ak-zaaf said:
OK, take this one.
Lance wins the tour. Thanks to his he raises over 400 million euros in private funding and intense government cooperation in cancer research from, say, France.
After it's all set in motion (lives are being saved here) some journalist digs up some facts and he openly explains in an interview he had a custom made 'superhuman' designer drug to help him with his bigger cause. He cares about cycling, knew he would destroy it this way, but also knew this was a way to get huge money towards the, more important, cancer problem.
Historical hero, destroyer of sportsmanship for all eternity, both or something else?
In our beloved sport, almost all at the top dope, Di Luca being a known doper. There's no disputing that.
My point was, the guy is doing something good for the people in Abruzzo.
It's the same thing you had with celebs going to NO after Katrina struck. Many people were criticising them, saying they're only in it for fame.
I say, what's the difference?
This has nothing to do with doping.
It has to do with Di Luca, a person in position to raise money using his name to do it. How he got to be famous is beyond the point.
We can discuss Di Luca and his doping if you like, but here there was no need to bring it up.
This isn't about racing, it's about somebody trying to help some people who need help.
And yes, the same goes for LA, he should use his fame to help people.
If you catch him doping, ban him from racing, make him return prize money, sue him for fraud...
As for Lance destroying cycling. I always thought he won all those Tours not because he was the best athlete, but because he had the best support (medical, teammates...).
But he didn't invent doping, cycling had a history of doping way before he was even born. Even that worst product that has changed the sport so much in the last 15-20 years came before he started winning.
As for him creating a super drug? Arrest him and throw him in jail, take away his win...
...are you going to force those people who received help to give the money back? Is that it?