Hello, lawyers
Many out in bike-forum-land have predicted that we’ve seen the last of Armstrong racing a bike, yet he’s already in Nice training. Today we ask the lawyers and would be lawyers in our midst to weigh in. How much jeopardy is Armstrong in? Does Bruyneel get off scot free because he’s Belgian? Is Big Tex, as Landis texted, going to jail? Will Thom Weisel be in trouble as well? If you were the ASO, would you rescind Radio Shack’s invitation?
innocent until proven guilty. Except on this forum.
On this forum you are sandbagging until proven upgraded
Vaughters virtually coming out and saying that Landis is telling the truth.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/garmin-transitions-to-co-operate-with-investigations
Ouch and Landis have departed from Bahati team. That is probably what Dominguez is talking about.
What will Radio Shack do?
“It’s only a lie if YOU don’t believe it.” Good advice for Lance when he is sitting across from the Feds. I think the S.C.A. Promotions lawsuit is going to bite Big Tex on the ass. Since he provided hours of testimony denying doping allegations that can and will be used against him by the Feds. (Am I wrong about this? Can the Feds use that testimony against him?) This investigation is going to be waaay more entertaining than the Tour. With “LOST” over, I need a sci-fi fantasy fix. I’m calling it now, Lance is the smoke monster.
Think Lance is missing the bromance days with McConaughey?
http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2006/08/matt-lance-jogging.jpg
i’m not quite understanding. it’s still floyd’s words against lance’s (and z’s and leipheimer’s, etc)
what incontrovertible facts have been shown that would implicate armstrong besides the rantings of crazy landis?
I think Lance’s biggest problem is that Landis gave enough details that an investigator can get traction into untangling the string of events and identifying other parties involved. If it happens, how many people are going to lie under oath in a criminal investigation to protect Lance? I would wager not very many.
or a government agency like the US Postal Service is a big deal…
get your RS schwag quick…before its all gone…
the only thing that will save LAss now is CANCER!!!
then its a win wion for everyone, just think of the fund raising opportunity!!!
Intead of going out like Buggs Bunny, it will be more like Daffy Duck (great act “Gun Powder”, but can only be done once…)even if UCI/ASO/Feds are Elmer J. Fudd….
Wabbit season
Duck season…
she is not going to lie under oath. This has less and less to do with Landis each day. Sworn testimony by eye witnesses is going to make this case, not “crazy Landis.” Floyd has simply released the hounds. It is now up to Federal prosecutors to find the fox. Every time someone has claimed to hear Lance admit to doping or witnessed him doping or witnessed doping products at his house, they have been summarily dismissed as either disgruntled employees or crazy or both. The Andreu’s refused to testify in the S.C.A. trial until they were forced to by a subpoena. This does not sound people who are disgruntled and want to get even. If L.A. is found by a court of law to have doped, who will have lied louder and longer L.A. or Floyd?http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:edKqrPaB7FcJ:sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/06/16/lance/+krstin+armtrong+and+the+s.c.a.+trial&cd=14&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari
You are correct, no evidence that has been made public, so these guys are salivating over LA demise based upon nothing but articles of conjucture in NYT and SI. It remains to be seen if anything will turn up- hence an investigation. But I guess it is fun to rant and accuse and think of all the consequences of the many ways this could end as that’s what forums like this do.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/06/16/lance/
Did you see where KS is already quoted as saying she doesn’t remember anyhting that Floyd is talking about. There you go. “I don’t remember” has worked before and will work again!
it’s really amazing, even funny, the complete disrespect that Jeff Novitzky and the feds show for cycling’s giants like bruyneel and larry. i mean if you’ve been following this sport for the past few years it’s kind of shocking how outsiders can barge in and try to apply laws. did europeans like bruyneel ever expect U.S. federal agents to be knocking on his door? weird. while they’re at it, maybe they should talk to ferrari.
i’m not in law but i do remember from an international law class that treaties allow U.S. federal agencies to regularly operate overseas. if europeans like bruyneel were involved with the contract with USPS then why wouldn’t he be central to a fraud investigation?
