Lance Armstrong Hospitalized After Bloody Bike Crash
The comments are pouring in from readers who have reacted to the news that American cyclist Lance Armstrong suffered a nasty fall on his bicycle and had to seek treatment at a hospital.
Just seeing Lance Armstrong’s name in a headline stirs up a lot of emotion with fans who followed him during his Tour de France years.
After fighting testicular cancer at age 25, Armstrong had droves of followers cheering him on and celebrating his wins.
We loved to love Lance Armstrong. We loved his nonprofit organization, commonly known as “Livestrong,” which he founded in 1997.
We wore yellow plastic bracelets to show support for loved ones battling cancer.
We read Armstrong’s book in 2000, “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life,” and loved him even more after learning the details of his cancer struggle, a burden he shouldered in the midst of controversial doping allegations.
And then we were all punched in the gut when, in 2012, Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Our collective hearts sank as we realized the athlete we once found inspiring had really been living a life of dishonesty.
He didn’t win his money legitimately, he bullied teammates into silence, fired medical professionals who opposed his lie, and tried to ruin journalists who might dare uncover his story.
The International Cycling Union stripped Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France titles and banned him for life from the sport of cycling after the decade-long doping scandal finally exploded.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people,” Armstrong told Oprah in his infamous confession interview that aired in 2013.
Fast forward to 2018, and Lance Armstrong is still outside riding, as evidenced by his Instagram photo from Aug. 8. He’d taken a nasty spill on his bike, leaving his face bloodied.
“Took quite the blow to the noggin’ so swung by the Aspen Valley Hospital (great facility!) to get my head checked,” Armstrong wrote. “For the 46 yrs prior to today I completely would have blown off getting checked. Not now.”
He ended the post with a story about the emergency room doctor who helped care for him. A cyclist who had graciously taken a photo of Armstrong and some friends just a few weeks ago happened to be the same doctor on duty when Armstrong needed treatment.
“Small world story,” Armstrong commented.
After five years of reaping the consequences of what he had sown, Armstrong has been slowly wading back into the public eye, starting by hosting two podcasts in 2017.
Despite his controversial history, it seems cycling enthusiasts are still listening, and considering letting Armstrong back into their good graces.
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