Lance's latests Tweets: Hard to believe

[ProTour]

Some of the custom painted Lance Armstrong Livestrong bikes that Lance rode this year were auctioned off in the last few days to raise funds for his LiveStrong cancer campaign, and the results are quite shocking. Lance detailed some of the action from the auction on his Twitter page(my comments in parenthesis):

1. http://twitpic.com/nyiy5 - Jamie Niven (the legend) from Sothebys ran the auction tonight. Thanks Jamie!!!about 4 hours ago from TwitPic(Niven volunteered his time for the auction, Lance thanking him here)

2. Thank you to Sothebys for hosting us and donating ALL of their work to @livestrong. You rock!about 4 hours ago from UberTwitter(Amazing that Sothebys did the auction for free, it shows you how respected he is)

3. 1.3 mil raised for @livestrong!!! So incredibly humbling.about 4 hours ago from UberTwitter(wow!)

4. "Stolen Bike" goes for 130,000.00!!!about 4 hours ago from UberTwitter(This is the bike we all know was stolen during the TdC, which Lance put out a APB on Twitter at the time. A notorious bike, whoever got it will have a good story to tell. This bike is hot, or at least it was.)

5. The "Stolen Bike" is up next...about 4 hours ago from UberTwitter

6. The Newsom goes for 110,000.00!about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(This one was one of Lance's personal faves, I heard the frame is a little stiffer than most of his frames)

7. Marc Newsome is up next..about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter

8. KAWS goes for 160,000.00. Stunned.about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(This one had an unbelievable paint job, if you saw it you won't forget it)
9. The KAWS is up next..about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter


10. The Shep Fairey goes for 110,000.00!! This is insane..about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(This bike was painted by a famous graffiti artist, a TT machine with a rebel attitude)

11. The Shep Fairey is up next.about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter

12. The NARA goes for 200,000.00!!! 200 grand!about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(The fact that it was ridden in the TDF must have provided a boost to the auction price.)

13. The Nara is up next. Rode it in the Annecy TT from this year's TdF.about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter

14. The Kenny Scharf TT bike from the Giro goes for 45,000!!!about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(This was one of his best looking bikes, I'm surprised it didn't go for more)

15. The Hirst bike from the Champs Elysses goes for 500,000.00!!! Half a million bucks!!!about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(It's interesting this bike sold for half a million; that was the value of the pencils that a graffitti artist stole(or "borrowed") from Hirst out of revenge. Hirst is a British artist who used to get no respect, but now he does. Lance owns several of his paintings)

16. About to start the art bike auction here at Sothebys. All proceeds to @livestrong. It's on!!!about 5 hours ago from UberTwitter(Lance getting everyone fired up)

17. Huge thanks to all #LIVESTRONG runners who ran NYC today. Raised more than 850k so far and counting...!!!about 8 hours ago from UberTwitter(This is a reference to another fundraiser for LiveStrong. Add this to the auction total, and Livestrong raised over $2 million in two days!)


I'm amazed that people are willing to pay so much for Lance's bikes, but it's great, since it's for a noble cause. I can't think of any other cyclist, or any athlete for that matter, who has more successfully raised awareness for a cause like Lance has with Cancer. We are lucky he is a cyclist.

 

[BroDeal]

Armstrong is a liar and a fraud. We are not lucky at all to have someone like that holding himself out as a role model. We might as well worship Bernie Madoff, who also used to support all sorts of charities.

 

[53 x 11]

Never before has the phrase deluge of crap been so apt.

Thankyou Arbiter.......I mean ProTour.

 

[53 x 11]

 

[unsheath]

His blood sweat and tears are on those bikes. Literally.

At those prices, I hope the new owners inherit the magical cadence as well.

 

[ProTour]

Armstrong is a liar and a fraud.

Actually, all the information posted here is correct. People actually paid these amounts for these bikes. I know it seems like a lot, but these are famous artists, and people sometimes pay more than that for some of the paintings they produce.

