Lance Armstrong really is guilty, so who gets the yellow jerseys?
Second-place Tour de France winners are embroiled in their own doping scandals
FILE – This is a July 24, 2005, file photo showing overall leader Lance Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, surrounded by press photographers, signaling seven, for his seventh straight win in the Tour de France cycling race, prior to the start of the 21st and final stage of the race, between Corbeil-Essonnes, south of Paris, and the French capital. The world may soon know what the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has on Armstrong. USADA has said it had 10 former teammates ready to testify against Armstrong before he chose not to take his case to an arbitration hearing. The list likely includes previous Armstrong accusers Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
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With even more evidence coming forward to condemn cyclist Lance Armstrong in a doping scandal, including a damning confession from former Canadian teammate Michael Barry, there really is no more denying that the former king of cycling has fallen from grace.
It’s time to admit that the American hero cheated, writes ESPN columnist Bonnie D. Ford. “The word ‘alleged’ should now be dropped from any description of the way doping permeated and enabled Lance Armstrong’s cycling career,” she says.
With this new evidence, perhaps it’s time to finally redistribute those seven tainted yellow jerseys that Armstrong so proudly wore from 1999-2005.
Herein lies the problem. Take 2005 for example. In that last year, Armstrong stood atop the podium wearing that yellow jersey, Ivan Basso (team CSC) was second and Jan Ullrich (team T-mobile) was in third place.
So the medal should go to Basso, right? Basso admitted to doping and was handed a two-year ban from the sport in 2007. Third-place Ullrich has also been linked to a doping scandal, which is set to go before a Spanish court in January.
It’s pretty much the same story for runners-up every other year that Armstrong raced. Deadspin sums it up in a handy list and Bicycling
magazine has the second-place dopers in a photo gallery.
Meanwhile, Armstrong is remaining true to a message that has been pretty consistent over the last decade.
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