Fallen Heroes: should an adult just quit believing?

[edley]

I am a grown man, and Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie were heroes for me as Lance won his first Tour and...up to now. Especially, George, the ever-sacrificing lieutenant. And, when I think today of the hours I spent watching the Tour since the late 90's, and reading about it - and, yes, CARING, about how the race went - well, after today, one can't help but feel more than a bit foolish.

Its hot here in the summer, and the one damn thing about July that was good was the Tour, and now I don't even know if I'll watch it again. Ever.

I was a hold-out, and thought the way the USADA handled the case was suspect, and posted that somewhere in this forum. I still think is handled the matter poorly, but confessions from Hincapie, Leipheimer, Zabrinski, Vande Velde pretty much do it for me. USADA, you win, but you've lost someone who cared about road racing in the process. Of course, this is why those guys didn't join the Olympic Team for the US, and in a small corner of my mind, I remember wondering if that might be a part of the reason.

Of course, calling these guys "heroes" must be placed in the context of life's true heroes, such as school teachers, but I think its okay to have sports heroes, too. But, with this news, I'll have to fight the easy reaction of total cynicism that as an adult, I should know better and there are no sports heroes - that's just for kids.

P.S. And, that Hincapie jersey I bought a few months ago, well, maybe I'll shoe-horn in an "r" after the "c".

[SSdirt29]

A grown man should not idolize another grown man.

[Scott O]

I know what you're saying. It turns out Hulkamania and the 24" pythons were built with steroids. Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse turned out to be a dank x-rated theater where he choked his chicken. And George Michael wasn't singing about chicks when he said, "I will be your father figure".

[crclawn]

know what you're saying. It turns out Hulkamania and the 24" pythons were built with steroids. Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse turned out to be a dank x-rated theater where he choked his chicken. And George Michael wasn't singing about chicks when he said, "I will be your father figure".

I just laughed my ass off, you just got repped.

[Lance Strongarm]

You can alway's count on a few things, the Easter Bunny, Santa and Lance. Never quit believing.

[heyyall]

One of the rudest things I said growing up was "so". I said this in response to the news that one of my teammates was getting a full ride to play football with the top team in the country. He went on to play pro ball. He was that good. The person I said "so" was the boy's grandfather at the grocery store. He was a cashier.

While I have thought about this from time to time later in life, i realize i was wrong. But, I could justify "so" as being a measure of humanness. If we prop people to heavenly levels, we will be disappointed. "So" Lance doped. The world should not end. We should not be jaded either. I think we should say, "so" he is human.

[ArmySlowRdr]

Exactly. So. He is still a damn good cyclist and in my mind he is the winner of those 7 tours. I DON'T CARE IF HIS TEAM PLAYED BY THE RULEBOOK. Many didn't although probably not to that level.

[spec4life]

[Leopold Porkstacker]

A grown man should not idolize another grown man.

What???

[Leopold Porkstacker]

You can alway's count on a few things, the Easter Bunny, Santa and Lance. Never quit believing.

I like your apostrophe.

[Brewtality]

I still believe -
that Bill Clinton 'did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewensky'
and
OJ didn't do that sh!t!!

I'm starting to believe that Lance doped.

[Brewtality]

What???

Porkstacker,
is that you in Schumaker's helmet?

[Dion]

I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky.

[John Kuhl]

I forget who said it but here it
is. Show me a hero and I'll show
you a bum.

[MendonCycleSmith]

Heros are dead.

The rest of us are just trying to make it another day....

Lance and friends doped, shocker. There's money involved, need we say more?. What I'm really waiting for is for it to fall back to the real source of the issue, Trek, the USPS and all the other money people who directed the teams to do whatever was required to bring home the victories for their fancy, corporate trophy cases.

To this day, Trek makes bank on Lances wins. When do the chickens come home to roost? It's like rounding up all the foot soldiers in a mafia raid, and leaving the Don alone, since he didn't "have anything to do with it".

[monzie]

I'm too jaded with life to have heroes anymore. I'll just suffer through until sweet ass oblivion. There's people I respect and look up to, but heroes? **** that, I'll leave them to the comic books of yore.

[motopail]

Heros...well heck yea...

I see heros in every one of those boys in uniform...some don't get to come home.

[Dion]

Heros are dead.

Not really.

Instead Of Surgery, Man Pedals Off The Pounds : NPR

People who remind me to STFU-and-pedal-because-you-officially-have-no-excuses inspire me to the fullest extent.

[Dirty $anchez]

We are surrounded by heroes everyday, they are among us, everywhere you look, everywhere you go. Quit looking up on the pedestal and you will find real heroes.

[EmbraceTheHate]

A grown man should not idolize another grown man.

That's what I was thinking.....

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Le Pirate]

Not really.

Instead Of Surgery, Man Pedals Off The Pounds : NPR

People who remind me to STFU-and-pedal-because-you-officially-have-no-excuses inspire me to the fullest extent.

I love that story. There is more than one hero in it.


BTW--I love that while I'm reading this thread, there is an ad for some energy supplement endorsed by Lance on the side bar. How clever MTBR

[MendonCycleSmith]

Not really.

Folks that inspire, do awesome stuff, what have you, are great, and their acts should never be diminished or looked down upon.

"Be a healthy hero" is a local ad campaign for better eating habits. I rest my case, Madison Ave owns "hero". Everyone is a hero for something nowadays.

I guess I look at people differently, but doing something because it's the right thing to do, no matter how tough, doesn't make you a hero.

Dying doing it does.

[heyyall]

I love that literal pedal your a.. off story. He would fit here nicely. Maybe somebody could send him an invitation.

[Spinning Lizard]

Of course, calling these guys "heroes" must be placed in the context of life's true heroes, such as school teachers, but I think its okay to have sports heroes, too. But, with this news, I'll have to fight the easy reaction of total cynicism that as an adult, I should know better and there are no sports heroes - that's just for kids.


I was with you until you said teachers, in my area they are mostly the scum of the earth. Have put a business out of business with their mafia tactics. Definitley not in the "Hero" category.

[dth656]

I'm too jaded with life to have heroes anymore. I'll just suffer through until sweet ass oblivion. There's people I respect and look up to, but heroes? **** that, I'll leave them to the comic books of yore.

aw c'mon monzie, what about folks like anna politskovkaya:

Anna Politkovskaya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

although i do agree w/ you, reading the news does increase the jaded factor substantially....