If you don't appreciate art, fine. But some people do, and they are willing to pay a big price for it. Deal with it.

We are not lucky at all to have someone like that holding himself out as a role model.

When has Lance ever said: "I am a role model." He never has, you just lied yourself. See, now you are the liar and fraud. And now a hypocrite.

We might as well worship Bernie Madoff, who also used to support all sorts of charities.

It wouldn't surprise me if you did, based upon the logic you've shown in this post.

You probably don't even know how many TdF stage wins Lance has, do you?

 

[WonderLance]

Yeah, all those artists are amazing, espectically that one who did the bike with all the squashed bugs on it.....then there was the yellow and black one; the black and yellow one; the yellow one with and bit of black and the mostly black one with yellow touches.

Did you know that having a bike decorated by a post structualist artist (or by his helpers) can save you 3 minutes in a 50km TT or 20 Watts! That is amazing.

BTW it is great that we are finally having a discussion on contemporary arts relationship with the Mighty Mono Testicaled One cos I was getting really piissed off with all this procycling talk.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Moving this.

Either restrict your comments to the artwork aspect or refrain from commenting.

Thank you.

Susan

 

[gregod]

Armstrong is a liar and a fraud. We are not lucky at all to have someone like that holding himself out as a role model. We might as well worship Bernie Madoff, who also used to support all sorts of charities.

C'mon, BroDeal. Everybody now knows you are Lance. I read it on the internet so it must be true.

 

[Race Radio]

Never underestimate the Armstrong Groupies. $100,000 just so they can stiff Armstrong's saddle, that is obsession.

Personally I would only pay that much for one of these

 

[fatandfast]

I am often amazed at the art and graphics on bicycles of all types. In my early mountain bike days we stacked our bikes in a pile and ate BBQ'd chicken and hot dogs and drank beer with our fellow racers. Not to mention MTB polo and soccer. A bike will always be a tool to me and all the bent and broken stuff I have thrown away makes no bike all that important. Anybody paying 45k for a bike should not ride it, or any other bike. Hang it on a wall, it's only art.

 

[mitchman]

Good for LiveStrong..and great for the sport of cycling....and another stamp in the book about how far LA is above all another cycling stars in mass reaching power......he really helps bring the sport to another level.

Makes me think, what would someone pay for a AC bike??

 

[dolophonic]

Nice call Race Radio, had not seen that bike before,sweet.

 

[ggusta]

Good for LiveStrong..and great for the sport of cycling....and another stamp in the book about how far LA is above all another cycling stars in mass reaching power......he really helps bring the sport to another level.

Makes me think, what would someone pay for a AC bike??

I wouldn't pay much for AC's bike, I would pay for an LA bike only in the interest of 'flipping' for more than I paid it and taking advantage of people with more dollars than sense.

He DOES help the sport to some extent, such as trying to bring stage racing back to Colorado and he gets more overweight Americans (such as myself )aware of cycling as a low impact outlet for needed exercise.

But he is much more about bringing celebrity worship to a higher level and that is sad. It's more telling about those willing to part with valuable cash that could be spent on investing in profitable/job creating ventures than wall art to help our foundering economy. He is just taking advantage of the demand by these worshippers to own a piece of celebrity. But it's their money, they can spend it any way they feel like. It's just a sad symptom of our culture.

What can be done?

Oh, and he helped me become aware of cancer, which I had no idea existed before he showed up.

 

[Race Radio]

Nice call Race Radio, had not seen that bike before,sweet.

It is a Keith Haring Cinelli, I have wanted it for 20 years.

 

[ProTour]

I wouldn't pay much for AC's bike, I would pay for an LA bike only in the interest of 'flipping' for more than I paid it and taking advantage of people with more dollars than sense.

I'm curious as to why you think these people have more dollars than sense, if you yourself think that the value will go up?