Also, from npr “Now too, Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods have admitted having dealings with a Canadian doctor, Tony Galea — who was just charged with smuggling HGH into the U.S. and giving it to NFL players.” if ferrari helped defraud usps…
Dear Lance,
We know you read these posts and lob in anonymous posts of your own – so I’m saying this to you:
It is going to be really fun watching you go to prison. You’ve made a mockery of our fine sport for too long but your reign has ended. I suppose your leg shaving will end too, since soaping up your HGH-enhanced calves will only lead to you getting butt humped (which will probably happen anyway). They’re going to love you in Levenworth, you stupid ass!!!
Adios, Mellow Johnny
Belgians now on the Hog
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/belgian-federation-to-investigate-bruyneel?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=news_headlines
I can tell you exactly how this is going to end…
Every organization, governing body, association, etc. that is currently, or will, run an investigation will come back with the conclusion that there is not enough evidence to support these allegations. Sad, but true. Dopers only get caught through testing, or confessing.
Do you really think Lance is going to go to jail? Come on. I’m sorry, are Mark McGuire, Jose Conseco, A Rod and a whole host of others currently serving jail time? Uh, no. They played for sports organizations that all had by laws against doping. I don’t see them getting sued, or prosecuted for defraud their respective sport teams.
Bonds may still be headed to jail…McGuire never lied to the Feds and he dodged the Congressional questions, A Roid has yet to have his day with the Fed’s concerning his use of HGH (so he may yet perjure himself) and Conseco has always told the Feds the truth which is why the baseball Roid house caught fire. I understand your sentiment about the end game = no jail. The damage that court room testimony will have on Armstrong’s legacy will be cataclysmic. This is why the LeMond case was settled. Feds don’t settle without an admission of guilt.
“I don’t remember” is the best advice an $800 an hour lawyer can offer a client. Even if she did witness the doping and profit from it (As I believe her divorce settlement was worth about $20mil), I would not want to see a mothers testimony putting someone’s father behind bars. This is where the emotional damage of this mess starts to kick in. The entire affair is very conflicting, with the cancer community and children now stuck in the middle of this mess. Anybody alive has been close to someone that cancer has taken. The collateral damage of this trial is going to reverberate globally. Depressing…
The most dangerous thing that Landis did was take the policing of drugs out of the control of the cycling organizations. Novitzky has been ruthless in going after Bonds,Clemons and Marion Jones. If he goes after Lance and Bruyneel in the same way, they are in a lot of trouble.
1.Eyewitness accounts count in court as evidence. So Landis’ testimony is not just hearsay. If it is backed up by other eyewitness accounts, it will be hard for Lance to get out of this one.
2.Real drugs and equipment were used and bought and paid for. If the Fed’s are taking this seriously and it seems they are, they will find a paper trail of purchases.
3.Lance’s counter attack did not work. It is understood that landis played the usual game by challenging his positive test and is now telling the truth. Media coverage is increasingly giving credence to the charges. Already the NYT is reporting how Leipheimer, Hincapie,and Zabriskie did not deny floyd’s account. The Times also broke new ground in reporting how doping is continuing. The Times also ran an article about the corrupt ties between USAC,Lance and Wiesel.
The Times also ran an article about the corrupt ties between USAC,Lance and Wiesel.
That story is OLD. I believe Les Earnst(sp?) has the 411 on the jokers running USAC.
I went away from the sport for 10 years and I come back to find fewer, older racers, and a still non-existent national series.
I don’t know of a more rotten crate of apples.
who are you claiming Lance lied to that the others did not? sosa,mcguire and others appeared in front of congress, remember?
