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Lance Armstrong and others have said they accept Tony Kornheiser’s apology for having shouted “Run ‘em down!” on his ESPN radio show as he was expressing irritation with cyclists on the roads. Here is what is wrong with what he said, beyond the mere indifference to human life: he was giving vent to a widespread emotion by many people on the roads when they see cyclists and he was, in effect, giving them permission to disregard the lives of people on bikes, if not actually kill them.
Many, many people share Kornheiser’s stated view that bikes don’t belong on roadways. The idea is that the roads were built for cars, cars are big and fast, so get your damn, slow little thing out of my way. If you don’t, I am going to show you how mad I am.
This attitude derives from the notion that many, including myself at times, operate under when we are driving: anything that gets between me, my car and getting where I need to go as fast as possible is the enemy. I have long ago abandoned any such thoughts and I hope that a much more mature attitude is reflected in the way I drive. Yet, millions of people, including police officers charged with protecting everyone on the road, agree with Kornheiser’s ranting: why the hell are bikes on the road in the first place?
The short answer is this: they are there because we have laws saying that use of bikes on the road is permissible and legal. Cyclists are on the roads because there is nowhere else they can ride at the speed and distances serious cyclists do. While there are many trails available, they do not afford the riding opportunities of a good back road in hilly country. Trails are shared with pedestrians, baby carriages, people on roller blades and many other types of users. Trails can be great fun, but there isn’t always one available when you need it and roads are everywhere. Today’s top line bikes are built for the roads. Besides, many people use bikes for regular transportation to and from work and other necessary trips. No gasoline, no pollution.
Comments like Kornheiser’s, when broadcast nationally, call into question his mental balance. Sure, everyone has random thoughts of anger and disgust at times, but putting this sort of aggression into words on the air is a far different matter. ESPN, and any other network that would use someone capable of such verbal outbursts, actually urging people to violence, is putting their business at risk and that of the lives of cyclists as well.
This is very serious business. Every cyclist in America who ventures regularly on the roads has had experiences with being hit or almost being hit by passing cars. We have all had cars and trucks come so close that they either were operating in total disregard to safety or were intentionally playing violent games. In my own case, two summers ago, I had a car come over the white line and onto the shoulder and come within inches of hitting me. I have almost been hit, head on, by cars passing on two lane roads on four separate occasions. A teenage cyclist was killed by a car while riding on the shoulder in Montgomery County, Maryland, during the last few years.
It is only natural that cyclists would get very upset at someone like Kornheiser. Why is he still on the air? If someone shouted that gays or anti-abortion demonstrators should be run down, would they still have a job? It is only because such ranting is tolerated that people like Kornheiser keep “pushing the envelope” in an attempt to be more outrageous (hey, that’s entertaiment, 2010).
In any case, here is what Johan Bruyneel, former pro-cyclist and Armstrong’s coach, had to say about Kornheiser: (re-published from Bruyneel’s blog)
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 ..last week, we saw a great uprising in the cycling community, which led to Lance going on the radio and making a statement on behalf of all the cyclists throughout the world. I think Lance, like the rest of us, was informed of Tony Kornheiser's comments on twitter. In a matter of minutes, a virtual public gathering was formed on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums. People from different countries who didn't even know each other were banding together (not to mention, many of us didn't even know who Tony Kornheiser was, myself included) - all for the love of the bike. It was pretty cool to see the comments on my Facebook page and how people were providing addresses and phone numbers to Tony's show. Someone even wrote that ESPN eventually pulled that segment from the online radio list. I think that's pretty amazing how it all happened and culminated with cycling's ambassador going on and giving Tony (and other listeners) a little educational session. I don't know Tony, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he's sorry. I hope that the sorry is not "sorry" for being caught by cycling fans worldwide, but a genuine "sorry" that what he said was just plain wrong and that his comments had absolutely no regard for another human life. But in the end, we need more than "sorrys" - we need attitude and behavioral changes. If Tony and other listeners are now more mindful, careful and respectful of cyclists on the road, then I'll say that's a victory for us!
But there's one thing that I can guarantee Tony and many others have learned. He's accountable for every word he says. This is a good thing. The media can no longer blindly create news or make irrational comments without repercussions. You, me, we all now have a public forum to respond. And that forum, as we've seen in the past, is pretty powerful. I bet Tony had no clue how loud our voice was!
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