The Program Page #2

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I've done what you asked.

My shape's changed.

Chemo diet really works.

- (Ferrari) What matters to you, Lance?

- Winning.

Anything else?

- I love my mom.

- More than winning?

- What's your V02 max?

- 84.

- What does that mean?

- It's my maximum oxygen consumption.

Literally, yes. But what it really

means is that you were born to lose.

When your compatriot, Greg LeMond,

won the Tour de France,

his V02 max was 93.

So in a straight race between you and

a man like him, you will always lose

because he delivers more fuel than you.

And when you climb a mountain

on the wheels,

you need fuel to generate power,

to lift the weight.

- OK, well, I'll do whatever it takes.

- Good.

(Ferrari) The Professor and I, we had

an interest in sports, in physiology.

How does an athlete improve?

The simplest question of all,

but no one really knows the answer.

So, we use science

to stop this business of athletes

just training without logic.

We do tests. We analyze the results.

And then we do it all again.

Increase the cadence.

You see, this is not just running up

a hill in the hope of getting fitter.

This is science, at last.

So, some athletes get better,

some of them much better,

but after a while I thought that

we had exhausted the science,

that there were no more great leaps

to be made.

And then, I tell you, Lance...

it was like a vision,

a heavenly vision.

When God spoke to Paul.

That is how it felt to me.

Lacrima Christi.

(narrator) Kidneys produce

a substance called Erythropoietin

which stimulates production

of red cells

which, in turn, make maximum use

of the available oxygen.

Excuse me.

Can I ask if any assessment has been

made of the effect of this drug

on healthy individuals?

Healthy individuals?

Athletes, for example.

No, I don't think it has.

Not that I'm aware of.

Of course, if the drug were taken

in an unregulated fashion

without adequate monitoring,

one can see a certain risk.

But under more controlled circumstances

there could be an increase in V02 max on

5 millilitres per kilogram per minute.

That should equate to a corresponding

improvement in athletic performance.

- Doctor...

- Yes.

I think it would be unethical.

Would it?

No longer were we confined

to the limits of physiology.

Now we could alter physiology.

No longer confined to Earth...

now we had learned to fly.

Mr Pharmacist

Can you help me out today

In your usual lovely way?

Dear Pharmacist, won't you please

Give me some energy?

Mr Pharmacist, Mr Pharmacist

(man speaks French)

Would you look at this?

(reporter) The Festina team are

embroiled in the biggest drug scandal

ever to hit the Tour de France.

Their trainer was found

with a suitcase full of steroids.

The team's director admits doping

was supervised to avoid uncontrolled...

It is so unnecessary.

This doesn't need to happen.

These people are amateurs.

The scandal has brought the Tour

and French pride to its knees.

(man speaks French)

(laughs hoarsely)

What a little girl.

(footsteps approach)

- Johan.

- Hey, Lance.

Thanks for coming.

Looking good.

Yeah, you as well.

A little beefy, maybe.

Well, for the first time in my life,

I can eat whatever I like, so f*** you.

You had a tough time, huh?

But you're OK now, right?

Yeah, I'm good.

- I'm ready to race, man.

- So what's the problem?

Let's Play-

Ah!

Everything was perfect.

New team. New sponsor. New agent.

Excuse me. Lance. Bill Stapleton.

- Attorney?

- What I'm interested in

is helping athletes get the highest

possible return for work.

- You're an agent?

- Yeah.

We go in hard.

Say, "OK, boys, Olympics in two years."

"You wanna sponsor Lance,

you make a commitment

to pay him a million bucks

if he wins gold."

You're not asking them for money,

you're offering them the once-only,

never-to-be-repeated opportunity

to make a down payment

in the most exciting brand

in the universe of sport. You.

He had it all worked out.

We had a plan for the future.

Then I got sick... Er...

Contract terminated.

Sponsors dropped me.

It was, it was... It was insane.

So what are you going to do next?

I signed with the only team

that would have me.

It's US Postal.

And it's a bullshit contract.

There's no money.

It's a bunch of amateurs,

and there's no strategy for improvement.

So I'd like it

if you come on as team director.

(laughs)

Well, you certainly

make it sound attractive.

Oh, believe me, you would be better off

far, far, far away.

I'll tell you something.

After the disease,

I never wanna be that close

to losing again.

You wanna win the Tour?

- Postal deal still on the table?

- Yeah.

- I wanna talk to you.

- I know what you're gonna say.

- I've persuaded US Postal to sign...

- I'm gonna start a charity.

A what?

I wanna do something that helps people

in the same situation I was.

Now I don't know exactly how to do it

but it has something to do

with research, family and cancer.

Well...

That's good. That's great.

I think I can really make a difference.

Of course you can.

And the higher your profile,

the better for your charity.

If you're speaking for athletes

and cancer, that's potent.

That's life and death.

Alright, let's raise the bar.

You could be in a Pepsi commercial.

- What if I win?

- You mean...

the Tour?

Can you really do that?

We're gonna do it

like it's never been done before.

It's gonna be a collaborative effort

with manufacturers,

sponsors, technicians.

- What about the racers?

- I want racers who... serve the team.

Lieutenants who will sit on the front.

Racers for the mountains

and racers for the flats.

We apply science, optimize the diet,

train at altitude,

train for one race only.

We'll be a blue train.

(man) Welcome to

the 86th Tour de France.

After last year's controversial Tour,

what can we expect this time around?

(crowd cheers)

Hey, Walshy! Your carriage awaits.

I see he's matured.

What's the party line? Is this

or is this not the Tour of Renewal?

I think so. The poison has been drawn.

The patient is alive and well.

Your boy's back, David.

Armstrong's risen from the dead.

You know, I think he might do alright.

Might even take a time trial.

Got to admit, the bloke's got balls.

- Wow. That is...

- (They laugh)

(commentator) He's lost a lot of weight

since he was put out of the spar?

By testicular cancer,

a disease which he battled.

Go. Don't stand.

(commentator 2) My goodness me,

Lance Armstrong with that performance

may have done enough.

Yes!

So, as we look at the result.

The man on top is Lance Armstrong.

(Bruyneel) Today's gonna be

one of the hardest days.

You'll be pushed to your limits.

But your job is to protect Lance.

And we can only do that

if we work together as a team.

(commentator) As far as the General

Classification is concerned, no change.

(Walsh) Stage 9 of the Tour de France.

213 kilometres,

4, 732 metres of ascent.

The road from Le Grand Bornand,

up the Col du Telegraphe,

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