More [censored] with a pen

Steve, relax, I've phoned my connections, they won't have any fingers to write with shortly ;D. On a serious note, what a lot of LOSERS. (1) Ron Borges should be put on a bike and forced just to do one of the mountain stages, then we'll see about that!. This Dimitry oke should just be taken out and relieved (9mm/7.65mm style). Easy, put barrel against head and PULL!

Sorry if this sounds way out, but their whole way of writing has pi**ed me off. Where's my punchbag?

Follow up:

Read this: http://discuss.pittsburghlive.com/viewtopic.php?t=509 for a good answer. Read carefully and read the whole post, otherwise you might get [censored]! ;D

[rant] Have a look @ the faces of those two monkeys (that's monkey with a capital M). What's the bet that neither of them will even walk 500m without been close to cardiac arrest, let alone ride a bike? It's true what they say: The volume of abuse is directly proportional to the size of the waist belt. And judging by the photos of Mr Borges and Vassilaros, they both look like "elite" athletes, don't they?

Mr Borges reckons: "For my money, being the greatest athlete in the world involves strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, mental toughness and the ability to make your body do things that defy description. Chief among them is not pumping your legs up and down while your feet are strapped to bicycle pedals."
Obviously this guy hasn't had his feet "strapped" to bicycle pedals before? And cycling for 3 hrs at 50 km/h obviously doesn't count as "speed" in Borges's eyes, neither does riding up a hill for 25 km at an average gradient of 8% count as strength? Mental toughness? What do you think mental toughness is about? Negotiating the morning traffic on your way to work in your air-conditioned Merc? You freakin' lamer! Continue watching boxing and the NFL from your couch, you dumb-bell, 'cause you don't have a clue! Why don't you contact Igor Flores, the rider that come last in this years TdF, and challenge him to a 38km ride, that's only 0.01% of the entire TdF route. Choose your bike, go along for the ride and let's see how much "mental toughness" you have! [/rant]
If a cyclist representing my country won a stage in the TdF, let alone wear the Yellow jersey, I would be really proud. LA takes the Tour for the fourth time, and this monkey Borges reckons it only takes an average athlete pumping his legs up and down to do that! How ignorant can a single person be?

Greg Lemond was right when he said: "The pain of cycling can be terrible...not many people outside cycling understand that..."

Maybe we should buy Nob Rogers a bike(minus the saddle) and take him for a ride.

So Dimwit Vasalinehead thinks we should pay to go on the roads, well I'm up for it. But if I'm going to pay for it, then I'm going to use it, and not the small corridor alongside the kerb that drivers seem to think that's all we deserve.

I can just imagine the steam venting from the ears of those drivers stuck behind me as I cruise along the centre of the road.

I saw the "athlete" article before on another forum and I still think it is utter non-sense. I think this man should be shot.

*this was my response before*

I guess you have to play basketball or tennis in order for this guy to consider someone an athlete?

Whatever! Lance, who is my forever idol and I would love to have his love child one day (TMI), is an amazing athlete! His normal heart rate, resting, is around the 30s or 40s. He has an amazing lung capacity and endurance. He also has strength. I would like to see if this little f&*$% can
a.) ride a bike
b.) ride one as fast as Lance
c.) ride one as long and as fast as Lance

And, did anyone ask whether Clipper Jones could ride a bike 100 kms a day at 55 kph for 21 something days?

And, I have seen what marathoners have to go through to do what they do. And, I GUARUNTEE that they put more time and effort into that than those f^&*#$ squeaking their shoes around a basketball court for an hour and then go snort some cocaine and get drunk in the meantime.

And in response to the observation about hand/eye coordination and responsiveness, these guys are also traveling at an average of 35 miles an hour on a bike! Which means that you have to be alert and aware and quick to react to every pot hole, other cyclist, or car on the road. And, you have all of 3 seconds to see the obstacle, make a decision on how to maneuver it, and then execute. People have more time to react than this in a car accident.

Mental toughness? This guy has obviously never done any kind of endurance training in his life. Or, he would realize that your biggest enemy isn't your body, it is your mind. Why do you think Jalabert would slow so significantly after being passed by the peloton leaders so many times? Because in his mind, he had been defeated.

ugghh! This guy makes me ill. I would like to see what kind of shape he is in and then invite him to attend a little triathlon race with me. I bet he'd drop in no time.

And, to the other article, I reply...

Since when are golf carts faster than cyclists!?

I mean, would it not be just as "annoying" for drivers to encounter a golf cart in front of them traveling at 20 kph, as a cyclist?

This guy needs to remove his head from his [censored]. He is obviously not getting enough oxygen to his brain.

While the writers of these two articles are undoubtedly Grade-A tossers, there is really no point getting too excited about it. These guys are just trolling. They are after a response, any response. I've seen this on another forum, and there are a heap of people writing letters telling these guys how wrong they are etc etc.

The only way to deal with it is to ignore it. If you write them a letter and then keep buying the newspaper/hitting the website aiming to see your response in print, you'll only be giving them exactly what they want.

Just as a side note: Cyclists do pay for the roads already. We pay taxes don't we? Guess where all the funding for the roads comes from. The small charges that drivers pay don't even cover the cost of their subsidised fuel. This sort of [censored] is not worthy of a response.

When Greg LeMond was made Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine after his second Tour de France win many "sports writers" said some of the same nonsense as what is being said about Lance and many other cycling champions today. It is strange to see what some people define as a "sport" or how they define "athlete".

My father is the same way, he thinks that cycling is a sport for those who can't do any other sports well, or for little kids. That's what bicycling is for right.....little kids. In his eyes we are just a bunch of geeks who shave their legs and wear funny clothes. But he has never experienced the skill needed to ride a bike at 60 mph down a steep mountain descent, or ride even one day at a Tour pace and distance, so I guess my point is that it easy to criticize that which you know nothing of.

Maybe a good topic for discussion:

What is an "athlete"?
How do you define the word "sport"?

Is bowling a sport? Are bowlers athletes? same for billiards, golf, etc..etc..