Alpe d'Huez said:
But had it not been for doping, there's a good chance they would be just another ex-racer most have never heard of who now works in a bike store, or sits behind a computer for a job.
You say this like it's a bad thing to be a healthy and productive member of society. Racing isn't healthy. Personal fame and glory doesn't improve the human condition. Riding a bike for money is not a God-given right, even if you are born with the appropriate genetic gifts.
Likewise, I'm tired of hearing this "boyhood dream" line so often used to justify doping, or for that matter, to indict doping ("he deprived me of my childhood dream"). By the time you reach 21, you should have outgrown silly fixations developed in your childhood.
The reason Lance is despicable is not because he had the most successful doping program or the least functional conscience, it's only because of all the people he trampled in order to get to and stay at the top. He was a drug trafficker, a racketeer, he took financial advantage of a vulnerable community (cancer patients, not cyclists), he libeled and blackballed those who spoke out, he embezzled public funds. The fact that he also had the hookup for the best doping program doesn't make me pity the other dirty racers or even the clean ones. The conversation surrounding Lance shouldn't focus on doping.
That said, none of these people (Levi, DZ, etc.) should be able to touch the sport with a ten foot pole. They still use the fame acquired from their past deceits to suck money out of the community. But it's mostly the community's fault for continuing to embrace them --- yes, enough people still like Levi that he can make money off his gran fondo, etc. Your vitriol is best directed towards the fanboys.