Lance engaged/considering Tour '06

[cusepack]

Thought this was an interesting article - what better way to infuriate the French press than to race in the Tour!!

And many congrats to Lance and Sheryl!

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/09/5lance.html

[caligurl]

joining in on the CONGRATS! and YA, BABY! do the TOUR! get them poor-sports! :D :D :D :D

[Kimred]

Ohhhh How exciting! I had a dream I went out for a ride with Lance and at the End of the Ride Cheryl was waiting for us so we could all go out to lunch!

I hope he does not feel the need to prove anything to his real fans we all know the truth! But I cried so much this last tour knowing I would not see him in the the tour again, so for my own selfish reasons I would love to see him ride the Tour again! :p

[MightyMitre]

I hope he does not feel the need to prove anything to his real fans we all know the truth! But I cried so much this last tour knowing I would not see him in the the tour again ... :p

Me too - finally we get a Lance-free tour after 7 years.!

(Meeaaooowww - sorry, that was way too b1tchy)

Seriously, I don't think he'd be capable of winning another Tour. He didn't really wow us with many stage wins this time and I think age is against him. I think finishing at the top is always the best way to go, rather than going on too long like some riders and finishing beaten. By going out on top there'll always be the chance to have those great 'What if...?' conversations.

Sheryl & Lance getting engaged - that's cool with me. If someone finds that special person then I think it's great. :)

[tatormc]

I wonder if he was just making an off hand comment about doing the tour just to tick off the French and not being serious. He talked so much recently about retiring to be with his kids. He really needs to stick to that. I love what he's done for the sport and he will be missed but I think it's time to move on and let somebody else win. Just my opinion....

[RoadRaven]

Seriously, I don't think he'd be capable of winning another Tour. He didn't really wow us with many stage wins this time and I think age is against him.


The point is Mighty, he didn't have to wow us with stage wins. He won the tour. He was the best there. He was able to pull what he needed outta the bag when he needed to, with or without his team support. His was a strategic win to ensure he got to the finish line in tact, a win for his children as much as himself, another huge raspberry in the face of cancer.

The way he has trained... I wouldn't be surprised if he could pull one more win outta the bag... every year people has said he wouldn't do it again, and for 7 years in a row he showed them he could... but I am pleased he is not... he has proved many things and lead the way for many people... its time for him and for his children now

[Grog]

I sincerely hope he stays at home next year. He is an amazing TdF racer and his mono-race approach could certainly get him another win, but it is time for him to let the young ones take the stage and the stages too. There has been, for extremely good reasons, a lot of attention on him in the past, he's spent a long time in the spotlight (and he will spend more). Now it should be time to discover new riders, Americans and others too. This will be good for renewing the sport...

[bouncybouncy]

Well said Grog...it is time to move on and be with his kids and enjoy his cancer free life!! He has done great things for the cycling communities and he still can without the TdF!!! I like seeing what he is doing for the cancer/Katrina victims...there is help of all sorts needed there and he stepped up to help those he shares experiences with! I would like to see him tour more for the Livestrong rides...hit more cities...help more kids!!!

[RoadRaven]

I agree Grog... and I think this (letting the younger ones begin/continue their rise) has factored into his decision. Yes he had a self-oriented approach, but to some extent one has to be to achieve something like he did. But he had a close knit devoted team... we saw other teams fall apart this last tour... not his...

Its too easy to critique someone that has been at the top, and forget the effort and dedication and pure talent that it takes not just to get there but to stay there.

You're absolutely right Grog, time for the others but boy what a privilege to be part of those tours as they happened, not just to read about it in the history books...

[Trekhawk]

[QUOTE=Grog]I sincerely hope he stays at home next year. He is an amazing TdF racer and his mono-race approach could certainly get him another win, but it is time for him to let the young ones take the stage and the stages too. There has been, for extremely good reasons, a lot of attention on him in the past, he's spent a long time in the spotlight (and he will spend more). Now it should be time to discover new riders, Americans and others too. This will be good for renewing the sport.

