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There is no doubt that professional cycling in America was hit hard by the betrayal of their favourite son. The revelation that Lance Armstrong, the champion who inspired a generation, had formulated a career on lies, cheating and bullying was a blow that many felt the sport would not recover from stateside. For a nation that prides itself on success and ‘rugged individualism’, the shame felt from the Armstrong lie fallout rocked the sport to its very core.
Overnight, USA went from dominating the sport to being rank outsiders with no clean professional riders of note.
Through the darkness, two figures stood alone as potential talisman who could reinvigorate the sport and serve as leaders in this new era: Tejay van Garderen and Andrew Talanksy.