MICHAEL PEARLMAN SAYS: Armstrong has let down so many (From South Wales Argus)

MICHAEL PEARLMAN SAYS: Armstrong has let down so many

3:40pm Monday 22nd October 2012 in Sport

ANYONE who has supported a family member or friend through a cancer battle (there are too many of us in this group) knows you have your good days and bad.

Through the sickness, the tough times and hospital visits, it’s easy to forget that keeping up one’s spirits and maintaining a positive outlook can be absolutely vital on the road to recovery.

Oh then for an inspirational figure, a role model, someone to look at and say, ‘if they did it then so can I’. For millions of people, Lance Armstrong was that man.

And following the inevitable confirmation that he’s been stripped of all seven Tour de France titles because of the doping case brought against him, it’s those people I most feel for.

The Livestrong campaign has been an extraordinary success and it’s a great shame that Armstrong has let down so very many people who believed in him. That’s his lasting legacy.