The LANCE thread.

[djconnel]

http://twitpic.com/1dtg3
His position looks unusually good.

[RollinOn27s]

http://velonews.tv/?articleID=2591

Oh man. That first minute and a half is priceless.

[TheBugMan]

He got a couple respect points from me for that response. Not saying he owes me anything or needs my respect.

[Yiannis-Super 6.]

Wow! No matter what you think about him,he doesn't let anything go,nor does he forgive or forget. Good for hin.

[Steponas]

I can`t get the link for some reason , is it the LA Kimmage exchange ?

[Koen]

yes

[J-Nice]

Here is the Paul Kimmage article that lead to the press conference exchange between him and Armstrong-


Septmenber 24, 2008-

"My reaction...the enthusiasm that I had built up about the sport in the last couple of years has been all but completely wiped out in the last couple of hours.

Let’s turn the clock back to Armstrong’s last apparition in the sport. The Tour de France 2005. He’s standing on the podium. And he makes this big impassioned speech. Which is basically saying ‘The last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics, the sceptics: I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry you can’t dream big. I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles.’ That was 2005, his last ride in the the Tour de France. And the people flanking him on that podium were Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich. And a month after that race ended the French newspaper L’Equipe reported that in his first winning Tour de France, in 1999, Armstrong had tested positive for EPO. Six separate samples taken during that race revealed positive tests for EPO.

This return, he wants us to believe that it’s all about saving the world from cancer. That’s complete bullshit. It’s about revenge It’s about ego. It’s about Lance Armstrong. I think he’s trying to rewrite his exit from the sport. He’s sat back and he’s watched the last two years and he cannot stand the idea that there are clean cyclists now that will overtake his legacy and buy the memory of all the crap that he put the sport through.

When I heard it being mooted first that he was coming back, I thought well that’s fine, because the first thing ASO are going to say is ‘sorry Lance, we’ve seen your results from the 1999 tests , you’re not coming back.’ I expected a similar statement from Pat McQuaid. What’s happened instead is that Christian Prudhomme has said ‘yes, you can come back, no problem.’ And Pat McQiad has said ‘I really admire this man, he’s a tremendous ambassador for cycling.’ What we’re getting here is the corporate dollars and the money that’s going to accompany this guy back into the game. The money that’s going to bring for Nike, one of the big sponsors of the Tour. And for the UCI, who have been experiencing some serious problems in the last couple of years.

Much as you want to say the sport has changed, as quickly as they can change their own opinions – McQuaid, who says one thing in private and quite the opposite in public, and Prudhomme – if they can change so quickly then I’m sorry, it’s really very, very difficult to have any optimism with regard to Armstrong and the way the sport was moving forward. For me, if he comes back next year, the sport takes two steps back.

I spent the whole Tour this year with Slipstream, the Garmin team. That wasn’t by accident. I chose that team deliberately, because of what they were saying about the sport and the message they were putting out. But also the fact that so many of that team had raced with Armstrong during his best years and knew exactly what he got up to. And the stuff that I learnt on that Tour about him and what he was really like was absolutely shocking, really shocking.

What’s going to happen now is he comes back and everybody’s going to wave their hands in the air and give him a big clap. And all the guys who really know what he’s about are going to feel so utterly and totally depressed. And I’m talking about Jonathan Vuaghthers, who raced with Armstrong that first winning Tour and who doped. And if you look at that Tour, Armstrong’s first win, there were seven Americans on that team. Frankie Andreu has said he used EPO. Tyler Hamilton has been done for [blood doping]. George Hincapie was exposed as a doper by Emma O’Reilly, the team soigneur. Christian Vand Velde and Jonathan Vaughters … both are members of Slipstream and would promote the notion that this was not a clean team by any means. When you look at that and what Armstrong’s done and how he’s seemingly got away with it, it just makes his come back very hard to stomach.

Astana’s the absolute perfect team for him. He’d be renewing his old acquaintance with Bruyneel, who wanted to hire Basso last year. Will he be renewing his old acquaintance with Ferrari, the famous doctor? Will Bruyneel be taking pictures of the questioning journalists and pinning them on the side of his bus?

