Lance's Legacy: How Lance Changed Cycling

[Belokki]

Nobody has mentioned high cadence. Do you remember before Armstrong everyone tried to up the cols in 52 11s? Never occurred to them to then to use a lower gear until Armstrong came along.

He was so clever

lol...now's not a good time to be sarcastic

 

[Belokki]

Still shows nothing about his supposed saving of the sport, nor of increased interest in the sport due to him.

dude...what talking points would there be if there were Lance? Few and people would get bored quickly and lose interest...

I personally lost interest for a brief time in 2008 after the Tour it was so boring...no big names, no rivalries, no controversy, everyone just waiting for someone else to do somethin...

ps the forum was dead back then...nobody cared...

 

[Benotti69]

dude...what talking points would there be if there were Lance? Few and people would get bored quickly and lose interest...

I personally lost interest for a brief time in 2008 after the Tour it was so boring...no big names, no rivalries, no controversy, everyone just waiting for someone else to do somethin...

ps the forum was dead back then...nobody cared...

so without a loud mouth bullying doping texan, cycling is not interesting to you. that says more about you than it does about cycling.

 

[Barrus]

dude...what talking points would there be if there were Lance? Few and people would get bored quickly and lose interest...

I personally lost interest for a brief time in 2008 after the Tour it was so boring...no big names, no rivalries, no controversy, everyone just waiting for someone else to do somethin...

ps the forum was dead back then...nobody cared...

Ah, so you have no arguments, that's mighty fine than, from now on I can just not pay attention to anything you say. But probably we will no longer see you now that Armstrong leaves?

And to be honest, this forum was this year at its best during the giro when Lance talk was contained in its own thread and in the clinic and almost all posts were about the race

 

[this_is_edie]

One thing that Armstrong did change is his masterful use of media and PR. He and his entourage understood how to use the access that the cycling media craves to control his image.

 

[Belokki]

so without a loud mouth bullying doping texan, cycling is not interesting to you. that says more about you than it does about cycling.

coming from the back, eh? that says a lot more about you...

 

[Belokki]

Ah, so you have no arguments, that's mighty fine than, from now on I can just not pay attention to anything you say. But probably we will no longer see you now that Armstrong leaves?

No not really... I'm interested in the Schleck-Contador rivalry...

 

[Mellow Velo]

What part, 'cause that certainly isn't the case where I'm from, nor what I gathered from other parts of Europe

Here is an interesting 2006 piece from the NYT. It looks at how tv viewing dropped off after Lance's retirement, but also makes the point that the slump in Spain and Germany was due to OP and Ullrich.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/technology/21iht-tour.2260734.html

Some of the "facts".
65% of those who watch the Tour come from just 3 European countries.
52% of US viewers, turned off post Lance.

So, the conclusion is doping scandals effected the European fan base, while Lance effected half of a small minority, rather than globalise the sport.
The resurgence in the Sport in Europe is due to the perception that cycling has, to some extent, cleaned up it's act.
Lance's departure can only help in this department.


Belokki is unable to bring any evidence to support his and Biffins hot air argument.

 

[Belokki]

Here is an interesting 2006 piece from the NYT. It looks at how tv viewing dropped off after Lance's retirement, but also makes the point that the slump in Spain and Germany was due to OP and Ullrich.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/technology/21iht-tour.2260734.html

Some of the "facts".
65% of those who watch the Tour come from just 3 European countries.
52% of US viewers, turned off post Lance.

So, the conclusion is doping scandals effected the European fan base, while Lance effected half of a small minority, rather than globalise the sport.
The resurgence in the Sport in Europe is due to the perception that cycling has, to some extent, cleaned up it's act.
Lance's departure can only help in this department.


Belokki is unable to bring any evidence to support his and Biffins hot air argument.

Tv coverage... the hype on youtube, every news station covering his comeback, huge crowds whenever he raced, even the openly anti Lance commentator admited during the 09 Giro, "in the midst of the doping scandals, his draw is keeping cycling affloat right now"...
proof enough? Lance is an urban legend, like it or not...

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Lance is an urban legend, like it or not...

And urban legends are false and unsubstantiated -- something everyone believes but is not true.

Are you sure you want to call him that?

Susan

 

[Belokki]

And urban legends are false and unsubstantiated -- something everyone believes but is not true.

