Dear Lance,
You saved me. As a 13 year-old boy, recovering from cancer, I needed a hero. I had to stop playing sport, I could barely look at myself in the mirror and I was convinced that any time I went outside people would stare at my scar. Then, my aunt gave me your book. I read it in two days. It changed my life. There you were; Tour de France champion, father, survivor. Your message to me was simple- there is a silver lining. Cancer made you stronger. I believed you wholeheartedly. I preached your gospel. If I beat cancer, I can beat anything, just like you. I told all my friends with cancer about you. We all wore your yellow wristbands. I’d tell people, still going through treatment, about your story. It inspired everyone. It inspired me to accept myself, and go on to university. I volunteered with younger people going through treatment. I even volunteered with your organisation, Livestrong. At the Global Cancer Summit in 2009, you walked past me and waved. That’ll be something to tell the grandchildren, I said.
I defended you, even in the face of what seemed like conclusive evidence that you doped. I went on forums, waded into discussions about you and would not accept any of the doping allegations. In my head, I knew that you doped all along. But I just wouldn’t let my hero, the person who made me believe again, be destroyed.
But you lied. You lied to me and everyone else. You needed EPO to win. You said on the Oprah interview that you didn’t think it was possible for anyone to win seven Tours without doping. On top of that, you bullied journalists, fellow cyclists and anyone else who dared question you. You were ruthless and relentless, as you said to Oprah, but to blame that on a failure to adapt to life after treatment is sickening. Stop using cancer as an excuse Lance. You made us believe in you, made us part of your egotistical madness. You admit that you were an “arrogant prick”. But you still try to cultivate sympathy around you. I can never feel sympathy for you. I can never understand why you chose not only to cheat, but to give millions such false hope.
Give it up now.
Yours in sport,
Niall Farrell
Niall Farrell 
Well said.
Mr. Farrell, you are the inspiration!
You are unbelievable. The whole sport was corrupted. If he was the hero to you that you imply he was then you would understand that. He did wrong but what he has done for cancer awareness is more important than any of his Tour wins. He has given millions of people suffering from cancer hope and contributed in a way that not many others have. I would have thought you would see that side of him. In Lance Armstrong’s era everyone was cheating. You are naive to think he was in the minority. As I said before, his work and contributions to fighting cancer mean more to me than the fact that he doped when everyone else was doping to.
no, everyone wasn’t cheating. the guys at the top were, because to get to the top they had to dope. there were hundreds down through the years who never made it anywhere because they stayed clean, and will never be known to most of the world because they weren’t “the stars”. the whole sport wasn’t corrupted. if you knew anything about cycling you’d know that. this “everyone was doing it” line is the sign of people who don’t actually have a clue about cycling.
also, “contributions to fight cancer”? perhaps you should have a read on what Livestrong actually does, because it certainly doesn’t “fight cancer”.
Even if I didn’t know much about cycling it does not take a genius to know that road cycling has been tarnished by drugs cheats for years and you are wrong there was a whole culture of drugs cheating in road cycling. And Livestrong raises money for cancer awareness and to help those affected by cancer which all counts as helping to fight cancer my friend. You are very naive to think drugs cheats were a minority.
Thanks for the comments.
@hughbevan
I think people are overlooking the fact that I, and millions of others, were practically brainwashed into becoming part on LA’s cult of personality. You don’t see sense when you believe in a person that much. In hindsight, it’s all well and good to say I should have known, but it’s very difficult to see the bigger picture when you’re a 13 year old. Any hope he did give to people was false. He built his empire on a lie- that a person could come back from cancer and win 7 Tours. He did good work with Livestrong (believe me, I know) and Livestrong will probably continue to do good work. But that doesn’t change the fact that LA himself built us all into a cult using manipulative lies.
Also, I’m a casual cycling fan. I know that he isn’t in the minority. I never said he was.
I didn’t mean that you should have known I just don’t think the fact that he cheated along with almost everyone else should define him, I still have great respect for him because of what he has done for cancer, yes he built his empire on a lie but arguably the whole Tour De France is built on a lie. It has never been a clean race and in Lance’s team he was the best at cycling and the best at cheating. I don’t condone his suing people and manipulation by any means but I will remember Lance Armstrong as the winner of 7 tours because whilst he cheated so did most others, but most importantly as the guy who has raised millions and millions for Cancer research through Livestrong. I take back saying you are unbelievable for saying what you have said, I just think Lance Armstrong is being used as a scapegoat to prove a point that cycling governing bodies are trying to rid the sport of drugs cheats. If they banned everyone for life etc who had used drugs to make a real stand and Lance was just one of a couple of hundred which is not an over exaggeration of how many there would be then would this be such a big deal? No, it would be disappointing for many people but when looking at it in comparison to everyone he was racing against what he did wasn’t so bad he was just levelling the playing field for himself.
