[wildeone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLeeWebb I was hoping that we could discuss Lance's "story" with emphasis on his retirement. Would it be possible to focus the conversation on those issues...?

sorry. mea culpa.

what do you think of the idea as lance as a commentator? would that be considered too demeaning after all he's been through and done??? i, for one, would love his insight into other cyclists.

 

[DLeeWebb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildeone sorry. mea culpa. what do you think of the idea as lance as a commentator? would that be considered too demeaning after all he's been through and done??? i, for one, would love his insight into other cyclists.

Seriously, no problem. The focus started to drift before your posts. If you do a search you will find that whenever Lance Armstrong and/or the Tour de France is discussed the conversation turns into a debate about who was/is the greatest cyclist. [...seems to be a pointless exercise where each man's unique contribution to the sport is forgotten...] Being in Paris at the finish must be a great experience. I hope to be there sometime in the not too distant future. I would love to see Lance as a commentator. His insight would be incredibly interesting and valuable. I'm not sure why but somehow I can't see him doing it.

 

[wildeone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLeeWebb Being in Paris at the finish must be a great experience. I hope to be there sometime in the not too distant future. I would love to see Lance as a commentator. His insight would be incredibly interesting and valuable. I'm not sure why but somehow I can't see him doing it.

it's something of a circus, but a hoot nonetheless.... the fun on being on the champs is that at least you get to see the riders go by several times. if it was only once, it would be a total waste because of their speed -- they're seriously a blur!!! after doing this twice, i learned the best thing to do is to go at the beginning of a stage (you get to actually *see* the riders, then perhaps somewhere in the middle for all the freebies the caravan throws out. while a sprint finish is exciting, the best would be a time trial (individual or group) on a mountain (like alpe d'huez last year)....

while i can't see lance as a commentator per se, i think that his love of the sport might drive him to it. maybe it's a pipe dream of mine -- i just think he'd be soooooo good! he's such an intelligent rider and knows the strengths and weaknesses of others. he learned how to play the game after the cancer, yet has the insight of a rebel cyclist from before when he was riding with raw talent, heart, and an 'i know better than anyone' mentality.

for me, the most lasting (and telling) memory of lance is when he rode across the line in victory for fabio way back in '95. i already liked him and followed him (have a weakness for bad boys -- which he was back then), but that moment just captured my heart and i've been a fan ever since.

 

[McKrakken]

I don't see Lance being a commentator, let alone ANY kind of career so closely associated with the media. lol

I think he will take some time and when he comes back he will probably assist with the development/guidance of team Discovery.. at least for the next couple years while they are under contract.

Wildeone, that must have been an INCREDIBLE experience to be in Paris for the finish!!! I wanted to go badly, but my wife was due in april so it just didnt' work out this year.

In march I was in Paris for a few days though, for the first time. I was able to spend part of the day on the Champs.. what a surreal experience! I've been following the Tour for probably 10+ years now so it was really neat to actually BE where the riders finished the race!

 

[MisterX]

For those of you that missed it:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=2141710

Quote:

Lance Armstrong went on the offensive Wednesday, saying it was "preposterous" for the director of the Tour de France to suggest the seven-time champion "fooled" race officials and the sporting world by doping.

Quote:

The lab said it could not confirm that the positive results cited in L'Equipe were Armstrong's. It noted that the samples were anonymous, bearing only a six-digit number to identify the rider, and could not be matched with any one cyclist. However, L'Equipe said it was able to confirm the samples were Armstrong's by matching the cyclist's medical certificates with the results of positive doping tests bearing the same sample numbers.

These are samples from 1999 for goodness sakes.
What a joke.

 

[Usagi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterX These are samples from 1999 for goodness sakes. What a joke.

Well, you see what they're trying to do. The fact that he keeps denying and won't admit he doped in 1999 blows his credibility for all subsequent years. This insinuates that he could not have won all seven Tour de Frances without taking illegal substances.

 

[markmaxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Usagi Well, you see what they're trying to do. The fact that he keeps denying and won't admit he doped in 1999 blows his credibility for all subsequent years. This insinuates that he could not have won all seven Tour de Frances without taking illegal substances.

I am no expert but, we show horses and they freeze samples from horses when a test is not currently available but maybe soon. They have caught the best of the best in the American hunter/jumper world.

Mostly tranquilizers but some anti inflammatory medicines too.

 

[Usagi]

I've never used performance enhancing drugs but I'm going to assume that it still takes an enormous amount of work to win 7 straight titles whether someone uses or not. I'm also sure that others have doped as well and did they win? No! It's a shame that he was caught, but that is what happens when you're on top of the mountain. Everybody wants to push you off.

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markmaxx I am no expert but, we show horses and they freeze samples from horses when a test is not currently available but maybe soon. They have caught the best of the best in the American hunter/jumper world. Mostly tranquilizers but some anti inflammatory medicines too.

Really? Wow, that's something. Still, in the horses's defence, he wasn't exactly in on it. Still, maybe he would be if he knew. "Hey, you mean if you give me that shot I can tuck my front legs up better and they won't feel so stiff? Well hand it over!"

