Kjærgaard speaks out - sort of

Just as I started to feel Armstrong fatigue after following the recent developments, as probably you all did, the snowball from the Armstrong/USPS-affair came to Norway.

Norway hasn't had that many doping cases, a couple of weightlifters for steroids, a race walker was busted for EPO last year, and a couple of the odd "it was in my supplements"-excuses are pretty much it. Even a horse is listed as one of Norway's doping scandals. Says perhaps much about Norwegians too, what do I know. 

Kjærgaard during today's press conference

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It isn't that Kjærgaard doped that surprises me, followers on twitter would know my position, although I put my pride in not openly judge riders without proof. It's not a fair fight. I remember when I started following pro cycling seriously, I almost laughed at the idea of an omertà in cycling, that it was something the conspiracy thinkers out there had cooked together. However, it didn't take long to get an understanding that something was lurking in the dark. Today, as Kjærgaard admitted doping, his fear of the omertà was obvious.

Two stories

Among the journos at the press conference today sat Mads Kaggestad, former Credit Agricole now cycling commentator on Norwegian TV2. He rode at the same time as Kjærgaard (2003), on different teams obviously. Today he confronted Kjærgaard harshly, on several subjects such as who was involved behind the scenes, Johan Bruyneels touch in the matters at USPS, how he refused to believe that Kjærgaard and the other riders at Chicken and USPS didn't talk about doping "at all", as Kjærgaard said. 

On one hand you have Kjærgaard, a talented rider, one of the few Norwegians who went pro, did scoop up a couple of good palmares on his way, arguably being one of Norway's top three cyclists. He rode together with Lance Armstrong on his team, one of, if not the greatest rider on the planet. On the other hand you have Kaggestad, a very talented rider who also turned pro, but instead of going to a dodgy team he went to Credit Agricole under the watchful eye of Roger Legeay. He never got the same palmares as Kjærgaard, struggled in the increasingly faster peloton in the beginning of the millennium. But he never gave in. 

Today I saw an angry Kaggestad confronting Kjærgaard and the two careers puzzled me. To see and feel the emotions Kaggestad had, not only because he "knew" something wasn't right back then, but also due the fact that Kjærgaard has lied to Kaggestad's and everyone's face the last 10-15 years. As who has my respect today, it's quite clear. I had much respect for Mads Kaggestad before, both because of what he accomplished as a rider and because of his commentator skills, but today he earned even more. To compete in a peloton that goes faster every week, year after year, and still maintaining his stance is remarkable. He almost ran his body in the ditch as the dopers increased the tempo. Kaggestad says to Procycling.no that he feels doping to a certain degree ruined his career. 

Kjærgaard on Chicky

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Kaggestad questioning Kjærgaard

Photo credit Erlend Aas, Scanpix

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Many, many riders didn't dope, I hear you say. True, then they all deserve an extra clap on the shoulders. It is difficult when dreams meet reality. When real life obligations meet demands. I think I have my priorities clear and my suitcase of courage, but that's me. Kaggestad can face others with pride, while the one who doped quietly wiped tears today in a press conference. In the end, Kaggestad won.

The basics

To me this is about the fundamental element of sports; a level playing field. The payment of hard work, dedication, brilliant tactics and teamwork is the key reason I follow sports. Maybe over the edge romantic, but that's how it is. The idea of someone playing by a different set of rules makes sport pointless, meaningless.

Reading Tyler Hamilton's book "The Secret Race" was interesting, not so much because of the doping itself, mostly old news except the scale of it, but more due to the insight on Hamilton's personal level. What is it like to live a lie for so many years? Earning your job, perhaps some of your friends, your network, your house and car on something fake? Like it or not, it does something to you. Read the book, Kjærgaard did and said on the press conference that he was hoping to learn and feel what Hamilton did as he came forward with the news. 

Doping isn't (just) cheating, cheating is what you can do in card games. No, doping is fraud. You earn money, that means someone else loses. You win and get famous, that means someone else will not get the sponsors you do. There are many more than just the riders involved too, take a look at Rabo, that's some 80-100 people who have secured income just one more year. They have families etc etc, you follow my lead here, no doubt about that.

Omerta is still here

During the press conference I was waiting to see Kjærgaard namedrop some of the people behind the organized doping. Actually, it was Kaggestad who first asked about the people standing in the shadows. Suddenly Kjærgaard's body-language froze (even more). In the beginning he couldn't recall one person in any teams he had doped in.  As he received heat he mentioned Del Moral's name once, but the words "closed communication between me and the doctors", "closed network", He even said that he didn't know if Kim Andersen knew he (Kjærgaard) doped when he was on Andersen's team, even though the team doctor did the injections. To me this was a great disappointment, I had hoped he would provide info on the main characters in the shadows. Perhaps it wasn't the time nor place to call out everyone who was involved. Kjærgaard rather pathetic said he "didn't recall anyone directly involved in doping on any of the teams he rode for." He came clear on his own, but it became clear to me that the omertà still is alive and kicking.

