Lemond Accuses Armstrong?

[gsabin]

"Little tiny twisted souls". I love that! Those little tiny twisted souls come with little tiny twisted brains too.
I believe that Lance Armstrong is a world class athlete. A true hero in the sports world and in the "Human Spirit" category as well. Anyone who tries to take that from him is nothing short of pathetic and cowardly. If Lance wins #6, I applaud him. If he doesn't, he's still a hero and an American Icon. Greg LeMond used to be a hero 'til he opened his mouth about Lance. Bad move! Bad sportsmanship! Bad form! Bad mistake!

 

[Perro Loco]

I've heard that Greg LeMond's wife is quoted in the new contriversial book by David Walsh "LA Confidential". Supposedly they weren't able to quote Greg himself because of contractual obligations that he has with Trek. Allegedly LeMond's wife overheard a phone conversation that Greg had with Lance regarding doping allegations that LeMond had made against Lance in the past. It sounded like Armstrong called LeMond and was outraged, while LeMonds wife overheard Greg's end of the conversation. Don't know much more about it. But anyway, it's true that this wouldn't be the first time that LeMond has insinuated doping by Armstrong. It's really sad.

One thing people seem to overlook when they're making these allegations is that cyclists take these drugs in order to be able to train harder and hopefully gain tenths of a second on their competition. It's not like the stuff is some miracle substance that turns an average rider into Superman!!! If it did, we'd have multiple Tour de France winners in Richard Verenque, David Millar, and other cyclists who have either openly admitted to, or have been tested positive for using them! Most of the cyclists who have been busted frankly haven't accomplished much. And in the case of Verenque, his performance hasn't declined significantly since he has returned to cycling. Yet people make it sound like Armstrong uses these substances and it elevates him from mediocre pro cyclist to the best in the world. Hahaha! Ummm... sorry, but NOT POSSIBLE!!!

Not only that, Armstrong has tested negative every time he has been tested (and he's been tested more than any other cyclist). It's obvious that the folks making these allegations simply don't like Armstrong for one reason or another (envy in LeMond's case perhaps) and are looking for any way that they can to knock him down. Very sad indeed.

Well put Meehs, by the way I like your Staffie avatar
As I stated in another thread
I'm not sure what this acomplishes for Greg. It does come across as bitternes,
I remember when Armstrong won his fourth- Lemond was asked if it bothered him (LA having surpassed his win total) and he said no because he always felt he really had 4 wins (1985 held back by team so Hinault could win).

He and other americans from the early 90s complained about two speeds in the peleton and not being able to keep up- and while that was true- Greg also didn't put in the time during the off season as his career entered the latter parts- pre 90 and 91 tour he had very unimpressive results and looked like Jan Ullrich does in the spring.

Unfortunately, this will probably get worse. If Armstrong has taken Epo (outside of his Chemo treatments) or other enhancers it would be a terrible blow to cycling. If he hasn't it is very hard to prove a negative. So far the evidence from the Walsh book sounds less than convincing. I don't read french so I have to make my opinion based on what others have reported.

 

[meehs]

Well put Meehs, by the way I like your Staffie avatar
As I stated in another thread
I'm not sure what this acomplishes for Greg. It does come across as bitternes,
I remember when Armstrong won his fourth- Lemond was asked if it bothered him (LA having surpassed his win total) and he said no because he always felt he really had 4 wins (1985 held back by team so Hinault could win).

He and other americans from the early 90s complained about two speeds in the peleton and not being able to keep up- and while that was true- Greg also didn't put in the time during the off season as his career entered the latter parts- pre 90 and 91 tour he had very unimpressive results and looked like Jan Ullrich does in the spring.

Unfortunately, this will probably get worse. If Armstrong has taken Epo (outside of his Chemo treatments) or other enhancers it would be a terrible blow to cycling. If he hasn't it is very hard to prove a negative. So far the evidence from the Walsh book sounds less than convincing. I don't read french so I have to make my opinion based on what others have reported.

Hey, thanks for the compliments on the avatar Perro Loco. That's Max, my 5 year old male Staffy Bull. Good looking fella, isn't he?

I'm afraid that you're right about things getting worse with all the allegations against Lance. It seems like it's on the verge of exploding. I just hope that it's all okay in the end.

 

[laurawho7]

I think that Lemond is a has been and can't stand seeing Armstrong do so well.
I say boycott Greg Lemond and all his products!

Ditto! Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Lemond has said Lance must be doping.