I wasn't even aware hunters needed performance enhancers. I thought it was more about technique.

Shows you how much I know about hunt seat equitation.

 

[braillediver]

Wouldn’t a more accurate reading of the doping issue involve testing All the samples from All the participants of the 1999 Tour De France? That would be something interesting to see.


If they have evidence of Lance’s doping then revoke his awards? If they feel they have a case against him then press the issue instead of just slandering him in the press.

Basically the Tour De France leadership should put up and revoke his awards or shut up.


Mitch

 

[bangraman]

I've never been a fan of road cycling because of the nature of the sport. To succeed, the sport demands that you be a supremely driven utter person. People I know who have dealt with Armstrong seem to indicate that it is also true for him. I suppose that's why I go in for the niche sports even in the cycling arena where more chilled out people hang out. I wouldn't be surprised if he has been on performance enhancing drugs all along, but I also subscribe to Usagi's view.

 

[archosman]

Frankly I'm tired of hearing about him.

It's over, great athelete... enough. I've got a feeling this is more of a witch hunt than truth. Like you said... either put up and show the evidence or shut up.

 

[james__bean]

I'm one of those people that likes to reserve judgement until all the facts come out. But from what I've heard so far, it seems pretty clear to me that the French media is out to ruin Armstrong's reputation. Even if the accusations were true, the way the French media went about this is all wrong. From what Armstrong has said, Tour organizers have given him numerous tests, some of which other participants were not forced to take. They've continually put out these rumors of steroid use. Now, they have this latest accusation of steriod use with supposed proof of it. However the lab that did the testing will not confirm it.

I'm all for reporting the truth, but for all we know, it could be someone else who tested positive and this paper is just saying its Armstrong. We're forced to take the word of the French media who have been against Armstong for years. Then you have the fact that only 6 of the 19 tests he supposedly took came out positive. The drug that was positively match is suppose to stay in someone's system for months. So all of the cases should have matched. Then you have the fact that they only have the B samples of the two samples provided for all 19 of those cases. So even if all of this was true, Armstrong apparently can't be punished for anything without both samples. So despite the fact that Armstrong will not be punished and the accusation cannot be confirmed by anyone reliable, they still released this story. Sounds like we should be reading this in some tabloid. Despite all of this, the head guy at the tour still blasts Armstrong over allegations that cannot be proven at this time. These people are absolutely shameful.

 

[DLeeWebb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by james__bean I'm one of those people that likes to reserve judgement until all the facts come out. But from what I've heard so far, it seems pretty clear to me that the French media is out to ruin Armstrong's reputation. Even if the accusations were true, the way the French media went about this is all wrong. From what Armstrong has said, Tour organizers have given him numerous tests, some of which other participants were not forced to take. They've continually put out these rumors of steroid use. Now, they have this latest accusation of steriod use with supposed proof of it. However the lab that did the testing will not confirm it. I'm all for reporting the truth, but for all we know, it could be someone else who tested positive and this paper is just saying its Armstrong. We're forced to take the word of the French media who have been against Armstong for years. Then you have the fact that only 6 of the 19 tests he supposedly took came out positive. The drug that was positively match is suppose to stay in someone's system for months. So all of the cases should have matched. Then you have the fact that they only have the B samples of the two samples provided for all 19 of those cases. So even if all of this was true, Armstrong apparently can't be punished for anything without both samples. So despite the fact that Armstrong will not be punished and the accusation cannot be confirmed by anyone reliable, they still released this story. Sounds like we should be reading this in some tabloid. Despite all of this, the head guy at the tour still blasts Armstrong over allegations that cannot be proven at this time. These people are absolutely shameful.

Well said, absolutely!

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by james__bean I'm one of those people that likes to reserve judgement until all the facts come out. But from what I've heard so far, it seems pretty clear to me that the French media is out to ruin Armstrong's reputation. Even if the accusations were true, the way the French media went about this is all wrong. From what Armstrong has said, Tour organizers have given him numerous tests, some of which other participants were not forced to take. They've continually put out these rumors of steroid use. Now, they have this latest accusation of steriod use with supposed proof of it. However the lab that did the testing will not confirm it. I'm all for reporting the truth, but for all we know, it could be someone else who tested positive and this paper is just saying its Armstrong. We're forced to take the word of the French media who have been against Armstong for years. Then you have the fact that only 6 of the 19 tests he supposedly took came out positive. The drug that was positively match is suppose to stay in someone's system for months. So all of the cases should have matched. Then you have the fact that they only have the B samples of the two samples provided for all 19 of those cases. So even if all of this was true, Armstrong apparently can't be punished for anything without both samples. So despite the fact that Armstrong will not be punished and the accusation cannot be confirmed by anyone reliable, they still released this story. Sounds like we should be reading this in some tabloid. Despite all of this, the head guy at the tour still blasts Armstrong over allegations that cannot be proven at this time. These people are absolutely shameful.

VERY well said indeed.

Personally, I'd love to see him come out of retirement and stick it to the French cycling establishment that is trying so hard to smear him at least one more time.