, mayhem, beauty, drama, and athleticism that is the Tour de France.听
At least five million fans downloaded the Stages podcasts that Lance dictated from home. That鈥檚 a massive audience for U.S.听cycling in the post-Lance-racing听world. Like it or not, Lance was once again singlehandedly making cycling cool again in America.
Intrigued, the organizers of the , America鈥檚 newest stage race, which听kicked off August 10, partnered with Lance to issue podcasts from a custom Airstream at the races. The organizers鈥攆ormer ski shop guys from Colorado with a huge love of cycling鈥 that they were 鈥渂lown away鈥 at the potential audience they could reach with Lance鈥檚 help. Naturally, Lance would get paid for his work.听
That鈥檚 when, after fielding calls and emails from Lance鈥檚 many detractors, the informed race officials that, 鈥淯nder the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, an ineligible individual [Lance] may not have an official role in relation to a sanctioned event such as the Colorado Classic.鈥 In other words, if Lance so much as worked听at a bake sale at the听event, they'd shut it听down faster than you can say 鈥渆rythropoietin brownies.鈥 Without , , and USADA backing, there is no high-level professional bike race. Understandably, the race organizers quickly broke their ties with Lance.听(Lance has decided to still cover the Colorado听race via Stages鈥攈e's just not getting any money for it. The first dispatch went live Thursday.)听听
USADA, in its attempt to听place听a gag order on Lance听Armstrong,听trampled听on the spirit of the First Amendment. And in听the process, it did everything in its听power to quash cycling in the U.S., a sport that needs every bit of help it can get.
Cycling in the U.S. only has听Lance. He鈥檚 the sport鈥檚 only household name. He brought the cycling boom in the late 1990s and sustained it through the aughts. And now he might just be able to staunch the bloodletting. Let him work.
That last bit is the bigger issue:听Why would听the UCI engage in such flagrant self-immolation at a time when bikes sales are down worldwide, independent bike shops in America are struggling, and interest in bike racing in the U.S. is as thin as a Team Sky muscle calendar?听Baseball has loads of stars, so even if it鈥檚 morally wrong to banish Pete Rose, it can afford to do so, economically. As much as many of us would like to deny it鈥攎yself included鈥攃ycling in the U.S. only has Lance. He鈥檚 the sport鈥檚 only household name. He brought the cycling boom in the late 1990s and sustained it through the aughts. And now he might just be able to staunch the bloodletting. Let him.听
Maybe Lance Armstrong upsets your sensibilities and you don鈥檛 want to hear him commenting on the rebirth of clean cycling. It鈥檚 understandable. He did wicked things to good people and the black mark he left on the sport is indelible. But, as an American, he has a right to both earn a living and speak his mind. He鈥檚 also charismatic, and if given a chance,听just might win over his detractors and help make cycling relevant to a wider audience than weekend racers.听