Lance Armstrong

[Matty 0]

Having just watched lance win his seventh Tour De France title in a row ,a feat that has never been achevied by any other pro cyclist!!

 

Also the fantastic work he has done for Cancer Research selling over 50 million "Livestrong" wristbands what will the great man do after a well deserved holiday.....

 

Many people say he will run for office in the usa ....

 

What do our fellow American Board members think??

 

Matty

[torrenova 644]

Would not be quite the same if it was every man for himself rather than a team backing one man.

 

Is he still shagging Shania Twain ?

[tangent 42]

Is he still shagging Shania Twain ?

Last I heard he was married to Sheryl Crow and looking like a very happy guy.

[Matty 0]

Yes hes dating Sheryl crow ,they are not married.

 

Yes hes only as strong as him team, but even when individual time trials you cant hide behind your team .

 

IMHO hes one of the best athletes of all time .

 

Matty

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Matty,

 

Much as I would like to admire LA as an athlete I can't get my head round how was always beating the guys who were on some of the most advanced performance-enhancing drugs on the market. I guess I'm a bit too cynical.

 

Before the usual suspects mention Yank bashing, I had exctly the same cynicism when grandad Linford Christie was still competing at some ridiculous age.

 

Whatever happened to the Scottish guy who built his own bikes from washine machine parts?

 

Tom

Edited July 24, 2005 by CheshireTom

[olyboy 0]

Texas politics might be a bit much for Lance. Lets see what he does after the cycling really gets out of his blood. Other american athletes have done well but they didnt have a rockstar gf and a host of related issues of " doping " hanging over their heads either. I think he'll probably just chill and figure out he can use his fund raising ability best by staying out of politics and using Cheryl and other friends to continue his cause. I think he is to smart to subject himself to the BS that goes along with running for office here in the states. Not to mention the waste of money just to run that is spent on adds and staff.

[ashboy 22]

I'm prepared to go along with what he said after the presentation.

 

"I'm sorry you cannot dream big......you should believe."

 

Believe in the dream, and all things are possible. Even if he's filthy with drugs, its still an amazing story.

 

But if ever there was a pro cyclist who was clean, I believe its Lance.

 

 

 

And I'm guessing he'll try politics.

 

 

And I'm guessing he'll win.

[Matty 0]

Ashboy

 

Jon kerry was there at the tour on sunday in paris.................

 

Dont know which way Lance will go though as hes friendly with George w bush also.

 

Matty

[Niall 0]

My American friends who live in Houston seem certain he'll run for Governor as a Republican.

 

As for pro cycling. Chris Boardman was the best cyclist of his generation but never got anywhere in pro cycling because he wouldn't take the drugs. Sorry but given that 99% of pro cycling is dirty then either Lance is the most outstanding cyclist of all time by a factor of 5 or he's found some way to beat the tests. I have to say I suspect the latter.

[The Mook 105]

Why knock the guy? He trains harder than most guys on the tour; he also concentrates on winning this race almost exclusively. He has unlimited funds to gain every advantage. He has always said he will never have the resume of an Eddy Merckx, etc. He considers those people to be icons of his sport. He behaves in a sportsmanlike manner.

 

Why can't a guy excel at something very specific? Seems to me he has extraordinary mental fortitiude, and may have been even more motivated to excel after coming so close to death. He leverages his physical advantages (larger heart and main artery that runs down center of torso into your kegs) by surrounding himself with managers and riders dedicated to helping him succeed. He also owns a piece of his team, which allows him more discretion to choose his people.

[RWB 0]

I understand one of the reasons for his success is an enlarged heart. Half again the normal size. His "recovery time" is significantly shorter than most due to the large size. I believe he was born with it. One thing for sure, it does take a lot of "heart" to win in that sport.

[olyboy 0]

RWB

 

nope that is a medical condition you dont want to have. Lances VO2 max is 2x what a normal persons is. He was beating full grown men at tri - athlons when he was 15. Couple that with 3 or so % body fat and extreme desire to win. He used to be 190lbs when he started racing but the extra muscle in his upperbody took away precious oxygen and slowed him down. He is 160 lb now at 6 foot tall.

[Niall 0]

Yes he's a physical marvel but he's also gone through chemo and believe me that comes at a cost.

 

He certainly keeps dodgy company. Try this:

 

http://www.arpuerta.com/040917.html

 

Having said all this good luck to him.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

themook,

 

"He trains harder than most guys on the tour; he also concentrates on winning this race almost exclusively."

 

Unfortunately, this is identical to the defence offered by Kosta Kederis when questioned about his form and choosing to compete in one major competition each year. Oh, and the standard "I've never tested positive" reaction which, in LA's case, isn't quite true.

 

Tom

[yselmike 389]

Where were you on christmas day??"I was on my bike" that was his reply to a question

of why he was fitter than Jan Ulrich.

He never went on the piss or pigged out during his racing carrear.