Kjærgaards predecessor as national sports director, Svein Gaute Hølestøl, knew Kjærgaard doped back in 1999. He was a fellow Norwegian pro cyclist in Belgium at the same time as Kjærgaard. Hølestøl was sports director for Kjærgaard on the national team later, knowing Kjærgaard had doped. 

Kjærgaard will be interviewed by Antidoping Norway on his experiences, and that might clear some matters up, at least I hope he take advantage of that possibility. 

Conclusion

Today Steffen Kjærgaard, former USPS and former national sports director Norwegian Cycling, admitted doping in his career. He sat there crying, admitting that he had planned to take this secret with him right until the end. He was pushed to confess, by the recent events in cycling. His honor is gone, as he has kept a lie for 15 years. One of the things annoying me the most is him being a leader. Having responsibility for the development of others is disturbing. 

Today I also saw the omertà alive and kicking, and what it does to people. It need to stop.

I sincerly hope Kjærgaard finds some inner peace in coming forward, but I see that is a small comfort to all the people he robbed and deceived. Living a lie is never easy.

More on the case:

TV2
VG
Procycling.no

Lance Armstrong - crimes, lies and why it still is important

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Photocredit Lukas Jackson/Reuters

Henrik Ibsen, said to be the most frequently performed dramatist after Shakespeare said this famous quote in the play "The wild duck" (1884):

If you take the life lie from an average man, you take away his happiness as well.

Not that Lance Armstrong is an average man, by all means he's not, but I'm sure you get where I'm heading.

Before writing this post I had a couple of days of thinking. Not on the facts and how they play along. Work got in the way and frankly I also wanted to get a post like this heading somewhere. After all, despite what fanboys and girls on his side claim, this is big. Despite what the lack of spine among some riders, managers and industry people tell, this is the biggest fraud in the history of sports. That's why it matters. Not that some of the evidence is fourteen years old and that Armstrong is a retired athlete, this goes into the core of what sports is and how it should be. That is why it is important to me.

I won't play the "I'm-so-disappointed-card" because I'm not.

The organisations
Some have expressed that this is bad for cycling, among them are Tom Boonen and Lars Bak whom I watched yesterday stateed this in addition to several others on twitter. I disagree. The case has made it quite clear what the problem is, and it is not the riders. The way the UCI has exposed themselves, their governing capabilities and intentions during this case have been both tragic and somewhat entertaining. Why? Because the rest of the world is paying attention. I have been wondering if the best thing for cycling would be if the IOC threw cycling out of the Olympics. That way, the different national federations would "wake up and smell the coffee". On the other hand, such a move would mean organisations like USADA wouldn't have jurisdiction, which isn't a good idea. Anti-doping work need to be impartial, period. 
Speaking of USADA, I am a bit confused and anxious reading that so many from the US seem to want the organisation to disappear. To me, the cornerstone of a sports organisation is excactly the impartial work an organisation like USADA does. If there was a SPOTY in the US, my vote (if I had one) would go to Travis Tygart and his crew.
When US Attorney Andre Birotte closed the fed investigation of Armstrong, I was upset. Why on earth would he do that? No matter whose side you're on, a thorough investigation would, in my opinion, be an end to this case once and for all. But no. So when I heard that the USADA picked up the glove and got hold of the overwhelming evidence, I looked upon this with great interest.

US Cycling sided with the UCI, not surprisingly. Take a look at the flow chart at Cyclismas to get an understanding of the links.

As the UCI continues to make an utter bad impression regarding their top management capability to govern, I'm eager to find out what ASO is up to and their thoughts on the matter.

Business as usual?
Lance Armstrong is, besides being an outstanding gifted athlete, also a very good businessman. I got nothing against a guy making a lot of money on his own. Basing it on fake results is an entirely different case. Today a leading newspaper in Norway, www.vg.no claimed Armstrong has made more than $100 million over the years, in addition to owning/leasing a private jet and valuable property. Add a very solid network of powerful people from business to politics. Some are trying to dissociate themselves from him as much they can, whilst others seem to be sticking with their fallen hero. News says that Livestrong donations went from $3k per day to $78k following the controversy from last week. Just as Armstrong has been trying to do, duck and divert the news about his doping into a public cancer-awareness campaign, as he has done repeatedly with luck the recent years, this however, is not a fight about who does what to/against cancer. It's about the biggest fraud in the history of sports. The fact that Armstrong spent some of his earned money to set up a foundation to help awareness is a good thing. Several thousand people voluntarily work for Livestrong giving help to people who need it is great, no matter how cynical its boss is. Just as cycling is bigger than Armstrong, the "fight" against cancer most definitely is too. Despite his attempt of trying to make people believe otherwise getting people emotionally attached to him and his story. His story is great, I was inspired by him once. But this is not about cancer, this is about something else.

