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Latest update: 22/07/2009
- 2009 Tour de France - cycling
Lance Armstrong to ride in 2010, for better or for worse
The seven-time Tour de France winner says he will be participating in the gruelling cycling race in 2010. The news, according to sports journalist Pierre Ballester, is testimony to the growing role of sports business in cycling.
In their book, "Le Sale Tour" (The Dirty Tour de France), journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh, authors of "L.A. Confidential", analyse the Lance Armstrong phenomenon. Pierre Ballester has covered 10 Tour de France races and won the 1994 Antoine Blondin prize for the best article on cycling.
US cycling champion Lance Armstrong, 37, chose his Twitter account to announce the news that he intended to participate in the 2010 Tour de France. While the news was applauded by the leading French sports daily, L'Equipe, coincidentally owned by ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), the company organising the Tour de France, it raised eyebrows among critics of the seven-time Tour de France winner such as Pierre Ballester.
The former L'Equipe journalist and author of several books attacking Armstrong and the current state of international cycling believes that this return is likely to spoil the sporting spirit of France’s well-loved cycling race and instead hike up the profits of sports businesses.
FRANCE 24 - Lance Armstrong has announced that he will take part in the 2010 Tour de France. Does that surprise you?
Pierre Ballester – No. Nothing and nobody can stop the hegemony of Lance Armstrong. Neither the UCI (Union cycliste internationale) nor ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), the Tour de France organisers. It proves that they make fun of the sporting spirit of the Tour de France. If they were bold enough to defend the values of the sport, they would refuse to accept Armstrong once again. But, in a reflection of our current societal values, sport has turned into just another means of making profit. Lance Armstrong’s return will further harm the credibility of a sport credited with the thesis, ‘I am a cheater, I stay and mock the world.’
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F24 - Lance Armstrong will be nearly 39 years old in 2010. What is he trying to prove? Can he win the Tour de France again?
P. B. – In terms of the sport, he cannot win. Right now in the Tour de France, the only chance of victory is if Alberto Contador fails a dope test, something that none of the riders are protected from.
F24 – However, the American is just one minute 37 seconds behind Contador, which is not so bad…
P. B. – For Lance Armstrong, being second is like being the last. He’s obsessed by victory.
F24 – Then why is he returning?
P. B. – He cannot win sportingly, but he can win politically. He needs the Tour de France to promote his foundation. His ambition is to become the Bruce Willis of cancer. And for this, he needs to return.
F24 – Can we envisage that he will return with his own team, under his foundation’s name?
P. B. – Lance Armstrong has a psychological edge over the participants, the organisers, the sporting authorities, everyone. That he will return with his own team is completely possible. He needs to standardise his presence on the Tour de France, as a participant or sports director in order to, once again, retake control, to the detriment of the sport. The Tour de France is losing its integrity.
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Comments (9)
No question he's a cheat
Shoot the messenger if you like, but anyone who understands cycling and sport knows Lance is a cheat. If you are okay with that, so be it.
Interview with Pierre Ballester
One feels such great pity for this malignant writer who cannot accept that his campaign against Armstrong failed and was discredited years ago. He does the Tour no good, as well.
lance armstrong
How many times is france 24 going to run an article with journalist Pierre Ballester urine sampling all over armstrong?
really?
what lance did for your race was to greatly accelerate the process if it no longer being the fiasco that it became after his retirement. if he didnt come back, NO ONE else would be watching or care. i love the sport and the race so i would watch no matter what BUT last year during the tour i did find my self saying that lance could beat these clowns and he hasnt been on a bike in 3 years (actually not true...he wins alot of mountain bike races in the US). i guess he felt the same way. i also feel that if he had is normal preperation (i.e. NOT getting plate screwed into his collarbone), this tour would be very very close.
yes, he wants to use his name to fight cancer...his name is tied to racing. so what is the problem?
maybe, just maybe, as a counter to armstrong, rather than moan and complain, france can actually come up with rider who can win this race. if you can't, not to worry, the US and Spain will continue to provide champions.
cheat
LA is a cheat, a fraud and a great PR. Can't anyone see that???
Idiotic
"His ambition is to become the Bruce Willis of cancer."
This is quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard uttered from a human beings mouth.
Talk about bitter
Lance coming back gives this crook an opportunity to sell more books. LA Confidential was rancid journalism. Ballester is a depraved man. It's 2009 and the TdF is doing everything they can to nail LA. He comes clean and you still say he is dirty. This is pathetic journalism. You should all be ashamed.
Fourth
Yeah well you see Lance's place? Talk about bitterness...
Contradiction
The Tour de France was created and promoted to sell newspapers – making a profit. The Tour is truly one of the most beautiful sporting events, and Lance Armstrong’s return, whether you like him or not, has rekindled interest in the sport. The teams have also financially benefited from Lance’s return. Your thesis is unproven and wrong. Give Lance Armstrong the respect given and earned by Tour greats, such as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil.