I’m having trouble feeling too sorry for Lance Armstrong.

The one-time super-cyclist who won international acclaim for winning the Tour de France a record seven times has seen his wealth devastated by lawsuits and mountains of bad publicity over the doping scandal that has cost him that once-high standing.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/nov/11/lance-armstrong-inquiry-loss-doping-uci

He told The Guardian newspaper that he believes he is being punished unfairly, that he’s taken the huge hit while others have continued to gain profit.

Cry me a river, Lance.

Armstrong became the very face of international cycling during the first years of the 21st century. The world reveled in his triumph. He fought back against cancer, whipped that killer disease and then went on to conquer the Tour de France in ways that boggled the imagination.

Well, it turned out that Armstrong cheated his way onto the winner’s podium. Is he alone? Hardly. Others did it, too. Some of those other cyclists have declared they helped Armstrong inject himself with performance-enhancing drugs.

Yes, it’s been ugly. However, it is hard for an outsider such as me to feel sorry for someone who gained so much wealth and notoriety by being so dishonest for so many years.

Armstrong told The Guardian he’ll take whatever punishment is handed out. If he has to start over, then so be it.