Are there any other physicians around this place?
Ok, let the flames begin. I suppose some people out thre are really working their panties into a bunch right now.
and if my typos offend somebody's ubermensch mentality, too bad.
― frodo baggins, Sunday, 24 July 2005 08:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 24 July 2005 08:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 24 July 2005 08:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 24 July 2005 08:25 (eighteen years ago) link
I didn't really need to read more. ;-)
― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Sunday, 24 July 2005 08:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Sunday, 24 July 2005 14:59 (eighteen years ago) link
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 24 July 2005 15:12 (eighteen years ago) link
"I couldn't have done this without the team behind me - I owe them everything," said the American.
"Ullrich is a special rival and a special person and Basso is almost too good of a friend to race - he may be the future of the Tour."
Armstrong ended with an appeal to cycling's critics in an era dogged by drugs controversies.
"You should believe in these people [the cyclists]. There are no secrets.
"This is a hard Tour and hard work wins it. Vive Le Tour."
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 24 July 2005 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 24 July 2005 18:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― shannon, Sunday, 24 July 2005 19:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:14 (eighteen years ago) link
Um, didn't they meet after he finished his chemo in '97? Weren't the kids born after they met (you'd think)?
what a jerk
-- shannonIndeed
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 24 July 2005 20:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 24 July 2005 21:07 (eighteen years ago) link
I don't agree with those above who are saying that Lance-haters are stupid for saying things like, 'it would have been good if he stepped down after five races' or 'he shouldn't be so competitive'. It's okay that he didn't do those things, but it's exactly right that if he'd behaved in an unusally noble fashion, that would have made him a good role model. Those are the qualities that could be applied to society at large and would probably improve it or whatever.
Another thing, this is pure speculation of course, but if it's true that everyone at the top level of these sports is engaged in steroid-related doping and so on, those drugs effect your psychology as well as your physiology. Like, even when drug users aren't on drugs, their personality seems less subtle.
― sps, Monday, 25 July 2005 01:22 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 25 July 2005 07:33 (eighteen years ago) link
For accuracy, Lance and Kristin met at the Ride for Roses, in 1997, as he was finishing chemotherapy. The religion issue was likely a facftor, especially as the children grew: Kristin is Catholic and Lance is pretty much agnostic/atheist (sorry if I do not quite understand the distinction there, but let's not turn this discussion into a vitriolic semantics discussion).
I would also point this quote from Kristin:Kristin Armstrong about the breakup of their marriage, 2/2003: Marriage problems were "brought on gradually by a number of pressures, rather than one big blow-up. We've been together 4 1/2 years, and we've had six homes, three languages, three countries, one cancer comeback, three children, four Tour de France wins and one rise to celebrity. You're not supposed to cram such a huge amount of events into such a small period of time."
Perhaps by the time they split, one could say the bloom was off the rose. An oft repeated maxim is that there are always three sides to any divorce: her side, his side and the truth. Would it be perhaps fair to demean Kristin Armstrong for not putting up with Lance's travels and work? No, it would not be fair to her. How many people could forever tolerate a personality that is, shall we say, somewhat intense and apparently demanding. I make that observation from what I have seen on many occasions. His public persona seems so exacting and meticulous, hence the moniker 'millimeter man', I wonder if he can just switch that off when he goes home. I do not know many people who can do that.
Pardon my objectoivty here, it's just the nature of my training in science and research.
― Paul_T, Monday, 25 July 2005 07:33 (eighteen years ago) link
If Lance Armstrong was a TRUE INDIE ROCKER he wouldn't sell out and do Nike commercials and would currently be dating Karen Osomeone so cool we haven't even heard of her yet, not Sheryl Crow.
― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 25 July 2005 08:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 25 July 2005 08:31 (eighteen years ago) link
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 25 July 2005 08:32 (eighteen years ago) link
It seems consistent with his mentality to support those who supported him. Nike was also the company that gave the start money for the LIVESTRONG bracelets, which has provided millions to cancer research.
― Gerard_D, Monday, 25 July 2005 09:34 (eighteen years ago) link
He only remains loyal if you do what *he* wishes. The amount of enemies he has far outnumbers his friends.
If Armstrong was "decent" guy, he'd have retired after his fifth win
Kind of ridiculous to demand that Lance retire, but Eddy Merckx did not participate in the '73 tour because of criticism that he won all the time. I think it's not about decency. It's about a wish that there's more competition (for first place). If Lance participates, he'd need to fall flat on his face to see him lose. So yeah I hope he retires.
― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Monday, 25 July 2005 10:32 (eighteen years ago) link
Yes, he is an exacting individual, undoubtedly one of the MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY sorts. The point I had tried to make was that he is backing Nike's marketing, likely as a response to the support they have given him when was being treated, and afterwards with the livestrong racelets, among others.
― Gerard_, Monday, 25 July 2005 11:23 (eighteen years ago) link
Leblanc - Armstrong fooled us all
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Posted: 1623 GMT (0023 HKT)
Leblanc (right) congratulates Armstrong after his seventh Tour winPARIS, France -- Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc claims Lance Armstrong has "fooled" the sports world, over new allegations he used a performance-boosting drug.
Leblanc's comments come a day after L'Equipe reported that six urine samples, provided by Armstrong during the 1999 Tour, tested positive for EPO.
"For the first time -- and these are no longer rumors these are proven scientific facts -- someone has shown me that in 1999 Armstrong had EPO in his body," said Leblanc.
"The ball is now in his court. Why, how, by whom? He owes explanations to us and to everyone who follows the tour. Today, what L'Equipe revealed shows me that I was fooled. We were all fooled."
Leblanc called the latest accusations against Armstrong shocking and troubling.
Armstrong, a frequent target of L'Equipe, vehemently denies the allegations, calling the article "tabloid journalism."
"I will simply restate what I have said many times: I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs," said Armstrong.
Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling after winning the Tour a month ago, was not immediately available for comment regarding Leblanc's latest remarks.
EPO, formally known as erythropoietin, was on the list of banned substances at the time Armstrong won the first of his seven Tour's, but there was no effective test then to detect it.
The allegations surfaced six years later because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were carried out only last year -- when scientists at a lab outside Paris used them for research to perfect EPO testing.
The national anti-doping laboratory said it promised to hand its finding to the World Anti-Doping Agency, provided it was never used to penalize riders.
Five-time cycling champion Miguel Indurain said he couldn't understand why scientists would use samples from the 1999 Tour for their tests.
"That seems bizarre, and I don't know who would have the authorization to do it," he told L'Equipe. "I don't even know if it's legal to keep these samples."
L'Equipe's investigation was based on the second set of two samples used in doping tests. The first set were used in 1999 for analysis at the time. Without those samples, any disciplinary action against Armstrong would be impossible, French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said.
Lamour said he had doubts about L'Equipe's report because he had not seen the originals of some of the documents that appeared in the paper.
"I do not confirm it," he told RTL radio. But he added: "If what L'Equipe says is true, I can tell you that it's a serious blow for cycling."
The UCI did not begin using a urine test for EPO until 2001, although the drug was banned in 1990.
For years, it had been impossible to detect the drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells.
― nathalie starts to cry each time we meet (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 19:03 (eighteen years ago) link
― zappi (joni), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 19:54 (eighteen years ago) link
Armstrong said: "While I'm absolutely enjoying my time as a retired athlete, the recent smear campaign out of France has awoken my competitive side.
"I'm thinking it's the best way to piss [the French] off. I'm not willing to put a percentage on the chances but I will no longer rule it out."
Asked how serious he was, Armstrong replied: "I'm exercising every day."
Armstrong believes he is the target of a "witch hunt" by the French media.
French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that urine samples taken from Armstrong during his first Tour victory in 1999 tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
There will always be a place on the team for him if he decides to come backJohan BruyneelArmstrong's team manager at Discovery ChannelThe 33-year-old, who recovered from cancer, has always vehemently denied taking any performance-enhancing drugs.
He retired in July after winning his seventh straight Tour de France.
Armstrong's spokesman Mark Higgins insists the cycling legend is serious about a possible comeback.
"He's still fit and very much in his prime," said Higgins. " He is not ruling out a return to racing.
"In light of the stuff that's been going on in the past few weeks, a comeback has become appealing.
"At the same time, he's a retired athlete who is very much enjoying being with his children and working with charities. And he just got engaged. We'll just have to see."
Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong's team manager at Discovery Channel, said the door was still open for the star rider to return.
"We could decide during our training camp in December, which will be decisive (for the Tour)," Bruyneel told the Belgian news agency Belga.
"But don't make me say that Lance has already decided what he will do with the rest of his career. That said, we speak for 15 minutes on the phone every day, and for 13 of those we talk about cycling."
