HMC Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I missed it but here it is, the first part in full. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EE9I8ZMFc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 i remember watching a documentary a few years back called the science of lance armstrong. It was about the science behind his training technicques, his diet, the bike and aerodynamics, his cycling style, his team tactics etc etc..it was fascinating how someone could turn the sport into a science and basically use that to win the TDF...but it turns out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james-maclaren Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Do you think he did the sport any harm? for discussion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2023 Subscriptions martin Posted January 20, 2013 2023 Subscriptions Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Do you think he did the sport any harm? for discussion! James, do you mean with this interview, or throughout his career? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EPCC Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Not much It's just that we as humans always like to have both villains (lance) and Heroes ( Tom Simpson) both used whatever for their competitive advantage Do you think if LA died on his last tour climb we would all go and visit and leave bike bits Answer in less than 50000 words please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GEORGE DONNELLY Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Not much It's just that we as humans always like to have both villains (lance) and Heroes ( Tom Simpson) both used whatever for their competitive advantage Do you think if LA died on his last tour climb we would all go and visit and leave bike bits Answer in less than 50000 words please Dunno about depositing bike bits at an LA shrine but you have littered bits of Campag shrapnel around most of the clyde coast. Jannza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Do you think he did the sport any harm? for discussion! probably not, everyone knew before the LA admission that the sport was rife with drugs. Mosts suspected LA anyway, this story is boring the crap out of me... i think more damage was done years ago by the like of festina et al. nowadays its like 'who cares'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al yuille Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Having read Jon Ronson's book I can say Lance is clearly a psychopath - see checklist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist so it's not his fault and he probably regrets rien. Did I tell you about the time I chased him down after being dropped on the Howood climb.........He seemed like a nice bloke ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EPCC Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 You have been in the sun for too long Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark O Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 The good bit was that he raised the profile of the sport and probably inspired many to don the lycra and get out there, not to mention those suffering from cancer who might have taken strength from the man's personal triumph. A wee bit like Tiger Woods in this respect but thats a whole different kind of cheating - alledgedly. The not so good bit is he has managed to perpetuate the media's protayal and the general unwashed's perception of the sport as a drugs addled activity and perhaps undone much of the good work been done of late to show the sport as being clean(er) I don't think anyone who took up the sport because of Armstrong is going to chuck it because of Armstrong's admissions. Not condoning what Armstrong did but, with the exception of his treatment of those he considered a threat to himself, was he doing anything notably different from many pros and other TdF winners in the last 20 years or indeed before. Is cheating in a small way really any different to cheating on a large scale? In answer to James' question, he probably did more good than harm - bums on saddles across the globe and probably will be the catalyst for a truly clean pro peleton going forward. The whole cancer awareness thing also shouldn't be dismissed. Yeah, his ego most likely thrived on the limelight and profile it brought him but thats no different from anyone who inhabits the celebosphere. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2023 Subscriptions ginty001 Posted January 21, 2013 2023 Subscriptions Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 My take on it is slightly different..... I dont think its a surprise about the drugs, and apparently he wasn't doing anything different to a lot of other pro cyclists at the time, in terms of taking the drugs. The thing that seperates him from the rest is that he as a person, was willing to continually deny, sue truethful people, have his kids believe his lies, destroy other riders careers and ability to earn a living, because of his sheer greed and lust for money, fame, iconic profile, etc, the man is a scumbag... And even listening to the interview, I didn't detect an ounce of sincerity or remorse, just a self pitying egomaniac ... Maybe in the long run the sport will benefit form the whole episode, here's hoping.... martin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EPCC Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Iain I take it your a LA fan then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2023 Subscriptions ginty001 Posted January 21, 2013 2023 Subscriptions Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Maybe I'm just peaved at having been taken in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jannza Posted January 21, 2013 Administrators Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I liked the bit where