He DOES help the sport to some extent, such as trying to bring stage racing back to Colorado and he gets more overweight Americans (such as myself )aware of cycling as a low impact outlet for needed exercise.

But he is much more about bringing celebrity worship to a higher level and that is sad.

Because a famous athlete uses his fame to help a worthy cause, that is bringing celebrity worship to a higher level? What is sad about that? His life was threatened by cancer, and now he wants to help others who face the same situation, and you somehow think this is a bad thing? It's somehow a bad thing that he becomes more famous from helping the fight against cancer, because then he will be even more effective in raising awareness about cancer in the future? Is that really how your logic works? Or is he simply just too famous for you, and you don't think cyclists deserve to be as famous as basketball and football players who do exactly what Lance is doing?

It's more telling about those willing to part with valuable cash that could be spent on investing in profitable/job creating ventures than wall art to help our foundering economy.

So getting the economy going is a more noble cause than helping in the fight against cancer? I see how you are.

He is just taking advantage of the demand by these worshippers to own a piece of celebrity. But it's their money, they can spend it any way they feel like. It's just a sad symptom of our culture.

It's not just a piece of celebrity. The bikes are celebrity(both the artists and Lance), world-class art, and cutting-edge ProTour cycling performance all rolled into one. Yeah, it's really "sad" that people appreciate those things.

What can be done?

You can donate to LiveStrong.

 

[Sprocket01]

ProTour, excellent post - thanks for highlighting this to my and others attention.

If Armstrong was a Brit he would have been knighted a long time ago for these honourable works for charity. Sir Lance Armstrong.

 

[Sprocket01]

Cycling news picks up on it....

Armstrong's custom designed bikes raise $1.25 million
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrongs-custom-designed-bikes-raise-dollar-1-25-million

 

[richwagmn]

Good for cancer.

Doesn't change the fact that LA's douche bag.

 

[Anonymous]

my only comment is, there are a lot of cancer sufferers who receive support from livestrong, who will be mighty grateful for another million raised.. just as cancer sufferers all over france are grateful that all of the money from livestrong bands sold in france went to french cancer charities..

 

[progressor]

I wouldn't pay much for AC's bike, I would pay for an LA bike only in the interest of 'flipping' for more than I paid it and taking advantage of people with more dollars than sense.

Exactly how the art world works, although the people who buy it will probably gain as well. This is an art world situation, cycling is just the flavour. If you think LA is full of sh!t, at least he was actually very good at something, which is way way more than you can say for a lot of very rich artists.

EDIT: The livestrong financial question is in the other thread

 

[Race Radio]

Man, I must be getting old but I just do not get Damien Hirst. He just screams Billionaire, hedge fund, Russian Oligarch, with no taste and lots of $$$$$

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Hard to believe some people still have that much money to pay for this, while tens of thousands, actually millions of people in this country have no work, and no health care. I believe the statistic is now that one in six families in the US are below the poverty level.

 

[Sprocket01]

Man, I must be getting old but I just do not get Damien Hirst. He just screams Billionaire, hedge fund, Russian Oligarch, with no taste and lots of $$$$$

Yeah, people who use private jets and the like. I agree

 

[scribe]

Man, I must be getting old but I just do not get Damien Hirst. He just screams Billionaire, hedge fund, Russian Oligarch, with no taste and lots of $$$$$

His work was a fad situation coming out of a group in England in the early nineties. To be fair, he is a bright guy and I find much of his work to be intellectually engaging. Without looking at google, I am quite sure those butterflies are the real thing and not stickers. He had made several 'stained glass' windows in the style of cathedral windows, all made with 100% real butterflies. The story goes that someone else was already doing it and he 'stole' the idea and ran with it to the bank. In fact, much of his work other body of work is under the same scrutiny.

All told, I don't really get the value of that bike either. It must be primarily driven by the fund-raising aspect. Did they actually list the winners of the auction anywhere?