Lance Fraudstrong

[TheDancinMonarch]

Some other thoughts on this issue.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/lan ... _20110527/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[FormerPokeCenter]

I remember reading articles in the late 80's, early 90's about Lance Armstrong, when he was just a kid, kicking the ever living shit out of older athletes in duathlons all over Texas. I believe it was Texas Monthly, but it could very well have been Outside Magazine who did a profile on him back then and commented that his V02 numbers were freakishly off the charts. The magazine said that he very well may have the highest V02 numbers of any human on the planet.

That's pretty significant....it was pre-cancer....and if you've done any cycling, you know that V02 is prety freaking important to elite cyclists. When you're possessed of the best v02 numbers ON THE PLANET, it comes as no surprise that you're able to win seven Tour De Frances...

Beyond that, the guy who wins the Tour De France isn't generally the fastest sprinter, nor the best climber...he's usually a pretty well rounded guy who has a LOT of help from big ugly lead out men, and other domestiques who jockey and scheme to keep him within striking distance....It's as much a chess game as anything else....

Last year, I had the opportunity to ride with Bob Roll ( the Tour De France commentator who previously rode in the Tour for a number of years and who was on the only American team to ever win the Giro D' Italia), who was Armstrong's training partner when he first came back from Cancer and began to train in Boone. Roll said that Armstrong was just freakish from day one. The first few days on the bike, Roll wheeled him, then Armstrong pulled enven with him on the third day. From the fourth day, on, Armstrong vanished in the distance, leaving Roll well behind. It was one of the reasons that Roll decided to retire. Those guys are at an entirely different level than the average recreational rider.

It's easy to scream doping from our perspective on the sidelines, but to consistently beat the tests, you'd have to spend a fortune staying ahead of the curve and the next big testing trend. Plus, they test urine, hair samples, etc. If the man's been tested 1000 times and there's been ONE test that had skewed results that may or may not have been handled properly, c'mon.

That's significant.

Beyond that, what he's done to raise awareness and money for cancer victims is incredible. IF he's done anything that brushes up against the boundaries, I'm prepared to give him a pass for that reason alone. For the last several years, I've been involved in The 24 Hours of Booty, the only 24 Hour Bicycle Fundraiser in the US and the official 24 Hour Event of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In two years, I've raised more than $5k for the cause. By the end of my fundraising campaign this year, I hope to be somewhere between $7.5k and $10k.

There are thousands of people out there who've raised exponentially more money than I have. Say what you will about Armstrong, but the man's started a movement that doesn't benefit himself. If you know any cancer survivors who've registered with Livestrong, talk to them about the difference the organization has meant to them.

So, take your shots at Armstrong if you must...but, when you do so, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd rather leave the legacy that Armstrong will leave, or will the textual record you leave HERE put you on equal footing with him

[BlueHen86]

I remember reading articles in the late 80's, early 90's about Lance Armstrong, when he was just a kid, kicking the ever living shit out of older athletes in duathlons all over Texas. I believe it was Texas Monthly, but it could very well have been Outside Magazine who did a profile on him back then and commented that his V02 numbers were freakishly off the charts. The magazine said that he very well may have the highest V02 numbers of any human on the planet.

That's pretty significant....it was pre-cancer....and if you've done any cycling, you know that V02 is prety freaking important to elite cyclists. When you're possessed of the best v02 numbers ON THE PLANET, it comes as no surprise that you're able to win seven Tour De Frances...

Beyond that, the guy who wins the Tour De France isn't generally the fastest sprinter, nor the best climber...he's usually a pretty well rounded guy who has a LOT of help from big ugly lead out men, and other domestiques who jockey and scheme to keep him within striking distance....It's as much a chess game as anything else....

Last year, I had the opportunity to ride with Bob Roll ( the Tour De France commentator who previously rode in the Tour for a number of years and who was on the only American team to ever win the Giro D' Italia), who was Armstrong's training partner when he first came back from Cancer and began to train in Boone. Roll said that Armstrong was just freakish from day one. The first few days on the bike, Roll wheeled him, then Armstrong pulled enven with him on the third day. From the fourth day, on, Armstrong vanished in the distance, leaving Roll well behind. It was one of the reasons that Roll decided to retire. Those guys are at an entirely different level than the average recreational rider.

