COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -
Lance Armstrong was once a symbol of national pride in this country with many supporters in our area.
"I hate that it's like that because I was on his team and I defended him to the last, until I couldn't do it anymore. I felt like I really, really wanted him to be the good guy that we all thought he was," said Jason McKenzie, owner of Ride On Bikes, on Broadway in Columbus.
Some biking enthusiasts saw their opinion of Armstrong decline well before the scandal hit its peak.
"I was a big fan of him when he overcame the cancer and everything, but ever since he wrote his book, it was just kind of selfish. It was just kind of saying ‘Hey look at me, look at what I did," said Andrew Long.
For many, the confession is hardly a surprise. The accusations against Armstrong have been gaining steam for months, and as experts at Auburn University suggest, it was only a matter of time before he was forced to come clean.
"It seemed like Lance was trying to get ahead of the curve, knowing that there was no benefit in denying it anymore, in the face of all the evidence," said Auburn University journalism professor John Carvalho, Ph.D.
The list of complaints about Armstrong's character does not end with cheating. Some of his former supporters are most disappointed with his behavior after the races were over.
"Not so much that he doped, so much that he so vehemently denied ever doping and went out to attack the people who were actually telling the truth about him," said Garrett Lawrence of Ride On Bikes.
Some think his confession is coming too late to repair the damage.
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