Paul Kimmage: Cycling’s washing machine is still cleaning their dope-stained laundry
Britain's sprinter Mark Cavendish crosses the finish line to take a record 35th Tour de France stage win and break the record of Belgian legend Eddy Merckx in the fifth stage of the Tour de France in Saint-Vulbas last Wednesday. Photo: AP Photo/Daniel Cole
Cycling hero Mark Cavendish fears no one will believe pro cycling is clean again — after Lance Armstrong’s doping confession on US TV. The sprint ace says the shamed star was so convincing in the past when lying about performance enhancing drugs that his admissions in an interview with Oprah Winfrey may leave the public unconvinced.
Cav said, “He was a hero to anyone wanting to be a cyclist when I was growing up, but when asked in the past if he was cheating he was so adamant, so convincing. I get irritated when people question if my success is through hard work, but after seeing the interview, I can now understand why they have a problem with believing us today when we say we are clean.”
