andyandhelen.briggs said:There are genuine reasons to dislike Lance Armstrong
Sure there are. But you need different ones than the ones below...
Quoted message said:1. He has done nothing for cyclists . He has pandered to pro car Americans to maximise his sponsor
ship , when he is ideally placed with his mate Bush to get a fair deal.
Cyclists Combatting Cancer is certainly designed to improve awaremness of both disease and cycling.
He has publicized his training regimen for other athletes and cyclists like you.
Quoted message said:2. He has no respect for the TDF history and is plain rude to the French ie "shame TDF is held in
France"
Excepts from Abt's article at the end of last year's Tour:
"An informal poll of fans during the three-week race showed full appreciation of Armstrong's feats
and nearly unanimous respect for him. Again and again, people at the sides of the Tour's many roads
described him "un grand monsieur," roughly translatable as "a class act." . Farther down the road,
the counterman in a sandwich shop spoke for the defense. "I stopped following the sport because of
all the drugs," he said. "When Armstrong began winning, I came back, since I can't believe anybody
who had cancer would take no matter what drugs. He's revived the sport. Him, he's un grand
monsieur." . No doubt about it, in the judgment of the French and everyone else, he has. PARIS In a
little-noticed ceremony, the many photographers who cover the Tour de France awarded their Prix
Orange to Lance Armstrong, honoring him last week as the most cooperative rider. In a way, though,
it mirrors a change in the attitudes of French spectators toward the American winner of the last
five Tours. . He left the speaker's lectern to loud applause from the mainly French crowd. So it
went throughout the Tour: cheers at the sign-in for every daily stage, an abundance of posters
supporting him in French . Asked a few days ago about his reaction to the horde of fans with
American flags along the route, he said, "Many times you get next to them and it's a French person.
It's strange, but many times it happens. I can't complain about the kind of support it is, it's much
appreciated." . Then he spoke, as he often did before the Tour, about the need to repair French-
American relations strained by the war in Iraq. All his efforts have won over the crowd. An informal
poll of fans during the three-week race showed full appreciation of Armstrong's feats and nearly
unanimous respect for him. Again and again, people at the sides of the Tour's many roads described
him "un grand monsieur," roughly translatable as "a class act."
Quoted message said:3. A young family that won't have a father.
Would you prefer 2 adults who can't stand each other to stay together to make their children
experience the pain?
Quoted message said:4. His total; support of Bush and the toxic texans pro war and anti environment policies
A lie:Agence France-Presse
BRUSSELS, Belgium (February 15, 2003 3:31 p.m. EST) - Four-time Tour de France winner Lance
Armstrong said Saturday it would be "dangerous" for the United States to carry out a unilateral
strike against Iraq.
"I know George Bush well, having met him about 20 times, and I support him, but going ahead with
this war without the support of Europe would be dangerous. I'm not a 'fan' of war, or of Saddam
Hussein, and even less so of terrorism. But it would be a mistake to engage in war without the
backing of the United Nations and Europe,"
A month later:
March 10, 2003 The Guardian
Lance Armstrong, who is close to George W Bush, has told the president that he is opposed to war in
Iraq. "He's a personal friend of mine but we've all got the right not to agree with our friends. I
think we ought to consider the opinion of other strong nations," he added. "Entering in a unilateral
way into the war is an error. But he has got all the information, he's the president and my opinion
doesn't really matter. I'd always opt for a peaceful solution and not for a war."
Quoted message said:5. Only focuses on one race
True, and a shame. But there is no requirement, as in other sports, for cyclists to enter x amount
of events and do well enough in them to be invited to an event. Procycling focuses on teams and
invites as the teams as a whole produce.
Quoted message said:6. His treatment of people in general . Why do all his riders leave ?
Because they are good enough to lead teams, given the chance? (Hamilton, Heras)
