General Cycling Discussion - Mr. Armstrong disappoints me

As many may have heard, Mr. Armstrong (a.k.a. Lance) has signed a deal with Subaru to do ads for them in exchange for a tidy pile of cash.

Now, this, of course, provoked the question about a cyclist promoting cars. Well, purists will call him a sell-out for that fact alone. But, what got me was his statement to USA Today: "You can't ride a bike everywhere you go."

That hurt.

First of all, you can, in fact, go anywhere on a bike that you can in a Subaru (even the interstate if you are daring--illegality aside). As the MTBers among us will attest, you can go far more places on a bike than even in a Subaru 4WD.

Second, and totally seriously, he didn't need to say it. He could have rather argued that he just didn't see a conflict. Cars make room for bikes; bikes make room for cars. That would have done far more to promote cycling, while not at all damaging the reputation of his new boss.

Alas.

Jamie

You know, when I read the subject I was all prepared
to get indignant etc. however I won't.
I agree, LA was not exactly the ideal voice for cycling.
but, a few points.
Lance isn't, nor was he ever, a proponent of cycle commuting
touring (and not TOUR de France), etc.
He is a racer, that is his job, nothing more, nothing less.
It is about the money.
I get the feeling that lance was implying that sometimes
you needed a car to get to where you want to ride
(say for a dayride etc.)

that's my $.02 worth
Marty

Not to mention also, Subaru's very large presence as a cycling sponsor. Wasn't LA on the Montgomery Securities team that Subaru co-sponsored? Also, Subary loans cars as support vehicles for mass rides--Seattle to Portland as an example, where
a fleet of STP-logoed Outbacks is lent to the Cascade Bicycle Club to patrol the route and sag riders. Besides, why dump on a guy who is also a League of American Bicyclists endorser and who could probably talk Dubya into taking a bike ride?

Originally posted by jmlee
"You can't ride a bike everywhere you go."

Well, maybe you could,but there are practical realities.There is life beyond the bike.I'm with feldman.

I too was disappointed to hear that Lance signed the deal with Subaru. I guess he's just thinking about his financial future. He won't be able to make big bucks from riding forever.
But I wish he would have stayed with sports related sponsers. :(

And like everyone else I wish he wouldn't have made the statement, "You can't ride a bike everywhere you go." Sure you can Lance!

But regardless he's still a great cyclist and "our" best icon. Many non-cyclists I know mention him or bike racing whenever I'm talking about cycling.

Subaru: IMBA trail building crews

Saturn: race team

Sports related sponsors like... USPS?

um,... okay.

Well it's -45 degrees C here in Northern Ontario this morning and I myself would prefer to be in a Subaru than on my bike. I think we all need to be realistic about being able to cycle everywhere. This just is not possible in many places due to time restraints weather and terrain (or water) and other factors so let's give Lance a break on this one.

Originally posted by jmlee
Now, this, of course, provoked the question about a cyclist promoting cars. Well, purists will call him a sell-out for that fact alone. But, what got me was his statement to USA Today: "You can't ride a bike everywhere you go."

Perhaps he meant that you can't ride a bike TO everywhere you go???? :confused:

why isTiger Woods endorsing Buick is it Buick, or Cadillac, it has nothing to do with Golf, it is his life wouldn't you do it if you were offered a couple of Million dollars to endorse their product, Just asking

and beside it is his prerogative to endorse anything he wants, and it is the people wether to take it as a good product or not, if the product achived its goal of selling their cars, then the advertisement of Lance work wonders to them...

Hey, it could be worse. He could be endorsing Ford Expeditions or Chevy Suburbans. Compared to those space hogging monsters a sububru doesn't sound so bad.

I choose not to own a car, but I'm also a WRC (http://www.wrc.com/en_GB/default.htm) fan; so, chalk one up for Lance. You also have to consider that he uses cars to fricking train much less the number of vehicles used during the races. I do, however, understand your sentiment.

