Article - Radioshack's #28 Jersey Tribute: An act of heroism turns into disciplinary proceedings by the UCI.
As people all around the world comfortably watched the 2010 Tour De France in their homes and perhaps on the sidelines in person, they are treated to a spectacle of athletes battling it out on what can be considered one of the most grueling and toughest events any athlete must endure. They cheer and praise these athletes as they swiftly race and battle eachother across each stage. Similarly, some where in a hospital room, another battle is taking place. It's a battle where there aren't millions of people intently watching, and waiting to see the outcome. It's a battle where instead of people cheering for you on the sidelines, you might have a handful of supporters holding back tears, helpless, desperately seeking any means possible to keep you in the fight. It's a battle where even the 20 Stages of the Tour De France pales in comparison.
This is the battle of cancer, and the black #28 jersey dawned by team Radioshack on the final stage up to Champs Elysees, corresponds to the 28 million that are battling this deadly disease each day. Each day, approximatley 1479 people die from cancer, and 3483 new poeple are diagnosed with it. Within the time span of the Tour De France, from Stage 1, to Stage 20, Over 30,000 people died from cancer, and over 71,000 new people were diagnosed. Odds are, some of you that are reading this have cancer, or will be effected by cancer directly or indirectly. If we really think of the magnitude and scale of this disease, we can certainly argue that the #28 jersey that Lance and his radioshack team wore was an honorable and heroic act to say the least. And that maybe...just maybe...seeing that #28 jersey in this event, were able to cause a smile and a glimmer of hope for the people with this disease. That maybe wearing those jerseys tells those 28 million people that we know your fighting, we know you're out there, we don't want you to suffer, and we are going to do everything we can to stop this seemingly invincible enemy amongs us.
And despite this cause, which is greater than any bike race, man, pro athlete, etc. the TDF organization have the audacity to not only strip the symbolic black jerseys from the Radioshack team during the race, but call disciplinary proceedings. The team certainly does not deserve disciplinary proceedings, they deserve an award for their courage to stand up...to let those 28 million people with cancer know that they are not alone, and that there are people like Lance, Levi, Kloden, Bruyneel, Paulinho, Popovych, Rast, Muravyev on the grandest scale of what cycling has to offer who are thinking about them and that we will fight this disease and do everything in our power so that we can all continue to strive to Livestrong.
- silentassassin
Special thanks to the heroes of the Livestrong organization, Radioshack team, and most of all, the millions of people who are fighting cancer.
Sources:
Lance Tribute Denied:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2010/news/story?id=5408206
Radioshack Disciplinary Proceedings by UCI:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-launch-disciplinary-proceedings-against-radioshack-and-bruyneel
As people all around the world comfortably watched the 2010 Tour De France in their homes and perhaps on the sidelines in person, they are treated to a spectacle of athletes battling it out on what can be considered one of the most grueling and toughest events any athlete must endure. They cheer and praise these athletes as they swiftly race and battle eachother across each stage. Similarly, some where in a hospital room, another battle is taking place. It's a battle where there aren't millions of people intently watching, and waiting to see the outcome. It's a battle where instead of people cheering for you on the sidelines, you might have a handful of supporters holding back tears, helpless, desperately seeking any means possible to keep you in the fight. It's a battle where even the 20 Stages of the Tour De France pales in comparison.
This is the battle of cancer, and the black #28 jersey dawned by team Radioshack on the final stage up to Champs Elysees, corresponds to the 28 million that are battling this deadly disease each day. Each day, approximatley 1479 people die from cancer, and 3483 new poeple are diagnosed with it. Within the time span of the Tour De France, from Stage 1, to Stage 20, Over 30,000 people died from cancer, and over 71,000 new people were diagnosed. Odds are, some of you that are reading this have cancer, or will be effected by cancer directly or indirectly. If we really think of the magnitude and scale of this disease, we can certainly argue that the #28 jersey that Lance and his radioshack team wore was an honorable and heroic act to say the least. And that maybe...just maybe...seeing that #28 jersey in this event, were able to cause a smile and a glimmer of hope for the people with this disease. That maybe wearing those jerseys tells those 28 million people that we know your fighting, we know you're out there, we don't want you to suffer, and we are going to do everything we can to stop this seemingly invincible enemy amongs us.
And despite this cause, which is greater than any bike race, man, pro athlete, etc. the TDF organization have the audacity to not only strip the symbolic black jerseys from the Radioshack team during the race, but call disciplinary proceedings. The team certainly does not deserve disciplinary proceedings, they deserve an award for their courage to stand up...to let those 28 million people with cancer know that they are not alone, and that there are people like Lance, Levi, Kloden, Bruyneel, Paulinho, Popovych, Rast, Muravyev on the grandest scale of what cycling has to offer who are thinking about them and that we will fight this disease and do everything in our power so that we can all continue to strive to Livestrong.
- silentassassin
Special thanks to the heroes of the Livestrong organization, Radioshack team, and most of all, the millions of people who are fighting cancer.
Sources:
Lance Tribute Denied:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2010/news/story?id=5408206
Radioshack Disciplinary Proceedings by UCI:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-launch-disciplinary-proceedings-against-radioshack-and-bruyneel
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