Grog you couldnt have said it better. I think Lance is great but I look forward to seeing other riders shine. :)

[Dogmama]

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/09/5lance.html

The end of that article said he was returning to Idaho to meet with the Dalai Lama...? Talk about two different perspectives on life!

I read the last Armstrong book NOT written by him. The author made it plain that Armstrong is motivated by his detractors. I don't think "pissing off the French" is a good reason to race TdF. What happened to loving the sport?

....<still wishing Tyler Hamilton was racing...>

[CorsairMac]

....<still wishing Tyler Hamilton was racing...>

his trail is coming up - I just saw a blurb about it over at BJ........keeping him in my thoughts!!

[Dogmama]

his trail is coming up - I just saw a blurb about it over at BJ........keeping him in my thoughts!!

What is BJ?

[CorsairMac]

What is BJ?

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2526&highlight=bike+journal

BikeJournal.com

[KSH]

I respect Lance... but he needs to move on to bigger and better... being a wonderful husband and Dad... helping people with cancer... and giving younger/new riders advice and support to win tour for his team.

I hope he's just doing it to piss off the French! Otherwise... I say he needs to end on a good note!

[snapdragen]

Scoop! Lance Armstrong Comes Out of Retirement!

Friends, Family, Sheryl Crow Heave Collective Sigh of Relief



Austin, TX, August 24 (Fat Cyclist Fake News Service) – Less than four weeks after winning what was presumably the final race of his career, Lance Armstrong today announced in a hastily-called media conference that he is coming out of retirement.

Said the rumpled, unshaven seven-time Tour de France champion, "Uh, I guess I'll be racing the Tour de France next year." Then, after pausing for a few seconds while exchanging glances with Sheryl Crow, Armstrong continued, "I'll also be racing the Giro d'Italia." Another five silent seconds elapsed, after which Armstrong finished, "And the Vuelta Espana."

Armstrong concluded the media conference abruptly by saying, "No questions. I have to go ride my bike now."



Crow Gives the Go-Ahead

Rock star Sheryl Crow, who has been dating Armstrong for more than a year now, explained Armstrong's decision. "He's racing again because I was going to completely lose my mind if he didn't get out of the house and do something. I swear, if he isn't at Home Depot buying new power tools or downstairs playing Halo — I haven't yet told him Halo 2 has come out — he's catching up on seven years' worth of television. Yesterday, he watched the entire second season of 24. You know how long that took? All day and night."

Crow took a deep breath and continued, "Back when he was preparing for the Tour, Lance and I used to talk about how great it would be when he was retired and he'd have time to do nothing but relax. I had no idea he meant that so literally."

At this moment, Crow stopped and took three deep breaths before continuing, "So, yeah, he's going to start racing again."



Neighbors Enthused for Armstrong Comeback

Armstrong's next-door neighbor, James Scott, reports being pleased with Armstrong's decision to re-enter the peloton. "A few weeks ago I was washing my car and Lance comes over, wearing pajama bottoms and an 'I won the Tour de France 7 times and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' shirt."

"We start talking about the Tour," said Scott, "and he's helping me wash my car. Nice guy, really. And then I realize he's rubbing down my car with one of his yellow jerseys. I told him he should be protecting them for posterity and he says, 'Oh, I've got a million of 'em. You want it?' And of course I said 'yes.' I mean, who wouldn't want one of Armstrong's jerseys?"

"That was nine jerseys ago," continued Scott. "Now anytime I go outside to water the lawn, trim the hedge, whatever, he's out there with an excuse to talk about glory days and try to unload one of those jerseys. I've started avoiding him, if you want the truth."



Armstrong Reacts

"I'm ready to get back into the routine," said the record-holding Tour winner when reached for comment. "At first, it's fun to be a full-time dad, but after a couple days you find yourself trying to remember which of the twins always wants to wear purple and which wants to wear pink, and how you're going to get Luke back home from soccer practice when it's the girls' naptime, and there are still dishes in the sink from two days ago."

"And have you ever been forced to watch "Dora the Explorer?" asked Armstrong, his face growing animated. "Now, there's a time trial for you. And they want to watch the same episode like three times per day. I swear, if I hear that 'I'm the Map' song one more time...."

