reasons you support Armstrong?

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Um, I don't support Armstrong. I don't care for his or US Postal's style. My favorite riders are Kazakh, Spanish, German, French, Italian, etc. And yes, I'm American. My passion is based on love of the sport. There's an article on yahoo sports that sums up my feeling rather well:
sports.yahoo.comnews; ylc=X3oDMTBpcWU3ZWcyBF9TAzk1OTEyNTc0BHNlYwN0aAOpen ↗

gunnar_roadie said:

Um, I don't support Armstrong. I don't care for his or US Postal's style. My favorite riders are Kazakh, Spanish, German, French, Italian, etc. And yes, I'm American. My passion is based on love of the sport. There's an article on yahoo sports that sums up my feeling rather well:
sports.yahoo.comnews; ylc=X3oDMTBpcWU3ZWcyBF9TAzk1OTEyNTc0BHNlYwN0aAOpen ↗

thanks for the article link.

I like the line "Armstrong brought laser-like focus -- and largely ignored other major races such as the Italian Giro or Spanish Vuelta."

that is why Armstrong will only be a TDF champion and never a cycling god like Bernard Hinault.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Actually, I like French Canadians. Nice people.

And Yes, I would support Armstrong, just like I supported Indurain. Great champions are worth supporting.

mojomarc said:

Actually, I like French Canadians. Nice people.

that's funny because the French Canadians hate Americans more than the real French.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

You know, that's a really good question. I was a big fan of Hinault and Indurain when they were in their respective primes. I think I can honestly say that even if Armstrong weren't American, I would at least give him the benefit of the doubt. What surprises me is how many people (American or otherwise) are willing to condemn him on what amounts to nothing more than circumstantial evidence and specualtion. That being said I can't argue that we Americans aren't biased toward Armstrong. If Hinault were to have been accused of doping (assuming the "evidence" against him were the same as that against LA), would you have defended him or jumped right in and said, "yeah he must be a doper"?

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

>>>>

1 because he fought off a cancer that had devastated his entire body, and lived to win not one but 6 Tdfs (something hard to imagine even for an always-healthy man!)

2 Because he has done so much to help people with cancer and our families, esp. children with cancer.

3 because he is top cyclist.

4because he is a man of character and decency.

It has little to do with his nationality...I rooted for Merckx in the mid 70s.

paris_boy said:

that's funny because the French Canadians hate Americans more than the real French.

>>>>

Hence the term "[censored] Canucks." 😄

"The French would rather eat and make love with their faces than fight".--English officer, LAST OF THE MOHICANS (film)

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Yes I believe I would. I love the hell out of Voeckler.I think he is great and will pull for him next year or any other race that I am aware of that he is in. I also like Hamiliton we have a lot in common. He was a skier before injury, I was a skier before injury,he loves dogs, I love dogs, he is a great cyclist, I ride a bike. As far a Canadians. Do they cycle?

Do Canadians Cycle?

You must be joking or have no clue about the lineage of the USPS cycling.

Think Motorola and Steve Bauer!! He only road in 11 TDF's

I'd like to point out that MANY Americans do not support Armstrong. Many of my riding pals who are American can't stand him. Their irritation with him pre-dates recent successes in the TDF, and cancer survival. Many Americans have never liked Lance, because he was/can still be such an SOB.

Suggesting that all Americans support Armstrong is just about as worthless as suggesting that all French Canadians hate Americans, all French hate Americans, all Americans hate the French, etc . . .

Surely Paris Boy simply has a twisted sense of humor, and believes that the best way to provoke genuine responses is to run into a crowded room shouting offensive things.

homeycheese said:

Do Canadians Cycle?

You must be joking or have no clue about the lineage of the USPS cycling.

Think Motorola and Steve Bauer!! He only road in 11 TDF's

I was just kidding.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Yes I would support him if was Canadian, Spanish, French ect. He has proven himself just like the other 5 time winners. But the first to win six.

That Lance is receiving so much attention is due to non-cycling fans.

LA is unique, not for being American, but for bringing a different "human interest" story to the sports world.

Because he is American, however, he brings greater media exposure, marketing dollars and his compelling story came along at a time the TDF could have collapsed under the early stages of a real serious drug scandal.

It's the ultimate "feel good" story that you have to root-for, regardless of his nationality.

