Armstrong comeback!
- Thread starter SLG
- Start date
Well I can see him doing well in a few club races over here. He'd probably make A grade in my club. And I've been racing for 15 years and I don't remember anyone having to submit to a drug test.
Armstrong to race Down Under?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/sep08/sep15news2
Armstrong to race Down Under?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/sep08/sep15news2
Armstrong is worried that Contador will have ten GT wins by the time he is thirty, eclipsing Armstrong. I remember when Armstrong left triathlon and a young Miles Stewart was tearing up the circuit. Armstrong came back to a few races and bad mouthed Stewart. He could not stand that people in triathlon were talking about Stewart instead of him even though he had abandoned the sport.sopas said:
Contador is a ***** if plays second fiddle to Armstrong. He should lay down the law to Bruyneel. Contador is numero uno, he can write his own ticket, and he should not accept anything less than total support. He should tell Bruyneel that he will not accept being ****ed over by the hiring of Armstrong. The team should put in the position that if they bring on Armstrong for a short term publicity stunt then they will lose a long term relationship with Contador.
I don't think there will be any problem on Armstrong - Contador relation.Bro Deal said:
From CN:
Eighth Tour not a priority - for Team Livestrong?
Another possibility is that Armstrong may well set up an entirely new team. Racing in an Astana jersey is not going to get his message out there as effectively as one embossed with Livestrong livery.
"It's be a mistake to say I'm coming back to win an eighth Tour; I don't need an eighth Tour," he said. "But we [Livestrong] were successful in Texas; we were successful in the United States. The next logical step is to take it global. And I still feel healthy enough and fit enough to go out and, perhaps... I can't make any guarantees. I've been off the bike for three-plus years and I'll be 37, almost 38."
Read more there.
There is no way for him to set up a new team. He would have to have the financing already in place and be signing riders right now. There would be no way he could guarantee that he would get into any important european race. Then there are the hoops to be jumped through to get the appropriate UCI team license. It would have to be at least Pro Continental, which has a minimum number of riders that have to be signed if I remember right. It would be a huge undertaking in such a short time.Andrija said:
I think the quotes from CN are enlightening. This is not about racing. He does not care about results. It's about an ego trip. He saw the response Cipo got at California and decided he could do the same thing. All Cipo had to do was put in a credible performance and fans fell over themselves to give him props for doing well at his age.Andrija said:
He would not have to sign with a single team. He could make deals with different teams for different events. The team would get publicity, and he would get race entry.
Ok, time to wade into this murky waste land with some pruning sheers.
Firstly I'll place myself in the camp of 'I really couldn't give a **** about LA'. Not one of his fanboy's, not one of the people who hates him.
I think this comeback is partly due to his drive as a competitor, but mostly due to publicity. However whether he's in it for the attention he gets or the attention his charity gets is irrelevant, this comeback will no doubt increase donations to livestrong and the cancer causes it supports and I think that is, in the end a good thing.
Oh and I'll think it'll be hilarious when he doesn't win the TdF because all the fanboys will have to go and eat huge quantities of humble pie. Same to the haters when he passes ever drug test (for whatever reason...).
I don't think he'll make the racing more interesting though. As an older athlete he won't be able to attack like he used too so he'll have to win his races in the time trials, riding steady to limit his losses in the mountains which equates to boring racing.
Firstly I'll place myself in the camp of 'I really couldn't give a **** about LA'. Not one of his fanboy's, not one of the people who hates him.
I think this comeback is partly due to his drive as a competitor, but mostly due to publicity. However whether he's in it for the attention he gets or the attention his charity gets is irrelevant, this comeback will no doubt increase donations to livestrong and the cancer causes it supports and I think that is, in the end a good thing.
Oh and I'll think it'll be hilarious when he doesn't win the TdF because all the fanboys will have to go and eat huge quantities of humble pie. Same to the haters when he passes ever drug test (for whatever reason...).
I don't think he'll make the racing more interesting though. As an older athlete he won't be able to attack like he used too so he'll have to win his races in the time trials, riding steady to limit his losses in the mountains which equates to boring racing.
I must admit I haven't posted in a while. It's been a bit boring of late, but I was thrilled to see the Lab Rat is back. The traffic this is generating on the Cycling Forums site is most entertaining. Are Bristol Myers are behind his latest bid to Solve World Cancer? I never got why such an important sponsor didn't appear on his jersey.Cheers
Bro Deal said:
Yeah, the setting up of a team takes time and there is a considerable amount of administration involved at national federation level and at UCI level.
For example, new teams have to supply race licences for all riders and the new teams have to lodge financial bonds with the UCI, so that if a team folds,
it's riders aren't out of pocket.
The new team also need to apply to the various race organisers in order to obtain an invitation/wildcard selection.
Bro Deal said:
One more thing that winds me up is Lance corporatising "yellow" for himself. Yellow is the symbol for the Tour de France yet he has stolen it for his armbands, the bands on the jerseys and now LiveStrong. Now he is coming back to steal more.... ASO should sue him against using yellow on the jersey's.
Seems like Armstrong has seen the writing on the wall. Because he wouldn't be assured of a ride in a team, let alone in the tour, he is going to buy it!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/lance-could-own-the-tour--literally/2008/09/19/1221331205913.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/lance-could-own-the-tour--literally/2008/09/19/1221331205913.html
Thats the best news I've heard in days. Lets get the Tour back to the mid 90's again. Send out a pardon to Landis and get him riding again. Hein is on board and with CBS providing 24 hour coverage abeit with riders stopping for TV timeouts the Tour is in the best shape of its life.mitosis said:
.....of course this is all for raising awareness of cancer related illnesses not making the size of his ball bigger.
Well, if Amaury can get enough money why wouldn't they sell? The question is whether LA could put together the kind of financing package required. What would it cost to buy a company with 150 million Euro in sales annually? Dunno. Corporate finance whiz kids out there, please enlighten us.
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