Credibility

I watched in awe as a teenager, religiously making sure that no one takes control of the TV remote when the Tour De France was being broadcast on the television. I used to get goose bumps witnessing Lance Armstrong attack - a rare phenomenon. Simply put – Lance was my idol, my hero and heroes do not need credibility.

On May 20 2010, Floyd Landis dropped a bombshell. I am not concerned about his admission of doping. What shocked me was his accusation against “My Hero – Lance Armstrong”.

It is an open truth that Cycling and Doping are synonymous. Yet once in a blue moon, someone like Lance Armstrong comes along and rewrites the script. He doesn’t cheat; he is a cancer survivior and has won the Tour De France a record number of times.

When Lance responded to the allegations leveled by Landis, he did so by invoking ‘credibility’. Expressing doubt over Landis’s credibility might have been a valid and legal point. But that got me thinking…

“Since when do Heroes need Credibility”?

I am no longer interested in Cycling. Lance Armstrong is no longer a hero to me. I don’t think there would be anyone who would be exalted to that status anymore – I have no need for ‘Heroes’. Whether the allegation sticks or not; it doesn’t matter anymore.

Credibility is not a virtue of a Hero. They don’t need it.