Give the guy some slack, it's his life, he can endorse and support whoever he wishes. I'm sure he's got a whole range of interests that are outside of the cycling world. Cars are just more practical sometimes, for instance, if I want to go train in a mountain range that's 500 miles away from my home, I'm going to drive a car to get there, then do my training. Don't really want to load up my racing bike with all kinds of stuff, tour down there, and then train.

When I read the thread title, I asked myself why would anybody be disappointed in LA's choices... hummm, then I read further. I have to disagree with some.

I knew he signed a large lucrative deal with Subaru. If anything, congratulations are in order. For, cyclists are now being recognized as high level professional athletics, as in other professions. Thanks...lotek for a level headed view to what many of us do as a life long hobby. :)

LA has never implied or stated he was anything other then a dedicated life long bike racer that has over come cancer. He's not a worthy representative of those who use their bikes as their only form of transportation. We would never find LA riding his bike everywhere like some that post here. His high profile visible career has extensive demands on his time, and places he must be, and a family to care for.

Biking as one's only form of transportation works for a some, and that's fine. However, commuting via bicycle isn't practical for those of us who travel great distances and are required to be in many different locations in a timely fashion.

PS... Subaru has been a big supporter of different forms of cycling over the years. That shouldn't be forgotten, just because one is a purist. Sometimes whether it's believed or not, auto's serve a purpose that bikes can't.

Oh no, this can't be right ... I agree with Garbear! :D

Originally posted by bac
Oh no, this can't be right ... I agree with Garbear! :D

Oh noooooooooooo... I'am going to think my position... :lol:

So in order to represent biking you can't drive? All the power to Lance, not everyone that bikes commmutes everywhere, heck my bike is barely road worthy. :)

Originally posted by cycletourist
Hey, it could be worse. He could be endorsing Ford Expeditions or Chevy Suburbans. Compared to those space hogging monsters a sububru doesn't sound so bad.

From what I understand, Lance is a pretty big sportscar fan. He admits to some rather fast driving in his Camaro and Porsche. His Camaro was "repossessed" and I think he said he got rid of his Porsche. He also owns (or at least has owned) and driven an SUV... Ford Explorer.

Just because someone is pro-cycling doesn't also mean they can't be pro-automobile. Pitting one against the other just narrows one's view of the world.

If Sabaru/Lance wants to promote cycling with millions of dollars woth of ads, and that get our city council, state and federal goverment to be more pro-biking. I can not object.

Originally posted by khuon
. He also owns (or at least has owned) and driven an SUV... Ford Explorer.


he drives very fast.

chevy suburban, black.

Subaru is the title sponsor of the texas state spring championship. Subaru is sponsoring an IMBA style trail crew for texas.
lance races bikes he's not a commute advocate.

Originally posted by Feldman
Also, Subary loans cars as support vehicles for mass rides--Seattle to Portland as an example, where a fleet of STP-logoed Outbacks is lent to the Cascade Bicycle Club to patrol the route and sag riders.

I know Subaru promotes cycling but I thought the cars donated to CBC were more a strict byproduct of Carter Subaru's involvement than Subaru itself. Maybe there's a top-down incentive from the company to the dealerships that I don't know about. BTW, Carter also lent vehicles to the Trek Tri-Island Rides (not affiliated with Trek Bicycles).

Other automobile manufacturers have a history of sponsoring cycling teams and cycling-related activities. They include Volkswagon, Saturn, Mercury, Jeep, and Chevy.

No one has yet to mention, Subaru sponsors the Gary Fisher Mtn bike team. Who owns Gary Fisher? Trek! Who else sponsors Lance? Trek! My guess is they just increased their current contract with TREK/Gary Fisher.

Next we'll see Gary Klein or Greg LeMond driving an Outback! ha, ha!

L8R

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
No one has yet to mention, Subaru sponsors the Gary Fisher Mtn bike team.

With the current state of Cannondale, has anyone heard if the Volvo-Cannondale MTB team will be in jeopardy?