"There've been times when I'm making three different kinds of soup for lunch," continued Armstrong. Grace likes Chicken and Stars (with the chicken bits taken out), Isabelle wants Cream of Chicken, and Luke wants Cream of Tomato, unless he changes his mind after I've made it and decides he wants Spaghettio's. That's when I think, 'OK, who's the domestique now?' So no, I'm not too upset about having to get back on the bike."

Asked about his plan to race all three grand tours in 2006, Armstrong said, "Can I win all three? I have no idea. That's not even the point. I'm just doing what I'm told."

And when will Armstrong retire permanently? "I dunno," says Armstrong. "When will the twins be in school full time?"

[Deborajen]

Lance has done a lot for cycling in the U.S., and as a cancer survivor he's like a modern day "Six Million Dollar Man" - after cancer he came back "better, stronger and faster" in the Tour de France. Between his Tour victories, his leadership qualities and his motivational talents, he has phenomenal potential to make a huge dent in the fight against cancer. Plus he's a living symbol of hope. I'd hate to see the French accusations take away from all of that but if he races in the TDF again, win or lose, the press won't back off.

He's an "alpha male," which makes him a great team leader in cycling, but I can't picture him marrying Sheryl Crow and living happily ever after with her career out front. He'll have to work, and it'll have to be something big. Personally, I've always wanted to see Lance try some other races - maybe he will.

Deb

[Irulan]

so am I the only one on the planet who could give a rip less about yet another celebrity engagement/ wedding?

~irulan

[Grog]

No Irulan, I'm here too.

[snapdragen]

so am I the only one on the planet who could give a rip less about yet another celebrity engagement/ wedding?

~irulan

No, I'm here too...... :rolleyes:

[slinkedog]

Here, here!! ;)

[Trekhawk]

so am I the only one on the planet who could give a rip less about yet another celebrity engagement/ wedding?

~irulan

Im with you. Love the cycling - could care less about who he dates. :D

[Deborajen]

I hate to sound paranoid, but did I say something bad when I mentioned . . . :eek: Sheryl :eek: . . . in my above post? I'm kind of new here - haven't even been around long enough to make a big deal out of anything yet - but after my post there were immediately a string of posts about not giving a hoot about . . . Lance and . . . uh, her . . .

For the record, I'm not too excited about their upcoming wedding either, but not too surprised to hear he's having second thoughts about retirement. And now I'll go look at another thread 'cause I'm done here.--

:)

Deb

[Pedal Wench]

Of course not! We just like to gossip here - nothing to feel paranoid. You give us a topic, and we'll 'discuss'! Grab a cup of coffee and stay a while!



I hate to sound paranoid, but did I say something bad when I mentioned . . . :eek: Sheryl :eek: . . . in my above post? ...snip...... And now I'll go look at another thread 'cause I'm done here.--

:)

Deb

[CorsairMac]

I hate to sound paranoid, but did I say something bad when I mentioned . . . :eek: Sheryl :eek: . . . in my above post? I'm kind of new here - haven't even been around long enough to make a big deal out of anything yet - but after my post there were immediately a string of posts about not giving a hoot about . . . Lance and . . . uh, her . . .

For the record, I'm not too excited about their upcoming wedding either, but not too surprised to hear he's having second thoughts about retirement. And now I'll go look at another thread 'cause I'm done here.--

:)

Deb

no ma'am you didn't say anything out of bounds at all. We're just a wild anc crazy bunch!!! Please don't be offended, you'll find we're really laid back and care more about the cycling than anything else. If Lance wants to marry the Dali Lama I say good for them!!

(oops...wrong celebrity!) ;)

[jpbayarea]

Couldn't agree more re Lance and another comeback. I do think he could pull another out of the bag. He was simply enjoying his supremacy this year and wrote smart and not too hard. Selfishly I'd love to see him racing again, that face alone is worth a lot....BUT, and, it feels just a bit ego driven to be considering a comeback just to "piss off the French." Who cares what those people think? He's proved himself again and again. He knows that. Anyone who doens't believe this should be discounted and moved beyond. WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN, his litany of the past year....let alone a new engagement with Sheryl who must hope for more relaxed time with him and the children.

