General Cycling Discussion - Tour organisers get shirty with Lance

Is it just me, or did anyone else find Lance Armstrong's black shirt 'stunt', tedious, maybe even a little sanctimonious and possibly disrespectful to the Tour?

Yes Lance, we know you survived cancer, we know you lived to win the Tour 7 times, we know about your excellent Livestrong campaign and yes we know there are millions of sufferers worldwide, but do you think you're the only person capable of reminding us all of this?

I should think every family in the world has lost a loved one with this terrible disease and we all deal with it in our own way - deal with the loss and do what we can to support sufferers and research into a cure. I don't need a Lance Armstrong publicity stunt to remind me of this.

pics of shirt/stunt?

Radio Shack wanted to wear all black jerseys today (http://network.yardbarker.com/Cycling/article_external/2010_Tour_de_France_Lance_Armstrongs_RadioShack_team_to_don_black_jerseys_in_cancer_tribute/2936948). The race organizers made them change into their regular jerseys.

Looks to me like RS and LA wanted to raise awareness of cancer and cancer research. I don't see a problem with that for the final stage, but I guess the race organizers did. But I don't have a problem with that either since I never watch the TdF anyway. If I were a TdF fan I probably wouldn't like that call.

Nothing but a cheap publicity stunt. Not impressed.

Nothing but a cheap publicity stunt. Not impressed.

If Radio Shack had been allowed to ride in the black jerseys, they would have completed the stage and it would have been over. As it is, we'll be hearing discussions on the topic for a week.

I agree it was in poor taste...

They should have cleared it with the race in advance if it really was about charity. They would have been denied...but that would have been the right play.

I don't see the big deal. So what if it was a publicity stunt? Most of the last stage is a media event/photo op anyway. Any serious riding (re sprinters) happens when they get to Paris. On any other stage, however, I think it would have been in poor taste.

It's been sort of an old U.S. Postal team tradition on the last day of the Tour... for example, in 2003 the team turned out in old-style "U.S. Mail" kit, the following year in 2004 they wore the regular Postal team uniforms with the red & white striped highlights replaced with yellow stripes.

Saeco pushed it pretty hard in the 2003 tour if I recall rightly, turning out for several stages in jerseys broadly proclaiming "Legalize My Cannondale!" -- an effort to advertise Cannondale's new Six-Thirteen lightweight bike frames.

There was one of the teams about 4 years ago, sponsored by a lottery, that when racing in one of the European countries which prohibited lottery advertisements, turned out in mostly green team kit with a huge question mark on the front and back... Looked like they were sponsored by The Riddler...

The fine levied against the team was/is going to be donated to cancer research according to tour officials.

If Radio Shack had been allowed to ride in the black jerseys, they would have completed the stage and it would have been over. As it is, we'll be hearing discussions on the topic for a week.

People will be taking about this for a while and that's the goal of publicity.

It is going to sell alot of jerseys....I tried to find one and have come up short. As soon as I do I am going to pull the trigger (and I am not a big team jersey guy).

It was a publicity stunt and if it had been for budweiser or Mcdonalds I would have been pissed at how they approached it.....But it was for the Livestrong Foundation (and technically Radio Shack) so I guess I have a double standard. It raised awareness and I think they should be fined a pretty penny. In the end all parties win except the tour if stuff like this keeps going on. I don't like when individuals or teams think they are above the sanctioning body or rules. Yet, I still like individualism...basically, I am on the fence on this one.....

I agree it was in poor taste...

They should have cleared it with the race in advance if it really was about charity. They would have been denied...but that would have been the right play.

Well, I'm cynical enough to think that the whole thing might have been done with the knowledge, if not the consent, of the Tour.

The violation had to do with the number printed on the jersey, not that it was a different jersey. They did wear them on the podium when Radio Shack was presented for there team GC win.