The sport most ridden by scandal over the past years finally has a chance to move past doping and the allegations thrown every which direction. It's not baseball or another major sport in America, but cycling. Ever since Lance Armstrong was accused of doping and evidence was raised against several of his teammates including Tour De France winner Floyd Landis, cycling has suffered a major black eye.
Doping turned the story of Lance Armstrong and his "Live Strong" bracelets from a heartwarming overcoming-cancer story to a question if Armstrong was genetically altered to out perform the other mere human cyclists. Landis fall from grace dragged Armstrong further down questioning how legitimate his title streak was. Today Spain's Carlos Sastre won the Tour De France, and with a new champion and without the presence of an American doper for a spokesperson, cycling finally has the chance to leave the black cloud it has fought for the past couple years.
This chance lies on the shoulders of Sastre, if he is to stay clean and perhaps win another yellow jersey cycling will be able to play the doping age off as one misguided American team who cheated. But if Sastre toes the ever steep cliff of doping or scandal cycling will be sent right back into the turmoil it endured after Floyd Landis title that was stripped away.
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