Armstrong was the best cyclist of his era. All of them were at it. He is a scapegoat because the authorities wish to blame somebody other than themselves for allowing the situation to continue. Doubters wait and see!
Basically, the Tour de France before Armstrong came along...was an interesting 2nd-level sports event that drew some viewers from France and Germany, and maybe a 100,000 viewers from the US. It wasn’t a big deal.
Once Lance won the second race....it was a magnet. The cycling world may not have planned this massive draw, but they saw the benefits after the 2nd year of Armstrong. From that point on....Lance was giving them a boost up each single year. They drew more people....bigger contracts.....more endorsements. Everybody in cycling....made money from the Lance years.
Now? Reality has crept back into the sport. The Tour de France is like minor league baseball. The top level of management is back to working at a real job and consider cycling as a part-time thing to manage.
You're absolutely right! What I find ironic is that even tho he won the races, his "stage" wins were dismally low.
There's no question in my mind that all top racers were doping, they had to be if they were going to keep up with Armstrong. After all, the drugs made him "super" didn't they?