Congress has these tribunals for the press coverage and to make it look like they are really concerned…when all they want is the press coverage and to stay in office. Congress is not going to chase anyone….Federal prosecutors are a different bowl of wax as they WILL chase. They tend to build their careers on the bones of others. Then there are the exceptions, like Jeff Novitzky. He is a government cyborg. If he wanted to go to the private sector and make partner in a law firm over night…he would have by now. He’s a government mule…the guy moves in one direction and that is forward and through anyone in his way. Reminds of the Star Trek episode when Kirk was being chased around that planet by the slow moving monster. Kirk had to MacGyver a cannon and shoot the thing in the face. I hope Lance is building himself a cannon because that is what its gonna take to stop Novitzky…
as for ‘ruining our sport’, did you enjoy the Tour of California? think that happens at all let alone with daily coverage if not for the relative popularity brought by a 7 time TDF winner?
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1710880120100518
Bonds and Clemmons didn’t play ball for a branch of the government. If you can go to jail for opening mail that is not yours, you can probably go to jail for stealing millions of dollars. Whether he goes or not, its fun to think about Lance getting wheeled in in cuffs and trying to make an orange jumpsuit look cool. From private planes to a shared jail cell is a long way to fall. He certainly deserves it.
As for Kik – She did divorce him afterall – probably caught him cheating or got sick of all his BS doping Hollywood antics. The team parties in Las Vegas with the hookers probably didn’t settle well either.
I wonder if they’ll also get Hamilton, Herras, Livingston and others to testify or give testimony.
being sponsored is not the same as being an employee. are you people all this dumb from years of doping?
i can’t fund anything on google just now but don’t some people in society have protection against testifying against certain other people? what’s this called? i also vaguely recall this being relevant to debate about journalists’ sources recently. if larry’s ex witnessed this stuff when they were married then maybe she doesn’t have to answer certain questions?
ah ha, there are two kinds, The marital confidences privilege and The spousal testimonial privilege. I’ve read somewhere else i think they extend to therapists and priest types.
What’s wrong with the Wall Street Journal? They broke the Landis story but the Times has clearly done more with it. The Times went with an interview with Michael Ashenden and a lede about the lack of denials from Lance’s cohorts. The Journal had an article about how marketing experts do not think Landis can recover. The Journal has more access to the resources of nyvelocity than the Times but does not seem to be taking advantage. The Times is even doing more than nyvelcity with the story. To us nyvelocity is a place where the occasional interesting article interrupts anonyomous posters screaming about sandbaggers but don’t discount the role of nyvelocity in bringing Lance down.
this is how the wsj is nowadays. get used to it.
WSJ is owned by Murdoch via News International which owns Sky which owns Sky Cycling Team = crachez pas dans la soupe messieurs
I think someone said a few months ago that LA retirement was really a 3 year suspension.. I would not be surprised if WADA and USADA took money to call it a retirement. There is corruption all over our sport.
people said the same thing about Michael Jordan. Wait a minute..MJ, Mellow Johnny’s!!!! Holy shit, this goes way deeper than I thought, someone call Dan Brown!
It is McGwire and not Mcguire.
It is Clemens and not Clemmons
There is no such thing as an “Action” rate security.
And the NYT has 10x the people and money devoted to their sports section than the WSJ does. Mr. Albergotti has done a nice job with the resources he is given.
For all you guys here, while Lance may have doped and you want him persecuted, he is the one who probably brought you into cycling, made it popular for you, and the drove the market in the US for the sport so thank him for the popularity he brought to th US for the sport.
Actually it was Bauer and he was clean, so put that in your LA koolaid.
The NYTs was willing to go after the Catholic church. They seem to be getting their teeth into this story also. A big ouch for LA & Co.
Non-cyclists love this story because they love to hate on cyclists. Cyclists, sadly, love it, because they love to hate. Newsflash, Merckx doped.
My bauer comment was for the Yanis Torque post about LA being everything to everyone who races bikes.
lance will experience death by a million comments.
Btw, Lance attracted “the full US Postal gear kit, Trek Madone riding dweeb who would intentionally sprint pass you for 100 yards and be sucking air afterwards while you pass them on your recovery ride” type of riders.
