"metalleg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:PAtcb.575501$uu5.94556@sccrnsc04...
Quoted message said:Is Mario really the ass that the media makes him out to be???? Or is just the "Bash of the Best"
??? It seems when any top athlete is on top (or close to it) the media loves to report as much
dirt as possible.
I have just recently gotten back into cycling and I don't know who I hear more about "Golden Boy
Lance" or Mario the Misbehaved".
BTW, I am not bashing Mr. Armstrong, I have a great deal of respect for him and his
accomplishments, is he perfect, probably not. I was just comparing his press with the press that
Mario gets....
If I believed everything the media said, Mr. Cipollini would be the
biggest
Quoted message said:[censored] to ever lock into a pedal....
Just curious....
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Troy "Metalleg" Haas Evansville,Indiana
I will give you a straight answer. I think most in the media like the guy (although the only
authentic cycling media dudes here are Jeff Jones and "Mad Dog"😉 like Cipo' and they write the
articles the way they think their reader base expects them to. They don't really trash him, they
report on some of the controversial [censored] he gets himself in to. The word is that behind the scenes
he is extremely professional and dedicated to his team and his family but that he does expect the
perks of his status as the star. When he was on Canondale and the team started to prepare for his
demise, Mario split for a smaller team when he could have easily gone to any number of bigger teams.
The message was clear, he wanted to be the biggest fish in his pond. I think he made the right
decision because he has had his best years since he has done that. The 2002 season was just an
amazing year for him. He won the first classic (Milano-San Remo), the last important race of the
season (the World's) with 9 grand tour stages and a minor classic in between. He was on form all
year (yeah, with a few breaks). Even his detractors have to admit that it was impressive for a
sprint specialist in his twilight years.
I suppose he does rub some cyclists the wrong way. I did not care for him when he first came on the
scene. I thought he behavior was an embarrassment to the sport and more in line with a surfer or
another sport that is not "as serious" but I realized that he has only expanded the fan base for
cycling and is otherwise a pretty decent role model (except for all of the primping and way too much
focus oh his hair gel and his tan, but that is a part of his image and I accept it).
I think he will be greatly missed when he retires.
