Lance and Frankie

I'm a big fan of Lance Armstrong. I have no idea if he ever used performance enhancing drugs. I've always suspected that he did prior to getting cancer, and it may have been the reason he got cancer, but I have no idea.

I've been following along with cycling coverage since the days of Miguel Indurain, mostly because that was when the first good cycling coverage came to the states. Then I started to record every stage of the Tour de France starting in 96 when Riis won. I have it on tape when Lance pulled to the side of the road, took off his number and road back down the climb and was later diagnosed with cancer. They were making a big deal out of him as he was a former World Champion.

Cancer changed him. Obviously. He wasn't the same person before cancer as he was after. And regardless of what happened, and if he used drugs, his is an amazing story. No one can deny that.

But when many of the recent greats become suspect, Riis, Virenque, Pantani, Tyler Hamilton, the sprinter from Great Britain who's name escapes me at the moment, the recent scandal with the Spaniards, and on and on,.. you have to wonder about Lance.

Saturday on Weekend Edition on NPR they did a story about Lance and drug use. Thankfully I was driving through a valley that had NPR coverage during the story as it is very interesting to me. The story focused on Frankie Andreu and his wife who went to visit Lance in the hospital while he was getting treatment. They say they heard something while in his hospital room where he might have admitted to using EPO, and other banned substances. Frankie and his wife had to testify to this as a result of a court case. According to the report Lance was promised 5 million if he won one of the later Tours de France. But since there were allegations of drug use the money was with-held. Lance sued and won the 5 and also got another 2. So 7 million according to the report. da da da da da.

I certianly don't know who is telling the truth. I want to believe in Lance, and I'm certianly not in any position to judge him. I have no evidence whatsoever that he ever used drugs. So if your out there reading,.Please don't sue me Lance! They will come and take away my Trek! I need it. I ride it to work.

I did get a moment with Frankie Andreu as I went up to get an autograph on my ride number at a local cancer charity right before last years Tour de France. And it wouldn't have been anything, but it left me with a really strange feeling about him. He wasn't just care free. There was something guarded about him beyond just me coming up to him for this autograph. It might have been nothing. Non the less I did mention to a co-worker last week how I thought there was something wrong with him when I met him. This was before I heard this NPR report.

I'm a person who goes by feelings about things and people. I've watched lots of interviews with Lance. All I can say is that I've recorded hours and hours of coverage of these races. I've kind of imersed myself in it. Clearly there are problems in the sport with drug use. Did Lance ever use drugs? I don't know.

He did accept a ride back to Texas in Airforce 1-2 from Bush. That is somewhat questionable in my view. But to be fair he also gave Clinton a carbon Trek. That was a waste of a good ride.