I've written about cheating in cycling before. I still stand by what I said: at least cycling is trying to do something about doping, unlike most other sports. I'm not naive, I've known for many years that my favorites and many of the top cyclists have used performance enhancing drugs. But the final straw came when I heard that George Hincapie told a Federal Grand Jury that he and Armstrong used banned substances.
I never followed up on this news story, I have no idea if it was proven true or not. But then and there, I decided I just couldn't follow this sport I love right now. It is too hard to cheer for these men for three straight weeks, only to discover that they're cheaters. They're fakes and liars. It broke my heart to think that Hincapie might have cheated. Lance, not so much. I mean, come on, no one would really be surprised, would they? But Hincapie has always been a favorite; he's a dominating domestique, a selfless, nice guy. But a cheat? I just can't hold that descriptor in my head with the others.
And so, I gave up the Tour this year. And it hurt. I didn't watch any highlight reels or read any articles. I hope that next year, I will feel differently. I truly missed it. But I don't like looking like a fool. I cannot be on their side, rooting for them, if I think they might be cheating. And who knows who is and isn't cheating these days...