Bull or bear?
Armstrong's way of getting his way is well known to people familiar with cycling. What I find the worst in his statement as he "turn the page", is this: "At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its methods and motives (...)". I almost don't know where to start. Armstrong himself is considered a bully himself and one of his methods for getting at his critics, it is excactly acting like one. Ask Betty and Frankie Andreu, who allegdely witnessed Armstrong confess to doctors on the 29th of Oct 1996 using PEDs how they felt during the years. Ask Simeoni and Bassons who were literally bullied out of the peloton (ask their wifes and families too while you're at it, who lost one of the households income). Ask Tyler Hamilton about the episode at CacheCache and ask Greg Lemond what happened to his bikecompany after he called out to Armstrong. Ask Emma O'Reilly who once was Armstrong's masseuse. Ask David Walsh and Paul Kimmage. The list goes on and on.

I wonder if Armstrong, like several other sports icons, thinks that regular laws don't apply to him.

Armstrong claiming that there are no physical evidence of him doping might be true. But as many statements from Armstrong during the years, it's just halfway true. What is a physical evidence? A test? We know Barry Bonds didn't fail one, Marion Jones didn't fail 160 (!) tests until she confessed lying to federal investigators and fans in tears. So it couldn't have been difficult dodging tests then?
The AFLD even claims Armstrong was tipped off before tests, more among the excellent work by Shane Stokes over at Velonation, here.
Testemonies from those surrounding him who witnessed the crimes year after year should be sufficiant.

The fundament of sports
Whether you have a romantic view on sports, like I do, or are a full time cynic, I don't know. To me sports is about equal terms. No matter your background, race, political standpoint and gender, you meet and compete against others. Now there will always be development and athletes searching for the upper hand. That is usually fine as society needs to evolve to move forward. The marginal gain-philosophy is also fine with some limitations. That's why we have rules and organisations are put in place to govern. I don't want some teams with unlimited budgets being able to sport 5,6 kg bikes while other can't afford bikes weighing less than 7,9 kg. To me ethics and framework within sports are chrystal clear and vital for a sport to function. It is as simple as that. Chemistry in sports can and must never ever set the premise for who will win.

The effects of someone cheating runs deep, and I can only imagine the amount of people effected negatively by it. People close to the doper, family, teammates and their family, staff and so forth. Not to mention the competitors who were deprived a possibility which in return affected their family again.

Despite what Armstrong says in his statement "the same courses, the same rules", it doesn't make it right if everybody is doing it. Just as one cannot face the mirror and say that it was okay to bully a classmate just because everyone else did. It doesn't make it right, ever. I understand times were different then compared to now, but that was then, this is now. As USADA have overwhelming evidence including more than 10 witnesses, some of the teammates and Armstrong's friends, claiming they saw Armstrong dope, a physical evidence doesn't matter. The same goes for other cases tried before the court, not related to sports. Some of the alleged witnesses have even admitting to doping themselves, stepped forward and taking responsibility.

Summary
Cycling is bigger than Lance Armstrong, much bigger. Yes, the cases are old but he and others surrounding him are taking advantage of his cheating yet today, making millions of dollars. The message is clear, no matter how big star you are, what you did was wrong and letting that go by unnoticed just because some of the incidents happened 15 years ago is not right. Remember, according to USADA, some of the incidents are just a few years old. Many say Armstrong quitting was an admission to guilt. I tend to degree as this is the closest thing to admit guilt we'll see from Armstrong. I just hope that this case now can be closed and cycling can move on. The evicence will come out as the cases of Bruyneel and others still are ongoing. We will see what steps Armstrong takes if this happens, but there is no doubt that his all American hero-status has taken a blow. Far to big for him to recover from and the number of powerful people seems to decrease by the hour. Is this bad for cycling? No, not in my opinion. Discussing doping and getting facts in the open is good for cycling. It proves cycling has taken a position. WIll people continue to dope? Yes, but I believe the number of riders go down. As Vaughters said: "let's not give them the option." Lets level the playing field.

Will Lance Armstrong's life lie come out? I think so. He could have taken the initiative several times, he could have emerged with a different legacy than he will now. I hope this will be a lesson for everyone.

As I write this post the words of Brian Nygaard came back to my attention:

Integrity is what you do when nobody is watching.

Something for each and everyone to remember.