“For all you guys here, while Lance may have doped and you want him persecuted, he is the one who probably brought you into cycling, made it popular for you, and the drove the market in the US for the sport so thank him for the popularity he brought to th US for the sport.”
Seriously?
This statement is idiotic on so many levels I don’t know where to start.
Not sure about Bauer either.
Lance did not create doping or cycling, he has shown how to milk it for everything…
cycling has grown because it is what it is…
great rehab from injury by other sports…
healthy (when not doped to the gills) life long participation…
easy on the knees, if fitted properly and training sensibly…
great travel tours…
entire office or family can do it together…
it is FUIN FUN FUN!!!
better than running, skiing, rowing, etc…
and locally, CP is the best friggin training circuit in an urban densely populated area, by far…
now if we could only get people to actually learn how to ride their bikes instead of look at the powermeters…
Is the dude who sold the carbon 404’s to the 200+ lbs chick in the park this am. Have you no shame?!
Mike Web, how is my comment idiotic? lance is responsible in large part for the growth of cycling the US in the last 10 years weather it be riders, enthusiasts, and sponsors.
If you do not think so, you are in a state of denial.
Please tell how my comment is idiotic.
Barring somebody like Novitsky actually bringing a case, LA and Bruyneel will absolutely keep steaming right along. There is no incentive not to and to do otherwise would be a tacit admission of guilt.
If a prosecutor gets his talons into the case, however, say looking for a drug trafficking conviction, it is a whole different story. Pulling off widespread doping can not be done in complete isolation.
Prosecutor’s have a lot of tools to get co-conspirators to cooperate, not the least of which is the plea-bargain. And yes, direct testimony by an eye-witness is certainly considered admissible evidence.
Lance has made cycling more popular — and Tiger Woods made golf more popular. So? Lance has drawn so many people into cycling is because the vast majority of Americans who know anything about him believe his doping denials and buy the narrative he put forth in his books about being unfairly persecuted by cycling officials, the French etc.
A lot of young people in America got into golf (and bought lots of Nike crap) because Tiger Woods was an unflappable Zen master with total control of himself. Does that excuse his behavior, or in any way lessen the impact on his Q score of the news that he’s a serial cheater and womanizer? Hardly. It’s just a reminder that people are gullible and willing to create myths around athletes (and others) to feel better about themselves. This willingness to be deluded is an opium of the people.
The bottom line is that this is by far the most serious inquiry into the allegations that LA doped, it won’t be over any time soon, nor as easily dismissed as past accusations. A subpoena has a way of making people assess self-interest in fairly stark terms. Perhaps there are still many willing to lie on LA’s behalf, but they will also have to hope that everyone else lies too, which is probably a long shot.
lance for president.
Thank you for making cycling popular and for the 700 triathletes with zero handling skills in Central Park this morning doing intervals in their aero bars.
Well, in your re-statement you said that he is responsible “in large part” for cycling’s growth “in the last 10 years”. This is a much more reasonable statement than your prior more all encompassing one that I said was idiotic.
I do think Lance made cycling more popular, but I also think Lance made Lance even more popular.
Yes, the testimony of Landis is admissible as evidence. And the moment after he testifies, Armstrong’s attorneys will rip out Floyd’s fake hip and bludgeon him with it. Floyd wrote a book about how he was robbed, and testified that he never doped. If Floyd’s testimony is your only evidence, forget it. No prosecutor would touch this case.
I’m not a fan of Lance, but I wish you guys would be a little more egalitarian with the vitriol. The CURRENT TDF champion is doped to the gills. Basso has a shot at the Giro. And Vino is as strong as ever. Uh, hello. Wake up people.
Cool – I guess we agree. I just stated my view poorly and unclearly in my first post.
Gert-Jan Theunisse got me into cycling and he was doped to the gills. That said, I hope Lance goes down. Hopefully the cancer surviors he has inspired can take that inspiration and continue his work though.