he said "I've never failed a drug test" followed by "there was no test for epo back then". Watching part 2 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james-maclaren Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 James, do you mean with this interview, or throughout his career? Both really. I take Iain's point about ruining other rider's careers. I suppose it is the same with all lies, once you start a lie it is difficult to stop from continuing the lie. I am not sure who is doing the most damage now though, is it LA coming clean or was it the pursuit of LA by officialdom. Drug use was rife back then. He never failed a drug test and they did not even test for some drugs. We now have what, 7 years without a TDF winner! Apologies to anyone who feels very strongly about this, but from a newby only recently coming into the sport, that's what it looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jannza Posted January 21, 2013 Administrators Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Why did he get a lifetime ban from all sport ie running when others only got 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2023 Subscriptions P McDonald Posted January 21, 2013 2023 Subscriptions Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Here's a sad thought, how many clean and credible TDF podiums can you name from the past 15 years ? Potentially 45 names excluding doublers. I can think of 2, then struggling after that, the 2 being Wiggo and Evans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Cross Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I read that the time the winner up Alpe d'Huez took last time the Tour went there, 2012 ?, would only have got 40th place in the 2005 Tour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavieB Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Here's a sad thought, how many clean and credible TDF podiums can you name from the past 15 years ? Potentially 45 names excluding doublers. I can think of 2, then struggling after that, the 2 being Wiggo and Evans. Was going to stay out of this one however it would be unfair not to identify Lemond, one of those most damaged by LA, as probably clean. Being one of the unwashed masses I rely on the same drip fed, manipulated or unverified information as the rest of us but it would appear there was a fair amount of truth to be had in the fact that Lemond was basically "off the chart" in some of the standard tests that Billy loves so much (VO2 max etc) whilst LA was merely average. It is morally ambigious I understand but EPO and the rest of the haemocrit boosting, HGH type stuff basically transformed the nature of doping to allow pro peloton donkeys to turn themselves into race horses which was not possible pre EPO. Lots of testimony of this from Fignon and others indeed somebody on Braveheart recently posted a fascinating article by a decent Columbian climber who went from being a contender to somebody who was stuggling to hold a wheel (on the flats!) almost overnight as well as getting trounced on the climbs by guys who previuosly struggled getting over a humped back bridge. Richie - the speed up cols is an argument that's used a lot to justify the current peloton racing clean (aye right!!!) but don't think it holds much water as the doping now is likely to be of the micro variety as opposed to the super sized doses they used to take before they could actually test for the stuff and have the biological passport. As an aside the nationallity of grand tour winners should also not be taken as evidence of a clean peloton (or clean winners). AS for LA's "charity" don't get me started but needless to say no prizes for guessing who the main beneficiary has been during it's existence - the constant references to his saint like work on "behalf" of cancer survivors would make you weep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavieB Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 BTW - I was house bound with illness on Sunday morning and watched the Djokovic five and a half hours epic at the Australian open. About 4 fours in the commentators remarked how they thought it was great how the players weren't even breathing hard after a pretty marathon and intense effort. I wonder why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard Posted January 22, 2013 Members Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 BTW - I was house bound with illness on Sunday morning and watched the Djokovic five and a half hours epic at the Australian open. About 4 fours in the commentators remarked how they thought it was great how the players weren't even breathing hard after a pretty marathon and intense effort. I wonder why? It's rumoured that Djokovic is the proud owner of a hyperbaric chamber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavieB Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 It's rumoured that Djokovic is the proud owner of a hyperbaric chamber. Didnae notice him wearing it on court Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jannza Posted January 22, 2013 Administrators Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 It's rumoured that Djokovic is the proud owner of a hyperbaric chamber. How does that work then when he spends most if his year flying to different countries to play in tournaments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GEORGE DONNELLY Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Is he not the most tested tennis player on the planet? That rings a bell.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin H Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 In reply to Pauls post (not quite up to date tho, at least 2 characters in here that have proven to walk on the dark side): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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