Are you sure you want to call him that?

Susan

you're right susan... he is a legend.

better?

 

[Roland Rat]

Tv coverage... the hype on youtube, every news station covering his comeback, huge crowds whenever he raced, even the openly anti Lance commentator admited during the 09 Giro, "in the midst of the doping scandals, his draw is keeping cycling affloat right now"...
proof enough? Lance is an urban legend, like it or not...

That's the closest thing to the truth you've ever said about him.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Tv coverage... the hype on youtube, every news station covering his comeback, huge crowds whenever he raced, even the openly anti Lance commentator admited during the 09 Giro, "in the midst of the doping scandals, his draw is keeping cycling affloat right now"...
proof enough? Lance is an urban legend, like it or not...

The only thing that your post proves is that you have absolutely no linkable evidence to support your self serving propaganda.
Come up with something concrete and we'll talk, otherwise............

Urban legend? Like a vampire you mean?

 

[Belokki]

The only thing that your post proves is that you have absolutely no linkable evidence to support your self serving propaganda.
Come up with something concrete and we'll talk, otherwise............

articulate hypocrite

i fail to recognize how this serves me... you have big words, but have no meaning.

 

[this_is_edie]

Speaking of his use of media. Check this out on Demand Media: PBS media site eyes 'content farms' where low-paid writers toil for your search clicks

In real newsrooms, accuracy is the prime directive. Corrections are expected and volunteered if errors come to light, and real journalists are dismayed if readers have been misled. Journalism is a mental discipline that values accuracy, thoroughness, and transparency; it can't be practiced as piecework in a word mill.

 

[mikeNphilly]

Well your list is kind of wrong Biffi.
But he did revolutionize blood refill day and the ways to hide and thought us how to bribe yourself out of positive tests by bringing money to the right people at the UCI.

I'm still waiting for Susan to ask you where you have proof of the claims, like she did of the OP of his claims.

 

[simo1733]

Everyone does that

Lance didn't invent stage reccon . Riders have been doing that since racing was invented. Even amateurs and club riders do it.I suppose Contador wouldn't have recconed the cobbles unless he learned from Lance. U must be taking the p**s

 

[montagna lunga]

LA was a cancer patient whose cancer went into remission because of medical treatments using "dope" that is legal for bonafide medical conditions (like cancer) but illegal for "performance enhancing"...problem for you idiots, is that the performance enhancing effects are permanent post-cancer ...add the 20 pound weight loss with no significant loss of power/strength. and you have a real conundrum ... people want to focus on some twisted "doper" label ... part of the conundrum and ignore the legality according to UCI of his treatment, the benefit of visibility for the sport, and the plain fact that the guy was the most-tested professional athlete in history. A condundrum? Can't answer the riddle...why not just leave it at that?

 

[TRDean]

LA was a cancer patient whose cancer went into remission because of medical treatments using "dope" that is legal for bonafide medical conditions (like cancer) but illegal for "performance enhancing"...problem for you idiots, is that the performance enhancing effects are permanent post-cancer ...add the 20 pound weight loss with no significant loss of power/strength. and you have a real conundrum ... people want to focus on some twisted "doper" label ... part of the conundrum and ignore the legality according to UCI of his treatment, the benefit of visibility for the sport, and the plain fact that the guy was the most-tested professional athlete in history. A condundrum? Can't answer the riddle...why not just leave it at that?

Biggest douch nozzle post of the day!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I have never been a huge LA fan but admired the size of his cojones.

Correction: cojón. Singular.

 

[BroDeal]

Biggest douch nozzle post of the day!!

Biggest load of lies I have read on CN so far today, but the day is young. He even managed to come up with a new one: The drugs used for chemo produce permanent performance enhancing effects. The weight loss lie and the most tested lie are standard stuff. I guess it is important to continue to keep the lies fresh.

 

[redtreviso]

Why would you flat out lie?

I mean something like Recon is so easily proven. There are literally dozens and dozens of sources confirming that US Postal was the ONLY TEAM to do almost a 100% recon of the course in '99 and '00. Some of the other facts I've stated you need to do a bit more research to follow up on but something as simple as Recon is so easily verified from literally dozens of sources.

Stop making stuff up.

