Lance's Legacy: How Lance Changed Cycling

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J

joe1265

Feb 27, 2010
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8,830
Originally Posted by Roland Rat

5. Elevating the status of the Tour - Granted, in the US.
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Yaw, in da US, like it would matter anywhere else.

Lance's focus on the TdF and subsequent exposure in the US has change EVERYTHING about cycling. Before Lance Cannondale was the only US bicycling company with any committment to pro cycling. After Lance, you'g got Specialized, SRAM, Scott, Trek, more that I can't even think of right now.

The TdF will continue to be #1, but already the Tour of California has replaced the Giro as the second most important race in Pro Cycling.

Now that he's retired, expect Lance to have a hand in starting the Tour of Colorado, which will probably be schedule right smack in the middle of the Vuelta, leaving it to be contested soley by Portugese and Spanish Div II teams.

Major change fo-shure!!!!
 
Polish

Polish

BANNED
Mar 11, 2009
3,853
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Biffins said:
Just a brief of list of some of the innovations introduced by Lance/Johan that have changed the sport of cycling forever.

1. Recon
2. Wind Tunnel testing
3. Training to specific goals
4. Nutrition and recovery
5. Elevating the status of the Tour

Minor innovations.

6. Monitoring
7. Bike technology.

Conclusion

The impact Lance has had on cycling has been enormous
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Biffins, thanks for the summary!

Can I add a few more?

8) Putting the ME in TEAM.

Sure, there were great teams built around great riders in the past. For example Eddy and Big Mig, and to a lesser extent Hinault.
But Lance's legacy brought the strategy of Team Domination to the next level. At least during 1999-2005.

2009 reverted back into the nasty Hinault/Lemond teamwork model.
And 2010 took the "me" OUT of Team. Musketeer Status.

Will the goal of winning the Team Classification become another Legacy in the furure?
Hope so.

9) Starting a Foundation. Lance was among the first celebs to start a Major Foundation. Many many many others have followed in Lance's footsteps.
Some have even done the wristband thing.

But I think the legacy that will endure for ever is the 7 in a Row.

Will not happen again.
Not if riders are clean.
Not if riders are juiced.
Not even if they spot Alberto or whoever a minute each tour for the next ten years.

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven in a Row, consecutively, will never happen again. Too much EFFORT and FOCUS required to match that STREAK.
A truly lasting legacy.

Ok Biffins, thas it for now -although there are many more parts to Lance's
Legacy. Maybe this thread should become a STICKY?
 
Benotti69

Benotti69

May 26, 2010
28,143
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Polish said:
....

9) Starting a Foundation. Lance was among the first celebs to start a Major Foundation. Many many many others have followed in Lance's footsteps.
Some have even done the wristband thing.

........
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I can give 1 example and bet there are many more

I think Paul Newman beat that by a few decades..

"Newman was a co-founder of Newman's Own, a food company from which Newman donated all post-tax profits and royalties to charity. As of October 2008, these donations had exceeded US $280 million", started in 1982.

...but hey lets not let what happened before LA came along get in they way of the myth making.
 
nvpacchi

nvpacchi

Mar 13, 2009
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The fact that Lance pins his name and his trademark phrase all over his foundation puts a bad taste in my mouth no matter how much benefit it might do for cancer research. When I think of Livestrong I don't think of the fight against cancer, but I think of Lance Armstrong.

There are countless athletes who have started smaller foundations, who don't do it for the accolades and the publicity, rather because they care and want to make a difference in someone's or a community's life. Three great examples are Dikembe Mutumbo, Jamie Moyer, and Warrick Dunn. All started before Livestrong as well.
 
SilentAssassin

SilentAssassin

Jul 20, 2010
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nvpacchi said:
The fact that Lance pins his name and his trademark phrase all over his foundation puts a bad taste in my mouth no matter how much benefit it might do for cancer research. When I think of Livestrong I don't think of the fight against cancer, but I think of Lance Armstrong.

There are countless athletes who have started smaller foundations, who don't do it for the accolades and the publicity, rather because they care and want to make a difference in someone's or a community's life. Three great examples are Dikembe Mutumbo, Jamie Moyer, and Warrick Dunn. All started before Livestrong as well.
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Another Lance hater.

There are a lot of foundations that benefit from high profile celebrity figures. The Lance troll haters seriously use anything Lance does and puts a negative spin on it. They really should call this lemondnews, or landisnews. The majority of the people don't have the opinions of Lance as they do on these forums. If they did his foundation wouldn't be such a success, and all his sponsors would have dumped him by now. I think the forums are just a place for all the Lance haters to congregate it seems.
 
131313

131313

Jun 18, 2009
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GoGarmin said:
There is no question that Lance increased the visibility of the Tour in the United States and increased its popularity. This has translated into more riders and as a result we're starting to see a real influx of young American talent (starting with riders like Teejay van Garderen, and eventually including real studs like Lawson Craddock.) His rise also ensured full television coverage of the Tour here, which is great.
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I disagree. While Armstrong's personal profile may be higher than any other cyclist, there's been no "increased visibility" of the TDF. In LeMond's day it was shown on network TV, after all. And most people now still pay very little attention to the Tour, even if they pay attention to Armstrong.

Post LeMond, junior fields were probably at their highest levels in the US. Since the days of Armstrong (when I first race juniors, by the way), the junior fields were abysmal, and continue to be so. There's been growth of the sport, but at the master's level.

The influx of American talent coming into the sport now has everything to do with some unhearalded grassroots promoters and clubs, and almost nothing to do with Armstrong. I'd also suggest that it's no bigger than at any time over the last 20 years.
 
Y

yourwelcome

May 26, 2009
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Susan Westemeyer said:
None of those are exactly objective, are they?

