Armstrong announcement hints at premature retirement

[bspeedy00]

Let it go? Did you not see the news today. More embarassment and PR work for Lance & doping.

Guess, you are not interested in our sport.

Yes, let it go, the sport is about racing, not gossip. Every tidbit of news that hits the press is not necessarily factual. Guess what, people lie, people can be wrong, news reporters can write inaccurate stories (intentionally or not), and there are any number of reasons for these occurances: accident, jealousy, money, revenge, stupidity, etc. Deal in facts, not hearsay. Tyler and Danilo testing positive for banned substances are facts.

Further, you used the phrase "our" sport, but since when do you even like cycling? You cant in the same breath condemn the entire sport as cheaters, and claim you love "our" sport. To you, it is just a venue to gossip. If it wasnt cycling, it would be some other sport. I can see it now, Flyer claims tiger woods is using stimulants and steroids.

Bottom line: Let....it.....go.....

 

[jhuskey]

No, Simeoni will not finish a typical mountain stage in the Giro in the same TIME ZONE as Lance, much less hang with him on any climb.

I was referring to the big mouthed but small of stature Gilberto Simoni who for years went around saying he was gonna take Lance on in the mountains when he did the Tour. He never stayed with Lance on any of the big mountain stages or even close when the big guns were out blazing. But his retort was that Lance never took him on in the Giro when he was in form. Now we'll see.

No problem but you never know some people get the two mixed up.

 

[wolfix]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/03/31/bc.cyc.armstrong.lawsuit.ap/index.html?cnn=yes


Lance probably fired this guy because he discovered that this employee was going thru his closets and drawers ......... Lance and Cheryl probably were worried that some of there stuff would end up on E-Bay ...........
I love the part where the courts asked him to give more evidence to justify the suit........... "Oh yeah , I remember ..... Lance had these magic little pills ...... "
This guy knew that his dream of a shop was a goner when word got out that he was a weasel .......
Articles like these prove nothing ....Except to Flyer. Magazines & and certain media thrive off the publics desire to see the famous brought down .....Nothing will ever be proven until the doping agencies say a positive result has occurred......

I bet if Superman was real there would be articles and disgruntled employees saying he doped ...... And Batman would be the 1st one to have allegations , followed shortly by the FLASH . The INCREDIBLE HULK would be busted for steroids ........ And with todays media feeding frenzy ..... Batman would have to come clean on what really happens in the Batcave with ROBIN>............ Alfred would be brought in front of a court to testify .......... It's endless , just like the Lance and doping allegations .........

 

[jhuskey]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/03/31/bc.cyc.armstrong.lawsuit.ap/index.html?cnn=yes


Lance probably fired this guy because he discovered that this employee was going thru his closets and drawers ......... Lance and Cheryl probably were worried that some of there stuff would end up on E-Bay ...........
I love the part where the courts asked him to give more evidence to justify the suit........... "Oh yeah , I remember ..... Lance had these magic little pills ...... "
This guy knew that his dream of a shop was a goner when word got out that he was a weasel .......
Articles like these prove nothing ....Except to Flyer. Magazines & and certain media thrive off the publics desire to see the famous brought down .....Nothing will ever be proven until the doping agencies say a positive result has occurred......

I bet if Superman was real there would be articles and disgruntled employees saying he doped ...... And Batman would be the 1st one to have allegations , followed shortly by the FLASH . The INCREDIBLE HULK would be busted for steroids ........ And with todays media feeding frenzy ..... Batman would have to come clean on what really happens in the Batcave with ROBIN>............ Alfred would be brought in front of a court to testify .......... It's endless , just like the Lance and doping allegations .........

How about "The Atom" he would only be allowed in "small claims court" or the "Invisible Man" . "I am sorry your honor but this mans testimony is so flimsy it is transparent".
"You can see right through his claims".

 

[House]

How about "The Atom" he would only be allowed in "small claims court" or the "Invisible Man" . "I am sorry your honor but this mans testimony is so flimsy it is transparent".
"You can see right through his claims".

Now that is quality humor! Bravo!

 

[jhuskey]

Now that is quality humor! Bravo!

****! Screwed up again.I was going for cheap and unimaginitive.

 

[meehs]

****! Screwed up again.I was going for cheap and unimaginitive.

Well, okay. That too! kidding...

 

[ilija]

What do you guys think of this?

Or maybe LA will admit to drug use? Then maybe not.

 

[meehs]

Or maybe LA will admit to drug use? Then maybe not.

Yeah! He's gonna hold a press conference and say; "ladies and gentelmen, I'm doped to the gills!"...

 

[jhuskey]

Well, okay. That too! kidding...

Let me add that Superman is an illegal alien,The Flash is a racist and theres that other guy that was possibly illegitimate of birth,quit his job,formed a gang,was sympathetic with prostitutes and crimminals,operated an illegal wine to water and counterfeit bread operation,vandalized a church and defied the court by not dying after conviction,escaped and took flight to avoid persecution.

 

[ilija]

Yeah! He's gonna hold a press conference and say; "ladies and gentelmen, I'm doped to the gills!"...