It's easy to scream doping from our perspective on the sidelines, but to consistently beat the tests, you'd have to spend a fortune staying ahead of the curve and the next big testing trend. Plus, they test urine, hair samples, etc. If the man's been tested 1000 times and there's been ONE test that had skewed results that may or may not have been handled properly, c'mon.

That's significant.

Beyond that, what he's done to raise awareness and money for cancer victims is incredible. IF he's done anything that brushes up against the boundaries, I'm prepared to give him a pass for that reason alone. For the last several years, I've been involved in The 24 Hours of Booty, the only 24 Hour Bicycle Fundraiser in the US and the official 24 Hour Event of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In two years, I've raised more than $5k for the cause. By the end of my fundraising campaign this year, I hope to be somewhere between $7.5k and $10k.

There are thousands of people out there who've raised exponentially more money than I have. Say what you will about Armstrong, but the man's started a movement that doesn't benefit himself. If you know any cancer survivors who've registered with Livestrong, talk to them about the difference the organization has meant to them.

So, take your shots at Armstrong if you must...but, when you do so, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd rather leave the legacy that Armstrong will leave, or will the textual record you leave HERE put you on equal footing with him

Great post.

[bandl]

I remember reading articles in the late 80's, early 90's about Lance Armstrong, when he was just a kid, kicking the ever living shit out of older athletes in duathlons all over Texas. I believe it was Texas Monthly, but it could very well have been Outside Magazine who did a profile on him back then and commented that his V02 numbers were freakishly off the charts. The magazine said that he very well may have the highest V02 numbers of any human on the planet.

That's pretty significant....it was pre-cancer....and if you've done any cycling, you know that V02 is prety freaking important to elite cyclists. When you're possessed of the best v02 numbers ON THE PLANET, it comes as no surprise that you're able to win seven Tour De Frances...

Beyond that, the guy who wins the Tour De France isn't generally the fastest sprinter, nor the best climber...he's usually a pretty well rounded guy who has a LOT of help from big ugly lead out men, and other domestiques who jockey and scheme to keep him within striking distance....It's as much a chess game as anything else....

Last year, I had the opportunity to ride with Bob Roll ( the Tour De France commentator who previously rode in the Tour for a number of years and who was on the only American team to ever win the Giro D' Italia), who was Armstrong's training partner when he first came back from Cancer and began to train in Boone. Roll said that Armstrong was just freakish from day one. The first few days on the bike, Roll wheeled him, then Armstrong pulled enven with him on the third day. From the fourth day, on, Armstrong vanished in the distance, leaving Roll well behind. It was one of the reasons that Roll decided to retire. Those guys are at an entirely different level than the average recreational rider.

It's easy to scream doping from our perspective on the sidelines, but to consistently beat the tests, you'd have to spend a fortune staying ahead of the curve and the next big testing trend. Plus, they test urine, hair samples, etc. If the man's been tested 1000 times and there's been ONE test that had skewed results that may or may not have been handled properly, c'mon.

That's significant.

Beyond that, what he's done to raise awareness and money for cancer victims is incredible. IF he's done anything that brushes up against the boundaries, I'm prepared to give him a pass for that reason alone. For the last several years, I've been involved in The 24 Hours of Booty, the only 24 Hour Bicycle Fundraiser in the US and the official 24 Hour Event of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In two years, I've raised more than $5k for the cause. By the end of my fundraising campaign this year, I hope to be somewhere between $7.5k and $10k.

There are thousands of people out there who've raised exponentially more money than I have. Say what you will about Armstrong, but the man's started a movement that doesn't benefit himself. If you know any cancer survivors who've registered with Livestrong, talk to them about the difference the organization has meant to them.

So, take your shots at Armstrong if you must...but, when you do so, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd rather leave the legacy that Armstrong will leave, or will the textual record you leave HERE put you on equal footing with him

Great post.

