I must digress from my female cycling platform and give an e-high five to male cyclist and diatribe artist Lance Armstrong.
Last night, I sat in the second row of the Amgen Tour of California Press Conference. I listened to and asked questions of cycling greats like Basso, Fiere, Cavendish, Hamilton, Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Brooke Miller (winner of last year’s women’s race)and Lance Himself. Everything was going as press conferency as usual.
Until a man in the front row began to ask Lance a question about doping.
Lance asked the gentleman his name. The man answered, “Paul Kimmage.” I render a guess Paul may have legally changed it by now. Kimmage, a former pro cyclist from the ‘80s and author of doping expose Rough Ride, is known for exposing the use of drugs in cycling. This is good! The problem? He thinks Lance’s general popularity has made the scandal of doping “disappear”. This is bad! This, however, is even worse: When Lance began his comeback, Kimmage said, in a September interview, “Well he [Lance] is the cancer in this sport. And for four years this sport has been in remission. And now the cancer's back." Kimmage literally called Lance Armstrong “a cancer.” Lance responded in what I can only describe as verbal chemotherapy. And an awesomely high dosage at that.
Here are some of the most memorable lines from Lance’s soliloquy:
"I am here to fight this disease. I am here so I don't have to deal with it, you don't have to deal with it, none of us have to deal with it, my children don't have to deal with it. Yet you said I am the cancer. And the cancer is out of remission. So it goes without saying, no, we aren't going to sit down and do an interview."
“You [pointing at Kimmage] are not worth the chair you’re sitting on.”
Some might say Lance ripped Kimmage apart. Tore him, well, an alternative orifice. From where I was sitting, a couple seats to the right of Kimmage with about five photographers fighting to sit in my lap, I thought Lance took it easy on the guy. Forget Lance’s reputation as an outspoken athlete, who has been known to border on egotistical. (Please. He’s earned it). Put aside all criticisms of his private life. (Come on now, who, at some point in time, didn’t think an Olsen twin was cute?) Try, if you can, to even forget the fact this guy won seven little races called the Tour de France. No matter what you think of Lance--hero, cheater or undecided--none of that matters. Who, in their right mind, calls a cancer survivor “a cancer” and expects to get away with it?
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How had Kimmage, a man who helped break the awareness of drugs in cycling, erred so greatly? I really wanted to go over and shake some sense into the man, but there was a microphone in my hand...
Oh, good God. The microphone.
The press microphone. The one circulating around the press conference so journalists could ask questions...was in my hand. I was The Next Question. My heartrate hit one eighty. So much for my rest day. Suddenly, my role as a journalist switched sides with my role as a pro cyclist, and what was supposed to be my day off of training immediately became sprint repeats with Gord Fraser. Worse, I completely forgot what the heck I was going to ask.
After the first round of Kimmotherapy, a silence filled the press room. All my experience as a journalist vanished and time slowed waaaay doooown. What do I ask Lance Armstrong after that? And would I live to tell about it? Just as I was debating if I should go with “Do you like puppies?” or “What’s your favorite color?” or “What do you think I could get for Paul Kimmage’s chair on eBay?” some semblance of responsible journalism trickled into my brain cell.
I tried to segue from bad press to good press. I babbled something to Lance, asking about whether or not he thought the majority of the media was portraying his comeback/cancer charities in ways he was pleased with. I don’t remember his answer. My tape recorder does. The one I dropped this morning. Anyway, what I do remember is Lance was kind, gracious, informative, I do not need to change my name, and my sprinting ability is now phenomenal. What I also know is this: Journalists need to practice responsible sensationalism. Kimmage has a right to say what he likes, but calling someone a cancer in interview or print, is nothing but diseased journalism. Kudos to Dr. Armstrong for administering proper treatment.
With the press conference in remission, let’s go back to bike racing.
Up next: an interview with Brooke Miller, 2008 Women’s TOC champ.
Comments
First, Kathryn, I'm glad to see your blog here. I followed your series on ESPN.com and thought it was great.
I've read Paul Kimmage's book and I'm all for the press uncovering doping and cheating in sports, but Kimmage has gone way to far to the point he is so biased that he can no longer be impartial. When you word a question to Lance Armstrong "Lance ... why do you admire dopers" that just so clearly shows how biased this guy has become.
