Who overcame the greatest career setback?

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Who overcame the greatest career setback?

  • Remco Evenepoel

  • Lance Armstrong

  • Marco Pantani

  • Greg Lemond

  • Other/Vino

Results are only viewable after voting.
Extinction

Extinction

Jan 8, 2020
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I'd say Lemond ahead of Armstrong. Sure the chemo is tough, but afterwards the normal levels return (and then some in his case). But when you are shot through and through there is lead leaching into your bloodstream.
 
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Vino's Mum

Vino's Mum

Sep 17, 2012
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Three names come to mind: Gregory James LeMond

Lost somewhere between a third and two-thirds of his blood volume in his hunting accident, saved by a combination of his huge heart and lungs and the fortuitous presence of a police helicopter close to the scene when twenty minutes from death.

Returned to racing in 1987 with dozens of pellets still inside him (he still has some by his heart) though the limited race programme and poor results continued in 1988, before he finally showed some form in the last week of the 1989 Giro.

Then...
 
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staubsauger

staubsauger

Jul 27, 2009
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Extinction said:
I'd say Lemond ahead of Armstrong. Sure the chemo is tough, but afterwards the normal levels return (and then some in his case). But when you are shot through and through there is lead leaching into your bloodstream.
Click to expand...
Actually they don't after the normal chemo therapy. Hence why Armstrong got a different treatment according to Wikipedia!
 
gregrowlerson

gregrowlerson

Aug 6, 2010
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Vino's Mum said:
Three names come to mind: Gregory James LeMond

Lost somewhere between a third and two-thirds of his blood volume in his hunting accident, saved by a combination of his huge heart and lungs and the fortuitous presence of a police helicopter close to the scene when twenty minutes from death.

Returned to racing in 1987 with dozens of pellets still inside him (he still has some by his heart) though the limited race programme and poor results continued in 1988, before he finally showed some form in the last week of the 1989 Giro.

Then...
Click to expand...

What? Something else happen in 1989?

The epicness of the 2022 Tour De France made me forget everything that came before it.
 
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Samu Cuenca

Samu Cuenca

Sep 26, 2020
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Speaking of people with very serious crashes, Kai Reus made multiple comebacks, though he sadly never became a star.

Annemiek van Vleuten has had more setbacks during the past year than most riders have in their whole careers.

Roglič had a great comeback after his failed first career.
 
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Red Rick

Red Rick

Feb 20, 2012
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Samu Cuenca said:
Speaking of people with very serious crashes, Kai Reus made multiple comebacks, though he sadly never became a star.

Annemiek van Vleuten has had more setbacks during the past year than most riders have in their whole careers.

Roglič had a great comeback after his failed first career.
Click to expand...
Roglic was a brilliant case of not coming back
 
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tobydawq

tobydawq

Nov 16, 2013
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Which rider has suffered the least amount of setbacks?

Probably Pogacar. Anybody older than him who could be in the conversation?
 
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Panda Claws

Panda Claws

Aug 29, 2011
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Sagan

Gilbert also did not crash out all that much or at least not in the races that mattered the most for him.
 
Cookster15

Cookster15

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May 14, 2011
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Hard to decide. I love Pantani too but voted for Lemond's comeback from his shooting accident because I just couldn't bring myself to vote for Lance. But yes, being pronounced dead after stage 3 cancer spreading through his body then to be able to return to racing professionally is hard to top.

staubsauger puts Armstrong's comeback in context regardless of what we think of him as a human.

On Lemond, he always said he was strongest in 1986. We never saw peak Lemond because of that accident. What if.
 
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JosefK

JosefK

Oct 2, 2020
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firefly3323 said:
Armstrong. I cant see how anyone could compare injuries to stage 3 cancer.
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Actually, it was stage 4 cancer for Armstrong I think -- metastasized to abdomen, lungs, and brain. In addition to the extensive chemo regimen (prior to the regimen), he had to have brain surgery to remove tumors. Lemond's injury was different but also incredibly debilitating. He took a chestful of turkey shot, and some of the pellets couldn't be removed. Both of those comeback stories are amazing, as are others in the sport.
 
Last edited:
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T

tonymikejoe

Aug 1, 2018
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wheresmybrakes said:
I think Froome deserves a mention up on that list. Yeah, he may never win a top end race again, but what he came back from to actually race again is surely up there.
Click to expand...

When I started reading your post I assumed you were going to refer to blood parasite bilharzia!
Anyway, surely it has to be Lance Armstrong, despite his rampant blood doping.
When his testicular cancer spread all over his body, including his brain his doctor told him he had something like a 50/50 chance of survival.
The doctor lied. He wanted to give Armstrong hope because at best his survival chances were more like 15%.
 
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