Why Lance Armstrong? Historical context and key turning-points in the 'cleaning up' of professional cycling

Citation

Dimeo P (2014) Why Lance Armstrong? Historical context and key turning-points in the 'cleaning up' of professional cycling. International Journal of the History of Sport, 31 (8), pp. 951-968. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2013.879858

Abstract
The US Anti-Doping Agency published its evidence against Lance Armstrong in October 2012 after a lengthy investigation and a series of testimonies from his former US Postal Service teammates. This article aims to understand the development processes - local and global - that led eventually to his ‘confession' in January 2013 on the Oprah Winfrey show. By taking a chronological approach from the 1980s onwards, the following key themes will be addressed: the doping state of play when Armstrong began his career; the incremental confessions of other cyclists that helped break down cycling's secret doping culture; the broader organisational changes in anti-doping; the reasons why Armstrong became the focal point of anti-doping efforts; and the implications for professional cycling and anti-doping in the near future. Thus, the aim is to synthesise macro- and micro-level developments to explain the outcomes, and to further understand the consequences of this ‘scandal'.

Keywords
doping; cycling; Lance Armstrong; anti-doping; policy

Journal
International Journal of the History of Sport: Volume 31, Issue 8