the moment

[Anonymous]

watching the milk race from the roadside in about 83

 

[barmaher]

La Plagne, 1987.

 

[Old School]

I'm old

Geez, you guys are making me feel really old. 1990s? Ugh.

I was hooked when I watched The Badger beg for his Tour title and have Greg LeMond give it to him in 1985. Same time period 7-Eleven started...3 of them finishing their first Tour....Greg beating his own team to win it in 1986...Raul Alcala, Andy Hampsten....LaVie Claire!

Roach, Delgado, Charlie Mottet, The Professor....Greg's comeback. Things on the road were so much more unpredictable, who knew who was going to win?!?! The drama couldn't have been written any better.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

My old man road bike.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Tour 2007

 

[scullster46]

Even though it is widely regarded as the most boring race ever, the '09 Tour de France, and more specifically Verbier and the stage to Le Grand Bornard. I started watching this tour knowing nothing about the sport, and being American, I naturally rooted for Lance. However, Contador was the one who kept me glued to the tv, with his ability to accelerate and seemingly climb effortlessly. I came from a large running background, so I could immediately identify with cycling, and to me it felt like running on steroids. Faster speeds, more tactics, more tech. Also, I loved the fact that there were races almost every day, whereas in running you usually had to wait till Saturday's for all the big races. Although I still say that my first love is running, cycling has somewhat usurped running in many aspects of my life/

 

[jamiephillips]

Robert Millar's performance in the 1984 Tour was the beginning for me.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

 

[Echoes]

All those who started being interested in cycling via Bore de France (which means 99% of the posters) deserve a lot of credit, for me.

No way I could have really and I would understand all those people I know who think cycling is a boring sport.

 

[slowoldman]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

I'll admit it, I did.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I'll admit it, I did.

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

Contador dancing away from everyone on Angliru in 2008 (admittedly watched on Youtube) but it was the first time I had ever watched cycling properly and I was hooked from then on. Since then, have slowly started watching more and more each season - learning there are more Grand Tours than just the TdF , and learning about the Classics and then watching Canc destroy everyone last year. Cav winning MSR also helped with the Classics side of things.

 

[Kwibus]

All those who started being interested in cycling via Bore de France (which means 99% of the posters) deserve a lot of credit, for me.

No way I could have really and I would understand all those people I know who think cycling is a boring sport.

The mountain stages really were the only stages I was interested in pre-2010.

 

[Kwibus]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

I admired him for sure. No longer though.

 

[Tank Engine]

All those who started being interested in cycling via Bore de France (which means 99% of the posters) deserve a lot of credit, for me.

No way I could have really and I would understand all those people I know who think cycling is a boring sport.

a) In the late 80s in the UK all we could see was the Tour de France and (later) the Tour of Britain, so unsurprisingly most people of my era came to cycling through the Tour.

b) The "Bore" de France was certainly less boring then than at the turn of the millenium. '86 and '87 were great races (compare Roche collapsing at La Plagne to RoboLA).

c) Nowadays, I love the cobbles and the hilly classics.

As for LA, Did I admire him? For some time, yes. Love (or like) him? No.

 

[Squire]

I'd heard about Pantani's Tour win, Cipo's wins and the Festina scandal in the news before, and I probably watched some brief moments of the '99 Tour, but the 2000 Tour de France was the first one I watched extensively.

The main thing that got me hooked was the Kelme boys' exploits in the mountains, especially Botero. My favourite was Escartin though.
I also have good memories of Virenque and Dekker, the latter winning three stages that Tour. I thought Ullrich was scary.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Universal Sports got its own TV channel near me when US TV's switched from analogue to digital. I watched every day of the 2009 Giro and was hooked since after that. I liked it because it filled the gaps of track and field, and its different scale; longer races, more story lines, more competition diversity, among others.

 

[Angliru]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

I was big admirer up until the stage in 2003 (to Gap) where Beloki had his horrible crash on the descent that eventually put an end to his career. Armstrong was interviewed after the stage and in his own smug, arrogant way stated that Beloki was "riding beyond his abilities" and that's why he crashed. His standing with me went on a rapid, high speed descent after that.
I admit I had been consuming too much of the kool-aid and was blinded.

 

[jens_attacks]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

still do.
he beat every time my favs ulle and vino but that's how life works.he was the best of them.didn't cheer for him but no hate involved.cheered a lot for armstrong at his comeback,wished he will murder all these newbies.

i don't remember the moment but i remember the man...

 

[Angliru]

Nelson Vails winning the silver medal in the Olympics really opened my eyes to the sport but Lemond's successes in the Tour are what really got me hooked, along with his battles with Fignon and Delgado.

I can also thank Cannondale, who's fat tubed aluminum racing bikes really caught my attention. All the rest of the bikes (at least that were in my area) looked the same with their skinny tubes. Saw a white Cannondale with red Cannondale on the top tube with a blue seat, matching blue stem and that fat down tube! Back then it seemed so radical. I had to have it and once it was mine there was been no turning back. I've been totally caught up in the sport ever since and have 3 Cannondales in my stable with another one hopefully on the way with the plan to build it up over the winter.

To me this is the most beautiful of sports. I used be a big basketball fan and still enjoy the sport but cycling is in an entirely different stratosphere. For many it's almost like a religion, no offence or blasphemy intended.

 

[Midnightfright]

Nelson Vails winning the silver medal in the Olympics really opened my eyes to the sport but Lemond's successes in the Tour are what really got me hooked, along with his battles with Fignon and Delgado.

I can also thank Cannondale, who's fat tubed aluminum racing bikes really caught my attention. All the rest of the bikes (at least that were in my area) looked the same with their skinny tubes. Saw a white Cannondale with red Cannondale on the top tube with a blue seat, matching blue stem and that fat down tube! Back then it seemed so radical. I had to have it and once it was mine there was been no turning back. I've been totally caught up in the sport ever since and have 3 Cannondales in my stable with another one hopefully on the way with the plan to build it up over the winter.

To me this is the most beautiful of sports. I used be a big basketball fan and still enjoy the sport but cycling is in an entirely different stratosphere. For many it's almost like a religion, no offence or blasphemy intended.

With Andy Schleck being your Jesus

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

whgat made you fall in love with cycling, how did you become pasionate with this sport?

Personaly the year was 05 and it was the 21 stage in the tour de france
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI4QfcW7qnY

Never actually watched that before. From all the hype I assumed some sort of epic 800m solo attack. Bit surprised to see Vino was simply part of a genuine breakaway and did no work at all in the final km. Not exactly the attack mad cretin the reputation suggests.

 

[woodenswan]

I`d like to know how many of us used to love/admire armstrong..at one point in our life.

i did. still do. as i do admire all cyclists, as long as they dont set fire to one another or eliminate the competition with rocket-propelled grenades. he did neither of those things, so he's in.

 

[fedaia]

i had a moment.
before, i belonged to those who didn't understand people who take professional sports serious.
i mean, who really suffer from it.
then, tdf 2005 stage 11, vino on his way to briancon. me alone with the tv, no idea why i switched it on
..and suddenly i was in. a sort of shock i never really recovered from

yes, i suffered a lot in the meantime, as there were more than enough reasons, i even cried.
but hey, i travelled to the french alps, ride my bikes a lot more, and hopefully will visit the dolomites next year

 

[Peccio89]

I remember watching the Giro with my grandma when i was really young 3-4 years old, but i didn't really understand anything.

The true moment was 96 Ronde with Bartoli win, when i was 7.