"He got back on the bike to train three weeks after the end of the Tour de France. He follows the team's progress closely and it's sure that he's still hungry for success.
"There will always be a place on the team for him if he decides to come back. Anyway, he's still under contract with us till the end of 2006."
― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 00:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Friday, 9 September 2005 12:59 (eighteen years ago) link
Also because he knows how much I hate him. :-)))))
― nathalie's pocket revolution (stevie nixed), Friday, 9 September 2005 13:13 (eighteen years ago) link
Armstrong, Crow announce they're breaking upAssociated PressCycling News Wire
AUSTIN, Texas -- Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow have split, the couple announced in a joint statement Friday night.
The seven-time Tour de France champion and the rock star announced their engagement in September. It would have been her first marriage and his second. He has three children from a previous marriage.
"After much thought and consideration we have made a very tough decision to split up. We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time," the statement said.
― my name is john. i reside in chicago. (frankE), Saturday, 4 February 2006 03:20 (eighteen years ago) link
I saw Lance in that Dodgeball film. It almost ruined the film for me. ;-)
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Monday, 6 February 2006 09:52 (eighteen years ago) link
The only real champion the world has seen was Marco Pantani "the pirate"...hadn't he been persecuted by italian justice Armstrong would have won no Tours! Just remember Courchevel 2000 at the Tour...
FUCK LANCE!!!!
― Max, Sunday, 23 April 2006 23:33 (eighteen years ago) link
― Bring Me The Head of ESTEBAN BUTTEZ (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 24 April 2006 01:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― woweez, Monday, 24 April 2006 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link
OH MY GOD he's coming back...IN ADELAIDE??
― Nottingham: it's the new Abu Dhabi (King Boy Pato), Monday, 5 January 2009 09:44 (fifteen years ago) link
And apparently (according to Mike Rann), it's the MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER!
I don't like him for the simple reason that I used to supertext-caption the news, and every year the Tour de France and Tour Down Under were a nightmare of demented names and esoteric terms poured out by deranged commentators at nightmare speeds. (Though to be fair, I could at least spell 'Lance Armstrong' correctly, so he should have been one of those I hated least)
― James Morrison, Monday, 5 January 2009 22:11 (fifteen years ago) link
the brett favre of cycling
― my fingers is a jellyfish (omar little), Monday, 5 January 2009 22:13 (fifteen years ago) link
or roger clemens
Oh, don't tell me you're writing into The Advertiser now. Those people are the reason why I left Adelaide.
― Nottingham: it's the new Abu Dhabi (King Boy Pato), Tuesday, 6 January 2009 11:16 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't think many people realise that Lance is coming back for Astana, so he'll be racing in the glorious colours of KAZAKHSTAN!!
― Nottingham: it's the new Abu Dhabi (King Boy Pato), Tuesday, 6 January 2009 11:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Er, what?
― James Morrison, Tuesday, 6 January 2009 12:25 (fifteen years ago) link
cant believe i ever wasted time opining about this and so annoyingly
― Booker van Permalink (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 6 January 2009 16:13 (fifteen years ago) link
This is a very rare case of accomplishment completely supplanting douchiness.
― 't (wanko ergo sum), Tuesday, 6 January 2009 16:18 (fifteen years ago) link
another ex-teammate just came out of the woodwork and fired some accusations in lance's direction.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=dw-wetzel_lance_armstrong_faces_new_allegations_051911
― omar little, Friday, 20 May 2011 19:46 (thirteen years ago) link
as far as this guy managing his public reputation, he fucked up by not coming clean years ago when he still had tons of positive cache -- his redemption tour would've come full circle by now, but at this point I think he's generally seen as a massive fraud
― J0rdan S., Friday, 20 May 2011 20:05 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't think so... he cured cancer and won 7 tours with one ball, he still is a hero in the eye of the typical american sports fan (ie, has no clue about cycling).
― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Friday, 20 May 2011 20:08 (thirteen years ago) link
My favorite MSM defense piece of Lance came early this year when referring to Armstrong as retired... yet Lance was racing a stage race in Australia at the time.
Let me try to find it, it was pretty funny.
― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Friday, 20 May 2011 20:09 (thirteen years ago) link
i think that the "defiant" reaction to accusations like this is actually kind of revealing. i would think people who were being accused of something absolutely untrue over and over again by some of their closest compatriots would actually react with more palpable hurt and shock rather than some kind of "haters gonna hate" defiance.
― omar little, Friday, 20 May 2011 20:11 (thirteen years ago) link