I’m into cycling. I watched quite a bit of the Giro D’Italia in May and watched the Netflix series on the 2022 Tour de France. I cycle almost everyday and am even part of one of those mostly-older-people local cycling clubs.
I got into cycling within the past 10 years. I didn’t follow it when Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France 7 times. You may have heard of him. His story was, for a time, told as one of great inspiration as he overcame cancer and won the Tour, even after that. However. You likely know the however. It turns out that rumours circulating for years, that Lance was cheating, using performance enhancing drugs, and treatments, were entirely true. He denied this aggressively and angrily for years, even attacking and destroying the careers of cyclists and others who levelled or corroborated the accusations. He hurt a lot of people in defense of his cheating and the lies covering it up. In the end his cheating was proven and admitted (to Oprah) and he was stripped of all 7 tour victories.
So, it is interesting that, just this week, Lance Armstrong has promoted his new podcast series that is addressing matters of fairness in sport. You read that right.
I suppose you could make the argument that if anyone knows about cheating, it’s Lance Armstrong. Having watched a number of documentaries on the Armstrong story, what has stood out for me is his high regard from himself. Lance Armstrong seems to really really like Lance Armstrong. Perhaps, that’s why he feels he should have gotten away with the cheating. In his mind, he was only doing what almost everyone else did. In his mind, it wasn’t really cheating if he was doing it. In his mind, he was, and is still, apparently, the one who gets to tell everyone else how things are.
If you have read Evangelically Departed before, you know where this is going. Does Lance Armstrong’s take on fairness in sport remind you of some of the moralist declarations issued from some evangelical leaders, both in society as a whole and in many smaller communities and churches? These people seem to think that everyone should really care about what their views. Why would anyone listen to Lance Armstrong on fairness, other than for entertainment? Why would anyone listen to some segments of the church on matters of sexuality and morality?
Those who were belittled and attacked by Armstrong likely feel free now to not be dominated by his voice anymore. If they have experienced healing since then, they may even laugh at the idea that he thinks people should respect his views on fairness.
You may have similar voices that you can be free from in life and faith. I can look back at some within my evangelical experience with gratitude. There were many compassionate and humble, worthy guides.
There were also those angry, judgmental people who seemed to think that their God-granted job was to impose their views on everyone else, often while not living up to the same standards themselves. These voices can take over a sport. They can take over a church or a family; and the domination can be real.
In the end, though, like Lance Armstrong’s, their threats and judgments are proven to be empty. In the meantime, they can do real damage. If you have been hurt by such voices or if you still hear them over your life, I pray that you will find and know freedom.
Lance, you are this at least - you are hilarious, ridiculous, at least in regards to fairness and how others should compete.
Church voices of aggression and fear, your emptiness has been revealed over and over again.
It turns out that Jesus had a term from these kinds of people: “Blind Guides.”
“Lance Armstrong, the Blind Guide of the Peloton.” (the word peloton meant something else before it became a brand)
Well-said!