Susan
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Hell no, nor are you - first to jump on the OP - nor CN. Nobody really is, but if you would like to claim access to 'exact objectivity' like the other Lance obsessives here, go for it.
 
H

Hillavoider

May 20, 2010
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Biffins said:
Just a brief of list of some of the innovations introduced by Lance/Johan that have changed the sport of cycling forever.
Click to expand...


you forgot systematic team doping, lance has improved that alot, he should really be honoured for that as his greatest achievment.
 
Bennyl

Bennyl

Jul 12, 2010
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Lance obviously divides opinion. Personally, the question marks over his career are too loud to ignore for me, however, you cannot ignore the fact that he put cycling on the map in many countries where there was zero interest before. For that, i am cannot complain because I love the sport and like many others, my interest now extends far beyond the TdF.
 
B

Biffins

Jul 8, 2010
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Susan Westemeyer said:
None of those are exactly objective, are they?

Susan
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Ok this is for Susan and all others who were saying that either my sources were invalid or my assertion was incorrect.

More specifically about Recon. About 5 or 6 people posted here how Recon has been going on for ages.

Well explain this interview. I am posting it below. And I think the source is impartial but tell me if I'm wrong there too.


Jean-Marie Leblanc, Directeur du Tour de France. Translated to English.
June 2001

"For Tour organizers, the French people and European journalists, there is a real curiosity about this American team that has done so well in the Tour de France. I believe this is something new with U.S. Postal. Because they are a little bit European.

They have a European Directeur Sportiff, many European riders, they've adopted a European cycling culture. And I feel that Johan Bruyneel in particular was determined to make the U.S. Postal team good. It's no surprise for me that U.S. Postal today is as good a team as a great European team. The team's behaviour is similar to that of a top Euro team, but with a champion like Lance Armstrong. He's been successful for two straight years.

The Tour de France has been around for nearly a hundred years. The Euro teams have drawn experience from this history. That was something that missing from the American teams before, but now they have caught up.

U.S. Postal understands that it takes the entire first half of the year to prepare for the Tour de France. What has impressed me is that these guys work the months of May and June doing almost a complete reconnaissance of the Tour de France. They study the climbs and the difficulties in a very professional way. They are the only ones to do this out of all the big champions.

One key to Lance's success is this shared appreciation of the best way to tackle the Tour de France."


So please explain to me how Jean-Marie Leblanc was wrong, or mistaken, or biased.
 
H

Hillavoider

May 20, 2010
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Biffins said:
Ok this is for Susan and all others who were saying that either my sources were invalid or my assertion was incorrect.

So please explain to me how Jean-Marie Leblanc was wrong, or mistaken, or biased.
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it took you that long to dig up a fairly ordinary quote,
 
H

Hillavoider

May 20, 2010
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Ninety5rpm said:
Really, I thought Festina and Telekom had that down pretty well on their own.
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i was trying to give him something, jeez, why not just give him systematic team doping as his trophy, he did do it better then festina or telekom did he not?
 
B

Biffins

Jul 8, 2010
79
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And here's Lance's interview regarding the Reconnaissance training.

Lance Armstrong interview, June 2001

Lance: "I don't know why it started. I'm not sure if it was that we didn't know the climbs or to just do hard training. In the end you end up accomplishing both. You know the courses perfectly and you also end up with 4, 5, 6 days of really hard training. I come out of these things a lot better than I go in. Stronger for the season.

So..... I think originally we just wanted to see the course. And the side effect was good fitness. But you know it's remarkable that nobody does the reconnaissance. But you know in cycling ..... errr...... everyone wants to do their own thing. They would never copy somebody else. So.... it's fine. I understand that."

Interviewer: "So it all becomes tradition"

Lance: "Well it is already tradition for us now. We'll see what the next generation of teams will do"


Lance confirming that none of the other teams do the reconnaissance. Stating that he felt they didn't want to just copy US Postal's training program even though it had been successful since they all wanted to do their own thing and be individual.

He also almost predicted that the next generation would be less likely to hold on to older traditions and adapt to the most successful methods/training, as has happened now.
 
H

Hillavoider

May 20, 2010
175
0
0
Biffins said:
And here's Lance's interview regarding the Reconnaissance training.

Lance Armstrong interview, June 2001

Lance: "I don't know why it started. I'm not sure if it was that we didn't know the climbs or to just do hard training. In the end you end up accomplishing both. You know the courses perfectly and you also end up with 4, 5, 6 days of really hard training. I come out of these things a lot better than I go in. Stronger for the season.

So..... I think originally we just wanted to see the course. And the side effect was good fitness. But you know it's remarkable that nobody does the reconnaissance. But you know in cycling ..... errr...... everyone wants to do their own thing. They would never copy somebody else. So.... it's fine. I understand that."

Interviewer: "So it all becomes tradition"

Lance: "Well it is already tradition for us now. We'll see what the next generation of teams will do"


Lance confirming that none of the other teams do the reconnaissance. Stating that he felt they didn't want to just copy US Postal's training program even though it had been successful since they all wanted to do their own thing and be individual.

He also almost predicted that the next generation would be less likely to hold on to older traditions and adapt to the most successful methods/training, as has happened now.
Click to expand...


lol at this troll thread.
 
B

Biffins

Jul 8, 2010
79
0
0
Hillavoider said:
it took you that long to dig up a fairly ordinary quote,
Click to expand...

What's ordinary about it. It's the Tour de France Director confirming that no other teams except US Postal did a Reconnaissance of the Tour and also confirming that they did a recon of almost the whole course.

Both these facts were raised by various posters in this thread to be inaccurate or incorrect and I'm providing evidence to back those facts up.
 
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