Lance doesn't make up the rules for the sport. The governing bodies of pro cycling ruled that Basso, Landis, and Hamilton broke a rule, they gave then a penalty and they served the penalty. The level of drug testing in cycling is such that it is catching ccheaters. If those guys try it again theu will get caught.
In the NBA if you foul out of a game, the other players don't make you say the ref made a good call before you are allowed to start the next game. Esentially Landis thinks there was a bad call, but he served his penalty and should be allowed to race again according to the rules. Kimmage and all the people that want to keep on saying how bad the doping problem is in cycling need to start attending baseball press conferences instead.
This is really sad. Armstrong's comments are way out of line. Although the writer Kimmage used a poor metaphor, Armstrong was clearly out of line with his comments. Address the issue at hand, without slurring the writer.
The first issue is Lance the god. Until cyclists, like the author, stop with the hero worship, not much will be done for cycling doping. This is like the Mafia where silence is golden, only here everyone goes gaga over the Lance star. Everyone is intimidated to speak up. Lance (the god) will unleash a tirade on the whistle blower. Cyclists need to cease being syncophants and groupies, and start thinking for themselves.
Cancer kills and so does doping. SUre Lance thinks his tour is about cancer awareness (like no one is aware if it), but it is about Lance. And he proved it.
Some cancer surviver should go on a tour to publisize the fatality of doping in cycling.
Wonder if A-Rod lost his god-like status the past week??
Lance is a jerk, and he demonstrated it again. And what's with you? An endorphin buzz? You wanted to switch back to the typical namby pamby hero-worshipping stance of most of the press? Why? You should have asked him a real question about something - why drop the anti-doping plans? How do you explain the EPO in your urine sample? There are about a thousand journalistic questions you could have asked and you ask about press coverage? Sheesh.
CANCER ALMOST KILLED HIM.
Like LeMond, Kimmage could use some tact in addressing the doping issue he feels so passionately about. While cancer was an unfortunate choice of metaphors, it IS a commonly accepted and widely used one to describe a poison that has infected a system or institution - such as doping in pro cycling. I bet you also believe that Obama was literally implying that Palin was the pig in need of some lipstick.
Both LeMond and Kimmage are asking the tough questions that none of the current or recent racers themselves are asking.
Just because someone survives cancer does not mean that they are honest people and it shouldn't give them a free ride. Armstrong is a great cyclist and I'd love to think he has always been clean but there are too many inconsistencies in his record. And when Armstrong uses cancer as a crutch to shrug of questions of doping it doesn't allay my doubts at all.
We have had it with Mr Media Darling,
who thinks he is superior to all athletes, somehow he is a miracle, cancer or not, Please do not make a comeback , for what? Haven't you proven yourself miraculously? Go away.......Lance,
lance is guilty.
Kimmage's profession is using words. His calling Lance a cancer is in the sport was done intentionally. He could have used many other metaphors, but he didn't. As a cancer survivor, I am amazed that anyone would listen to this self important BOZO. Creepy, ham handed, journalist?, get back under your rock.
Since, Olsen is mentioned, how curious that we see on some cycling websites messages for Carmichael Training with pictures of Lance "the family man", let's see, leaving his wife and 3 kids and now unmarried will be a father again this year. Not the best example to show of Lance as far as I can see. And we all know, Chris Carmichael's connections to blood-doping as well being a cyclist at the '84 LA games.
Nice try Kathryn.
Kimmage may have used a bad choice of words in describing LA as a "cancer" to the sport, but the fact remains that there are MANY questions surrounding LAs drug useage.
For you to focus entirely on Kimmages one word and pretend that these are not serious allegations is ridiculous.
Sadly its because of apologists like you that we will never fully know whether LA ever sued drugs or not, because even to attempt to question him is seen as an affront to an American hero.
The "Anti Armstrong" comments are jealous attacks on a great athlete. Were Armstrong a Mexican or a Black or an Arab you can bet your jealousy cards LaRaza , NAACP and CAIR would be banging on Kimmage's bank account.
