here's Lance Armstrong today. He's retro isn't he

[Woz]

Spoke to a "well known British bike builder" about 2 months ago about the damage done in the competitive world of road racing, and just how long it may take to recover if at all. The reply back was "Never".

Already in the Banesto era you could already suspect a lot.

In the Fignon era, when he was eventually on his own death bed for purely medical purposes to ascertain such a disorder at such an early age of an high performing athlete, very difficult questions and difficult answers had to be made. No more hiding.

In the Hinault - Lemond era - I will not hear a single word except total respect for them from you tea drinking muffin eaters.

Seriously, joking aside ..... that Hinault - Lemond era is sooo messed up. Dominance only through instinct, chance and internal conflict. Old school blood mixed with new school blood and tradition, prestige and new players pulling at all to re-write a new handbook. Tapie on top - with little to no actual influence of what is happening on the road. No same recipe churned out. No predictability. But a turning point was made because there after it was big bucks for riders, advertisers and truly all very global exposure and live.

 

[HPL]

i came here to check out the RBotM poll and got sucked into this which will put a bilious taste in my mouth to the day of my death since I KNEW he was a cheat upon his ex-wfe signing a nondisclosure agreement upon divorcing him. Why? She knew, and he could not afford the truth to be exposed. Another sign of of manipulation and dominance even over those he "loved" ( he loves himself amd continues to demonstrate that to this day whether you're a groveller or not. She was also presumedly helped with the "program".
I am a #!it cyclist and racer (one organized race around 1990; run off road by a truck while in 3rd. Great organizers!). End of my racing; local support of cycling (at any level) was poor to begin with. I would cycle my cheesy sport bike to the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (now defunct) in the 70s & 80s; I'd do the Mt Wachusett stage climb (a "bump in the road" to Europeans; but I at least stayed on the large ring all the way up). After my "mishap" I'd only watch track which avoided the stupid outside interference which injured me and still hurts 35 years later. Now I "dope" to control the pain; cannot drive/sit in a chair even 1 hr w/o pain though I can still cycle 50 miles or more).

These are meaningless and are free to anyone. Sick of seeing them for decades.

 

[Rapparee87]

I like to think a couple of them didn’t. Andy Hampsten was the TdF white jersey winner back in the mid 80s but it never really happened for him after (OK - he won, but not to the level of his early promise) because he was never willing to dope in the EPO fueled peloton. I think I read somewhere he eventually threw the towel in. An exceptional raw talent and maybe a good example of the other side of the coin to the fun of watching the epic battles between Jan, Marco and Lance.

Edwig Van Hooydonck was another. 2 Flanders wins and set to win more, but wasn't prepared to go the EPO route.

 

[Rapparee87]

Wait, there's a sport other than football? Are you sure? That doesn't sound right, I heard about rugby, but that's just football for big boys, and someone mentioned darts, but that's a hobby.

If you have to dress up for it it's a game rather than a sport they say. So snooker is a game really, but I like it anyway.

 

[Rapparee87]

Anyone remember the Amgen Tour of California?

If you can remember it you weren't there!

 

[bikeworkshop]

What don't they dress up for these days?
Look at the team mammals!
They aren't even racing

 

[Rapparee87]

This. Yes, most were doping at the time, but Armstrong distinguished himself by his bully-boy tactics both in the peleton and more broadly. It was part of his comprehensive doping and drug-test-manipulation programme to intimidate teammates and functionaries. Interesting parallels with how organised crime conducts business. He was just the kind of juvenile aggressive twat I came to recognise playing rugby at school and uni. Just like certain other bully-boy cheating types, he made liberal use of lawsuits or threats thereof to shut down anyone who dared to challenge him. (That and, you know, bribing testing authorities.) And his 'apologies' are of course masterpieces of the 'sorry not sorry' genre.

(I'm sorry -- I've had a little drink)

Alcohol or not you have everything spot on.

 

[vtwinvince]

One of my training buddies back in the late 90's was as big a cynic as me. I asked him what he thought of the Armstrong 'miracle comeback'. He just laughed and said it was a medical\cyborg project, nothing to do with athletics.

 

[Woz]

I like to think a couple of them didn’t. Andy Hampsten was the TdF white jersey winner back in the mid 80s but it never really happened for him after (OK - he won, but not to the level of his early promise) because he was never willing to dope in the EPO fueled peloton. I think I read somewhere he eventually threw the towel in. An exceptional raw talent and maybe a good example of the other side of the coin to the fun of watching the epic battles between Jan, Marco and Lance.

Yeah. Skinny as a rake. Climb like a mountain goat. Pain threshold extremely high. I love every interview with him. More to life and truly a great.

Like it was for Jean-François Bernard. Recruited for a purpose (prologue and TT). A great bloke who speaks his mind.

In that monumental La Vie Claire establishment period, there allegiance and confusion was tested to absolute root.