This was my response to someone’s disappointment in a private on-line group about Lance’s latest revelation that he’d likely cheat again, given the same circumstances.

Not sure exactly what we’re looking for that we’re not getting. My guess is that, right now, Lance will answer just about any question asked, but this “thing” for some reason has become so personal that anything he says doesn’t matter because it wasn’t you or me asking the question. And if he gave us a truthful answer we wouldn’t believe it because we didn’t like the answer he gave to someone else’s question.

I think Lance was so good at winning that, in the afterlife, the game is fixed so he can only lose. I get that. But let’s admit what it is. Punishment for taking the caricature of “my way or the highway” Texan just a bit too far. Tell him up-front the deck’s stacked and nothing he says will reduce his lifetime ban, and then act surprised that he doesn’t say whatever it is you want him to say.

The guy’s a jerk, he deserves to be sued and lose a fortune to Emma and Betsy, but the rest of us deserve what and for why? Asher jokes about awesome, but let’s face it, it was. That’s what everyone wanted. Lance and Bruyneel didn’t create the demand, they fed it. The ‘Tour was in shambles and the French couldn’t provide a sheriff (Verinque being taken down by the Festina affair). Timing was perfect.

Stage racing is, for all intents and purposes, a staged play. It has opening, middle and closing acts, with great effort made to pace the drama appropriately. But the actors sucked. Until Bruyneel took over as Director and Lance took the lead role. Floyd was the understudy but showed up drunk when he had his chance. Lance came back to try and restore order but was too old & feeble, and the director’s vision was clouded by hubris.

So now we take out our frustration on the guy who who made the play a hit. Lance isn’t happy because his name isn’t in lights anymore. We’re not happy because the play doesn’t have a script anymore and we won’t admit the real issue is that we don’t have a King.