The dark side of sports has a lot of members in it. Lance Armstrong, who is also the most dishonored cyclist, is a name that changed cycling forever. Because of him, the sport went through a really tough time back in 2012. Although a lot of things have changed in the sport of cycling. Back in 2020, in an interview, the new-age cycling ace Chris Froome answered some questions regarding the dishonored cyclist.

Lance Armstrong forever changed the image of cycling in front of the whole world. This also affected the new cyclists.

Even after all these years, the players can still feel the damage

The British-Kenyan cyclist talked about how the sport has recovered by improving anti-doping measures. But he and other current-generation players are still paying the price of the damage that Lance has left.

“We’re still having to justify ourselves. It’s 15 years on at least, and we’re still talking about it. It did a lot of damage. That era has damaged the sport to a great extent, but I do really believe that the sport has turned the page.” Froome said, taking an aim at Armstrong.

“I don’t think that I could have won the Tour de France four times if it hadn’t changed. I think the sport is in a great place now,” Chris continued. As much damage as Lance’s doping scandal did to the sport, it also made the officials more responsible. As the anti-doping procedures increased significantly. He also mentions how, because of this change, he got his four Tour de France titles.

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“Of course, it’s challenging with the negativity and always having to answer the same questions year in, year out to the skeptics who won’t believe any performance but at the same time, what can we do? We just get on with it and we know that what we’re doing it right. We’ve got nothing to hide,” Chris added. Chris explained that there was nothing they could do but accept the mistakes made by somebody else and try to rectify them. He also mentioned how the sport became challenging. 

The impact of Lance Armstrong

Because of Lance Armstrong‘s notorious acts, even dedicated cyclists like Chris Froome once lost all motivation for the sport. For the sport he loved so much, there was one day when he saw no ray of hope. Chris was surprised at how, during 2012, when Lance got caught, the whole cycling industry took a big hit of negativity. For some time, Chris couldn’t believe what was going on.

In 2012, the disgraced cyclist was banned from cycling for a lifetime by the USADA. He was also stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Lance even tried to fight back on his charges, but he failed miserably, as his actions were pretty blatant and there was enough proof against him. Later on, he finally admitted to using PEDs to enhance his performance.

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