I wrote several posts (now deleted) about a guy that won the Tour de France seven times, after surviving cancer. However, he has since been stripped of those victories for doping. You probably know who I’m talking about but I won’t mention his name. I was deeply saddened to find out that this guy lied, cheated, and hurt people emotionally, professionally, and financially to cover up his deceit. To make the story even worse, it appears that the tour wins will never be awarded to anyone else. Too many of the riders who finished near the top have already admitted using banned substances.
The dilemma that this guy must have faced in 1998 reminds me of advice that a great professor shared with me. Andy Crawford taught an entrepreneurship class at the University of Michigan’s engineering school. He gave us great advice on the realities of starting a business. One of those was about making sure that you understood what it took to win. He said that in some businesses, pushing the limits of ethics and bending (or even breaking) the rules were necessary. The example he gave was the steel hauling business. He told us that the margins were thin in the business and that making money required loading your trucks beyond the legal limit. He explained that companies carefully avoided weigh-in stations and planned their travel around times when they were less likely to get caught. He warned, if you weren’t comfortable overloading your trucks, then don’t get into the steel hauling business.
Since the scandal came to light we’ve learned about a few cyclists who understood what it took to win and chose a different path. As one of them put it, “Do I wonder what I could have accomplished as a professional cyclist? Yes, but I’ve never had to explain to my children that I lied and cheated.”
Be careful. Know what it takes to win, because sometimes the price is too high.