Lance Armstrong... Yes or No?
- Thread starter meehs
- Start date
I voted 'not a fan' but not because I particularly dislike the man. It's simply that professional sport in general, and the people that participate in it bore me. It really hardly ever appears on my radar. I tend to hold the view that sport is for participation, not spectating.
Dude has heart.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. Mary Pickford
Fan or not, you have to give him respect.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. Mary Pickford
Fan or not, you have to give him respect.
I did vote for fan but its not quite right. I cannot have anything less than admiration for anyone who wins the TDF once, never mind 5 times. Then you read (in a great book) about the more important things that seem to have allowed Lance to view bike racing from a different perspective than many of his fellow proffesionals.
Admiration yes, fan well I find it hard not to be a fan of any professional cyclist from any discipline.
PS I would love to see Lance win a sixth but if he doesn't I cant wait to see who does.
Lance strongly disagree's with you, he stated in an interview in 2000 that you could win 10 TDF's but if you dont win the Olympics the American public will think you are no good because you cant even win the olympics....
As for the Euro's hating him because he beats them...why did they embrace Greg Lemon so much? the guy was (and still is I believe) very well thought of by most europeans from what I understand. I believe they dislike him because of his arogance, I know he took a smashing in the media in 2000 for refusing to speak french in interviews even though it is known he can..... this and his "squecky clean" claims on drugs set him up to be hated, no more than perhaps Fignon in the later parts of his carer though. I remeber he got hammered in the media in 89 even when it looked like he would win.
Why do you have to categorise yourself as a fan or not a fan?
I think it is amazing that someone who was "just" a domestique previously can recover from something as serious as cancer and go on to win five TDFs. I have an awful lot of respect for Lance and wish him the best of luck in this years race.
However, I also wish all of the riders in the peloton the best of luck in any race. After all, no one would have wanted Beloki to break his hip in last years TDF (would they??).
Personally this year, I am just going to really enjoy watching what I hope will be the closest race for years.
Armstrong?
Ullrich?
Beloki?
Hamilton?
All I know is that it's gonna be really good to watch and I can't wait!
I think it is amazing that someone who was "just" a domestique previously can recover from something as serious as cancer and go on to win five TDFs. I have an awful lot of respect for Lance and wish him the best of luck in this years race.
However, I also wish all of the riders in the peloton the best of luck in any race. After all, no one would have wanted Beloki to break his hip in last years TDF (would they??).
Personally this year, I am just going to really enjoy watching what I hope will be the closest race for years.
Armstrong?
Ullrich?
Beloki?
Hamilton?
All I know is that it's gonna be really good to watch and I can't wait!
Nice post and I get your point, but abit unfair to call LA a domestique. He was one of the worlds best "classic" riders and world champ (the man who denied the Great Mig his triple crown infact, for which I will never forgive him
) He was probably as good at classics back then as he is at the TDF now.
Greg LeMond and Andy Hampsten are both widely respected by
the European fans.
Both of these men dominated in the 1980's.
Indeed if there was any level of sectarianism with European fans, it would have manifested itself when LeMond beat Hinault in 1986
and Fignon in 1989.
In fact, the very opposite happened.
LeMond's stature within the European scene was enhanced.
Sam with Hampsten winning the Giro.
Armstrong ?
He simply rubs people up the wrong way (those who don't like him that is).
The man polarises people.
Originally posted by Fixey
Nice post and I get your point, but abit unfair to call LA a domestique. He was one of the worlds best "classic" riders and world champ (the man who denied the Great Mig his triple crown infact, for which I will never forgive him
Lance is the first 5 time TDF winner to focus on one race. However, he is no where close to the first rider to focus on just that race. Many many riders have dedicated their entire season to the TDF. In addition, there are and have been many riders that focus on one or two races or disciplines within cycling, for decades now. Lance just seemed to perfect it.
Can anyone say Greg Lemond, and Jan Ullrich (pre-Lance) just for starters?
Jdawg
How can you not be a fan of a 5 times TDF winner, especially when no-one else comes close. Except this next year when Biloki will win. Jdawg - he is not the first TDF winner to concentrate on the TDF, ever heard of Indurain?
I never said winner, I said five time winner. Let me just show you how WRONG your statement about Indurain is.
Miguel Indurain
Other significant victories: Olympic Time Trial Champion (open) 1996.
1988 Tour of Catalonia
1989 Paris - Nice
Criterium International
1 stage, Tour de France
1990 Clasica San Sebastian
Paris - Nice
1 stage, Tour de France
1991 Tour de France
2 stages, Tour de France
Tour of Catalonia
1992 Tour de France
3 stages, Tour de France
Giro d'Italia
2 stage, Giro d'Italia
Tour of Catalonia
1993 Tour de France
2 stages, Tour de France
Giro d'Italia
2 stages, Giro d'Italia
1994 Tour de France
1 stage, Tour de France
Hour Record - 53.040km
1995 Tour de France
2 stages, Tour de France
World Time Trial Championship
Dauphiné - Libéré
GP du Midi Libre
1996 Dauphiné – Libéré
That would be 3 doubles……… Giro/Tour twice, Tour/Worlds ITT and if you think as highly of the hour record as I do then there is also the Tour/Hour record double. These are just his wins. You should see the list of the races he was actually in.
Jdawg
I voted "Fan from USA," only because I think he's an incredible athlete. Sounds like my respect for Armstrong as an cyclist, along with my lack of respect for his personal life, is already well represented here. I give him credit for doing amazing things, things that as a small heavy man I'll never accomplish. It's nice to know that I've watched history during the last five TDFs, much like my predecessors watched the likes of Merckx, LeMonde, and Indurain.
Let me clarify: The general american public and american sports fan in general does not have any interest in cycling other than the fact that another american has won the TDF. Americans have a sense in general about how big the TDF really is, but they don't watch it. All they know is the story is pretty big. That's part of the reason why most euro's dislike American success at THEIR sports. They dislike like guys like Bode Miller and Daron Rhalves winning big and continuously play down their success in the World Cup. The same way this forum is in a way trying to play down LA's success in a way. Look at the voting: Americans love LA, with others it's a mixed bag. Most people in this forum have more interest in cycling and tend to look at it from a more critical side. If LA wins a 6th, what does that say for the present diatribe?
Mots euros dislike American success in THEIR sport ?
You're wrong here.
How come Andy Hampsten and Greg LeMond are widely respected
in Europe when they were winning ?
LeMond beat the greatest rider in the world after Merckx - yet he
was popular.
The reason LA is unpopular is that he polarises people.
Aye, good point. It was to easy for people to say "you dont like lance because he is an american beating euro's" Fact is euro's dont like Lance coz he is lance, same reason they hated Fignon. His attitude/arogance doesnt fit well with Euro's or most of the non USA world for that matter....
O.K, I'm lost to your post Fix.
You're a 'Euro' yet is it just me or have I read and re read contradictory points language wise? It doesn't seem to hit home referring to L.A and Fignon in either comparrison. Forgive me if I have misconstrued but your post doesn't make sense to me re 'Euro's' 'Americans' and 'Arrogance etc..'
I was trying to reply several times yet gave up until hoping you could clarify your post.
Thanks
Alice
You're a 'Euro' yet is it just me or have I read and re read contradictory points language wise? It doesn't seem to hit home referring to L.A and Fignon in either comparrison. Forgive me if I have misconstrued but your post doesn't make sense to me re 'Euro's' 'Americans' and 'Arrogance etc..'
I was trying to reply several times yet gave up until hoping you could clarify your post.
Thanks
Alice
Similar threads