Like it or not, LA is a star, with a type of appeal that people want to consume again and again. Some have it, and most don’t. He also overcame a deadly form of cancer, like it or not. Most people like it.
@ Yanis,
No worries, I guess I just got my hackles up because I’m one of those semi old-sters who got into cycling back in the Lemond, Hampsten, Kelly, Phinney, Hinault, Indurain, etc. etc. days.
And did someone mention Jan-Theunisse? Yes, I was also a fan. When he was proven to be doped to the gills, I was a little sad, but not at all surprised.
Sorta like what’s going on now. In those days though, the game was learning how to not get caught. These days it seems like the game is how to buy immunity from the authorities. Hell, the super-chicken got bounced for 2 years without even testing positive, yet LA gets to dodge a non-competition test for 20 minutes and do who knows what and the UCI couldn’t care less.
Dave Stoller got me in to cycling, not Lance!
In honor of the Stoller I always blow red lights and stop signs, honor those who you idolize! Not to mention ramble off weird Italian phrases as anyone within ear shot.
Stoller might be fictional but at least he didn’t dope!
Moocher got me into cycling
Stoller lost and they laughed at him.
Speaking of mid western cycling (i.e., the Breaking Away references) – anybody familiar with how robust the road racing scene is in/around Madison, WI?
For testing positive at the TDF, I think Gert Jan-Theunisse got a 1 minute GC penalty. Talk about harsh.
it’s not bad during the one month when there is no ice fishing
Using EPO to mask transfusions. Amazing. Bonnie Ford still kicking ass.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5222488
My local strip mall has a RadioShack, a Trek bike store and BP gas station. Trifecta of doom.
“Don’t forget to punch the clock, shorty!”
The slow moving creature was called “The Gorn”
Dave: Everybody cheats. I just didn’t know.
Maybe the best thing I’ve seen on the subject:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=macgregor/100524
You gotta love Lance.
1. He wraps himself in the cloak of Cancer because human beings aren’t sophisticated enough to cheat in their job AND work tirelessly as an advocate and fundraiser on-behalf of cancer victims. Or can they?
2. He’s never met a day where he didn’t wake up angry at someone or something and kept that rage for every race, for every cause and every enemy real or perceived. Thanks goes to his absentee Dad Ed Gunderson I suppose for creating that bottomless well of fire and brimstone that is L.A.
3. I guess being a fatherless only child in Texas in the 70’s was so odd that he needed to create a persona that was never wrong and was always better than the rest of the kids.
This makes Lance a champion cyclists and a very flawed human being in need of a lot of therapy.
is so clean I have to take a 20 minute shower cause he makes me feel so dirty….
lets keep it local! who’s doping around here???!!
Lisban Quintero of CRCA/Foundation just won the Base Camp International in Basking Ridge in a field sprint.
when this first broke, i thought it’d be a wonderful, never-ending source for all-around hating. like a dream come true. alas, i’m already bored with it.
lance, why didn’t you just give him the damned money?! your cheap ass is fucked now.
If Floyd was such fun to be around and all his joking and what not why not bring him back to the team?
Well first Floyd wanted to be a leader and actually go for a win instead of passing bottles and breaking the wind for Lance all the freaking time. That put him on the “Lance Anger” list like so many ex-Lance domestiques and ended his days as a non-positive testing cyclist. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lance/Hog juggernaut actually passed marker filled doping products to other teams via their pushers so they’d have a better chance of catching them.
All in all, if they just tossed Floyd a bone and kept him at arms reach he’d of never flipped on Lance plain and simple. No instead now they will face the most damning accusation (yet) and try to weather the storm. This thing is far from over and I’m going to go buy some more popcorn to enjoy the show because even if we know the ending its how they get there that will be so entertaining.
lance is so clean he takes a 30 minute shower before all blood tests by the UCI
yes, Floyd’s testimnoy is evidence, but since he has no credibility, it’s worthless. Kristin doesn’t have to testify as she was his wife. She might have also signed an agreement to not testify as part of her divorce settlement.