When Armstrong talks about transparency, this is the greatest laugh. When he talks about embracing this new transparency … I’m really looking forward to that. I’m really looking forward to my first interview request with him and seeing how that comes back. Because that would really make it interesting.

This guy, any other way but his bullying and intimidation wrapped up in this great cloak, the great cancer martyr … this is what he hides behind all the time. The great man who conquered cancer. Well he is the cancer in this sport. And for two years this sport has been in remission. And now the cancer’s back."

[Powerful Pete]

Well. Finally someone saying the truth about David Millar. Mr. doping is bad because I got caught by the gendarmerie with bags of EPO on the mantlepiece now being holier than thou.

Sorry, just had to get that one off my chest. At least Basso has dealt with it, served his ban and come back to riding without a fuss.



edit: typo

[J-Nice]

Well. Finally someone saying the truth about David Millar. Mr. doping is bad because I got caught by the gendarmerie with bags of EPO on the mantlepiece now being holier than thou.

Sorry, just had to get that one off my chest. At least Basso has dealt with it, served his ban and come back to riding without a fuss.

edit: typo

It wasn't bags of EPO. It was one empty vial which, if he had just thrown it in the garbage the whole episode would not of happened.

And he never tested positive nor had a bag of his own blood in Dr. Fuentes' office in Spain like so many as yet unnamed athletes had.

As for his holier-than-thou stance, I think he was affected by the media crush that needed to see at least one rider show an exaggerated from of contrition so that all the hypocritical puritans in the press would lay off and just let him race in peace.

And as for the Paul Kimmage article I quoted above, I just wanted everyone to see it. I have no idea how this was allowed to be printed. It is full of hateful rants and innuendo. He never states once what exactly it was that Armstrong's former teammates said about him to lead him to the conclusions he made.

I understand the need to guarantee anonymity is vital to assure riders will talk about controversial issues, but he is vague even about what was said about Armstrong.

He certainly isn't vague about his hatred of the man. This article represents the height of journalistic irresponsibility, using column space not to report the news but to execute a personal vendetta. Even I can see this, and I'm no Armstrong fan by any means.

[NS]

Kimmage is a poisonous individual he couldnt even cut it as a cyclist when he doped. He hates people who ride things like the etape for pleasure and to say what he said about anyone is just a disgrace.

Borrow a copy of Kimmages book "A rough ride" (FFS dont buy it) if you want to see what loser the guy really is

[Rodrego Hernandez]

Kimmage is a poisonous individual he couldnt even cut it as a cyclist when he doped. He hates people who ride things like the etape for pleasure and to say what he said about anyone is just a disgrace.

Borrow a copy of Kimmages book "A rough ride" (FFS dont buy it) if you want to see what loser the guy really is

Can't really add anything to this. Kimmage is a failed cyclist who now gets paid to rubbish the sport that he was no good at even when charged.

[Steponas]

Kimmage is a poisonous individual he couldnt even cut it as a cyclist when he doped. He hates people who ride things like the etape for pleasure and to say what he said about anyone is just a disgrace.

Borrow a copy of Kimmages book "A rough ride" (FFS dont buy it) if you want to see what loser the guy really is

You`re right about his hatred of Etape riders , a friend in England sent me a Sunday Times article which ridiculed and belittled Etape riders , he despises
cyclesport , doping in cyclesport is meat and drink to Kimmage, he would starve without it.
Kimmage and LA deserve each other.

[kytyree]

I think J-nice hit the nail on the head with his take on the PK article.

The first time I read it I didn't catch the jab at Hincapie in there. When I was watching the ToC interview I was entertained by watching George's facial expressions as the exchange was going on.

[J-Nice]

You're right about his hatred of Etape riders. A friend in England sent me a Sunday Times article which ridiculed and belittled Etape riders. He despises cyclesport, doping in cyclesport is meat and drink to Kimmage, he would starve without it.
Kimmage and LA deserve each other.

Kimmage reminds me of the guys I knew in high school who were always upset they didn't go out with the prettiest girls, and then grew up to despise all women.

[drjones96]

I read the quote from that before but the video was priceless.

The guy had some nerve to write such a poisonous column and then show up and ask questions in person. He had to know Lance was going to thrash him.