+1
And good GOD Poke, you are fucking elegant with your posts!

[grizzaholic]

I remember reading articles in the late 80's, early 90's about Lance Armstrong, when he was just a kid, kicking the ever living shit out of older athletes in duathlons all over Texas. I believe it was Texas Monthly, but it could very well have been Outside Magazine who did a profile on him back then and commented that his V02 numbers were freakishly off the charts. The magazine said that he very well may have the highest V02 numbers of any human on the planet.

That's pretty significant....it was pre-cancer....and if you've done any cycling, you know that V02 is prety freaking important to elite cyclists. When you're possessed of the best v02 numbers ON THE PLANET, it comes as no surprise that you're able to win seven Tour De Frances...

Beyond that, the guy who wins the Tour De France isn't generally the fastest sprinter, nor the best climber...he's usually a pretty well rounded guy who has a LOT of help from big ugly lead out men, and other domestiques who jockey and scheme to keep him within striking distance....It's as much a chess game as anything else....

Last year, I had the opportunity to ride with Bob Roll ( the Tour De France commentator who previously rode in the Tour for a number of years and who was on the only American team to ever win the Giro D' Italia), who was Armstrong's training partner when he first came back from Cancer and began to train in Boone. Roll said that Armstrong was just freakish from day one. The first few days on the bike, Roll wheeled him, then Armstrong pulled enven with him on the third day. From the fourth day, on, Armstrong vanished in the distance, leaving Roll well behind. It was one of the reasons that Roll decided to retire. Those guys are at an entirely different level than the average recreational rider.

It's easy to scream doping from our perspective on the sidelines, but to consistently beat the tests, you'd have to spend a fortune staying ahead of the curve and the next big testing trend. Plus, they test urine, hair samples, etc. If the man's been tested 1000 times and there's been ONE test that had skewed results that may or may not have been handled properly, c'mon.

That's significant.

Beyond that, what he's done to raise awareness and money for cancer victims is incredible. IF he's done anything that brushes up against the boundaries, I'm prepared to give him a pass for that reason alone. For the last several years, I've been involved in The 24 Hours of Booty, the only 24 Hour Bicycle Fundraiser in the US and the official 24 Hour Event of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In two years, I've raised more than $5k for the cause. By the end of my fundraising campaign this year, I hope to be somewhere between $7.5k and $10k.

There are thousands of people out there who've raised exponentially more money than I have. Say what you will about Armstrong, but the man's started a movement that doesn't benefit himself. If you know any cancer survivors who've registered with Livestrong, talk to them about the difference the organization has meant to them.

So, take your shots at Armstrong if you must...but, when you do so, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd rather leave the legacy that Armstrong will leave, or will the textual record you leave HERE put you on equal footing with him

Umm....In your face 93? huh. ummm...really.. I want to...umm. Well shit. I can...


I really tried to defend him just as a joke....I, umm, didn't read the whole post but it sounds like you defended him really well.

[FormerPokeCenter]

Thanks for the kind words...Granted, I may not be objective about Armstrong, considering the degree to which I'm involved in raising money for Livestrong and other cancer-fighting initiatives, but...on balance....I think he's done far more good than bad, even if he has doped...

[93henfan]

Thanks for the kind words...Granted, I may not be objective about Armstrong, considering the degree to which I'm involved in raising money for Livestrong and other cancer-fighting initiatives, but...on balance....I think he's done far more good than bad, even if he has doped...

I respect your opinion, but I'm not sure how objective it might be.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you went to any Italian neighborhood in NYC or South Philly where mobsters paid for neighborhood projects, youth sports leagues, etc... you'd never hear anything but glowing reviews from the residents about the liars, cheats, and brutal murderers who were doing all the good stuff for them.

I am only equating the principle, not the seriousness of the crimes, obviously.

[FormerPokeCenter]

I understand the point you're making, and I admitted that it's possible that I'm not completely objective, but....Lance Armstrong isn't doing anything for me...nor is he feathering his nest with what he does in the fight on cancer...

There's a bit of a disconnect in the analogy, but I do understand the point you're trying to make