The Official LANCE ARMSTRONG Thread 2010-2011

[python]

So if I understand this correctly, the entire Radioshack team is kept from riding the 2nd most important race of the year because the organiser refused to pay a humungous appearance fee to a has-been that likely would have been pack fill this year.

Good team play Lance. All about cancer, right?

I don't know what cycling will do once he returns into his hole for good.

yes, you understood it the way i did. the original text stressed those exact words 'note -the main reason' quarrel with lance on financial grounds

i can only see 2 situations:

(i) zomengan refused to dish out 2 million euros after texas instigated the that rider protest in 2009
(ii) zomengan refused to pay appearances for 2010 for someone who placed a lowly 12th.

good on zomengan.

 

[Roland Rat]

So if I understand this correctly, the entire Radioshack team is kept from riding the 2nd most important race of the year because the organiser refused to pay a humungous appearance fee to a has-been that likely would have been pack fill this year.

Good team play Lance. All about cancer, right?

I don't know what cycling will do once he returns into his hole for good.

Not to mention the sponsors... you know, the people who pay his salary.

Although it obviously isn't much if he has to supplement it with appearance fees.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

Look out for the stickers on Lance's bike...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlhHYg6hxQY

 

[frenchfry]

Look out for the stickers on Lance's bike...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlhHYg6hxQY

I don't think he will be riding for my wife, she hates Lance about as much as she hates cancer. Maybe all that hate will make them both go away fast though.

 

[Laszlo]

I noted from the photos of the press conferece everyone is wearing short sleave t-shirts etc. because its hot and Lance is rugged up in a gut hiding jumper and wind jacket!

My god his speech was just so lovely. Its amazing that he juggles his family life with being a professional cyclist. There are no other professional cyclists who have juggle family life and cycling. Lance is the only one and he is amazing for doing so.

Photos: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/news/armstrong-candid-about-condition-tour-ambitions_116161

Contador really got in his head and made him confort eat.

yeah, you failed to point out how puffed out his cheecks were- there's no hiding excess fat there

 

[BroDeal]

Jeebus on a pogo stick. Take a look at Velosnooze's site. There is a permanent pic of Armstrong in the background. It is an ad but it is still a bit too much. It makes Velonews look like a fan site instead of a general cycling new site.

 

[Publicus]

yeah, you failed to point out how puffed out his cheecks were- there's no hiding excess fat there

He's definitely very fit right now. His cheeks have the same hollowed out look he had at last year's TdF. I think all this hedging talk is just that, hedging. He's not going to be a lot stronger than he was last year (as he and others expected coming into the year), but I don't expect him to be any weaker.

Will be curious to see if he can make a mark in the TT.

 

[thehog]

in a recent interview popovich spills some spicy beans on armstrong, the giro and the team mate’s doping case

(i) ‘the main reason the shack is not in the giro is because armstrong had a qurrel with zomengan on financial grounds’
(ii) “lance will stop after the tour. no one talks about it but... 2+2=4”
(iii) (one of the versions that bruyneel concealed)
Li Fuyu was likely given something by his other coach.

The other worry here is when Lance drops so will Radioshack. The entire sponsorship was based on a knee-jerk reaction to Contador without really thinking it through.

I think riders like Popo etc. know that they will be hard pushed to sign for a new team next year for two reasons. One is I don’t think there is much want for former Lance yes men and second they’re all too old. They certainly won’t get the money they’re getting now.

There’s also the problem the entire year has been a limited wristed attempt at being a ProTour team. They really only wanted to ride ToC and the Tour and anything outside of that doesn’t matter. That’s hard to stomach for some of the riders who want to compete during the year. Look at Taigargo Marchahdop. He’s shown some promise but there’s absolutely no interest in developing him as a rider. None. The whole concept wasn’t really thought out. Radioshack have no reason to be advertising in Europe. Its just pointless for them. I did hear that they were dropping at the end of this year sometime ago but I thought it just rumour. But I now can seeing it happening. Now didn’t Lance say he’d never let his team be unhappy ? that’s he’d pay them more money and that Contador should look in the mirror because he’s team walked out the door?

I think the last point is that everyone is just sick of Lance. Including his own team. He's bailed on them.

 

[Berzin]

Is Lance giving Levi "The Look"?

And what is up with Leipheimer's head? He looks like an alien...

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

The other worry here is when Lance drops so will Radioshack. The entire sponsorship was based on a knee-jerk reaction to Contador without really thinking it through.

Um, how do you know it wasn't thought through? Radioshack are a big company who will have a lots of smart people working for them - I'm sure they know what they are doing. And rumours of Armstrong creating a new team were around for months before the tour last year. The reason the announcement was rushed out near the end of the tour was to use the unique spot light of the tour before it went. It wasn't all just cooked up in a day to spite Contador, though obviously it also had that effect.

 

[Publicus]

Is Lance giving Levi "The Look"?

And what is up with Leipheimer's head? He looks like an alien...

I think he should never be without a hat. Or a bandanna. Never.

EDIT: He really is an alien:

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

It looks like Armstrong should have a 'I ride for Leipheimer' sticker on his bike.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Is Lance giving Levi "The Look"?

And what is up with Leipheimer's head? He looks like an alien...

When he is on his bike, he looks he wears a helmet over a helmet. He ought to sell ads on his noggin, they'd be visible from the space shuttle.

But we're not supposed to discuss what people look like according to another thread.