Ego is a funny thing and it makes us do things that are not always aligned with our greater selves...not to digress into psychological/spiritual matters, but! Hope his statements are tactical and not more.

[Trekhawk]

[QUOTE=CorsairMac]
If Lance wants to marry the Dali Lama I say good for them!!

(oops...wrong celebrity!)

Hey Corsair - you crack me up :) :) :)

[Irulan]

I hate to sound paranoid, but did I say something bad when I mentioned . . . :eek: Sheryl :eek: . . . in my above post? I'm kind of new here - haven't even been around long enough to make a big deal out of anything yet - but after my post there were immediately a string of posts about not giving a hoot about . . . Lance and . . . uh, her . . .

For the record, I'm not too excited about their upcoming wedding either, but not too surprised to hear he's having second thoughts about retirement. And now I'll go look at another thread 'cause I'm done here.--

:)

Deb

nope not directed at you at all. Just the concept of celebrity watching is really not for me.
Too bad he's gotten so bored of parenting already. That's day to day life for most of us. His kids will love him a lot more for being there and fixing lunch for them than for winning another race.


~I.

[slinkedog]

Amen to that, Irulan.

Yeah, nothing against you at all DeborahJen!! We all just have to stick in our 2 cents!! ;)

[SadieKate]

so am I the only one on the planet who could give a rip less about yet another celebrity engagement/ wedding?

~irulanWhat?! You aren't glued to the TV waiting for more news about Brad and Anjolie? ;)

[Irulan]

What?! You aren't glued to the TV waiting for more news about Brad and Anjolie? ;)



gah! fingers in ears lalalalalalalalal I can't hear you.....


make her stop, please....

[mtbdarby]

You ladies crack me up! Personal, I'm not a Sheryl fan - never have been, never will. I've actually never been a Lance fan but I can definitely respect his career and cancer accomplishments. I've always felt bad for his ex and kids for some reason - probably because they always seem to come last, but maybe that's the media??

Actually, I'm more interested in Rock Star INXS, lol :D I'm pulling for Suzie!

[SadieKate]

Just because I know you are waiting breathlessly for the latest about:

Tom and Katie: http://people.aol.com/people
Mary Kate and Ashley: http://www.marykateandashley.com/
Jennifer and Vince: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Jennifer-Aniston-Spent-The-Night-With-Vince-Vaughn-6123.shtml
The skinny: http://www.starmagazine.com/news/61616

Ok, I'll go back in my corner now. :D

[CorsairMac]

<----is sitting at her desk crying now! Ya'll are just too precious!! thanks for making me day!!


ps: doesn't trying to laugh quietly always seem to make it funnier than if you could just laugh outloud and get it over with?? :confused:

[snapdragen]

Just because I know you are waiting breathlessly for the latest about:

Jennifer and Vince: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Jennifer-Aniston-Spent-The-Night-With-Vince-Vaughn-6123.shtml
The skinny: http://www.starmagazine.com/news/61616

Ok, I'll go back in my corner now. :D

**Girly squeal** Jen's got a new man! **Girly squeal**

:D ;)

[Deborajen]

Please don't be offended
None taken ;)


Yeah, nothing against you at all DeborahJen!! We all just have to stick in our 2 cents!!
Not a problem - Quite alright :)


And now I'll go look at another thread 'cause I'm done here.--
Really now :p

Thanks everyone.

Deb

P.S.


We just like to gossip here - nothing to feel paranoid. You give us a topic, and we'll 'discuss'!
Lance and the Dali Lama?? :eek: :eek:
Brad and Sheryl???? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Tom Cruise to ride in the Tour de France????? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

(OK - Now I'm really done. Had to try a few new buttons. Delete if you like!) :D

[SadieKate]

Glad to see you're getting into the swing of things here, Deb. Give us a topic and we'll discuss it and at least 5 others in the same thread. Only thing odd about this one is that it didn't contain one mention of food.

