Armstrong's tour weight over the years

[Briant_Gumble]

I didn't want to post another Armstrong thread so I thought I would post this question here.

I am interested to hear from some of the more tenured cycling fans a chronology of when you think Armstrong started to use each class of drug.

For example it might be:

Amphetamines at 15
Corticosteroids at 17
Anabolics at 18 (semantics but testosterone is technically a anabolic steroid and he may have used others as a one day specialist).
EPO at 22
HGH at 22 stopped at 25
Blood doping at 29

These are very rough guesses from my knowledge more experienced fans might have more solid info.

 

[Neworld]

I cant watch the TV when a report comes on Sky about Armstrong. He makes my blood boil.

Now imagine watching the Tour all those years, YEARS, and listening to the negative propaganda about LA. And, watching an inferior rider beat better riders year after year.

Can't argue with the fact he was the best doper about though. Guy knew how to win the race.

More like he was the rider with the least self-respect and willingness to approach self-harm for the sole purpose of filling his bottomless hole of narcissism. Sad

 

[acoggan]

He certainly never lost 10kg due to cancer

Not permanently, but he did look rather skeletal just after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery (i.e., fall of 1996).

 

[red_flanders]

He lost hardly any weight at all, if any. In fact can you believe it, his HEIGHT is also subject to considerable conjecture, varying between 5'5" and 5'10". He has refused to be officially measured. Michael Ashenden has spoken at length on this issue. Compare pics of Lance with say Froome or Rasmussen, you will see he does not resemble a skeletal cancer survivor.

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden

Talks about the EPO fails, scroll down to "Cloak of Secrecy"



Rider weight is usually a closely guarded secret, it can give an advantage to competitors knowing what potential power outputs are.

Perfect, thanks very much.

 

[BroDeal]

My weight went from 155 at 8% body fat and 5 lbs over race weight when diagnosed to 134 at the end of chemo to 180 after post-treatment pigging out to 160 or less depending on what shape I am in.

Using the pig out value, I lost a ton of weight. Using pre-cancer weight, not so much. In fact, it did not change at all.

 

[patricknd]

My weight went from 155 at 8% body fat and 5 lbs over race weight when diagnosed to 134 at the end of chemo to 180 after post-treatment pigging out to 160 or less depending on what shape I am in.

Using the pig out value, I lost a ton of weight. Using pre-cancer weight, not so much. In fact, it did not change at all.

I gained 40 lbs during chemo

 

[Jack (6 ch)]

Coyle book, chapter 5, describes LA's early season work with Schumi.

February (2004): 'Armstrong currently weighed in at 79.5 kg, about 5.5 kg over his ideal Tour weight'

Some other good stuff in that chapter:

'as long as we are near 500 watts by the Tour..'

'Six point seven (w/kg).....if you are near it you can win. If not, you cannot'

'As long as he loses the weight and can produce the same power...'

 

[Neworld]

I gained 40 lbs during chemo

Were you on :
a) chemo and Prednisone
b) just chemo

 

[patricknd]

Were you on :
a) chemo and Prednisone
b) just chemo

chemo and dexamethasone. i took an antiemetic called emend that is a wonder drug as far as i'm concerened. i didn't miss any meals

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Coyle book, chapter 5, describes LA's early season work with Schumi.

Which Coyle book?

 

[Neworld]

chemo and dexamethasone. i took an antiemetic called emend that is a wonder drug as far as i'm concerened. i didn't miss any meals

First of all, congratulations on what sounds like remission.

Dexa is many times more powerful than Predn, and it enhances your appetite. Couple that with some antiemetics and one can still enjoy food without all the nausea.

As for LA, testicular cancer literally 'melts' away with chemo and the surgery he had was for debulking of larger nodules (surrounding his brain) which require further radiotherapy. His chemo would have made him feel ill. The cranial radiotherapy would have had an additive effect of nausea even with antiemetics and coriticosteroids. So, after the surgery he wouldn't have felt hungry; explaining the weight loss. I have empathy for LA in this regard, he went through a lot.

Overall, despite his propaganda machine, Lance was a butterball in the off-season and quite muscular when racing post Shumi. The illusion of being small, light and genetically dissimilar from other riders is over.

 

[Jack (6 ch)]

Which Coyle book?

The one directly about Lance (as opposed to the Tyler book), sorry. Published in UK as 'Tour de Force' but I think it has been issued under different titles elsewhere.

