I always find it interesting how some of life’s more prominent events can be deconstructed with the benefit of hindsight. Those things are brought to our attention in many ways but inevitably leave us wiser for the newfound knowledge. We are buoyed by a confirmation of what we always suspected or deflated by the demise of a once respected icon.

As a child I thought Jesus was pretty cool to walk on water and then someone told me it was probably a sand bar, or submerged rocks and favourable light. Then I became an atheist and realised, damn it John 6:15-21, you lied!

Then in my youth there was Uri Geller, a self-proclaimed psychic who could recite audience members’ car license plates and bend spoons by rubbing them. Uri had me glued to the TV emulating him unsuccessfully with my sticky Milo spoon. As it turned out his manager had given him the license plate numbers and magicians outed the spoon-bending trick. A paranormal freak or a well-practiced magician? Damn you Uri, you lied!

Many years later there was that jump-suited president declaring “Mission Accomplished” from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier…when the war has never ended. Then there were those pesky ‘weapons of mass destruction’… that didn’t exist! Damn you George ‘Dubya’, you lied!

Moving along to 2010, Ride Cycling Review (RCR) published an article comparing the physiology and performance of two elite cyclists, Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans. The article,  Lance vs Cadel: a study of two 22-year-olds  is by Dr David T. Martin, a senior physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).  In his role Dr Martin has been testing elite athletes including Cadel, for over 15 years. You can read the full article on the RCR website however, if you want to skip to the stage finish, here are the highlights:

“… this physiological comparison is of interest because it reiterates that Lance is not merely a physiological freak. Oh yes, he possesses many physiological prerequisites for being successful as a road cyclist but he is not a physiological outlier when compared to other pro cyclists. If anything, Lance’s aerobic capacity is lower than Cadel’s, not extremely superior and we haven’t even addressed the capacity of other top riders like Alberto Contador.

“So don’t think it has been easy for Lance. The data doesn’t support the argument that Lance wins because he was born with some God-given gift, some unique physiological capacity that makes his success as a professional road cyclist easy. There’s a lot involved in winning. Don’t assume that Lance just jumped on a bike and found out that he possessed a superior aerobic capacity and was capable of dropping everyone off his wheel while riding up a nasty climb in the Alps or Pyrenees.

“No, quite the opposite. Lance has great physiology but so do many other professional cyclists including Cadel Evans. The great physiology is a requirement but not a differentiator. I believe the data reviewed in this article supports the concept that Lance is a winner because he has committed himself, trained hard, and designed his environment to allow him to produce exceptional performances.”

According to Dr Martin, “based on physiological traits, it is just a bit too simplistic – and a bit naive – to think that all of Lance’s achievements can be explained by superior build.”

So looking back to those seven Tour de France victories Lance; what was it about your environment that allowed you to produce those exceptional performances? I know you were committed but was it just because you trained harder and smarter and made yourself tougher physically and mentally?

All along the way there were doubters that said you used performance-enhancing drugs but you were emphatic in your denials.

“All that hard work, sacrifice and focus will never show up in tests.” You said it was your body and you could do whatever you wanted to it. “Study it; Tweak it; Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I am on. What am I on? I am on my bike busting my ass six hours a day; what are YOU on?”

Well Lance, I can tell you what I am not on. I’m not on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. I’m also not on Erythropoietin (EPO), I’m not on Testosterone, Human Growth Hormone, and Corticosteroids and I’m not blood-doping nor having saline and plasma infusions.

Oh and while I’m at it, I don’t believe the political spin of world leaders, I don’t believe in paranormal feats and the supernatural, nor do I believe in superhuman efforts. Sadly, not even those of a once revered, seven-time Tour de France winner…

Damn you Lance, your teammates said you lied!

Martin, Dr David (2010), Lance vs Cadel: a study of two 22-year-olds, Ride Cycling Review, RIDE #47 (volume 01, 2010), http://www.ridemedia.com.au/?p=7387

Park Alice (2012), Which Drugs Is Lance Armstrong Accused of Taking?, Time Healthland, http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/24/which-drugs-is-lance-armstrong-accused-of-taking/#ixzz29NDmSo5R