Lance Armstrong has voiced his frustration at the way he is disgraced because he doped yet other riders who also took drugs, including former team mate and still close friend George Hincapie, have not paid the same price.
The American, who is banned for life due to his doping, is at the centre of a two-part documentary by ESPN titled ‘Lance’.
While he has admitted his doping and is resigned to the
fact many people dislike him and don’t respect him, he is frustrated at how he
is treated compared to others who doped.
His participation in the documentary has been interpreted
in some quarters as the latest effort by Armstrong to rehabilitate his
reputation.
And some of his remarks at the conclusion of the second
installment of the two-part documentary offer insight into his state of mind.
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He believes he has been treated unfairly in comparison to other dopers, saying that he and Jan Ullrich, along with Marco Pantani, paid a much bigger price than other cyclists who took drugs.
Furthermore, he explains that sense of injustice, and uneven treatment, was the main reason he went to see Ullrich when he fell afoul of the law several times in 2018.
"The country of Italy glorifies Ivan Basso; idolises
him, puts him up there, gives him jobs, invites him to races, puts him on TV,”
says Armstrong at the end of the documentary, the second part of which is due
to be broadcast on June 1st.
“He's no different to any of us... Yet, they
disgrace Marco Pantani, they destroyed him in the press. They kick him out of the
sport and he's dead, he's fucking dead.
"The country of Germany idolises Erik Zabel, Rolf
Aldag; gives them jobs, puts them on TV, invites them to races, puts them on
the podium. But they disgrace, they destroy and they fucking ruin Jan Ullrich's
life. Why?
"The country of America idolises, glorifies, worships George Hincapie, invites him to races, gives him job, buys his shit. And they disgrace and destroy me. That's why I went (to visit Ullrich) . Because that's fucking bullshit."
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