Like Americans would need to "recon" the peak to peak highway in colo Europeans know all those roads and all those climbs..Recon bfd

 

[Paco_P]

Translation from Lance-speak

Just a brief of list of some of the innovations introduced by Lance/Johan that have changed the sport of cycling forever.
1. Recon

US Postal was the only team to do recon on almost the entire Tour de France from '99 to '05.

Also: vicious suppression of dissenters (simeoni).

2. Wind Tunnel testing

Although it was well understood that aerodynamics played a big role in Time Trial performance, Lance took it to a whole new level.

Lots of EPO.

3. Training to specific goals

Previously most teams used to train to fitness but US Postal changed the dynamics by always training to specific goals for eacch member.

Some of them needed testosterone too.

4. Nutrition and recovery

Nutrition was one aspect of bike racing that teams have always paid attention to but just like all other facts listed here, Lance's team took it to a new level. They studied and tweaked the nutritional aspects, and while in '99 and '00 they also started with the same old rice cakes and all, they advanced rapidly in both the type of nutritions used as well as monitoring their use in race. This was generally adopted by the best teams fairly quickly although a lot of the small teams are still ways behind, as demonstrated by Nicholas Roche's blog this year about having a hunger flat during a stage and maybe he should add more sauce to his pasta (!!!). Lance's team was also on the forefront in expanding the use and technique of the massages used to assist in recovery although nothing extraordinarily advanced compared to others.

Lots of EPO AND Testosterone.

5. Elevating the status of the Tour

While the Tour was always considered the most prestigious race, Lance elevated its status relative to other cycling races (especially the Giro) to the point that the Tour now consistently boasts a far stronger field than the Giro than it used to do in pre-Lance days. Part of this is adapting to Lance's style of doing recon and training for the Tour. If you feel that you need to train in this way to compete in the Tour, then you don't have time for the Giro (or need a much bigger team to participate in it and not focus or skip the Tour). The impact has only become more dramatic in recent years and now the stark difference in the field compeiting in the Tour versus all other races has only underlined the Tour's prestige and become a self-enforcing phenomenom. As more and more riders prioritize winning the Tour to the detriment of all else, it becomes more and more prestigious, in a cyclical reaction. Until some prominent riders de-emphasize the Tour, this trend will continue.

Shameless self-promotion.

Didn't Contador win the Vuelta and the Giro recently? Menchov?

Minor innovations.

6. Monitoring

Lance was obsessed with real time monitoring of not just vitals such as heart rate, which all riders used to do at his time, but real time monitoring of wattage and its relation with heart rate.

Don't want to die from the EPO.

7. Bike technology.

Lance was also pushing bike technology ahead but these innovations were generally copied very quickly by the competitors.

Have to attribute the effects of the EPO to something else.

Conclusion

The impact Lance has had on cycling has been enormous. The sport has dramatically changed from a decade ago and almost any team that wants to be competitive on the GC in the Tour these days has to follow Lance's blueprint for success.

Officially, that ended in 2006.

all teams must conform or be left behind. I think this is Lance's true legacy.

Back to Simeoni again.

Cyclists have been trying to use performance enhancing drugs for a century. All cycling has been trying to be on the cutting edge of PEDs and a step ahead of authorities. I am skeptical that even now the sport is drug-free. It's just move to subtler shade of human growth hormones that still can't be detected. If Lance did use PEDs, then he was no different than all other cyclists trying to stay a step ahead of the authorities' detection mechanism. Where he was innovative is all the factors listed above.

In fact he was nothing special.

Lance has had a greater impact on how cycling than any other cyclist and his impact is being felt today and will be felt for decades to come because of these innovations. Cycling will not return to the cuddly, friendly, traditionalist pre-Lance world. Cutting edge training and research is now a huge factor and looks to remain so going forward.

He is a god to all true sports lovers, a man like Sammy Sosa or Jose Canseco.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

You have to give them one thing, Lance and The Hog perfected the science of blood boosting and microdosing. Just look how many of their former teammates went down in flames trying it own their own once they no longer had the benefit of LA's supervision.

 

[Benotti69]

You have to give them one thing, Lance and The Hog perfected the science of blood boosting and microdosing. Just look how many of their former teammates went down in flames trying it own their own once they no longer had the benefit of LA's supervision.

with a lot of help from Hein Verbruggen and Pat McQuaid