Lance Armstrong: Greatest Athlete of All Time

[byu123]

Don't shoot the messenger even though he did appreciate the article
http://www.101espn.com/post/13061_lance_armstrong_the_best_athlete_ever






Note: This thread dedicated to ThoughtForFood and his irresistable urge to start lets trash Armstrong threads.

 

[amp300]

This deserves a certificate...dimspace?

 

[dgodave]

Goofy, sure. But growing up I never ever never never ever woulda thought that a CYCLIST would even be on an American sportwriter's mental map, let alone a household name.
.

 

[elapid]

Goofy, sure. But growing up I never ever never never ever woulda thought that a CYCLIST would even be on an American sportwriter's mental map, let alone a household name.
.

That still doesn't make him the greatest athlete. Good, yes. Greatest American athlete, doubtful but maybe. Greatest regardless of nationality, never.

 

[clydesdale]

He's not even the best cyclist. Top 3 though.

 

[byu123]

This deserves a certificate...dimspace?

Of course it deserves a certificate. This is a sarcastic response to the Sarah Palin thread, which came first. It also deserves a certificate.

 

[dgodave]

That still doesn't make him the greatest athlete. Good, yes. Greatest American athlete, doubtful but maybe. Greatest regardless of nationality, never.

Of course. Thats why I said it was goofy.
.
But it does provide some perspective on the visibility of cycling as a sport in the USA.
.

 

[richwagmn]

Don't shoot the messenger even though he did appreciate the article
http://www.101espn.com/post/13061_lance_armstrong_the_best_athlete_ever


Note: This thread dedicated to ThoughtForFood and his irresistable urge to start lets trash Armstrong threads.

What's the point of your posts? You seem the one most in your face with your Lance comments.

You're a LA supporter. That's fine. But making inflammatory posts for the purpose of flame bait does what good?

Join the conversation man. Some good posts discussing team strategy for the upcoming stages in here.

 

[titan_90]

The writer of that article Randy Karraker is a twit.

"Oh, by the way, he overcame cancer to win the last six of those tours."

Do some research before you write articles on sports you have no clue about

 

[frizzlefry]

Michael Phelps has to be mentioned before any basketball player? how hard is it to dunk a basketball?

 

[byu123]

Join the conversation man. Some good posts discussing team strategy for the upcoming stages in here.

My posts for the last several days, this thread aside, have largely avoid discussing the "that older guy on Astana." I sensed there was a collective truce between the flamers on both sides of the issue to stick to the current issues in TDF. Then the "Sarah Palin" thread popped up and Voila this one did shortly after. See the "Note" in the original thread starting post.

BTW: See thread on "Best Descenders in GC?" For "strategy" in "upcoming stages." A very relevant issue which has gotten little discussion here.

 

[amp300]

Of course it deserves a certificate. This is a sarcastic response to the Sarah Palin thread, which came first. It also deserves a certificate.

Its a good thing you made another thread
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=1765

 

[Azdak6]

I don't know which is worse: the blubbering hagiography of karraker or the histrionic douchebaggery of gifford. Odd that a cyclist of all things should elicit such strong responses.

 

[richwagmn]

Don't shoot the messenger even though he did appreciate the article
http://www.101espn.com/post/13061_lance_armstrong_the_best_athlete_ever






Note: This thread dedicated to ThoughtForFood and his irresistable urge to start lets trash Armstrong threads.

It's just a dumb as hell claim to even make. Greatest athlete of all time? How would anyone ever determine that?

Just think of how different each sport is and the skills/physical attributes each one requires.

I love cycling. I love the suffering and tremendous physical effort it requires, but it's not a tremendously skillful sport is it?

Golf, on the other hand, requires very much less physical effort but it's skill level is far, far higher than cycling (though anyone trying to mimic Tiger Woods would probably be surprised at the physical effort).

Anways, absolutely stupid claim to make.

 

[The Falcon]

.
But it does provide some perspective on the visibility of cycling as a sport in the USA.
.

Hardly. It provides proof of the efficacy of Armstrongs PR machine and the American audiences propensity to lap up the Pro Lance jingoism.

 

[dgodave]

Hardly. It provides proof of the efficacy of Armstrongs PR machine and the American audiences propensity to lap up the Pro Lance jingoism.

Is that what youve gathered from your time riding roads in the USA and talking to people you meet?... or is that the perspective from afar?
.

 

[dadoorsron]

I would put lance armstrong as the Greatest American Cyclist of all time. The Greatest Tour De France Cyclist of all time. However, Not the top cyclist of all time. yes top 3 maybe.

Now I would put him as the greatest american endurance athlete of all time. Lumping athletes together isn't fare at all.

 

[The Falcon]

Is that what youve gathered from your time riding roads in the USA and talking to people you meet?... or is that the perspective from afar?
.

hey, i may be wrong and i hope i am. 10 years from now we will see.....i dont really think your general publics interest in Cycling is any more than an interest in Armstrong though.

 

[dgodave]

hey, i may be wrong and i hope i am. 10 years from now we will see.....i dont really think your general publics interest in Cycling is any more than an interest in Armstrong though.

Either way, the average pick up driver dude out here in rural America has a different view of cyclists than he used to, on average.
.

 

[The Falcon]

Either way, the average pick up driver dude out here in rural America has a different view of cyclists than he used to, on average.
.

hopefully its a more positive one and if so, then that is a good sign.

 

[copi lives]

Man, and I thought thta these other two guys were?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxtxQQLkJ0&feature=related

Believe, believe, believe . . . in what; in who?

 

[stephens]

I think I'd vote for Kelly Slater over Lance. His sport requires just as much fitness, more art, certainly way more courage, and he's dominated it for 15 years, winning 9 annual overall world championships and 42 contest wins (and with only about 10 contests on the tour each year, that means he won somewhere between 25% and 33% of the time!)

 

[slowoldman]

I think I'd vote for Kelly Slater over Lance. His sport requires just as much fitness, more art, certainly way more courage, and he's dominated it for 15 years, winning 9 annual overall world championships and 42 contest wins (and with only about 10 contests on the tour each year, that means he won somewhere between 25% and 33% of the time!)

Can't argue with you there. I will descend the moutains as fast as I can go, and will bang bars in a sprint. I will not paddle out into double overheads and I definitely admire the skill....

 

[Ninety5rpm]

The writer of that article Randy Karraker is a twit.

"Oh, by the way, he overcame cancer to win the last six of those tours."

Do some research before you write articles on sports you have no clue about

He thinks Lance won the tour once before he got cancer? What a moron.

Think he got confused with Lemond, who won the Tour, got shot, and then came back from that?

 

[The Falcon]

Can't argue with you there. I will descend the moutains as fast as I can go, and will bang bars in a sprint. I will not paddle out into double overheads and I definitely admire the skill....

there is a big difference between courage and having a distinct lack of imagination.