Lance is probably nervous and spending lots of his money on lawyers, but he will probably not get any jail time. It’s nice that this might scare some riders into coming clean.
As far as local riders go, unless you have solid proof, it’s best to keep quiet. It just makes you look stupid.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-12-07/news/legal-complications-on-steroids/
UCI ordered investigations is an attempt by UCI to regain control. Investigate, declare that you found nothing and hope this goes away. Probably won’t happen this time unless extreme political pressure is put on Novitzki to stop. Will Obama risk his presidency to save Lance?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/sports/cycling/27cycling.html?ref=sports
The UCI doesn’t even have control over the extra nut that’s lying around.
I like the NYT story angle, looks like they will start to attempt to draw out Lance via the old teammates as they can probably get to them to get to Lance one by one. At first I thought why not just go after Lance? Well this way you can get the dirty info by letting a few go with a slap on the wrist and then you nab the big headline name.
I dreamed all last night, that everyone I ever sold a car to came back for a refund. And there you were, handing out the checks! One for you, and one for you…
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2010/05/27/2010-05-27_lance_faces_uphill_climb_vs_feds.html
Well, Lupica looks to definitely be off the Kool-Aid.
Wow. Lupica has some cojones.
Lisbon had Guzman in his pocket, is that legal?
nah, if Lupica had cojones he would’ve written that before everyone else started piling on.
his writing sucks
It sucks, indeeed, his writing, but then also, his editor, and his commas, they must suck too, certainly. It was not good news for my eyeballs.
“The Daily News, you bet, was first to report, that Novitzky was involved with Floyd Landis and his confession about his own doping, after years of denial. It was not good news for Armstrong.”
I never realized that the “Lupe” was such lousy writer. I could barely read that article. Did he dictate that to an 8-year old?
Ivan Dominguez reporting via FB that another bomb about to be dropped.
is on the right…life does go on after a cali loss.
http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m436/DM_livestrong/100527_header4.jpg
TV Star….my bad
dang, you aint joking>>>>
http://twitter.com/papadominguez
# Nothing to do with TofMO guys. Just wait for the news, I’m telling you is not good for a lot of people 🙁 about 7 hours ago via Echofon
# Another bad news is coming to cycling 🙁 not good 🙁
as far as i know, usada hasnt asked to talk with the acused americans yet where as other national cycling federations have been asked by the uci to investigate. maybe the new bad news is just usada announcing an official investigation?
Vaughters has been friendly with nyvelocity. He never directly said that he agrees that Lance is a doper, but the site is so identified with attacking Armstrong that his attending the nyvelocity roller race was an implicit slap at Lance.
Now he’s calling on Zabriskie and any other Garmin rider to tell the truth. Maybe Vaughters is really serious about cleaning up the sport. He’s doing everything except coming clean as Landis did. This does not look good for Armstrong.
appropriate team name for landis
But, I come down on the side that honestly, I hope Lance doesn’t get caught. Now, I’m no more a fan of LA than the next cyclist in NYC, and I happen to think he is definitely guilty. But nonetheless, he’s done a lot of good. Aside from the obvious contributions to cancer, he brought awareness to a sport that’s near and dear to all of our hearts. How many of us who love cycling likely would never have found the sport if Armstrong hadn’t widely popularized it in the US and elsewhere? How many races would have lost funding because of disinterest globally in cycling? Lance, simply, gave this sport a fighting chance. His persona and presence brings interest (and thus sponsorship, marketing/advertising money, etc. etc. etc.) to the jerseys and banners of cyclists and promoters worldwide.
We’re all quick to point fingers and are salivating for his demise, but truly, where would cycling be without him?
Just a thought.
