hopelessly devoted to deconstructing popular culture and conventional wisdom, one blog at a time

What is Lance Armstrong's dirty little secret?

Published Wednesday, July 21, 2004 by seanlmccarthy | E-mail this post

Lance Armstrong, the five-time defending champion of Le Tour de France, wakes up Wednesday once again with the yellow jersey as the overall leader heading into the final week of the 2004 Tour.
But is Armstrong's title tainted?
Yes.
And not for the reason you suspect (doping). No, what most people don't realize is that cycling's greatest event has a dirty little secret: It is a team event. That's right. Armstrong owes much of his success to his teammates, that he is part of the U.S. Postal Service team, which is dedicated to the proposition that all cyclists are not created equal, that this is le Tour of the Lance, for the Lance and by the Lance.
Don't believe me? Watch any stage on TV (excepting today's individual time trial, of course) via the Outdoor Life Network and see how the team dedicates all of its efforts for its leader.