Armstrong announces retirement

[Tim Bennet.]

I wish he would just retire.

Some people have had careers shorter than the time he's taken to retire, to come back, to retire from The Tour, then retire from overseas rides and now finally retire from domestic competitions.

I can't wait for him to retire from all this retiring.

 

[adscrim]

I wish he would just retire.

Some people have had careers shorter than the time he's taken to retire, to come back, to retire from The Tour, then retire from overseas rides and now finally retire from domestic competitions.

I can't wait for him to retire from all this retiring.

Pot kettle, you've been re-tyre-ing in your avatar for ages...


I'll get my coat

 

[Silver Fox]

Must walk away from you 'orrid lot

:-)

Likewise

 

[crisscross]

I've always considered him to be a positive role model

 

[sadjack]

I don't race.

It will be a very sad day indeed if he is ever found to have taken PED's.

Whatever you think about him as a person, and to be driven like he is, you can't be very nice in a matey way, he has raised awareness and lots of money to fight cancer.

For that alone he deserves some respect.

 

[festival]

I've always considered him to be a positive role model

For what?

 

[Bicycle]

My assumption is that he is not clean.

I thought the same about Carl Lewis, Flo-Jo, Christie and many others.

I still do - and in many cases so does WADA.

I find LA hugely entertaining to watch in old TdF footage and enjoyed hearing of his exploits on the radio during the race.

I also loved to see and to hear of the amazing exploits of Pantani, Virenque, Zabel and others.

Now it's Contador, Schleck, Schleck and Cav... and all the rest.

I have always assumed that pro cycling (stage racing) is not clean and for me that doesn't detract one bit from the pleasure of watching it.

I may be wrong, but I'm not on a soap box and don't mind too much either way.

It amuses the Hell out of me that there is a category of race fan who is 100% SURE that a guy they disapprove of is dirty whilst being 100% SURE that their fave rider is 100% CLEAN.

I just don't think it works like that.

I think the sport is not clean, but golly, what a spectacle.

Riise has come clean, Ullrich has come clean... Landis, Hamilton, Vino and many others all discredited.

I still think they're awesome and I have enormous respect for what they could or can do.

I dare say LA is a ghastly person, but I don't have to share a lift with him. He is quite something on a bicycle on a hill.

Which is the only reason I've heard of him.

 

[dragon72]

I was beginning to think that we all had to choose between "hate" or "love" in the Racing section.
So it was a pleasure to read your beautifully reasoned post Bicycle. Well said!

 

[crisscross]

I've always considered him to be a positive role model

Sorry, meant to say a positive role model

 

[Keith Oates]

Bicycle, as far as I'm concerned you've hit the nail on the head with that posting and have summed up my feelings as well in a much better way than I could have done.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yello]

I have always assumed that pro cycling (stage racing) is not clean and for me that doesn't detract one bit from the pleasure of watching it.

I had a similar attitude a few years back. But then, I wasn't really into cycle racing as such. I just had a passing interest as it were. Still the same for me really. Doping wasn't something I could get passionately for or against. I actually considered it a side show to the main circus; entertaining in it's own right.

Then something happened and I started to read up on Armstrong. I changed my opinion radically. It wasn't about the doping. It is an emotive subject for many people, I personally don't mind that. Once you scratch the surface of any subject you'll unearth heated and divided opinion. It's the way it goes. How many folk new to cycling ask questions, in all innocence, about helmets for instance?

Btw, did Ulrich ever admit as such? He fought accusations in Germany for many years following retirement but I don't think he has since admitted formally and unequivocally.

 

[Dave_1]

likewise, Bicycle's posting above very much sums up my thoughts on Lance Armstrong too. I wish he would tone down that livestrong stuff. It's typical American style. But I still think what the guy did on the bike was pretty good