Effing up the Formula!!

Lance Armstrong is innocent! Listen here I saw the interview with Oprah, I heard about the supposed mountain of evidence against him, the countless headlines and statements made by witnesses who included cyclists from Armstrong's own team. I don't believe either of them. It's all a cycle of lies against an individual who changed the face of cycling forever. I'll get back to this later.

What made Armstrong's success story so extraordinary was not so much that he had become a 7 time champion in the world of cycling. What stood out most of all was that he had been given a death sentence: cancer, and not only did he beat cancer but he became a legend in the world of cycling. It's the idea that he made a comeback that makes his story so sensational. It gives the everyday Joe the motivation to believe that anything is possible, no matter how severe your set back, there's always an opportunity to rise and conquer, another day.

When news came out that Armstrong had allegedly been using drugs to win his races, world opinion was divided. His staunch supporters maintained his innocence amidst increasingly overwhelming evidence against their hero. I didn't want to believe he was guilty, not that I'm a fan. I've never been interested in cycling, but the idea that someone had beat cancer and then went on to become world champion in their chosen pathway was something that I found extraordinary.

Of all the books on success and motivation that I've read, the characters are always different but the stories remain the same: Individual beats hardship, becomes hero, lives happily every after and dies a legend. That was the formula and always had been. Although Armstrong isn't the first athlete to be stripped off his achievements due to doping his story is arguably one of the biggest of all time (Don't ask me why, this isn't an essay lol)

As I sit here inhaling the second hand fumes of something that may or may not be illegal I ask, Is the formula for success still the same? Does hard work still = success?

Oh yeah about the opening paragraph, choose what you want to believe, it's a little too late but I wish Armstrong wasn't guilty of doping, now who am I gonna look up to? "Drugs are bad m'kay?" I just hope Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are 100% drug free.