[Selkie]

You ladies crack me up! Personal, I'm not a Sheryl fan - never have been, never will. I've actually never been a Lance fan but I can definitely respect his career and cancer accomplishments. I've always felt bad for his ex and kids for some reason - probably because they always seem to come last, but maybe that's the media??


I'm w/you about Sheryl, the kids, and the ex. One thing I didn't realize---Sheryl is a year older than I am and Lance is, what, 33? The whole celebrity couple thing can get annoying, especially Tom Cruise and Katie/Kate Holmes. I'd much rather hear about Lance getting involved w/a female athlete or just an "regular Jane" kind of gal.

[Dogmama]

Glad to see you're getting into the swing of things here, Deb. Give us a topic and we'll discuss it and at least 5 others in the same thread. Only thing odd about this one is that it didn't contain one mention of food.

Or menstrual cycles. But, nobody is above hijacking a thread...

So, do you think Lance will ride a menstrual cycle? (= worst of both worlds!)

[CorsairMac]

yeah - but I heard he'll only be riding it once a month - to work off all the chocolate he's been eating!!


*did we get them all finally??*

[bouncybouncy]

ps: doesn't trying to laugh quietly always seem to make it funnier than if you could just laugh outloud and get it over with?? :confused:


HAHAHAHA!!!! I do that ALL the time...especially here!!!


yeah - but I heard he'll only be riding it once a month - to work off all the chocolate he's been eating!!

I heard in one of his first "last tour" interviews that he could not wait to sit back and enjoy a beer :)


OK...now I think we got it covered :confused:

[emily_in_nc]

http://www.wral.com/sports/4953387/detail.html?treets=ral&tml=ral_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=ral_natlbreak_1_11190209092005

I like Lance, but I hope he stays retired. I think the tour will be much more interesting without him. I'm rooting for Georgie boy myself, but I wouldn't mind Basso and Vino making a good showing either! :p

Emily

[Trekhawk]

[QUOTE=emily_in_nc]

I like Lance, but I hope he stays retired. I think the tour will be much more interesting without him. I'm rooting for Georgie boy myself, but I wouldn't mind Basso and Vino making a good showing either! Emily


mmmmmm Ivan (yummy) Basso would love to see more of him. :D

[RoadRaven]

This just arrived in my RoadBiker newsletter...


1. Weekly Dispatch o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o



Lance Armstrong continues to make news like the Tour de France is still on. Here's a digest of what's happened to the besieged seven-time winner since last week.



-----Armstrong told a Texas newspaper that he's considering forgetting retirement and going for an eighth Tour victory next season. "I'm thinking it’s the best way to piss [the French] off," said Lance. "I'm exercising every day."



Apparently he's somewhat serious. And that set speculation buzzing. It caused Armstrong to issue this clarification:



"While I'm absolutely enjoying my time as a retired athlete with Sheryl and the kids, the recent smear campaign out of France has awoken my competitive side. I'm not willing to put a percentage on the chances [of a comeback] but I will no longer rule it out."



The prospect of his unretirement was not greeted warmly in France. "Armstrong Threatens to Come Back" was the headline in L'Equipe, the French sports newspaper that on Aug. 23 reported it had proof that Armstrong was taking the blood booster EPO during the '99 Tour, his first victory.



"Publicity? Bluff? Or simply provocation?" the paper asked. "Armstrong has thus definitely chosen to put the affair in the context of Franco-American hostilities." It noted the rider's main motivation appeared to be to anger the French.



-----Discovery Channel team director Johann Bruyneel confirmed to the Associated Press that a comeback is "definitely an open possibility. I know Lance is on the bike. He absolutely wants to be part of our training camp in December and wants to get fit to compete with the guys there."



Bruyneel said Armstrong could decide to rejoin the team as late as February. "I'm sure he could win [another Tour]. The way he won this year ... everything pretty much under control and he never showed any weakness. He has another Tour in his legs yet. A comeback would be something beautiful."



