Lance Armstrong photo by Getty Images
CHANHASSEN, Minn. - News of Lance Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles is a blow to the cycling world.
"It's absolutely sad," said Zac Mohr, sales manager at Excelcycle in Chanhassen. "It's just really sad for clean athletes."
Mohr says conversations about Armstrong and the future of the sport happen almost every day in the store, but most fans simply want an equal playing field for all competitors.
"I want a clean sport," he says. "I want the people with true talent to be able to show off their talent."
With Armstrong's titles and lifetime ban from the sport also comes news that sponsors are bailing out. Oakley is the latest sponsor to drop Armstrong. Nike, Trek and Anheuser-Busch let go of the cyclist last week.
"Companies are attaching the integrity of their brand to an individual because they represent hard work, perseverance and success," says Charlie Callahan with Periscope Advertising. "But there is a risk if something goes bad."
For Mohr, also a cycling coach and competitor himself, he hopes for reform in the sport he loves.
"The best thing would be for Lance to come clean and ask for forgiveness," he said.
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