I hope all the previously USPS current Garmin riders hold a press conference and own up, including Johnny V, maybe they can hold out the 10 foot pole and bring in Hincapie and company as well? Would be impressive and hopefully be only given a slap on the wrist to take down the kingpin.
No way can Lance be attributed solely to the cycling gain in popularity. Its many factors and our local group ride always has had its rise and fall in attendance but the Lance years are not the biggest nor the best. The local scene is mainly word of mouth and genuine fans wanting in on it. If you need one person to draw you into a sport then its really not for your in the first place, you’ll leave it soon enough if it was just because of one famous person. I’ve seen all the Lance drawn in riders come and go and the bunch misses them none at all.
The true fans new and old ride on their own accord and reasons one one person’s fame, glory and circumstance to get there. Sure we watch them and use some of the race action to drive us further but never is it the sole driving force to ride not to mention race. If you can’t get anything out of it on your own its not for you.
treck would be back in the metal ages if it weren’t for lance-a-lot.
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0527/espn_g_jnovitzky1_200.jpg
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:nf7fVmMGzXbt2M:http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/feb04/marco/marco.jpg
Lance? I got into racing because i wanted to meet the girls in Marco’s pictures
I think people are confusing gain in popularity among the general population with increased interest in racing. it is absolutely indisputable that Lance has increased sport’s popularity among general populace. how many cyclists do you think john doe can name?
Popularity in cycling and bike racing increased during Lance’s TDF victories. Sales figures don’t lie.
Come on. The guy was plastered over tons of magazine covers and was on every late night talk show (multiple times). I know nobody wants to admit it, but he had something to do with the LARGE increase in amateur bike racers and cycling enthusiasts over the past decade. I’m not saying he was the only reason, but let’s call a spade a spade.
But I prefer uni-baller to Spade or one-nut-wonder, now one-nut-doper
I got into cycling because Lance was shaggin the Olsen Twins. Right on, bro!
Before Lance the TDF was on for a half hour of highlights on PBS.USACycling reports tremendous growth since Lance. US now has 4 teams that will do TDF. Lance has a lot to do with it. The TOC probably never would have been created without Lance.
The crit in downtown New York drew 100,000+ the yeardonations Lance rode and then died when he didn’t ride.
He either brought the guys who are funding the sport into it or got them to increase their donations. The USACycling Development Fund was created by Lance and people around him.
It’s not just Lance, but he is the only bike racer that 90% of the population can name.
Just as some good things happened because of Lance, Mark McGwire helped revive baseball after the strike. He’s now a pariah who won’t get into the Hall of Fame anytime soon.Barry Bonds, maybe the best player ever,is a disgraced untouchable and nothing has ever been proved.
carry the sport alone, then why have rules?
[by that logic]
Screw it, I am going to race without a helmet now because LA subsidizes USAC.
Then Lance brought artificial growth to the sport. Not good long term.
likely would not exist without Hitler.
Just sayin’
i have an olsen twins fetish
“The crit in downtown New York drew 100,000+ the year Lance rode and then died when he didn’t ride.”
You obviously weren’t there. Maybe 15,000 tops the year he rode and that includes the Chinese and Korean tourists who happened to get stuck trying to cross the street.
The following year attendance was down because:
1. it rained.
2. no one paid for any advertising.
Cycling is in trouble if LA is the only reason people are interested.
between, USAC, LA, TWP, MS are finally maturing.
There was a real good crowd but 15k?
USACycling reports tremendous growth since Lance.
No way. USAC’s executive management is a club for the particularly wealthy LA fan. They define growth any way they want. The popularity numbers are always growing!
I came back to this sport after 10 years away and find about the same number of USAC racers only they are much older. While local/regional racing still happens, the executive leadership import continental Pros and their race format because it serves as a backdrop to LA. Domestic racing is way down the list of their priorities.
*Outside* USAC, there has been growth.
