Lance drops the hammer

“Lance? Is he in the snack food business here in the South?”

“I think I found the hammer that Lance dropped. It was sticking out of the top of my computer!”

“If you don't take care of your tools, there's no telling where they'll end up...”

“Ron Borges of MSNBS can kiss my a$$. Link”

“Don't worry about him (Borges) getting what's coming to him. Cancer survivors everywhere are probably hunting him down right now.”

“I bet Borges is just bitter because he still uses training wheels. What an idiot!”

“What an idiot. Covers boxing? Now there's a sport.

Bicycle racers are some of the most fit people in the world, approaching cross country skiing.”

“Lance Armstrong is someone we should be praising, not someone we should deride. Borges compares him to Chipper Jones?!? Last I checked, Lance was not threatening to boycott the Tour if the prize money was not increased. In fact, I read that in keeping with Tour tradition, he splits his prize money with his teamates. The guy is certainly not riding for fame or fortune, he is doing it because he simply loves to ride.

As far as those goofy doping charges go, he has passed every test he has ever taken. Baseball doesn't even test for performance enhancing drugs, and if recent allegations are to be believed, 50-80% of all major leaguers are on steriods. Lance himself once responded to doping charges by saying, "What am I on? I'm on my bike 6 hours a day, busting my A$$, what are you on?".

Lance Armstrong should be considered one of the greatest athletes ever, regardless of the fact that he is also a cancer survivor. That just makes him more amazing.”

“Wotta dork! It's one thing to be a dork but to put the fact into print takes a special kind of dork.

As for baseball players, avagadro, the latest allegation aired on HBO's Real Sports that the NY Yankees were involved in gambling with the mob years ago and the payoff was to throw games.

So, after the blowhard's column furor dies out, Lance will be on the podium accepting his fourth straight win. What does he care about what a dork says?”

“it's funny how the factors he uses to define what an athlete are EXACTLY what it takes to win the TdF...

I guess that dude has never watched it before”

“Thanks a lot StoveStomper. Now my blood is boiling. That “writer” is so wrong. He has no understanding of bicycle racing. There are people playing defense. That is why there are teams and not just individuals. Lance could not do this alone. It is a team sport even though the prize is given to an individual. As for the hand to eye coordination and agility thing, try being a klutz in a field sprint or riding 30 mph with 6 or few inches between you and the five people around you. The tour is harder than any marathon because they do it day after day, there is so much strategy (chess at 30 mph) and bike handling skills. These guys are the fittest of the fit. I don’t know about nordic ski racers but Lance’s VO2 max is off the top of the charts. I would love to have Mr. Borges along for a ride with some of my old racing crew. We girls would kick his butt. I could demonstrate how to put a freeloader in the ditch on a fast down hill. He’d never see it coming because agility is not a requirement of the sport.”

“Yup; Borges is a pompous ass.”

“having just done a 350 mile (nope wasnt able to really do it all )bike ride with people with aids i think this ahole should drop dead!! or at least get his ass kicked!!”

“I DID say "Pi$$ off time" on the title so you had some warning ;)

I'm sure he wouldn't think a thru-hiker was an athlete either.”

“well all of you have just spent time prasing lance for his athletic ability, but from what i can tell hes jerk. i've talk to racers who have met him and i saw some interveiws from the Olimpics that didnt make me feel any better about him.if some one say they're really weren't concerned about not winning the olimpic road race,completely blowing it off, then says he felt very confident about winning the time trial and not winning it. i think theres something wrong with the way they look at it

as for droping the hammer.....i hope next time he dropes it in his spokes”

“Greentea (or is that greentroll) - If you define a jerk as someone that is confident and aggressive in their profession then you are right. He was definitely a jerk when he was younger, he admits it is the book “Its not about the bike”. I would not be surprised if some of those traits survived the cancer. I didn’t read any praise suggesting he was Mr. Congeniality.

The Olympic are not the real deal for cycling. One race on one day does not show who is the best, only who was best that day on that course. Long stage races like the Tour come much closer to showing the overall superior rider and team.”

“Jerk, huh? He won the CoreStates in Philly one year and the next helped a teammate to the win.

He's helped countless organizations deal with kids who have cancer.

He's got more heart and soul in one body that all of major league baseball and pro football combined.

He's more of an athlete than Borges is a sports writer.”

“Is ice tea back from camp?”

“Read “Its not about the Bike” and see if can still feel anything but aw for this guy. It is his book so it may be slanted a bit but the facts are the facts. He does do some pretty good charity work and has a foundation just for that work.”

“Geo,
I read somewhere that Armstrong was planning to enter the Tour of Spain and serve as domestique for Roberto Heras, to thank him for his work in the TdF.”

“BAN BORGES!”

“how many folks sent in their opinion on the story?”

