Armstrong could never leave well enough alone

[tifosa]

Interesting article from Associated Press:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_ARMSTRONGS_LAST_RIDE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-07-25-20-09-25

Armstrong never seemed to be the type who would be the last to leave the party - least of all on these terms.

He's often said, "No regrets."

I reckon he has more than a few.

 

[Old School]

Good article.

 

[oncehadhair]

Good article.

Good where it mentions he is not happy being an also-ran.
Not so good where it mentions him revolutionising the sport.

The only thing he brought to the sport that wasn't already there was an oversized ego.

And its not like it caught on.

 

[tifosa]

Good where it mentions he is not happy being an also-ran.
Not so good where it mentions him revolutionising the sport.

The only thing he brought to the sport that wasn't already there was an oversized ego.

And its not like it caught on.

Yeah, I agree about his ego. I dare say the mold was broken with Armstrong. I will admit that he is FAR from my favorite rider (okay, dead last). He's seems to be such an obsessive when it comes to cycling, I truly wonder what he will do if he no longer competes in cycling (please, don't defend triathlon here--it's madness to attempt three sports in one competition--it's like, "let's play 5 hours of baseball, 3 hours of basketball, and top it off with 2 hours of futbol! what a great idea!").

It's not like they have a Senior's TdF--although they could do something akin to Tour de l'Avenir - how about Tour des Anciens? Could get a lot of former greats and could-have-beens back on the bike.

 

[eztarget]

I posted this in one of the "other" Lance threads. The guy should have left well enough alone.

I'm a Lance fan but the guy needed to stay retired. IMO he tarnished his image by coming back. It was just like watching Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards uniform. He was a shell of his former self and embarrassing. A lot of great athletes have all the talent in the world but there biggest challenge is controlling their egos and knowing when to get out. Very few do. Wayne Gretzky, Ray Bourque, John Elway come to mind on the list of guys that knew when to quit (and stay retired). Ray Bourque and Elway bowed out on top. LA had that opportunity and ruined it by coming back.

Michael Jordan, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Bjorn Borg, Lance Armstrong ... and a lot more. All guilty of chasing youth.

I know people were all over LA this time saying his was off the dope so he couldn't compete anymore but the main reason was age. I'm 42 and realize I can't do what I did when I was 35 let alone 25 anymore. The body just doesn't recover like it did when I was younger. I remember right after Ray Bourque finally won a Stanley Cup after chasing it for over 22 years. A reporter in the locker room asked him if he wanted to come back for ONE more year to defend the Cup. His response was perfect. He said, "I'm 40 years old and just cannot do this anymore. My body takes too long between games to recover and it wouldn't be fair to my team, or the fans."

Even without the crashes and flat tires there was no way LA was keeping up with the youth of AS and AC in the moutains. Just no way. It basically took all the energy he had to almost win a stage. One only need to look at the easy flat final TT. A thing LA used to dominate. He was horrible or more like he was 38 and looked it.

I really wish he had just let 2005 be the final chapter in his cycling legacy. It had the perfect finish. Now 2010 looks like that horrible sequel you regret going to see at the movies.

 

[R.0.t.O]

It's not like they have a Senior's TdF--although they could do something akin to Tour de l'Avenir - how about Tour des Anciens? Could get a lot of former greats and could-have-beens back on the bike.

+1 Definitely should be a seniors' Tour, it would be great.

 

[tifosa]

I really wish he had just let 2005 be the final chapter in his cycling legacy. It had the perfect finish. Now 2010 looks like that horrible sequel you regret going to see at the movies.

+ .5

I wouldn't say perfect, yet. But yes, '05 would have been a more "tidy" finish.

 

[Big GMaC]

+1 Definitely should be a seniors' Tour, it would be great.

+2, I would pay to see chubby Greg destroy LA.

Although some of the older guys will probably be on some meds so TUE's all round?

 

[Jericho]

I posted this in one of the "other" Lance threads. The guy should have left well enough alone.

I'd disagree. I don't get why people have an opinion of when a guy should retire. Just because a guy isn't the greatest anymore doesn't mean he has to hang it up. People always talk about when guys that lose a step and how they should go. I disagree. If someone wants to play, so be it. A guy like Chris Chelios keeps coming back to the NHL year after year because he loves it. He's not the player he once was, but he love to play, he loves the camaraderie, he loves the whole picture. So be it. Guys like that play not to please Joe Schmoe in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on when Joe thinks he should leave.

Eventually time catches up with everyone in some form. But people get too concerned with image and what appeases the masses. Athletes should do what pleases them.

 

[powerste]

Most interesting quote from that article that I believe still applies today:

"Whether as plaintiff or defendant, Armstrong has won every court case he's fought since"

And now, he's adamant that FL, GL, etc are all completely lying about him. The Lance we all know would've already slapped a lot of lawsuits on a lot of people. Yet, his only legal moves so far are Tim Herman's extended tour of BALCO defendants and the hiring of an expensive defense attorney.

His change of tack away from the-best-defense-is-a-good-offense seems very telling this time around.

 

[tifosa]

While Armstrong has never lost a case in court - it needs to be said those were civil cases.

Armstrong has now hired a criminal lawyer. Let's see how he fares in a case where he may serve time in prison.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

Armstrong "revolutionized" the sport? What a jackazz. This dope probably couldn't spell "France" until he read the flyer that came with his Official Lance Armstrong yellow rubber band bracelet.

