Why some hate Armstrong

Dear old Phil and Paul need to look at this.

[ame=[MEDIA=youtube]k3uWs5ULAZE[/MEDIA]]YouTube - Jacques Anquetil Part 1[/ame]

Maitre Jacques and high cadence.

I am shocked at how Liggett has gone native over Armstrong.
He used to be rather impartial when it came to riders.

Whether or not he enjoys the attention and having his name in the lights--or the announcers mouths--is another matter, but I don't think he can be blamed for an announcer's, network's, or magazine's obsession with him.

The hate and love (sycophancy, in some cases) of Armstrong is really no different than similar situations in other sports or activities. Consider how wrapped up people get about soccer in some countries. Look at how blood thirsty NASCAR fans can get.

Consider, too, that people love to hate:[/list][*]People that win too much (as perceived, anyway)[*]People that win and do so outside of traditional means (Armstrong's singular focus; the fact that he's not European and doesn't/hasn't approached cycling in the traditional way)[*]People perceived as not respecting tradition[*]All of the above[/list]Michael Schumacher was hated by many for his F1 success.

Frankly, I think when people get so wound up about sports personalities (or celebrities of any sort), they need to get out a bit more.

Lance hasn't done me any wrong. I bear no ill will towards the guy. People always hate those who are successful, and just can't wait to tear those people down.

jhuskey said:

I am not in the group that does but I can understand why non-Lance-fans get riled up especially if you watch such networks as Versus.
Watching the TDS I heard one on the announcers( Liggette or Sherwin) state that Armstrong invented the high cadence method. He may have developed the method for himself, drawn attention to it but he did not invent it.Studies were being done on it and cyclist were using it before Armstrongs day.It's stuff like that that get officinados of cycling [censored].
No Lance I don't dislike you but some of the [censored] that is shoveled out as fact sometimes makes me ill.
Rant over! 🙄

'they' said green day was the origins of punk so the same boat, kinda sorta.

It is funny how information is presented.
Especially on some TV networks in the USA.

My wife watches Oprah Winfrey for some reason.
I happened to be in the room when I heard Winfrey waffling on about how an ABC report from Ethiopia in December 1984 alerted the world to the famine in that country.

BBC's Michael Buerk's report in October 1984 alerted the world to the unfolding famine in Ethiopia.
The ABC's report alerted America to that famine in Ethiopia.

On the less important issue of cadence tempo, I am disappointed but not surprised that Phil Liggett in particular would choose to post waffle about high cadence only being developed in late 1990's.
As for Sherwin, he's been a chamois sniffer for the past 18 years.

limerickman said:

It is funny how information is presented...

Maintaining high cadence has been used and promoted since flip-flop hubs. It may be new to knitting circles, but certainly not to bike racing.

Off Topic - Lim, Re. Ethiopia - I spent some time over there last year - It is a mighty interesting Country.

limerickman said:

I am shocked at how Liggett has gone native over Armstrong.
He used to be rather impartial when it came to riders.

money, pure and simple. phil has business interests which rely upon the armstrong brand remaining strong via the voice overs he does for tour dvd's. when you watch one of these dvd's where armstrong isn't involved, phil (and paul) actually do a nice job of commenting on the action. put armstrong in there (as with menchov's giro last year) and you'd be hard pressed to think that armstrong wasn't leading the race or dictating the action in some grandiose tactical plan. phil knows his p. t. barnum well when it comes to the american buying public.

slovakguy said:

money, pure and simple. phil has business interests which rely upon the armstrong brand remaining strong via the voice overs he does for tour dvd's. when you watch one of these dvd's where armstrong isn't involved, phil (and paul) actually do a nice job of commenting on the action. put armstrong in there (as with menchov's giro last year) and you'd be hard pressed to think that armstrong wasn't leading the race or dictating the action in some grandiose tactical plan. phil knows his p. t. barnum well when it comes to the american buying public.

Well, to be fair, the focus point in the Tour for most Americans IS Lance. Ever read Velonews' live coverage of races? Someone is ALWAYS asking how Lance is doing....which is fine, I guess, when they're covering him in the Tour of California or the TdF. Slightly annoying when it's a race he isn't even in.

Chavez said:

Well, to be fair, the focus point in the Tour for most Americans IS Lance. Ever read Velonews' live coverage of races? Someone is ALWAYS asking how Lance is doing....which is fine, I guess, when they're covering him in the Tour of California or the TdF. Slightly annoying when it's a race he isn't even in.

Very true, some people call me Lance because I ride a bike.

i've been called Lance by the what i think was the Houston Rockets basketball team. i was riding through downtown Houston and the bus was unloading them all right in front of a hotel or right across the street rather and they were walking towards the hotel and i rode right in front of them and one hollered "Go Lance!" and then the rest started up with it to.

funny, but annoying at the same time. I hollered "Go Lakers!"

jhuskey said:

Very true, some people call me Lance because I ride a bike.

Are you sure it's not because of your passing resemblance to Lance Bass?

you really can't blame Lance for what others attribute to him inventing. that is their words and not his. I am a Lance fan, and it's not just cause a fellow Texan. I'm a fan of anyone who has turned bad things in their life into good things and from there are doing what they can to help others. Whatever ill will there is from people towards Lance is in my opinion is totally misguided anger.

I need to read up about it, am ignorant.

Higher cadence means more horsepower: work done in a period of time.

They used to rate the power of small gas engines (1880's), fractional HP engines

for shop use, in "man power", ie: "1/4 manpower".

The power was rotating, kinetic energy, and still is.

I was a Lance Armstrong fan.

I wanted to believe in the comeback, the stirring human side of it. Well........

IMO, it was [censored].

LA was/is a narcissist, and a shameless self-huckster. I also believe he doped.

For all the rest of it, I thought Livestrong was actually a good thing, helping cancer victims in the best way any non-physician can -- psychologically. Then he used that for some Ben Stiller huck, basically [censored] all over the brand.

The doping itself is irrelevant, it's been proven they were pretty much ALL doing it, so he did win those Tours on a level field. Just don't try to polish the turd.

I guess that's my whole point -- don't polish the turd. It's still a tube of [censored].

(Oh, and as far as Liggett/Sherwen go -- Sherwen is whatever, but Liggett lost whatever cred he had with me when he dissed BMX/MTB in the Olympics. Go squat on a short stick, Phil.)