Lance Armstrong continues to compete — on an entirely different level. (Steve Ruark / AP)
Lance Armstrong competed in the Half Full Triathlon in Howard County over the weekend, doing what he does: delighting crowds, winning (an unsanctioned event) and raising cancer awareness.
Meanwhile, a report by the U.S. Anti-doping Agency, which recommended that Armstrong be banned from competition and stripped of his Tour de France titles, is expected to present key evidence against Armstrong, who in August decided not to fight doping accusations. Armstrong continues to deny using performance-enhancing drugs.
The USADA report is expected to include testimony from American cyclists, like George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton. Armstrong, though, is unconcerned. As he said at the time he accepted his ban, he’s moving on with this life.
“This is all the same, old, worn-out stuff that Usada and others have been peddling for years, and that almost everyone has already made up their minds about,” Armstrong’s spokesman, Mark Fabiani, told the New York Times in an e-mail
Armstrong’s presence in the Half Full was a strong drawing card Sunday. He competed with other cancer survivors and helped raise exposure and money for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. At a panel discussion Saturday night, Armstrong did not specifically address the doping allegations, but indirectly made a connection with his victory over cancer.
“Look, let’s not beat around the bush,” he added after a pause. “My life has been ultra-complicated the last few years. My experience as a cancer survivor, going back to 1996, has changed my view on everything — whether it’s trying to win the Tour de France once or seven times or just dealing with other drama in life.”
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