I think he is jealous of the recognition and popularity the sport has gained in America from Lance's success and wishes it had been him instead!

 

[Rudy]

I was gonna consider a Lemond bicycle for my next purchase, but I have backed off. Not because I'm a Lance fan but this kind of behavior from lemond is without class....total absent of class. That does not go to say that Lance is 100% innocent but, heck, he's been tested for 5 years and found nothing.

Also, the French Minister of Sports have appointed Armstrong to participate/lead in some sort of a new tougher drug test. And Lance is supposed to receive the first toughest test ever.

I hope the result will clear his name once and for all...as well as shut off all French' National Enquirer garbage.


Here's the article I saw about the new blood test.


http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/0704/16lance.html

 

[Weisse Luft]

LeMond is probably bitter Chris Carmichael is now making money off Lance through excellent coaching. By making claims that Lance is using drugs, Greg is demeaning Chris' coaching reputation.

Remember, these two were cyclists in the 80's and Greg is well known for his poor teamwork. Chris is making good money, Greg is a washout.

 

[laurawho7]

I didn't know that. But that certianly explains his poor attitude!

 

[Feanor]

Yet people make it sound like Armstrong uses these substances and it elevates him from mediocre pro cyclist to the best in the world. Hahaha! Ummm... sorry, but NOT POSSIBLE!!!

This is an excellent point! I'm so completely in the dark about what all of these "performance enhancing drugs" are in the first place, but because they are painted in the press and everywhere else as so "evil" The first assumption is that they are these miracle potions that elevate your performance significantly... The fact that they have miniscule effects makes alot more sense if one sits down and thinks about it sensibly. They are more of a hedging your bets kind of thing I would guess then... "I'm going to crush you all!"

I fence, and last week before a small competition I overtrained and developed some rotator inflammation in my foil arm... I took Ibuprofen in an anti-inflammatory dosage of 1800mg/day and was able to fence and do well. Otherwise it would have been too painful to even try... Would that be considered "doping"? because it SIGNIFICANTLY improved my current performence... probably to a much greater degree than the blood boosters that cyclists are alledged to take

Feanor

 

[ey3dea414]

I'm thinking about trading in my Lemond Beunos Aires...

 

[Aztec]

I heard Greg's re-stated comments over the radio. Serious backtracking. It's possible that Greg suffers from what I do sometimes... an ability to say more than I really meant to. When those comments are recorded, you can't re-phrase it and/or take it back. They're out there. Maybe he meant to say what his re-statement conveyed (can't recall the words, but they weren't accusatory or offending). Of course, it could also be from the flak he might've gotten from about 1000 people around him and the business/sport.

I'm disappointed, as Greg will always be a hero of sorts to me given his wins when I was just breaking into cycling. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.


And poor teamwork? He let Hinault have that bogus win.

 

[KGnagey]

not sure I agree with this article. I don't know anything about the author but it is interesting none the less. I sure hope doping isn't as prevelant in cycling as this guy thinks.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2574620

 

[blowout67]

boycott Lemond products!!?? you people are pathetic.

Greg Lemond is the ONLY past champion of the tour with the guts to stand up to the insidious and corrupt "Le Tour" bureaucracy which is scrambling desperately to save itself from the kind of expose that would bring down the Tour for at least a year and tarnish it's reputation forever.

Is Armstrong juiced? Come on, look at the man. Of course he is.

Wake up, people! The sport of cycling is in big trouble. Depraved scientists and doctors and political/corporate players NOT athletes are running the show here.

People like Hinault will smile through clenched teeth and pat Armstrong on the back to maintain the "integrity" of the tour. Greg Lemond is once again not playing that game. God bless Greg Lemond.

 

[seriousturtle]

I think that Lemond is a has been and can't stand seeing Armstrong do so well.
I say boycott Greg Lemond and all his products!

i agree. anyone wanna buy my lemond alpe de huez?

~the turtle

 

[blowout67]

Here is how Dr. Michele Ferrari (truly a twisted man) described Lemond in Ferrari's diary at cyclingnews.com:

"big and fat as so often happened in the last years of his career."

Lemond happened to have a degenerative muscle disease A--HOLE! but it is so revealing because it speaks to Ferrari's favorite fraud: combining the muscle mass of a boxer/footballer with the body fat of a marathon runner. Nobody can ride 6+ hours a day and consume the calories it requires to ride 6+ hours a day and naturally maintain the robust musculature AND the low body fat that Armstrong does. The body is just not that efficient and all the talk about "delayed" lactic acid is just more smoke and mirrors.

and one more comment...