Me ,my sister and my youngest son are Cancer survivors. As for Valentine from Dallas please do not live another day you have proven yourself . Go away ......Aguilar.
He's Irish not British
lance is a jerk...go find something else to do...
Lance Armstrong possibly the greatest athlete of all time and people hate him for it! ALI ALI ALI
Who really cares what some crap reporter says, he's just bitter that he didn't win anything when HE raced back in the 80's! What a jerk!
“You [pointing at Kimmage] are not worth the chair you’re sitting on.”
Right on.
Sorry.. but I agree with Kimmage.. no matter his word choice. And in any event.. Lance danced around the question. Applauding the dopers of the sport. Shows lack of respect to cycling in general. As far as Im concerned.. Lance isn't worth the sattle he sits in. Cycling is a complete joke.. Lance is the ringleader.
If you want to be taken seriously as a journalist you'll need to get some objectivity in to your reporting. You could also think about tackling the serious issue. Yes, it was amusing to imagine your panic at discovering the microphone in your hand but you blew the chance to be a responsible journalist in the press conference and you blew the chance to be a responsible journalist in this article by not adressing the issue of drugs in cycling. A little bit of fact checking wouldn't go amiss either. Incidentally while I don't and have never thought that Kimmage is a great wordsmith his sentiments are almost always on the money. There are few people outside of cycling who take the sport seriously any more. He's trying to change that but some cyclists just want to help shoot the sport in the foot.
Kimmage was out of line...where ever that "line" is, journalists have a responsibility to report objectivity and as accurately as possible. Calling any cancer-survivor a "cancer" is unthinkable.
Never mind what one may think of another...as the crude, bathroom wall saying suggests; opinions are like you-know-what's...everyone has one! Does that give everyone the "right" to spew hateful opinions or you-know-what’s?
The fact of the matter is Lance has earned where he is. The French and people like Kimmage have been after Lance for years and can't "get" him on anything.
Like him or not, why can't we merely celebrate the fact we have an extraordinary athlete in our premises?
And here's another fact...Lance is in a position to give back miracles to the dark, frightening, and deadly world of cancer! There are all kinds of possible solutions in the medical pipeline...solutions that could save lives! Let him raise money, let him bring more awareness to cancer, let him rip new-ones with irresponsible people who haven’t a clue...and let's celebrate a human being on this planet who CAN!
IMO...
why was the Armstrong/Kimmage video sent into hiding????????????????????????
I'm glad he put the ignorant hater in his place in a public setting.
No one ever made a statue of a critic. People will continue to hate him, I am just glad Lance is strong enough to hold his ground.
No, Katherine. You were out of line with your idiotic question. You said you were with ESPN so why are you writing here? Mr. Armstrong has never ever answered questions brought up in the books "From Lance to Landis" or "Bad Blood: the secret life of the Tour de France". How could you forget Mr. Armstrong's response to your question about what media outlets he likes? He singled out Juliet Macur from the New York Times essentially blaming her for the plausible Catlin article she wrote. Then he blamed not knowing how to work his new blackberry for not getting back to her.
If you truly consider yourself a journalist, you have a responsibility to write the truth, maybe even delve into it. You were so nervous in asking your question to your hero that any objectivity on your end was gone. So you work for ESPN now? Have you not seen Bonnie Ford's article calling Mr. Armstrong out on his lies with his own words about his testing program with Catlin which never was? No, you are not a journalist. I wouldn't even venture to say you are a reporter. If you want to know who a journalist is, read Juliet Macur from the New York Times. Read Bonnie Ford from ESPN (she is actually covering the race for them which begs me to ask why you said you were with ESPN when you were called on to ask your question to Mr. Armstrong). Read Paul Kimmage who is not afraid. In your opinion, he may have been over the top. To the real media, he was spot on.
I am surprised that Lance took time out from "dating" every chick in Hollywood who looks like his mom.
He is a fraud, a doper, and a liar. The suckers who buy into his myth behave like members of the craziest cult.
I think Lance handled himself. You call someone a Cancer! And expect someone not to say something to him. I think he handled himself as a human being. And to be a professional he answered his question. He could have let it go after his first tirade, but as a cancer survivor I'm glad he stood up for all of us.
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