 

[Roland Rat]

It looks like Armstrong should have a 'I ride for Leipheimer' sticker on his bike.

Dude. That's just wrong. Poor form.

 

[thehog]

Um, how do you know it wasn't thought through? Radioshack are a big company who will have a lots of smart people working for them - I'm sure they know what they are doing. And rumours of Armstrong creating a new team were around for months before the tour last year. The reason the announcement was rushed out near the end of the tour was to use the unique spot light of the tour before it went. It wasn't all just cooked up in a day to spite Contador, though obviously it also had that effect.

It wasn’t thought through at all. Agreed he was talking to several companies for a few months but Lance was pitching himself being around for 3+ years or so. So for a US sponsor to get on board they are getting on board with Lance. Not with a bunch of aging hacks from Europe. So the idea was born to gut the Astana team bar Contador and ride on to the sunset until 2013. But now Lance can’t be bothered anymore that he realises that Contador is just too good and too smart for him he wants to go home and pack up shop. But what of the contracts? And the promises he made to his team and sponsor? Do you really think an electrical retail outlet in the US only wants to capture a market in Italy in case those people once travelled the US on holiday? No they don’t. Team will fold at the end of the year and its to the unemployment queue for the team and staff. Lance has made his money. He won. The others not. They can already see the writing on the wall.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

It wasn’t thought through at all. Agreed he was talking to several companies for a few months but Lance was pitching himself being around for 3+ years or so. So for a US sponsor to get on board they are getting on board with Lance. Not with a bunch of aging hacks from Europe. So the idea was born to gut the Astana team bar Contador and ride on to the sunset until 2013. But now Lance can’t be bothered anymore that he realises that Contador is just too good and too smart for him he wants to go home and pack up shop. But what of the contracts? And the promises he made to his team and sponsor? Do you really think an electrical retail outlet in the US only wants to capture a market in Italy in case those people once travelled the US on holiday? No they don’t. Team will fold at the end of the year and its to the unemployment queue for the team and staff. Lance has made his money. He won. The others not. They can already see the writing on the wall.

You have a habit of asserting things without knowing them to be true. Again I just don't think it's very likely that Radioshack or Lance did not know what they were doing. RS had just seen Armstrong get beaten into third at the tour and they knew how old he was, so what your saying doesn't sound very likely. It may have seemed rushed from your position but behind the scenes these top business people will have studied it carefully before agreeing to anything.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

New update from LA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MO3zVR5h5M

 

[alberto.legstrong]

It wasn’t thought through at all. Agreed he was talking to several companies for a few months but Lance was pitching himself being around for 3+ years or so. So for a US sponsor to get on board they are getting on board with Lance. Not with a bunch of aging hacks from Europe. So the idea was born to gut the Astana team bar Contador and ride on to the sunset until 2013. But now Lance can’t be bothered anymore that he realises that Contador is just too good and too smart for him he wants to go home and pack up shop. But what of the contracts? And the promises he made to his team and sponsor? Do you really think an electrical retail outlet in the US only wants to capture a market in Italy in case those people once travelled the US on holiday? No they don’t. Team will fold at the end of the year and its to the unemployment queue for the team and staff. Lance has made his money. He won. The others not. They can already see the writing on the wall.

It would be interesting to see if they work terribly hard for him as USPS did or just sort of soft-pedal. "Carry your own fat @ss up this hill, Old Man!"

Or, just fake an illness and bail out of the tdf.

 

[thehog]

You have a habit of asserting things without knowing them to be true. Again I just don't think it's very likely that Radioshack or Lance did not know what they were doing. RS had just seen Armstrong get beaten into third at the tour and they knew how old he was, so what your saying doesn't sound very likely. It may have seemed rushed from your position but behind the scenes these top business people will have studied it carefully before agreeing to anything.

Yes Radioshack thought it through thinking Armstrong would still be riding until 2013. Similar to Discovery I’m sure the is a t&c that once Lance drops they can pull sponsorship. Which they will. You’re the one making assertions that a company like Radioshack wants to market itself in Europe where its has zero stores. Come on! Who we kidding here? You really think they want to advertise in Europe with no chance of gaining any custom in those countries? You tell me what the business plan is other than paying Armstrong’s salary.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

Yes Radioshack thought it through thinking Armstrong would still be riding until 2013.

How do you know that? It never seemed very likely he would do more than one year, and he has never said otherwise.

And how do you know he won't continue to run aspects of the team after he retires?

You just spread all this nonsense without knowing anything.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

How do you know that? It never seemed very likely he would do more than one year, and he has never said otherwise.

And how do you know he won't continue to run aspects of the team after he retires?

You just spread all this nonsense without knowing anything.

Serious question for anyone with more free time than I do. how many stores do they have in Europe, do they have an initiative to penetrate that market? What is their goal in Europe? What % of their total sales comes from europe?

I don't know the answers, but if they aren't serious about gaining a foothold in Europe, then this sponsorship is based on building its brand in America.

 

[BroDeal]

Radio Shack's goal was to raise the company's public profile to increase the chance and price of a buyout. The execs plan on walking away with stuffed pockets if the plan works.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Is Lance giving Levi "The Look"?

It looks like Lance is checking out Levi's new 'Road I.D.' tattoo...

 

[Publicus]

Radio Shack's sponsorship deal runs through 2012.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Radio Shack's sponsorship deal runs through 2012.

Perfectly timed, as most of its riders will be eligible for Social Security by then.