family, the bike

[Callistus Valer]

Lance chose the bike.

Interview in People Magazine.

[Boyd Speerschne]

Only a ***** would propose that kind of "choice".

"Callistus Valerius" <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote in news:d5J9b.5390
$UN4.2542@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:

> Lance chose the bike.
>
> Interview in People Magazine.

[Nick Burns]

"Boyd Speerschneider" <bspeerscNOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns93F8A40A67CC2bspeerscNOSPAM@65.32.1.8...
> Only a ***** would propose that kind of "choice".

If that is true, I agree with you. Based on the American women I have known, it seems like they
really want to have their cake and it it too, so to speak. By that I mean it seems that American
women want to pick and choose what they like about women being "liberated" but also wish to keep
whatever they aspect they wish of the traditional role of a woman. I think it is ingrained in the
culture in the US for women to expect that.

Still, Kristen did seem to be a little different but I have never met her. I am only judging her by
her own written words. In addition, Lance is not exactly typical. Like I said, I will never know
and I am sure many people will blame one or the other of these two all the while knowing even less
that I do.

In the end, the only reason this really bothers me is the way Lance presented her and the family as
being more important than any career. He also gave her a lot of credit for giving him to motivation
to carry on with his life (in his book, when he started to live the life of a bum). It seemed like
she was a key person for him and it is really not fair for anyone to simply say that she gave him an
ultimatum, since she was a key part of the second half of his pro career. I know a lot of people
will object to me saying that, but it is rare to have a successful athlete without a solid support
system (some sort of family) behind him or her.

>
> "Callistus Valerius" <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote in news:d5J9b.5390
> $UN4.2542@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:
>
> > Lance chose the bike.
> >
> > Interview in People Magazine.

[Shayne Wissler]

Nick Burns wrote:

> In the end, the only reason this really bothers me is the way Lance presented her and the family
> as being more important than any career. He

I'm sure she was more important to him--but it isn't either-or. There's no inherent conflict between
biking and family, she must have created it, and it was right of him to reassess her value to him.

> also gave her a lot of credit for giving him to motivation to carry on with his life (in his book,
> when he started to live the life of a bum). It

I don't believe that for a minute.

> seemed like she was a key person for him and it is really not fair for anyone to simply say that
> she gave him an ultimatum, since she was a key part of the second half of his pro career. I know a
> lot of people will object to me saying that, but it is rare to have a successful athlete without a
> solid support system (some sort of family) behind him or her.

I don't believe for a minute that Lance is the type of person who needs such a support system. I
think his only mistake was to give her more credit than she deserved, which was probably just
wishful thinking on his part.

He owes his success to one person only: himself.

Shayne Wissler

[Matabala]

And all too often it does seem a shame that Noah didn't miss the ark.

"Shayne Wissler" <thales000@nospam.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6wK9b.366739$cF.109751@rwcrnsc53...
> Nick Burns wrote:
>
> > In the end, the only reason this really bothers me is the way Lance presented her and the family
> > as being more important than any career. He
>
> I'm sure she was more important to him--but it isn't either-or. There's no inherent conflict
> between biking and family, she must have created it, and it was right of him to reassess her
> value to him.
>
> > also gave her a lot of credit for giving him to motivation to carry on with his life (in his
> > book, when he started to live the life of a bum).
It
>
> I don't believe that for a minute.
>
> > seemed like she was a key person for him and it is really not fair for anyone to simply say that
> > she gave him an ultimatum, since she was a key part of the second half of his pro career. I know
> > a lot of people will object to me saying that, but it is rare to have a successful athlete
> > without a solid support system (some sort of family) behind him or her.
>
> I don't believe for a minute that Lance is the type of person who needs
such
> a support system. I think his only mistake was to give her more credit
than
> she deserved, which was probably just wishful thinking on his part.
>
> He owes his success to one person only: himself.
>
>
> Shayne Wissler

[Runkle]

"matabala" <wkabout@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:bk7ur3$6b4$1@news-reader1.wanadoo.fr...
> And all too often it does seem a shame that Noah didn't miss the ark.

Uhhh...what's that supposed to mean?

[Shayne Wissler]

Runkle wrote:

>
> "matabala" <wkabout@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:bk7ur3$6b4$1@news-reader1.wanadoo.fr...
>> And all too often it does seem a shame that Noah didn't miss the ark.
>
> Uhhh...what's that supposed to mean?

