Levi, Lance and doping in cycling

Two days ago, I was at the movies waiting to see Argo, a new movie about an attempted rescue of six U.S. Consulate workers who had escaped an attack on the U.S. embassy by Iranian rioters in Tehran. As I watched movie previews before its start, I was drawn to one promoting a documentary on U.S. cyclist Levi Leipheimer.

I'm not a huge cycling follower, and had never heard of Leipheimer, but was curious to know who this man was; a man who, according to the documentary's trailer, "would've been the greatest American cyclist," if the Lance Armstrong era didn't exist.

Levi Leipheimer has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs

It was no shocker though, that a quick Google search of Leipheimer instantly produced references to doping. Yes, Leipheimer has confessed to doping and has been dropped by his sponsor team Omega Pharma-Quick-Step. The soon-to-be 39-year-old admitted to cheating while cooperating in a USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) investigation into Armstrong. In a nutshell, he wasn't necessarily willing to out himself until he was contacted in connection to Armstrong in exchange for a reduced punitive penalty. Regardless, Leipheimer does want you to believe that his most accomplished results – a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and a third place finish at the 2007 Tour de France – were achieved while clean.

Isn't that convenient?

Leipheimer joins the likes of Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis who initially denied doping, then confessed, while asking everyone to believe their testimony that Armstrong doped. Ahh, yes. Lance Armstrong. The greatest cyclist and one of the greatest athletes to grace this earth. Initially, allegations about Armstrong doping were met with skepticism; myself including. After all, it's not unusual for someone who's caught to attempt to take someone else down as well. Well that was until a compelling report by USADA, with testimony from 26 people, 11 of them former teammates of Armstrong, detailed how Armstrong was the focal point of a comprehensive team doping program.

The report portrays Armstrong, a cancer survivor, as someone who would go to any length to meet his goals, ultimately resulting in seven Tour de France titles. Despite Armstrong's continuous denial, the collective evidence is hard to ignore. You would have to be in a state of extreme denial or disillusion to not believe he was doped up. Even his biggest supporters have begun pulling away.

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles amid doping allegations

Longtime sponsor Nike severed its relationship with Armstrong Wednesday, saying, "Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him."

Trek, who sponsored and provided Armstrong's bikes, and Anheuser-Busch also cut ties with him. But the most significant end to a partnership came when Armstrong was forced to step down as chairman of Livestrong, the foundation he started to support cancer victims. That announcement may be the closest he may ever come to an admission. Though he remains on the foundation's board, these series of events suggest that the heroic worship of Armstrong may be on its last legs.

The UCI, cycling's governing body, is set to make a decision on whether or not to uphold USADA's decision. There could be a push to recover any prize money that he earned, which shouldn't hurt Armstrong financially. But for someone who worked so hard to shape and control his image and legacy, a public disgrace from his beloved sport is by far the worst possible punishment.

As for Leipheimer's documentary, no word on if it would still be released. Though if you ask me, I think it may be time to shelve the movie and swallow the financial loss.