Two men named Armstrong have been in the news this week. Both inspiring men and heroes in their respective fields of endeavour. Both being remembered this week because of their deeds and legacy. One is remembered as a great American, the other’s reputation lies in the gutter.
It was announced overnight that Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to step foot on the surface of the moon, has died aged 82 due to complications from heart by-pass surgery. Much has been made on the news this morning of his calm demeanour and fine character and rightly so although it is being claimed this is the reason he was given command of the historic moon mission. From what I have read Apollo 11 simply came up in the astronaut rotation as the first flight to land on the moon and Armstrong just happpened to be the chap in charge but it doesn’t detract from his legacy or the achievements of that very exclusive band of brothers who walked on the moon, the other astronauts who participated in the first manned space flights and of course all the great minds on the ground who got them there and back in one piece.
Neil Armstrong retired from spaceflight soon after his historic mission and lead, if not a reclusive life, then very much a low key one, away from the spotlight of celebrity and I daresay monetary gain which could come from his notoriety. An inspiring character indeed!
I have a great admiration for Neil Armstrong and his ilk. Strong, brave, intelligent men who put their lives on the line and helped mankind reach for the stars. Yes it cost a lot of money and was framed in the circumstances of the Cold War but they took President Kennedy’s challenge and ran with it and in primitive machines and relying on a bit of luck got to their goal and made their country and the world in general feel better about themselves for a while. Heady days. Will they ever return?
The other man named Armstrong in the news this week is of course Lance, seven times Tour de France winner, cancer survivor and the most famous racing cyclist the sport has known.
The Tour de France has always been an iconic event but Armstrong’s notoriety brought it to a new level, to an audience it had never known before and a status that puts it just behind the Olympic Games and World Cup football in terms of great sporting events. He is the first international cycling star and I think the sport owes him something for that.
This week, the United States Drug Agency which has been conducting an investigation into alleged drug use by Armstrong during his career was vindicated when Armstrong declined to defend himself any further against their charges. The USADA saw this as an admission of guilt and stripped him of all his career results and banned him for life. Now whether or not they have the authority to do this is a very convoluted argument and I would suggest that Lance’s sporting legacy lies in the hands of the UCI, cycling’s governing body, not the USADA but that is a matter which will be argued by greater minds than mine in the years to come.
I know what goes on in the world of cycling and I know the answer to the charges laid against Lance Armstrong. Strip him of his seven titles and who do you give them to? Every man who ran a place in those Tours has been suspended for doping, suspected doping or have been implicated in doping. Those who have alledgedly given evidence against Armstrong have done so ostenibly to save their own skin. Is it a witch hunt? Probably. But why destroy the sport for a personal vendetta?
Lance Armstrong is only as guilty of doping as every other man who rode in those Tours. Yes, it’s disgraceful. Yes, it’s not what we want the sport to be but it was a level playing field and while I agree an asterix should be placed against those Tours, Lance should not be stripped of his Titles. And I don’t think he will be. Do we want to strip every Tour winner who may have doped? You would not have a Tour de France history left to read about if you did that. Those Tours were a product of the times and sleeping dogs should be let lie.
I would prefer to see those linked with doping in the past who now run teams banned from doing so. I would like to see the administration of the sport overhauled so those in charge are no longer apologists and enablers for doping. I would like to see an independent world body, free of bias, run doping investigations with the power to strip results.
The sport has come a long way in the fight against doping since Lance last wore the yellow jersey. Unfortunately results from this year suggest the clock may be turning back and a new dark age could be imminent. Let’s concentrate on the here and now and the problems which confront us in the future and let the demons of the past rest where they belong. Behind us.
It was announced overnight that Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to step foot on the surface of the moon, has died aged 82 due to complications from heart by-pass surgery. Much has been made on the news this morning of his calm demeanour and fine character and rightly so although it is being claimed this is the reason he was given command of the historic moon mission. From what I have read Apollo 11 simply came up in the astronaut rotation as the first flight to land on the moon and Armstrong just happpened to be the chap in charge but it doesn’t detract from his legacy or the achievements of that very exclusive band of brothers who walked on the moon, the other astronauts who participated in the first manned space flights and of course all the great minds on the ground who got them there and back in one piece.
Neil Armstrong retired from spaceflight soon after his historic mission and lead, if not a reclusive life, then very much a low key one, away from the spotlight of celebrity and I daresay monetary gain which could come from his notoriety. An inspiring character indeed!
I have a great admiration for Neil Armstrong and his ilk. Strong, brave, intelligent men who put their lives on the line and helped mankind reach for the stars. Yes it cost a lot of money and was framed in the circumstances of the Cold War but they took President Kennedy’s challenge and ran with it and in primitive machines and relying on a bit of luck got to their goal and made their country and the world in general feel better about themselves for a while. Heady days. Will they ever return?
The other man named Armstrong in the news this week is of course Lance, seven times Tour de France winner, cancer survivor and the most famous racing cyclist the sport has known.
The Tour de France has always been an iconic event but Armstrong’s notoriety brought it to a new level, to an audience it had never known before and a status that puts it just behind the Olympic Games and World Cup football in terms of great sporting events. He is the first international cycling star and I think the sport owes him something for that.
This week, the United States Drug Agency which has been conducting an investigation into alleged drug use by Armstrong during his career was vindicated when Armstrong declined to defend himself any further against their charges. The USADA saw this as an admission of guilt and stripped him of all his career results and banned him for life. Now whether or not they have the authority to do this is a very convoluted argument and I would suggest that Lance’s sporting legacy lies in the hands of the UCI, cycling’s governing body, not the USADA but that is a matter which will be argued by greater minds than mine in the years to come.
I know what goes on in the world of cycling and I know the answer to the charges laid against Lance Armstrong. Strip him of his seven titles and who do you give them to? Every man who ran a place in those Tours has been suspended for doping, suspected doping or have been implicated in doping. Those who have alledgedly given evidence against Armstrong have done so ostenibly to save their own skin. Is it a witch hunt? Probably. But why destroy the sport for a personal vendetta?
Lance Armstrong is only as guilty of doping as every other man who rode in those Tours. Yes, it’s disgraceful. Yes, it’s not what we want the sport to be but it was a level playing field and while I agree an asterix should be placed against those Tours, Lance should not be stripped of his Titles. And I don’t think he will be. Do we want to strip every Tour winner who may have doped? You would not have a Tour de France history left to read about if you did that. Those Tours were a product of the times and sleeping dogs should be let lie.
I would prefer to see those linked with doping in the past who now run teams banned from doing so. I would like to see the administration of the sport overhauled so those in charge are no longer apologists and enablers for doping. I would like to see an independent world body, free of bias, run doping investigations with the power to strip results.
The sport has come a long way in the fight against doping since Lance last wore the yellow jersey. Unfortunately results from this year suggest the clock may be turning back and a new dark age could be imminent. Let’s concentrate on the here and now and the problems which confront us in the future and let the demons of the past rest where they belong. Behind us.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 