I never thought I would see the day that people who claim to be cyclists would be running down Greg Lemond. If nothing else, Greg has earned some latitude here. Feel free to disagree with him, but please take the time the time to think about what he has said and explore the facts for yourself.

 

[Jakebrake]

I never thought I would see the day that people who claim to be cyclists would be running down Greg Lemond. If nothing else, Greg has earned some latitude here. Feel free to disagree with him, but please take the time the time to think about what he has said and explore the facts for yourself.

Let me think about this. Greg Lemond ... I believe he would claim to be a cyclist.Yes, that's right. I'm sure he would. And isn't he out running down Lance Armstrong? If nothing else, Lance has earned some latitude here as well. Feel free to call him a doper and a cheat, but at least try to bring some credible evidence to the table other than "Is Armstrong juiced? Come on, look at the man. Of course he is." Greg has every right to let 'er rip and take his shots at Lance while he is over in France competing, yet we shouldn't be equally as harsh on Greg and his judgement?

One more thing, I have to disagree with you. The body is a very efficient machine.

 

[pobserver03]

Is Armstrong juiced? Come on, look at the man. Of course he is.QUOTE]

Tell me, am I missing something here. I look at the man, I watch him ride, and for the life of me I can see no indication of doping. All I can see is a well orchestrated machine reeping the benefits of intensive training.

 

[blowout67]

I hear where you're coming from, Jakebrake - point taken.

But isn't anyone even a little troubled by the fact that as soon as the sporting community starts to finally get somewhat savvy about testing for synthetic hormones like EPO, Armstrong starts talking about his "naturally delayed" lactic acid, which can be the result of increased red blood cell % which just happens to be exactly what EPO does to the body?

 

[gsabin]

Ok, obviously you are in a cave or something. Are you one of those sorry sacks of ____ that stands on a corner protesting our soldiers and our president while they work hard to make you a free and comfy life here? It runs a close second to that to allow Lemond (sorry sack of ____) to mouth off about Armstrong while he is in the midst of making the US proud for the 6th time, which , by the way, Lemond never could have done in 100 years even with all his whining about everything going against him.
Lemond is a *****. Plain and simple. Boo hoo wah wah, Armstrong is still better than him.

boycott Lemond products!!?? you people are pathetic.

Greg Lemond is the ONLY past champion of the tour with the guts to stand up to the insidious and corrupt "Le Tour" bureaucracy which is scrambling desperately to save itself from the kind of expose that would bring down the Tour for at least a year and tarnish it's reputation forever.

Is Armstrong juiced? Come on, look at the man. Of course he is.

Wake up, people! The sport of cycling is in big trouble. Depraved scientists and doctors and political/corporate players NOT athletes are running the show here.

People like Hinault will smile through clenched teeth and pat Armstrong on the back to maintain the "integrity" of the tour. Greg Lemond is once again not playing that game. God bless Greg Lemond.

 

[steve007]

I hear where you're coming from, Jakebrake - point taken.

But isn't anyone even a little troubled by the fact that as soon as the sporting community starts to finally get somewhat savvy about testing for synthetic hormones like EPO, Armstrong starts talking about his "naturally delayed" lactic acid, which can be the result of increased red blood cell % which just happens to be exactly what EPO does to the body?

Coincidences dont make for a sound and solid argument.

The fact is that its always LA's name that pops up when doping discussions take place. What about Basso?? Mayo??

The drug testing is much more efficient now than it ever was, but of course its not foolproof. EPO is old news now - designer drugs, which are undetectable are available which attach oxygen to blood in the form of plasma-carriers. Its also possible to tweak a drug to remove certain components so it is undetectable.

Still, Lance is coming up for a 6th win - bearing in mind his status I think it would be impossible to silence a chemist working for him, the truth would come out, especially considering the rewards.

 

[maxxevv]

Talk about doping,

isn't it very interesting that so many people/ 'contenders' have fared badly since the TdF has announced 'tougher' anti-dope measures and controls ??

But interestingly, Lance and a few notable consistent performers like Basso, Mercabo and perhaps fellas like Jalabert, Voight, Piil and Moncoutie have continued to produce the kind of results which they have been achieving all these while ??

Now... isn't there more reason to believe that these fellas who have fared badly despite all the hype have doping instead ??