P.S.-

Surbaru sponsors the Chicago Bike Show every year....

Koffee

Nuthin' but luuuuuuv for Lance. We all gotta make a living somehow- and this is his way of doinig it.

Koffee

even bikers have cars. In fact most bikers have cars. Don't ever remember seeing anything about him being against cars, or bikers being against cars. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Nota Bene:

My point was about the statement he made, not his choice of sponsors. No one denies Subaru's commitment to sports sponsorship.

My point was simply that he could have said something different than he said. A more carefully worded statement could have done a lot for cycling. His statement, in and especially out of context, hurts cycling.

But, then again, maybe cycling is just a job for Armstrong, as has been implied and said by several posts. If that really is his attitude, I was wrong to be disappointed in the first place. But, I somehow doubt that he sees cycling as just a job.

Cheers,
Jamie

Originally posted by jmlee

But, then again, maybe cycling is just a job for Armstrong, as has been implied and said by several posts. If that really is his attitude, I was wrong to be disappointed in the first place. But, I somehow doubt that he sees cycling as just a job.

Nothing wrong with liking your job... I think he's stated many times that he views bike racing as just a job. I'm not sure how far that extends into cycling in general though.

Originally posted by Captain Crunch
Well it's -45 degrees C here in Northern Ontario this morning and I myself would prefer to be in a Subaru than on my bike.


Yep, I would be there in the Subaru with ya. Even if it were only
-30.

Originally posted by khuon
With the current state of Cannondale, has anyone heard if the Volvo-Cannondale MTB team will be in jeopardy?

If you check out the latest thread on canondale in this forum I posted a link to an update for Canondale. Good news from what I read :)

http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/siemens_cdale_02_03.php

Thats the link just in case your curious.

Originally posted by Maelstrom
If you check out the latest thread on canondale in this forum I posted a link to an update for Canondale. Good news from what I read :)

Ahh good to see that the pro team will go on with new sponsorships. I was worried when Volvo pulled out... then with the announced Cannondale bankruptcy... Will the Sobe-Cannondale semi-pro team also be going on?

Originally posted by jmlee
My point was simply that he could have said something different than he said. A more carefully worded statement could have done a lot for cycling. His statement, in and especially out of context, hurts cycling.

first, do you think he actually has any control over what he has to say? i'm sorry, advertising doesn't work that way. he's a posterboy, he gets in front of the camera and reads the lines other people write.

second, subaru didn't hire lance to promote cycling, they hired him to promote subaru.

third, the line lance said (that someone else wrote) is damn well true. my father used to work at least 70 miles from home. i dont think you should expect anyone to put in 140 miles of commuting per DAY. just because something can be done doesn't necessarily mean it should be.

I guess pro cyclists have to make the bucks while they can, kind of like NFL football players. I read somewhere the average NFL career only lasts 3.5 years. Anybody know how long the average pro cyclist career lasts?

Who cares.He has zero bearing on what i do,ride on bike paths.He is so way overboard on everything he does compared to what i do that i pay zero attention to him.He can make a buck any way he wants,so its a car,a plane,whatever,so.Should he have asked his fans is it alright and they say no it kinda brothers us,ok i wont do it,come on,really.

I think I will go ride my bike.That will probably do more to promote cycling than anything Lance said,didn't say or could have said differently.Honestly I would never have known what Lance said if it had not been posted here.

YEP

Let us not forget that Lance is also a member of:
http://www.bikeleague.org/
and openly endorses support for them. In fact if this is not promoting cycling in general I do not know what else he could do.

Lance is the best athlete hands down in the world. I don't care what anyone says. He is a great role model now that he has matured a bit for anyone.

He could say and do anything he wants for money as far as I am concerned.

Originally posted by jmlee
Nota Bene:


My point was simply that he could have said something different than he said. A more carefully worded statement could have done a lot for cycling. His statement, in and especially out of context, hurts cycling.