He had a resting heart beat in the low 30s and a near record lung capacity

brilliant cyclist

[Gary 4,118]

Tom, Why do you always have to be negative??? If he were a Brit would you think differently or are you simply a negative person?

Edited July 27, 2005 by Gary

[spike 236]

It seems it is easier to say someone successful is a cheater rather than give him his proper kudos.

 

Armstrong is the most "tested" athlete of all time and he always comes up clean. Hard for underacheivers to believe that one so successful doesn't cheat, especially someone who nearly died from cancer. Give him his due, Armstrong is one of the greatest athletes of all time.

 

I don't believe he will enter politics though, especially in Texas. A divorced father in the bastion of family values? He has a big contract with the Discovery channel to develop and host television specials. Through his endorsement deals, it is reported that his fortune is over 50 million. Time to reflect, travel, relax and be a dad.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Tom, Why do you always have to be negative??? If he were a Brit would you think differently or are you simply a negative person? 

Gary,

 

No, I never mentioned anything about his nationality and it seems that it is only you that finds it somewhat relevant. (Kostas Kenteris is Greek BTW and sorry about my earlier spelling).

 

I was actually a big fan of Greg Lemond when Channel 4 in the UK first started programming the tour. But if you think I'm critical, just bear in mind that it was fellow-American Greg that labelled LA as "the greatest fraud in the history of the race".

 

If you read my first post in this thread I had already anticipated the same old Yank bashing arguments from the likes of you when I wrote:

 

"Before the usual suspects mention Yank bashing, I had exctly the same cynicism when grandad Linford Christie was still competing at some ridiculous age."

 

Hopefully that will answer your question.

 

As for outstanding US athletes, certainly in my llifetime, I would probably nominate Michael Johnson and Ed Moses as being up there. Who are your top Brits?

 

BTW, where do you get your persecution complex from?

 

Tom

Edited July 27, 2005 by CheshireTom

[BigDUSA 71]

Tom, Why do you always have to be negative??? If he were a Brit would you think differently or are you simply a negative person?

He's a guy with a narrow viewpoint of the world and he's a nit picker who thinks by casting dispersions on anyone who's accomplished any thing brings them down to his level.

 

I've known a few guys like him and once you get to know them you avoid them like the plague.

[spike 236]

As for outstanding US athletes, certainly in my llifetime, I would probably nominate Michael Johnson and Ed Moses as being up there.  Who are your top Brits?

After pondering this question, I think the best British athlete would have to be Eddie the Eagle.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

He's a guy with a narrow viewpoint of the world and he's a nit picker who thinks by casting dispersions on anyone who's accomplished any thing brings them down to his level.

 

I've known a few guys like him and once you get to know them you avoid them like the plague.

BigD,

 

Thank Christ for that. I thought for a moment you were going to claim to be related to Stephen Roche.

 

BTW, no need to spit your dummy out.

 

Tom

[Niall 0]

Well Eddie the Eagle looked and acted like a twat and is now apparently a hopeless drunk BUT to do the ski jump in the Olympics as he did you have to make the qualifying distance which is usually only about 10% less than the distance achieved by the winner and beyond most people's capability. Don't forget that they don't let just anyone jump.

[The Mook 105]

Tom: I just don't buy into your theory. Lots of riders during the drug scandals were booted from The Tour. Lance Armstrong was not. Someone has to set the new standard for a sport. He did it. He didn't come from nowhere and reduce his times by astonishing amounts. His victories did not increase in time every year; he does just enough to win. He has planned very carefully and refined his training and strategy relentlessly. His team is an intergral component of his individual success.

 

Merckx and Indurain won 5 times in row, so this kind of dominance is not unheard of in the sport, nor in The Tour de France.

 

To make such a strong accusation, it seems to me that you should back it up with strong evidence.

Edited July 27, 2005 by themook

[The Mook 105]

Spike: My 3 favorites...Jackie Robinson, Carl Lewis or Jim Thorpe.

 

I think Carl Lewis wins, though.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Tom: I just don't buy into your theory. Lots of riders during the drug scandals were booted from The Tour. Lance Armstrong was not. Someone has to set the new standard for a sport. He did it. He didn't come from nowhere and reduce his times by astonishing amounts. His victories did not increase in time every year; he does just enough to win. He has planned very carefully and refined his training and strategy relentlessly. His team is an intergral component of his individual success.

 

Merckx and Indurain won 5 times in row, so this kind of dominance is not unheard of in the sport, nor in The Tour de France.

 

To make such a strong accusation, it seems to me that you should back it up with strong evidence.

themook,

 

I would disagree that he didn't just come from nowhere. Prior to winning the tour he had competed four times previously and managed to finish only once, when he came in somewhere around 20th/25th or thereabouts. I think you would agree that is not a particularly strong pedigree by any stretch of the imagination.

 

You are right to say that he has lifted the sport to new heights but there again so did the East German swimmers and Chinese runners in their particular events.

 

Tom