Armstrong injured

[Paul_L]

BBC reporting LA doubtful for TdF.

Which as someone says maybe a blessing.

The media coverage in the Tour this year from day 1 to the Champs Elysees will be about one man and one man alone, irrespective whether he's 1st place in the GC or 191st.

I don't have any problem with him and his comeback even if it's purely to support his charity, but the media need to be proportionate. He's playing the media game to the full potential and fair play to him. It's the media's responsibility to apply a sense check to the coverage.

Interesting that on the BBC sport site yesterday, you had to click on Cycling to find out about Cav winning San Remo.

The Armstrong story is now second headline on the sport main page.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm beginning to think that I'm the only person on the planet (well, maybe me and tetedelacourse) that doesn't really mind whether LA rides the TdF or not. If he does, I really don't expect him to feature on the leaders board. If he doesn't, the show goes on without one sideshow that's all. There'll be other sideshows.

I do genuinely believe he is riding for the cause... and maybe hoping to do well again. If he starts and finishes, I'd say 'chapeau'.

+1

 

[Dave5N]

it's a broken collarbone - a simple break, apparently. Given that one fnrttc rider rode sixty miles home with a broken collarbone I'd have thought Lance would be back in a couple of weeks.

Big difference between riding home carefully one handed and doing 120 miles just about every day at 25mph+ whilst riding in a tight group, much of it up (and down) the biggest mountains in Europe.

 

[Dave5N]

Lance is hard, no doubt about that. Interesting though that this happened this year so early. He has had a luckily incident career - no threats to any of his TDF victories - is this bad luck or a sign of his decline?


DIYCBA

 

[Keith Oates]

With an interuption to his training and preparation for the season this will make it even more difficult for the rest of the season. His chances of doing well in the Giro and TdF were very doubtful in my mind and this must make it even less likely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mondobongo]

I really don't want him to win anything, but I don't want to see him injured, just beaten!

+1

 

[Dave_1]

that's a shame...he's had such a run of good luck in his TDF campaigns, could easily have been Luz Ardiden 03 it broke..wasn't...so I guess he has had a great run...hope we see the old dog back for Giro, or Suisse, Dauphine combo pre TDF...

 

[John the Monkey]

Despite being deinitely in the 'haterz' camp, I woudn't want to see any rider hurt.

However, Stuey O'Grady's smashed-up pretty badly (again !), and I'm irritated at the media attention that Lance is getting compared to hardly anything for Stuey...

True dat. I'm no fan, but as others have said, someone crashing out is never good, regardless of what you think of the rider.

 

[mondobongo]

I think Cycling News reporting it as a calamity in their summary is a trifle overkill.

 

[Bollo]

As another in the dislikerz camp, there's an element of Schadenfreude about this but I really don't like to see people injured. Also, I'd have liked to have seen him stuffed and mounted in the TdF without any excuses to fall back on.

Just nipped over to velonews and their reporting has avoided the hysterical so far. Anyone come up with a conspiracy theory yet?

 

[John the Monkey]

Anyone come up with a conspiracy theory yet?

Paul Kimmage on the grassy knoll?

Betsy Andreu in the library with the candlestick?

 

[nilling]

I wanted to see Lance ride the Giro - guess that's a real long shot now

 

[yello]

He obviously has a low opinion of the photographer.

Didn't know he was left handed either.

 

[Crackle]

Got to say, I'm surprised. The Armstrong of old, took no chances. The fact that he got caught might be unlucky or indicative of a different mindset.

I'm disappointed, I wanted to see him compete.

 

[andy_wrx]

Got to say, I'm surprised. The Armstrong of old, took no chances. The fact that he got caught might be unlucky or indicative of a different mindset.

There were enough quotes from him at the Tour Down Under about staying out of trouble in the opening crit, taking it steady in the pack, no risks, keeping out of crashes.

I remember some stat I read somewhere that said a pro rider doing X miles a year in race conditions, Y miles in training, was statistically likely to be involved in 3 crashes a year.

I guess some of them just remove a bit of skin, some are more serious and involve abandonment from the race and maybe missing a few more, some are serious enough to finish your career.

Perhaps, statistically, Armstrong was just due one.