In last months interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong spoke about his systematic doping program and rampant bulliyng of those who tried to take him down. The disgraced cyclist said in the interview that he absolutely loves to compete and not being able to let his competitive side out is one of the most difficult aspects of being banned.
Armstrong has had all of his past and future competition taken away from him. He’s been left with just one place to race: Strava. His presence on Strava is interesting. His biography simply states: “According to my rivals, peers, and teammates I won the Tour de France 7 times.”
The former cyclist has been absent from Twitter and other social networks since his Oprah appearance, but has continued uploading workouts to Strava.
Not Everyone Wants Him on Strava
Strava is the only place where the banned cyclist has an opportunity to race and a group of users want to take that away from him.
“Strava owes it to its community of clean athletes to adopt a general policy for doping violators, and in the meantime, strip Lance of his ill-deserved KOMs, and ban him from its service.” Strava user Jacob Berkman wrote in an October 2012 entry on his blog.
“I really don’t think guys who are serving doping suspensions should be on Strava either,” Phipps said in a phone interview with Bloomberg. “They’re known cheaters. You assume everybody on Strava is being honest. If they’re serving a suspension, they need to go away and have a low profile.”
However, not everybody wishes to take away the last place Armstrong can race.
Penn Henderson is a 40-year-old marketing professional from Hawaii who is one of the few people to have put up faster times than Armstrong. The pair often swapped King of the Mountain (KOM) titles over the summer and Henderson says its driven him to push his limits to even post faster times.
“We’ve never met,” Henderson said to Bloomberg. “I would just see him riding past me in the other direction. It’s not like he’s making money from his Strava KOMs. Personally, I’d be bummed if Strava kicked him off. Where does that stop?”
Lance Armstrong over the years
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Armstrong with Children
Lance Armstrong with his children Luke, Grace and Isabella on the podium after winning the Tour de France on July 24, 2005.
( Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images )
Tour de France Win Number Seven
Lance Armstrong holds up his trophy after winning his 7th consecutive Tour de France on July 24, 2005.
( Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Bongarts/Getty Images )
Central Park Run
Runners and fans jog with Lance Armstrong in midtown Manhattan for a group run in Central Park on October 31, 2009. Following a Twitter notice, Armstrong, 38, arrived at Niketown to begin the run. Armstrong, has twice run the New York City Marathon--in 2006 and 2007.
( Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images )
Tour Down Under
Lance Armstrong riding for RadioShack competes in the sixth and final stage of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide on January 24, 2010.
( Mark Gunter/AFP/Getty Images )
Armstrong in South Africa
Lance Armstrong talks to survivors during the Livestrong Global Cancer Campaign Launch visit to cancer survivors at Groote Schuur Hospital on March 11, 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.
( Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images/Getty Images )
2010 Tour de Suisse Team Presentation
Lance Armstrong arrives for the official presentation of his cycling team at the 2010 Tour de Suisse on July 11, 2010.
( PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images )
2010 Tour de Suisse
Lance Armstrong competes in the Tour de Suisse on June 18, 2010.
( PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images )
A fan chases Armstrong
A fan cheers on Lance Armstrong during the 2010 Tour de France.
( JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images )
Armstrong with his son Max
Lance Armstrong laughs as he carries his one year-old son, Max, before participating in a training session during the 2010 Tour de France.
( NATHALIE MAGNIEZ/AFP/Getty Images )
2010 Tour de France
Team Radioshack stand on the podium to receive the Team Classification award after the twentieth and final stage of Le Tour de France 2010.
( Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images )
2010 Tour de France
Lance Armstrong looks back as he rides in the last stage of the 2010 Tour de France.
( LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images )
2010 Tour de France
Lance Armstrong poses on the podium at the Tour de France 2010, his last participation in the race after winning it seven times.
( JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images / October 11, 2012 )
Clinton Global Initiative
Lance Armstrong, cyclist and founder and chairman of LIVESTRONG, looks on during the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) September 22, 2010 in New York City.
( Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images )
Armstrong and Hansen
Lance Armstrong and Anna Hansen are sighted at Art Basel Miami Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center on December 1, 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida.
( Photo by Uri Schanker/FilmMagic )
Armstrong Talks to U.S. Troops
Lance Armstrong speaks to soldiers at Kandahar Air Force Field on December 16, 2010.
( BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images )
Team RadioShack
Lance Armstrong prepares to take part in the 51 km Cancer Council Classic cycling race, part of the 2011 Tour Down Under, in Adelaide on January 16, 2011.
( Mark Gunter/AFP/Getty Images )
Confession
Lance Armstrong answers questions from Oprah Winfrey.
( George Burns / AFP/Getty Images / January 15, 2013 )