I’m kind of with @hughbevan here. Yes, Lance Armstrong doped. Yes, that helped him to garner the fame and recognition that made him such an inspiration to millions and the personal hero of cancer patients worldwide. Does the fact that he doped negate the fact the he SURVIVED and continued to pursue excellence and his dreams with all resources available to him. You shouldn’t demand perfection, We should look at his story even if he hadn’t won 7 straight and say WOW, that man is an inspiration. And yes, he did cheat. Personally I don’t care at all. The tour de france is so saturated with “cheaters” that you lose a competitive edge by not doping. Look at the history of the tour. Look at the fact that in 2005, when The UCI was just starting to do out of competition testing If they gave the title to the next person who wasn’t even linked to doping it would go to 23rd place. Lance has, through his huge, if undeserved, image, raised more money for cancer research and treatment than almost anyone else. That should go to show you that there is a silver lining, that good came out of this scandal. Because what’s more important, 1 bike race in an era of cheating where maybe 5 of 200 riders were clean, or the lives of thousands, millions of people that LA improved. Who cares if it was built on a weak foundation, or a web of lives, you and countless others were caught in it on the way down, caught from falling. You say he gave you false hope, but you are here today, maybe false hope is better than no hope at all. You are bitter now, but maybe that hope was all you needed. Nothing is black and white here Niall. Obviously I see this from a different perspective than you, but I believe that the good here outweighs the bad. For the record in 2009 he placed 3rd riding clean, maybe one day soon Contador and Schleck will be banned for their tours and that title will go to Armstrong, who knows. That’s not the point. Drugs or no drugs, what he did was still a measure of hard work, drive, and limitless dedication. He excelled above all other doping riders, He won, and he chose to do good with his image. How many other much higher profile athletes, in higher profile sports, with significantly more money, have accomplished anything remotely resembling what Armstrong has.
I get that you’re hurting, so is Lance, he just had something taken away from him too. Now isn’t the time for accusations and reprisals. Be a bigger man, don’t demean his struggle with cancer, you of all people should know how that defines your life. Let it go. Forgive, but don’t forget.
very, very well said Geoff
@Jwanj .. I on the other hand decide to dwell on the positives like Geoff and Hugh here, Yes he cheated, and yes he got all those millions, but will we ever know the amount of people he helped through his encouraging actions and his help with his funding of the research that cancer got, no! As they say, “Show me a human being, I will show you a flaw. ” some are big some are small, but they are all flaws, Another thing about humans is we are forgiving, its actually surprises me that Niall Farrell isnt willing to do so, which I do understand cause right now the emotion is raw and still fresh, but from the mare fact of what he did to you by just waving to you, and all the encouragement you got from his book , all that sounds like he made ur life better, the man can out, mayb late, but he came out, what else would you ask from anyone? have a nice and blessed day people!
Dear Niall, whatever the source of your inspiration, the strenght was yours. That’s not diminished by Armstrong’s actions. Tell your own tale, inspire others, live.
Look cheating was endemic in cycing for a long time and is only receding now because of tests that are harder to trick, ance Armstrong was going with the crowd like so many do. If people need heroes to look up to forget someone that bullied, intimidated, brazenly and defiantly lied to millions (even under oath) and look to some really inspring people like Terry Fox (whose foundation has raised circa. 500 million dollars for cancer research http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJi1wif53hU ) or someone like Niall himself who had the resolve to beat cancer at the young age of 13.Livestrong has undoubdetly done brilliant work and that rganisation should be strong enough to survuve withou Lance’s affiliation and let it’s work speak for itself
p.s apologies for spelling mistakes!
Livestrong “donates almost nothing to scientific research” http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/lance-armstrong/Its-Not-About-the-Lab-Rats.html?page=all
Niall — well said.
Livestrong “the famous nonprofit donates almost nothing to scientific research” http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/lance-armstrong/Its-Not-About-the-Lab-Rats.html?page=all
Niall — well said.
Niall how old are you?
I am 22. Why do you ask?