Another great example of a celebrity that gets "paddled" for not being politically correct. I say who cares! Lance does more for bicycling then anyone on the scene today. To get that defensive about a statement that you read something into is not very rational. IMHO

Hunter,

thanks for the clarification, I wasn't aware of that.

Marty

what if jeff gordon, one of the most visible NASCAR racers did an ad for TREK. just kidding.

we are an auto-centric society. will never change. keep LA and cycling at the forefront of popular culture and good things can happen.
**************************************************
the masses can take a leap from not knowing who he was ---> that bike racer guy ---> that cancer surviver who races bikes ---> incredible athlete who keeps winning that bike race in france ---->oh yeah...the tour de france ---> maybe i can't ride that fast, but that looks cool.....---->hey, look...i'm riding!! -----> this is fun!! ----> i'm going to make time to ride ----> should i go titanium or carbon fiber? ----> and that subaru can get my bike to the events that i now enter ----> i had a dream last night that i was a famous racer and did a subaru commercial!!!

thank you LA

Amen and bravo, riphraph, but one thing--our automobile culture isn't even 100 years old. It/the US CAN change--you're not talking about the Pyramids, here.

Give the guy a break. He lives under constant pressure from all directions and does a great job for bicycling in general and himself in particular. Just because he is the best there is at riding a bike, this does not automatically transform him into knowing everything there is to know about all else. If we could get our other athletes and actors, etc., to learn this lesson we would be in much better shape. One in particular comes to mind (raygun's case - mindless - but he always was). But not all their fault. The media is always on their case to say something and they are generally not intelligent enough to say they don't know. Lance often does state that he doesn't know. A real cut above. And he can't do it all. But he does an excellent job in promoting our sport. His rides, foundation, charity, support of the Bike League, and many others. Should we all do so well. I'm fortunate enough that I will be there to cheer him on for his 5th TDF win on the Champs Elysee (also the TT). And he does a much better job than Lemond has ever done in promoting our sport.

I've been away for a few days, but I think I will chime in on this even if a little late.

I had a Subaru. I found it quite handy for taking me and my mountain bike to the trails. It also helped haul my bike to races in other cities.

Subaru as quite a history of sporting sponsorships (anyone remember the old US Olympic Ski Team ads done by Subaru back in the 80s?)

I can't ride a bike everywhere I go. I can't even ride it to work (25 miles each way, no place to put it when I get there, and no shower facilities). I certainly could ride it to Home Depot or the grocery store or the lumber yard, but I couldn't bring anything back (can you imagine carrying 4 gallons of interior paint, some 4'x8' plywood panels, and enough food for a week while negotiating traffic, much less the terrain around here? The thought of it alone is ridiculous enough to be amusing).

I use my bike for what I can, and in between I use a car. That car used to be a Subaru Outback.

Besides, Lance hardly needs our approval to pitch products to the consuming public.

Go for it Lance. I'm to impressed by the good things you're doing to be disappointed about whether you hawk cars, ESPN, Bic pens, or nose-hair trimmers.

I am pleased to hear that Lance has signed with Subaru. I own a Subaru and I am a huge fan of Lance. I do not go everywhere on my bike, nor do I go everywhere in my car. Heck I have a bike rack on my car, doesn't that tell you something. Also doesn't the "Tour" have dozens of cars following the riders.

The perfect combination:Lance and Subaru.
Subies rock!

I would also like to add that I get two auto magazine and two bike magazine subscriptions. It is possiable to like both biking and automobiles.

Originally posted by UTKlein
I am pleased to hear that Lance has signed with Subaru. I own a Subaru and I am a huge fan of Lance. I do not go everywhere on my bike, nor do I go everywhere in my car. Heck I have a bike rack on my car, doesn't that tell you something. Also doesn't the "Tour" have dozens of cars following the riders.

The perfect combination:Lance and Subaru.
Subies rock!

Here, here!! :beer:

I'm also a Subie and a Lance fan! I love my WRX! I was thrilled to hear the combo of the two.

besides, racing and driving a car are not as diametrically opposed as commuting and driving is.