It means that he has a low opinion of the human race.

I just wish he and the environmentalists would stop being so hypocritical and implement their
ideals--starting with themselves.

Shayne Wissler

[Mike Jacoubowsk]

> I don't believe for a minute that Lance is the type of person who needs
such
> a support system. I think his only mistake was to give her more credit
than
> she deserved, which was probably just wishful thinking on his part.
>
> He owes his success to one person only: himself.

You could also make the case that the difficulties he had this year were a result of only one
person- himself. I don't think a stable family life has to be a distraction from being a great bike
racer, or a great anything else. If anything, it should enhance it. I don't subscribe to the idea
that we're nothing but a mass of raging hormones, and that being "tied down" to a family is somehow
destructive. If anything, it should (or at least could) be liberating to be able to focus entirely
on racing and not chasing tail.

It's also interesting that, in many of these threads, the fault or blame is placed with the wife.
I'm sure most of it's meant to be funny, but some of it's very mean-spirited and misplaced. Many of
us (if not all?) would love to spend more time on a bike, but get reminded by their wives that they
have other obligations too, so it seems we can relate to the idea of a guy who has to put his woman
and his family obligations in their place to pursuit their dream. And the idea of having women after
you everywhere you go... everyman's dream! But everyman's dream isn't a realistic goal... that's why
it's a dream. And being able to keep such dreams separate from how we live our lives, I dare to say,
makes us a better person. Would it make Lance a better bike racer? I do not know. But I don't see
the evidence that separating from his wife and kids made him a better bike racer either.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com

"Shayne Wissler" <thales000@nospam.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6wK9b.366739$cF.109751@rwcrnsc53...
> Nick Burns wrote:
>
> > In the end, the only reason this really bothers me is the way Lance presented her and the family
> > as being more important than any career. He
>
> I'm sure she was more important to him--but it isn't either-or. There's no inherent conflict
> between biking and family, she must have created it, and it was right of him to reassess her
> value to him.
>
> > also gave her a lot of credit for giving him to motivation to carry on with his life (in his
> > book, when he started to live the life of a bum).
It
>
> I don't believe that for a minute.
>
> > seemed like she was a key person for him and it is really not fair for anyone to simply say that
> > she gave him an ultimatum, since she was a key part of the second half of his pro career. I know
> > a lot of people will object to me saying that, but it is rare to have a successful athlete
> > without a solid support system (some sort of family) behind him or her.
>
> I don't believe for a minute that Lance is the type of person who needs
such
> a support system. I think his only mistake was to give her more credit
than
> she deserved, which was probably just wishful thinking on his part.
>
> He owes his success to one person only: himself.
>
>
> Shayne Wissler

[Nick Burns]

"Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com> wrote in message
>
> You could also make the case that the difficulties he had this year were a result of only one
> person- himself. I don't think a stable family life
has
> to be a distraction from being a great bike racer, or a great anything else. If anything, it
> should enhance it. I don't subscribe to the idea that we're nothing but a mass of raging hormones,
> and that being "tied
down"
> to a family is somehow destructive. If anything, it should (or at least could) be liberating to be
> able to focus entirely on racing and not
chasing
> tail.
>
> It's also interesting that, in many of these threads, the fault or blame
is
> placed with the wife. I'm sure most of it's meant to be funny, but some
of
> it's very mean-spirited and misplaced.

Indeed, most are.

Many of us (if not all?) would love
> to spend more time on a bike, but get reminded by their wives that they
have
> other obligations too, so it seems we can relate to the idea of a guy who has to put his woman and
> his family obligations in their place to pursuit their dream. And the idea of having women after
> you everywhere you go... everyman's dream! But everyman's dream isn't a realistic goal... that's
why
> it's a dream. And being able to keep such dreams separate from how we
live
> our lives, I dare to say, makes us a better person. Would it make Lance a better bike racer? I do
> not know.

>But I don't see the evidence that separating from his wife and kids made him a better bike
>racer either.

Understatement of the day.

> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com

[Davide Tosi]

"matabala" <wkabout@yahoo.com> wrote:

>And all too often it does seem a shame that Noah didn't miss the ark.

I think it's more a shame that Noah did not miss the 1983 French Open final.