Motivation? According to Bruyneel, "I think Lance has been very offended" by the allegations of EPO use. "If you know him he doesn't need a lot to find some motivation. I think it woke up the competitive side of him."



French hostility? "He proved in the past that he can deal with that," Bruyneel said. "He is at his maximum under pressure. Physically and mentally he can deal with a lot."



-----Armstrong's prime rival, Jan Ullrich, doesn't believe a word of it, saying, "After his farewell party in Paris, I can't imagine that he'll participate in the Tour once again. I'm certainly not putting myself under pressure."



Armstrong's former teammate, Roberto Heras, has a different take: "A comeback is the only good answer. But then there will be the problem that the French will undoubtedly produce new accusations after that season."



-----Damien Ressiot is the reporter who claimed in L'Equipe that there is laboratory proof Armstrong used EPO in the '99 Tour. When asked by cyclingnews.com, Ressiot had this response to widespread criticism of L'Equipe's motives:



"I admit that it's a little cruel to stigmatize [Armstrong] only," said Ressiot, alluding to the fact that his article did not name six other riders whose urine samples supposedly were positive for EPO. "But Armstrong made several declarations in the past that he would open his medical dossier, and he never did. Of course, the information we published is very personal, but then you shouldn't announce that you're ready to reveal it any time if you're not going to. While I was working on the current revelations, I asked him to, but he didn't.



"I did focus on him as a person, on the challenge that he threw at the journalists by repeatedly saying, 'Do you think I'm doped? Then prove it!' Besides, I don't have the means to publish the identities of the other six samples -- if I had them in my hands, they'd be in the newspaper, that's for sure. It's not in my habit to protect anybody."




-----**** Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is the latest cycling VIP to say he trusts the test that found Armstrong and six other Tour riders positive for EPO. Speaking to a Germany publication, Pound said: "After we looked at all the documents in this matter, I see a very high probability that there was performance-enhancing drugs activity. I have no reason to believe that the analysis of the samples was not regular. It may be that EPO traces disappear gradually from urine, but it cannot be that no EPO should be in them and then it emerges as if from nowhere."




However, Pound said it would be "legally very problematic" for WADA to take punitive action against Armstrong, admitting that "our information about [him] came from the sport newspaper L'Equipe," not from official testing.



-----Armstrong continues to strenuously deny L'Equipe's charges. He disputes the validity of the urine-based test for EPO. He cites possible deterioration of the '99 Tour samples during six years of storage. And he questions the way the testing was done. Dr. Martial Saugy, head of the Swiss anti-doping laboratory, confirms a certain amount of subjectivity in the test, saying, "You are looking at numbers and signals, but in the end what is most important here is the experience of the eyes of an expert."



So it's good news for the crusade against doping that an Australian biotechnology company has announced development of a more objective urine test for EPO. It remains to be seen if cycling's world governing organization, the UCI, will use it. The reason the '99 Tour's frozen samples were recently tested at all was to check the accuracy of the current method, known to produce false positives. The results were supposed to be secret and anonymous until L'Equipe got involved.



-----The French news agency Agence France Presse reports that another Armstrong insider is claiming there were "strange occurrences" at the '99 Tour. Dutchman Ron Jongen, who worked at the time for Armstrong's former team, U.S. Postal Service, says he saw three Spanish doctors discreetly arrive at the team's hotel.



Jongen also says he overheard USPS director Johan Bruyneel talking about his riders' red blood cell level at a team meeting on the eve of the '99 Tour. The banned drug EPO is used to increase oxygen-carrying red cells.





Last year, similar charges were made by another USPS staff member, Emma O'Reilly, and reported in a French-language book, LA Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong. The Irishwoman claimed she provided Armstrong with makeup to cover syringe marks on his arm and was instructed to collect drugs for him in a parking lot.

Armstrong and Bruyneel deny all accusations of illegal drug use, even the flimsiest.


-----On a brighter note, Armstrong, who will turn 34 on Sept. 18, announced his engagement to rocker Sheryl Crow, 43, after saying he got his three little kids' permission to marry. The wedding will probably be next spring.