Is Armstrong good for triathlon?

So Lance Armstrong's Ironman career is over almost before it even started following the latest drug charges brought against him by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Why should that really matter to me, a weekend warrior?

There are two sides to this, one that Armstrong's return to a sport the sport he first competed in professionally as a 16 year old was only going to increase the profile of the sport. The other that with the ever-present cloud of allegations hanging over him, would triathlon look like a sport that was trying to cash in on a tarnished star.

Following the latest charges laid at his door, the seven times Tour de France winner has, as ever, come out fighting and again sought the advice of a large team lawyers to rebuff the USADA charges.

So why does this matter to me?

When the American came back into the Tour De France and began establishing him as one of the world's top cyclists, as an avid sports fan and supporter and as a lover of the 'against all odds' sports story, I was delighted to see Armstrong atop the podium.

His charity foundation, and the yellow bracelets connected with it were a must have. But as searching questions were asked of him, his team, his coaches and his doctors about his possible drug use, his continued defence against mounting evidence became more and more difficult to believe. 

The former Radio Shack cyclist’s ultra aggressive defense strategy - sue the journalists, threaten team mates and counter-accuse others - was not pretty to watch and quickly he became a picture of bitterness.  And as almost every other top cyclist he beat to his record number of titles were found guilty of a range of doping charges, Armstrong's claims of innocence ran more and more hollow.

My support for him waned.

I watched with interest as he announced his Ironman plans late last year and he began the year steadily with a  couple of podium finishes before making his mark at his home 70.3 event (half-Ironman), winning in Texas.  His impending full Ironman debut due in France this weekend would also be watched eagerly by a wide audience.

But the approach and attitude Armstrong brought to Ironman is not one that befits the sport. Nike and several other manufacturers have produced uniquely specced gear for him, unlikely to ever be available to any other competitors, let alone the ordinary triathlete. He has an extensive support team both for training and on race day.  For many of Armstrong’s opponents involved in Ironman their support team consists of me, myself and I.  The training squads are made up of other like-minded athletes who are training in the same town, or share the same coach..  And while their sponsors will help with a lot if expenses, quite simply Armstrong's support team is on a different level.

His subsequent disrespect for other athletes also grates. No acknowledgement when beaten (on the line), Twitter spats over drafting and doping checks (sic) shows a lack of interest in improving the sport of triathlon and simply another sporting box to tick.

So while it might be interesting to see how Armstrong would get on in Ironman and in Kona, it should not be to the detriment of the sport which he may eventually being into disrepute.

So as a weekend warrior I only want triathlon in the news for all the right reasons, not the Armstrong reasons.