This is a federal felony investigation. If the Feds consider Flandis and Hamilton credible witnesses, all they need is one other eye-witness from within LA's former inner circle and they'll be shopping for a Grand Jury.

 

[benpounder]

I'd disagree.
...
Guys like that play not to please Joe Schmoe in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on when Joe thinks he should leave.

Eventually time catches up with everyone in some form. But people get too concerned with image and what appeases the masses. Athletes should do what pleases them.

All that is fine and dandy. But I suggest you poll the Joe Schmoes in Milwaukee and Denver as to which Superbowl winning Quarterback earns more accolades.

Chris Chelios is not, nor has ever been a Raymond Bourque. When Ray walked away, his Jersey retired in two arenas.

 

[benpounder]

Armstrong "revolutionized" the sport? What a jackazz. This dope probably couldn't spell "France" until he read the flyer that came with his Official Lance Armstrong yellow rubber band bracelet.

Offered not in defense of Armstrong, but it is the uninformed that spread idiocy. Lance is fluent in French.

 

[SilentAssassin]

What's funny is that my thread which had nothing to do with doping is moved to the clinic section, and this thread that has everything to do with doping isn't moved to the clinic thread...is there a bias against Lance in cyclingnews forums?

 

[eztarget]

Offered not in defense of Armstrong, but it is the uninformed that spread idiocy. Lance is fluent in French.

I'm pretty sure he meant the author of that article not LA himself.

 

[Race Radio]

Most interesting quote from that article that I believe still applies today:

"Whether as plaintiff or defendant, Armstrong has won every court case he's fought since"

And now, he's adamant that FL, GL, etc are all completely lying about him. The Lance we all know would've already slapped a lot of lawsuits on a lot of people. Yet, his only legal moves so far are Tim Herman's extended tour of BALCO defendants and the hiring of an expensive defense attorney.

His change of tack away from the-best-defense-is-a-good-offense seems very telling this time around.

He hasn't. He never wins he settles. He lost against Walsh in France and Simeoni in Italy.

 

[Hugh Januss]

What's funny is that my thread which had nothing to do with doping is moved to the clinic section, and this thread that has everything to do with doping isn't moved to the clinic thread...is there a bias against Lance in cyclingnews forums?

You are right, your thread should not have been moved to the clinic..........it should have been moved to the recycling bin.

 

[danjo007]

tifosa, if all you have to do is ***** about LA, you need to look at your own life.
pretty sad, do you wanna talk about it?

 

[benpounder]

I'm pretty sure he meant the author of that article not LA himself.

... then my apologies.

 

[tifosa]

I have created less than a handful of threads on this forum. I am not a serial poster, I do not suffer from hypergraphia, I have only one user ID, and I am not afraid of stating my opinions. I do have a fine life outside of cycling and this message board (only 0.86 posts per day since 9 March 2009). I have a fair share of both personal and professional achievements and disappointments.


When I want to more closely examine my life danjo007, I will most assuredly PM you for help, after first removing you from my massive ignore list and re-enabling the PM function so I may solicit your advice and astute observations.


However, none of that changes the fact that Armstrong is facing an ugly and messy legal battle of epic proportions.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Was anyone else annoyed by these quotes?

"It was a very traditional sport, very old school, almost relaxed," he recalled.

"We just wiped it all clean and said, 'We're going to analyze every little thing - if it's the composition of a team, if it's a diet, if it's reconn-ing the courses, if it's the tactics, if it's radios, whatever it is - we sort of led the push there."

I feel like SI.com quotes this kind of crap all the time. American sports journalists just love this idea that cycling didn't become a "real" sport until Armstrong got his hands on it -- as though their sudden rise in interest in cycling in the late 90s somehow reflected an objective increase in the sport's merits. It's insulting to a whole century of great champions and (more locally) insulting to all those people in Europe who started pioneering the use of wind tunnels and aero equipment back in the early 80s. Francesco Moser ought to walk up to these guys and give them a fistful of his mind.

 

[Hawkwood]

Was anyone else annoyed by these quotes?

"It was a very traditional sport, very old school, almost relaxed," he recalled.

"We just wiped it all clean and said, 'We're going to analyze every little thing - if it's the composition of a team, if it's a diet, if it's reconn-ing the courses, if it's the tactics, if it's radios, whatever it is - we sort of led the push there."

I feel like SI.com quotes this kind of crap all the time. American sports journalists just love this idea that cycling didn't become a "real" sport until Armstrong got his hands on it -- as though their sudden rise in interest in cycling in the late 90s somehow reflected an objective increase in the sport's merits. It's insulting to a whole century of great champions and (more locally) insulting to all those people in Europe who started pioneering the use of wind tunnels and aero equipment back in the early 80s. Francesco Moser ought to walk up to these guys and give them a fistful of his mind.

Not disagreeing with you, but aero gear was catching on earlier than that, Merckx was talking about it during the winter of 1977/8.

 

[yetanothergreenworld]

Not disagreeing with you, but aero gear was catching on earlier than that, Merckx was talking about it during the winter of 1977/8.

You're basically reinforcing my point: crediting Armstrong, or crediting Lemond, with making cycling a high-tech sport is just factually wrong.