It would be nice. Same goes for everybody on a ProTour who is doping. Let's have a fresh start.
Pause.......
Ok now that I'm back in to the real world, I can say that cycling is still years ahead of all major North American sports. As far as doping goes. Why? Well they used doping long before anybody knew the side effects (because is the hardest sport) and now they are the first to really try to clean the sport. Look at the baseball (MLB) and NFL, still in denial. Next they'll recognize it (give it another 3-5 years) and then fight it (another 5-8 years).
By then cycling will, hmmmmm ........ (reality check) use better drugs.

 

[homeycheese]

I'm betting this lines up to be a pretty shrewd PR move whereby Lance announces his "farewell" tour (incuding 2005 being his last TDF) and the events he plans on riding this year in advance of his next career move with the Discovery Channel.

Whatever he says will be sure to create some buzz and additional viewership for those events he expects to participate in.

There has even been some talk of the Tour of California and how could it benefit from the success of the Tour de Georgia.

Look for this press conference to be a "wetting of the appetite" and similar to the many Who farewell tour press conferences.

These are not dumb businessmen we are talking about and afterall, despite what we like to think about the sport, it is still a business.

 

[jhuskey]

I'm betting this lines up to be a pretty shrewd PR move whereby Lance announces his "farewell" tour (incuding 2005 being his last TDF) and the events he plans on riding this year in advance of his next career move with the Discovery Channel.

Whatever he says will be sure to create some buzz and additional viewership for those events he expects to participate in.

There has even been some talk of the Tour of California and how could it benefit from the success of the Tour de Georgia.

Look for this press conference to be a "wetting of the appetite" and similar to the many Who farewell tour press conferences.

These are not dumb businessmen we are talking about and afterall, despite what we like to think about the sport, it is still a business.

Consider the Tour of Georgia and it's success. Although not anywhere near the scale of European races it could be a launching platform for some increased US future races.
Lance's retirement from the tour could be a move to increase the US hosting new world class races, as in himself and Discovery organizing and co-sponsoring additional invitational races.

Then again I could be spouting pure **** but tis an interesting concept.

 

[homeycheese]

Consider the Tour of Georgia and it's success. Although not anywhere near the scale of European races it could be a launching platform for some increased US future races.
Lance's retirement from the tour could be a move to increase the US hosting new world class races, as in himself and Discovery organizing and co-sponsoring additional invitational races.

Then again I could be spouting pure **** but tis an interesting concept.

Look at the the turnout for the TdG (not shabby for us rednecks)
Representing the newly created, top-rated UCI ProTour will be six ProTeams eager to take home the top prize on U.S. soil, including America’s Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, led by last year’s Dodge Tour de Georgia champion Lance Armstrong. In defending his title, Armstrong will face a formidable force from the five other ProTour teams that include France’s Credit Agricole, Denmark’s Team CSC, Saunier Duval–Prodir of Spain, the Swiss team Phonak and Germany’s Gerolsteiner Team, the most recent ProTeam addition to this
year’s race. Levi Leipheimer, another of America’s powerhouse riders shaking up the European racing scene, will lead the charge for Gerolsteiner.

 

[jhuskey]

Look at the the turnout for the TdG (not shabby for us rednecks)
Representing the newly created, top-rated UCI ProTour will be six ProTeams eager to take home the top prize on U.S. soil, including America’s Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, led by last year’s Dodge Tour de Georgia champion Lance Armstrong. In defending his title, Armstrong will face a formidable force from the five other ProTour teams that include France’s Credit Agricole, Denmark’s Team CSC, Saunier Duval–Prodir of Spain, the Swiss team Phonak and Germany’s Gerolsteiner Team, the most recent ProTeam addition to this
year’s race. Levi Leipheimer, another of America’s powerhouse riders shaking up the European racing scene, will lead the charge for Gerolsteiner.

"The Lance Armstrong Pro Tour" 2 weeks through 8 States. Hummmmmm what a concept!

 

[Catabolic Jones]

I think he might be announcing a 'double': Giro and TdF in one year. I think that's why he went to Italy to attempt to mollify the Italian authorities and clear the way for an appearance.

Either that, or he'll do the TdF this year, then attempt the Giro next year.

 

[Chris_E]

Personally i think he's going to announce to the world that he was on drugs all along and that his career to date is a sham.

He'll go on to tell us that Sheryl Crow is really a man and that they plan to marry in a small cermony somwhere in the San Francisco Bay area.

Only joking, of course Sheryl Crow IS a woman

 

[SLS]

Hehe he says that every year but then he`s disappointed. I wish him his third Giro win this year!

I will go way out on the limb - and say he might go for all three...
Other less likely options
Maybe Cheryl is going to have his kid & he will announce they were secretly married or not...
Maybe it was just to see how much speculation he could generate & how many cycling journalists he can pull into the states for the TDG...
Who knows - well find out for sure next week

 

[gntlmn]

It's funny how people keep bringing up Lemond's more recent comments about Armstrong, and they fail to mention that it was Lemond who proclaimed to the world on television in 1999 that Armstrong had rescued the Tour de France, that it was Lance who saved the Tour from ruin in the wake of it's biggest drug scandalized year, 1998. Lemond proclaimed Armstrong a hero for the Tour and for the sport of cycling.

 

[bobke]

I think Lance will announce not premature retirement,

but premature ejaculation,

then start a widespread pubicmedia campaign for a new pharmaceutical by Bristol Meyers Squibb to treat the condition.