“hey think what you want but the way he said it, it just wasnt right. and your right the olimpics isnt every thing but in my opinion it pretty close. but blowing it off is just....... well i cant discribe it but is definitly not cool”

“He didn't blow off the time trial. For the road race he was running support for a teamate. In the time trial he came in third. The winner went much earlier in the day and there was strong headwinds by the time Lance and Ulrich went. Ulrich beat him... but you can't expect him to win everytime.”

“Screw the frenchies. I'm so glad that one of our boys keeps winning their piss ant little novelty out there. I'm sure french waiters everywhere have thier panties all in a bunch.”

“Read this from home last night and replied to MSNBCs little poll, and sent them and email

to paraphrase myself it went something like this:


"Borge's is a complete f-ing moron. It will be a long long time before I get on MSNBC's website again. If you hoped to create reaction, or interaction with his crap, you have only suceeded in losing a reader. Nor will I patronize any of your advertisers.

He is a sh-thead"



HOw do you like them apples????


(mountain gal . . .how do you like them apples . . .get it????) (it not about the bike)”

“I have yet to see Lance throw, catch, or kick a ball. However, he can pedal a bicycle like no other. He is one of the greatest athletes that I can think of.”

“Lee- I got it. So many people turned their back on Lance during and after the cancer treatments that I am amazed that he is not extremely bitter at them now that he is in the position of power. I hope he at least reminds them once and awhile of what gutless back stabbers they were.

Greentea – The Olympics are important only because of the media’s over emphasis. Some competitors and the intelligent followers of sports know this and are willing to say it in public. There are one race wonders that win a gold medal but never win a world class event again. Remember the men’s downhill gold medallist in Sariavo Yugoslavia? It’s the only world class race Johnson ever won. The Olympics are mostly a media event with completion. The Olympics are important to athletes mostly because a gold will set them up for making money, not because they think it proves they are the best. The athletes know better.”

“Mtngal, that's quite the blanket statement about the Olympics. There are many world records set at the Olympics. SOME sports are not as important in the Olympics, but many are.”

“**My** photo of Lance!!
Lance Armstrong

This was taken at a race I stumbled onto while on vacation. Well, OK, I heard about it while in Denver. And defnitely scooted on down to Colorado Springs to see the World's best. It was great!! 1995.”

“Dunadan - Blanket statement? – You are probably right. Many train to peak at the Olympics. A lot of sports get almost no coverage except at the Olympics. It is that lack of coverage the rest of the 4 years and the excess coverage at the Olympics that makes a gold metal more of a money maker than a would cup trophy or other award that is for a season of high level achievement at many event. The Olympics have become important for many reasons but proving who is the best at a sport is not one of those reasons. They are important to athletes and fans because of the hype and the exposure. They are competition at the highest level but they are not near as important as test of who is best as the hype would have you believe. This especially true for cycling.”

“world cup, not would cup”

“OK, Mtngal, you want to continue, so I will accomodate you.
If the Olympics are "competition at the highest level", and "many train to peak at the Olympics", and the Olympics receive the greatest coverage for many sports, wouldn't that make the Olympics highly significant?
IMHO, they DO help determine the best athletes in the world in many sports.”

“I have yet to see Lance throw, catch, or kick a ball. However, he can pedal a bicycle like no other. He is one of the greatest athletes that I can think of."
Dunadan
12:14:56 PM
07/26/02

Dunadan, explain to me why throwing, kicking or catching a ball is a prerequisite to being a world class athelete?

You take enough steroids anybody can do it.”

“I think Dun was being sarcastic. His next statement says he thinks it is not.”

“Lance wins Stage 19, his fourth in this year's Tour!

Tomorrow it will be official, four consecutive Tour victories.”

“50 kilometers at a speed of 47 kph. Maybe if he hadn't been going so da*# fast he would have had a little time for punt, pass and kick

GRIN”

“Lance is da bomb!!!!”

“The French have demonstrated themselves to be ill-mannered, sore losers with poor personal hygiene!
GO LANCE!”

“USA!!!!!!! USA!!!!!!!!! USA!!!!!!! USA!!!!!!!!!”

“Gotta admire this guy.”

“MAN!!! if something were to happen, he would become and even greater beacon of strength and defiance.”

“He's got to win # 5 so he can come back next year and take the record 6th win.”

“Who knows. If Lance is able to win 6 the whole country of France might commit suicide.”

“He just amazes me. I have a friend who is a cyclist and when she explains to me all his stats it blows my mind.”

“I wouldn't be surprised. they don't much care for Lance over there. Anyone want to go next year to see it live?”

“Could be worse. They could throw smelly cheeses at him as he goes by.”

“I've covered cycling races, and I have to tell you the worst possible place to see a bike race is at the race course itself. You have no idea what is going on out there, but every do often they whiz by.”

“Geo your right but to be able to stand on the top of L'Alpe d'Huez and feel the excitement would be an experience to remember.”

“bad enough in France, how'd you like to do this one

"Tour of Qatar, a five-day race around the gulf state run by ASO, the company that organises the Tour de France."”