Lance Armstrong in the controversial photo he agreed to wear to help out a small Irish charity sportive. Honest help of a disgraced cynic looking for a way back?
You know it’s serious when Joe Duffy makes your issue a topic for a text-in poll on his Liveline programme on RTE Radio 1.
But that’s exactly what happened when Barry Rice, founder of a charity cycle for Ataxia Ireland - Cycle Ataxia – rang in looking for advice.
Rice, who suffers from ataxia himself and came to public notice last year when his recumbent bike was stolen, contacted Armstrong on Twitter looking for help.
He wanted the disgraced former rider’s help in publicising his charity ride.
Barry Rice on the bike he uses to get around and which was stolen and then recovered last year. He suffers from ataxia, a rare nerve wasting condition.
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The request was a simple one; for Armstrong to wear one of the charity’s T-shirts and take a photo of himself in it.
The plan, in so much as there was one, was for Rice to then use the photo in his drive to publicise his event.
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Armstrong told Rice on twitter to contact his manager and have the T-shirt sent to him.
And within days the American had done the deed and emailed the photo back to the Dubliner.
Rice, who uses cycling as a way of getting about, said it was only when he started asking around about Armstrong that the seriousness of the doping he was involved in became clear to him.
@CycleAtaxia sure thing. Hit up @LAontheRoad and he can arrange — Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) January 15, 2015
So he rang Joe Duffy to ask his listeners for their advice on whether he should use the photo.
After a protracted discussion on Liveline – with some callers completely opposed to the idea and others saying the charity should do whatever it needed to raised funds – Duffy threw the question open to a text poll.
Of the 1,513 text votes received, a very significant majority of 77.5 per cent of respondents said the photos shouldn’t be used.
The other 22.5 suggested Rice should fire ahead.
Let us know in the comments section below what you think.
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