 

[sittingbison]

the chimera lung. Its his twin brothers second lung, seconded to Lance in the uterus. we need to put out an APB for John Gunderson. aka "one lung"

It very very nicely in his humpback. 2liters.

hehe don't forget his heart was three times bigger than a normal humans which also led to the benefit of his aerodynamic hump, and the tube which joined his trunk to his legs (normal people call this tube the aorta) was twice as big as normal.

 

[Jeremiah]

Its not possible to post anything about Lance without being slammed but imagine the pressure he was under to win 3,4,5,6,7. Once he started he couldnt stop.

I think thats how the lies really started to back him into a corner. Pressure, holding it all together, keep denying, monitor the press, make sure no riders are talking out of line. Repeat. Again.

How do you explain the comeback?

 

[Jeremiah]

Are you sure he was not wearing Tom Cruise shoes?

The guy even lies about his friggin height.

And according to CN he rides a 58 Trek, same as Hincapie. What a joke, 5'8" and he rides the same size bike as a 6'3" guy?

About 5% of the population tells the truth about their height.. WTF is that?

I love that celebrity height website. Kevin Bacon touts his height as 5'11". Friends who know him professionally and socially tell me he's no more than 5'6" and looks "tiny." Another favorite is Wahlberg who is like 5'5" but says he's 5'10" and is an incredible tough guy who would have prevented Flight 93 from crashing in PA...

Audie Murphy never lied about his height.

 

[sittingbison]

The guy even lies about his friggin height.

And according to CN he rides a 58 Trek, same as Hincapie. What a joke, 5'8" and he rides the same size bike as a 6'3" guy?...

Here is Armstrongs Trek:

Here is Hincapies Trek:

Here is Armstrong riding his "58" Trek lol:

 

[Jeremiah]

Here is Armstrongs Trek:

Here is Hincapies Trek:

Here is Armstrong riding his "58" Trek lol:

That bottom picture looks like a 52.

Here's some bonus lying..

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrongs-f-one-group-plots-the-hour

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/armstrong-preps-for-the-hour

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Funny. The record show no wins past 1998. The talent was there, but it's a story that often repeats itself in sports. Early sucess comes a bit too easy then laziness sets in and eventually the results suffer. If only he had been willing to work hard.

It is kinda strange that The Cadence god in cycling was just dream.

 

[Bratam]

I seem to recall that what Armstrong said under oath in the SCA trial (minimum 73-74kg's) was not consistent with what he wrote in his book "It's not about the bike" 71kg's from memory. LA a compulsive liar, so it is hard to work out fact from fiction in his statements.

 

[irongrl]

That bottom picture looks like a 52.

Here's some bonus lying..

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrongs-f-one-group-plots-the-hour

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/armstrong-preps-for-the-hour

So what ever happened to the hour record attempt? I know why he lied about it to begin with but did he ever give a reason why he didn't go through with it?

 

[acoggan]

So what ever happened to the hour record attempt? I know why he lied about it to begin with but did he ever give a reason why he didn't go through with it?

I have reason to believe that Armstrong was absolutely serious about the record attempt in 2009.

As for why he didn't make an attempt, though, your guess is as a good as mine - it might have been because he/his F1 team didn't think he could do it, or it might be because Comeback 2.0 took precedence.

 

[Cloxxki]

I have reason to believe that Armstrong was absolutely serious about the record attempt in 2009.

As for why he didn't make an attempt, though, your guess is as a good as mine - it might have been because he/his F1 team didn't think he could do it, or it might be because Comeback 2.0 took precedence.

Where would it have been?
Would being in one place for a stretch of time, plus the necessary post-attempt testing perhaps dent his bio passport too much? It could end up being lots of tests in a short amount of time. Hard to be respresentable.

 

[irongrl]

I have reason to believe that Armstrong was absolutely serious about the record attempt in 2009.

As for why he didn't make an attempt, though, your guess is as a good as mine - it might have been because he/his F1 team didn't think he could do it, or it might be because Comeback 2.0 took precedence.

I didn't know he was looking at it 2009. I had to look that one up:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2009...strong-tests-bikes-at-las-adt-velodrome_87459

I just remembered that he had used it as an excuse to be seeing Ferrari back in 2004 or so.

 

[irongrl]

Where would it have been?
Would being in one place for a stretch of time, plus the necessary post-attempt testing perhaps dent his bio passport too much? It could end up being lots of tests in a short amount of time. Hard to be respresentable.

That would seem to be a very good reason for him not to have made the attempt.

 

[acoggan]

Where would it have been?

Wherever I chose?

(I received a call asking for my input re. the best venue.)