1. Way more recreational riders in my area on road and dirt. None of whom seem to care one way or another about racing.
2. Don’t confuse LA celebrity interest with a general interest in cycling. LA is a mainstream sports cultural reference (like a Bryant or Mickelson(sp??)) with almost nothing to do with cycling. This too shall pass. It did with LeMond, it will again with LA.
3. Races not sanctioned by USAC continue to grow.
your argument doesn’t make a bit of sense, to say that non-sanctioned racing has grown in popularity, as has recreational riding does nothing to dispute Lance’s effect on cycling growth overall, if anything it supports it.
Come in Nicolas!
I worked in the industry during the LeMond era and after, so I have lots of history to work with. There are more of the same celebrity posters up at the LBS, but that’s all.
Shop revenue didn’t explode because of either personality. As bikes get more varied/comfortable and access/safety improves, more people ride. Almost none of these recreational riders ever get close to the idea of racing in any way.
The people doing non-sanctioned races **really** don’t care about USAC/UCI racing. It’s weekend warriors with lots of other responsibilities with the occasional timed organized ride.
So the general population of cyclists is growing, but none of them due to LA and almost all of them will never race. USA Cycling likes it that way.
“So the general population of cyclists is growing, but none of them due to LA”
none, zero, really?
have you checked out the number of riders on various livestrong charity rides?
… with Nicholas. I’ve been working in the bike biz for 23 years now and in that time much has changed. But One thing that hasn’t changed significantly enough to credit LA is the total number of bikes that are sold by any given shop anywhere in the country. Yes, there are good years and bad years, but it has nothing to do with LA. I do give him a ton of credit for raising awareness of the bicycle plight amongst those who do not and will never ride/race. But he has had very little effect on the local bike shops annual revenue.
But he has had very little effect on the local bike shops annual revenue.
Bingo!
give him a ton of credit for raising awareness of the bicycle plight amongst those who do not and will never ride/race.
As did LeMond before him… When Armstrong retires (again) it won’t affect the number of cyclists. (again)
Lance did raise awareness of “Full House” reruns
lance inspires me to keep from feeling tired.
you guys are frickin geniuses. neither of your shops did much better in the short amount of time you both worked there prior to Lance’s arrival on the scene, therefore he has had no effect on the popularity of cycling (couldn’t be that more competition arose to meet the growing demand, no….couldn’t be, not to mention the internet). You guys have half a brain between you.
he has had no effect on the popularity of cycling
That’s my claim. If you want to assert that ten thousand people reading Sports Illustrated are aware of cycling is a ‘popularity explosion’, that’s a different claim. Those 10,000 don’t spend a penny in a LBS or even buy a ‘big box store’ bike. (ex. REI)
couldn’t be that more competition arose to meet the growing demand
Nope. Before the Internet was mail order and ‘big box’ competition for the LBS. The net effect of the Internet is/was zero. What I see in my area is a few shops manage to weather economic cycles while a select few go-it-alone shops open and close. Net effect, no expansion of cycling-specific business.
Let me put it to you another way, if the cycling business was exploding, there’d be Weisel-funded Mellow Johnnies franchises all over the U.S. It’s not. End of story.
ALL of you are f’ing useless.
Basso just won the Giro, and nobody has said anything at all about it.
did you look at the topic of the page?
I’m sure the increase in population had nothing to do with it, right?
I got back to cycling in ’96 so does that mean a cancerous Lance drew more in? Well for me at least.
I for one don’t see cycling ever falling off the face of the earth, sure it will rise and fall in popularity, sales, etc. but come on man, it only requires a bike and a person to peddle it (basic bike). Then now with the doped bike, the opportunity for growth is huge. Imagine some out of shape person who wants to join the rides/races just buys one of those doped bikes and can compete or at least not totally blow up, like they would now.
So I think the “Doped Bike” will grow cycling! You heard it here first!
“and a person to peddle it”
like a bike shop owner?
also: hub, spoke, rim, crank
i chose “spoke,” as it is the only one with two vowels.
The Mexicutioner rocks a doped bike. True story.