The fact that he is the supreme TDF rider makes it all the more sweeter for long suffering American cycling fans like myself.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Yes, I would still support him. I have yet to see any credible evidence to support claims and insinuations that he is a doper. I don't think the fact that he is an American has much to do with it for me, I think he is a great cyclist. For what it's worth, my top favorite cyclists are in descending order ....

1. Peter Van Petegem
2. Tom Boonen
3. Paolo Bettini
4. George Hincapie
5. Lance Armstrong

Johan Museeuw was close to the top of my list before he retired. The TdF is good, but I absolutely love the Spring Classics, my favorite time of the year.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Urmmmmmmm I'm not an American and I think he is an inspiration. Why are you so hung up on him being an American? Just think he has to do two tours every year, one against the competitiors and one against the French press - must be worth a couple of extra tours really.

Next you'll be telling us we should all watch moody films about love triangles just to miss the American ones. Actually I quite like alot of French films except the 50% where girl A who is maried to B has an afair with C who in turn smokes alot and has a relationship with A himself. The other half are OK.

Quoted post said:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

truthfully, a little of both.
I became a fan of Armstrong because I bought my first road bike around the time he became a pro rider, and subsequently started paying attention to pro cycling. I thought it was great that an American rider might follow in Lemond's footsteps and make a dent in the European peloton. Yes, there were many Yanks riding by this time, but even 12 years ago Armstrong was clearly a special case and had enormous potential. Many saw Lance as the great American hope for cycling a long time before he got close to a TdF win.

Hmmm- which makes me wonder- is your question implying that it's wrong to support an athlete for patriotic reasons?

I don't see how it could be wrong; clearly the fans in Europe are driven by patriotism as much as - if not far more than - anything else. An ocean of orange shirts were screaming for a Basque rider, any Basque rider, to challenge in the Pyrenees two weeks ago (and were good and [censored] that no one could). The Germans wanted Ullrich to make good, finally, and the Belgian riders wanted to have a good showing in the first two days while the Tour was in their country.

Wow, it seems as if lines between fans are largely drawn by nationality. Or should we believe that the French don't actually need a French Tour winner, but support every deserving rider regardless of nationality? Maybe the Giro isn't set up to have an Italian winner?

This is not to say that fans can't support and appreciate riders from different countries, but a lot of the cheering is obviously done by and for fellow countrymen.

So, sorry, but it seems natural for someone to want Armstrong to succeed if for no other reason than he's an American. It so happens that I like Ullrich, Basso, and Beloki too, and a number of other riders from many countries (my you Aussies are growing them strong these days); but throw an American rider into a race with an actual chance to win it, and I'll probably be supporting the American.
(It would have been cool if the American this year had been Tyler, though)

For what it's worth- my favorite rider of all will likely always be Jalabert- and I find it satisfying that he had several opportunities to outride Armstrong over the years.

but wait! See below..

meehs said:

If Hinault were to have been accused of doping (assuming the "evidence" against him were the same as that against LA), would you have defended him or jumped right in and said, "yeah he must be a doper"?

I'd like to see your answer to this question, Paris-Boy

paris_boy said:

that's funny because the French Canadians hate Americans more than the real French.

Hmmmmm.... My roommate in college was French Canadian, I played youth hockey in Quebec, and I never found this to be the case. If there's anyone they hate, it seems to be either Maple Leafs fans or Newfies.

paris_boy said:

to my good American friends:

if Armstrong was not American would you support him?

I mean if he was Canadian (or dear god, French Canadian) would you be supporting (and defending) him with such passion? is your passion based on patriotism or love of the sport?

Looks like I CAN support him. Sorry Paris Boy looks like you've got to wait another year(s).

I can't wait to next years round of "but it eeeessssss imposssseeeeble for he is not French." Guess it will be the Aussies turn after that.

"Lance Armstrong has indicated that he will attempt to win a record-breaking seventh Tour de France next year."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/3940951.stm

paris_boy said:

thanks for the article link.

I like the line "Armstrong brought laser-like focus -- and largely ignored other major races such as the Italian Giro or Spanish Vuelta."

that is why Armstrong will only be a TDF champion and never a cycling god like Bernard Hinault.

So what?

There is no point in riding in a Tour that won't suit your preperation for le Tour and you are a major contender.

And guess what, Ullrich, Hamilton as well all focus on le Tour.

BTW I should like to say hi.