I wanted to believe. I truly did. For years I followed your career. I was a fan of what you did on the bike, and a bigger fan of what you did for others off of it. But the truth wasn’t stranger than fiction. The truth was one big lie.

Your story read like a Hollywood script. Man on the brink of death from cancer, not only survives, but thrives and lives on to conquer the most grueling sporting event in the world 7 years in a row. All the while raising millions of dollars for cancer research and support, and dating a rock star to boot.

You became a hero. A superstar. A brand. I wanted to believe.

You became someone I idolized and looked up to. I once camped out at a bookstore in the wee hours of the morning for a brief chance to meet you and have you sign your book. I shook your hand and thanked you for all you had done. You had become one of my heroes. I wanted to believe.

There were always whispers throughout your career. Competitors around you were cheating and were getting caught, yet you continued to beat them and test clean. Over 500 times you were tested. You were the most tested athlete in the world. I wanted to believe.

You ruled the cycling world. You ruled the sports world. Corporations wanted your face on their products. You had become a celebrity. Everyone wanted to believe.

It’s been said, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. For years after you retired the the whispers continued to grow louder. Books were written. Ex-employees came forward. Former teammates testified against you. But you held your ground. Your defense was strong… never a failed test, NEVER. And the people who were calling you out were cheaters now caught and speaking for a reduced sentence. You reacted like an innocent man would. You screamed that you were clean. You were adamant. You aggressively defended yourself against your accusers. Many times suing them and smearing them in the media. That is what I would do if I was in your position. I wanted to believe.

George Costanza said in one Seinfeld episode, “It’s not a lie… if you believe it.

I think over time you managed to convince yourself that you weren’t cheating. Because as you claim now… everyone else was doing it. In your mind you likely justified that what you were doing was no different than the guy on the bike next to you or another team chasing you down. As you said, it was just like making sure there was air in your tires.

America is a pretty forgiving place. Presidents, celebrities, and world class athletes have all been caught cheating at one time or another. Unfortunately for you, your time to fess up had passed. Last week you appeared with Oprah Winfrey in a 2 1/2 hour interview. You told your side of the story. It was supposed to be a no holds barred interview. You were likely coached up for hours on end by a high end PR company. Whatever you were hoping to accomplish failed miserably. You came off not remorseful or apologetic… for lack of a better word, you came off as a DICK.

Your actions are unforgivable. Not the fact that you used performance enhancing drugs. Like I mention previously… over time that could have been just a tiny part of your whole story. For the foundation you established and all of the work you have done for cancer, the PEDs could have been just a blip on the screen. But the fact remains that you ruined peoples lives. And not just anybody, but people who were close to you. You abused your power, your money, your fame and your resources to battle against people who were actually speaking the truth about you. When asked directly about suing people, yet you know they are telling the truth… you answered with a “What is that?”

Because you believed the lie and the lie got too big and spun out of control.

You were in simplistic terms, a bully. Your enemies did not give up, and in the end your teammates folded one by one. You have now been said to have masterminded one of the most elaborate and sophisticated drug programs in the history of sports. Of course on Oprah you minimized that as well.

You failed to answer a handful of questions from Oprah directly, even though it was supposed to be the “truth” laid out on the table. It seems to me, your lying just continues on. Your claim to have raced the Tour in 2009 and 2010 clean is a total fabrication. And why would you make a promise to race clean to your EX wife? The reason you are still claiming to have raced clean those two years is because of the implications of being 100 percent honest. The statute of limitations has not run out for charges to be freshly pressed against you for ’09 and ’10.

You claim to just want to compete again, and that’s why you are speaking out now. Really? You just want to run, bike and swim? It has nothing to do with losing $75 million dollars in one day, huh? Again, my opinion… you want to be a celebrity. You fell in love with America being in love with you.

Your time has come and gone. Your fall from grace HARD and PAINFUL. And it’s all well deserved. You see, I wanted to believe. We all did. But what I believe now is that you are a dick who thinks you are a victim. You think your punishments are too harsh. The reality of your situation has not truly sunk in. You came off angry on Oprah and mentioned you were in therapy. You claimed your reasoning for “finally” coming clean was that you couldn’t take hearing your son continue to defend you.

Where were the thoughts of your son when you were slamming, slandering, forcing financial hardship and relocation to those who spoke the truth about you. You lied for 13 years… and you are still lying now. You didn’t do this for your kids… you did it for YOU.

You are right about one thing… It’s not about the bike… It’s about you being a dick. Oprah wished you the best. She’s a better person than I am.

Go fuck yourself,

Greg