baj32161

I have seen many remarks about Greg vs. Lance.

Am I the only person on the forums who is a fan of both of these magnificent riders. I think all of these idiotic "Greg said this so I refuse to buy his bikes" statements are, well idiotic. I have always been a Greg LeMond fan and have not forgotten what he has done for American cycling, back when there was no American cycling. His comments about Lance, while unfortunate, are also thought inspiring, and I am sure that he is not the only person in this corner. I am also a huge fan of Lance Armstrong and admire his courage, having said that....I do ride a LeMond

Are there others who can be objective and admire both of these riders for their vast accomplishments and leave the petty bickering out of it?

Rant over.

Brian

ZackJones

I like both riders quite a bit but I can relate to Greg a little better than I can Lance. Part of it is because I was doing bike races when Greg was doing them so he and I are similar in age, etc. Both are cool so it's OK to be a Greg and Lance fan in my book

Crack'n'fail

Both play a very important role in the fact that we American folk are even on this website.

lethbri1

I would like to say I am a fan of both, so as to be a fan of American cycling in general, but for Greg to come out and make some of those statements about Lance, all I see is a man who is angry that his name has been eclipsed by Armstrong. It is just a case of sour grapes for Lemond. It would be insane not to respect him for what he did during his career, but really, I don't care one bit for the rest of him.

And yes, I am one of the idotic group who refuses to buy Lemond, namely because of all of this. I think Lemond is a child, and I don't want him to receive a dime of my money. I'm sure I could find something else out there that would fit just as well, and ride just as nice if it came down to it.

bikenutr2000

My thoughts exactly....good job!

TheMainer

I appreciate what both of these athletes have done for the sport of cycling. They have both put America on the cycling map. At the same time, only one of them has come off as an idiot due to uncalled for (IMHO) comments on the other. I won't boycott LeMond cycles, as I have ridden one and liked it. But I will say that there is a Trek by my door.

oldspark

Some of the so called comments made by Lemond have been taken out of context.

celticfrost

I'm glad that they're both retired (or soon to be retired), so that the torch can be passed on to ME.

whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop!!!!

baj32161

I just wonder what all of these people who think his comments are so awful will do if it is found that LeMond is right. I hope he is wrong too, but I will let both of these men have their say. I guess I may be a bit partial being that I remember when LeMond was the idol of American cycling...I admit it

I am also looking at a new Trek (Mtn bike). I just liked the fit of the LeMond roadie better and, to be honest, I had never even seen a LeMond bike before I started shopping.

TheMainer

My only thought on that is maybe LeMond should have had proof before he opened his mouth. Maybe then it wouldn't sound like a case of sour grapes.

Barese Rider

Lemond does come off as abit of a crybaby but who knows what he has seen/heard about Lance.He has been shooting off his mouth for years..Lemond was great for American cycling and who knows what he would have done with the an American team that featured him and a brother in law that knew the difference between he and a bovine..I have a hard time believing that there could have been a US postal team without him as a forerunner..And then how could any fan not like Lance ??

Smoothie104

I thought they were turkey hunting....

Sprocket Man

Whenever I think about Greg Lemond, I remember him in the historic time trial in the TdF where he hammered like a madman and took the lead from Laurent Fignon. When Fignon finished the TT knowing that he would most likely lose the whole race, he collapsed in despair on the ground. That look of elation and victory on Greg's face when he put on the yellow jersey that day is something I use to inspire me when I'm having a hard time motivating myself to train.

The accusations and bickering between Greg and Lance are trivial and have little bearing on what I think of both of them. They are both heroes in my book. That said, I don't think I'll ever buy a Lemond bike, but only because I already have 7 bikes in my garage and don't have room for an 8th!

Barese Rider

Smoothie "I thought they were turkey hunting"

Youre right.. And thats even worse!... But according to many here Gregs abit of a turkey so maybe he wasnt that far off..

baj32161

Except not the objective point of view I was asking about.

baj32161

Proof?!?! What proof do others have regarding many other athletes accused of other transgressions? I saw the interview and I don't recall LeMond saying "Lance is dirty, I know it." What I do recall him saying is that "if Lance is not dirty then it is the biggest feat in cycfling history, but if he is dirty then it is the biggest fraud." That WOULD be the case, don't you think?

On the other hand, Lance is an incredible athlete, but is saying that "I am the most tested athlete in the world and I have never tested dirty" the same as saying "I am absolutely clean and have never taken any performance enhancing drugs." Semantics maybe...food for thought, yes indeed.

I am really trying very hard to see both sides, and I hope I don't get skewered in the process. I greatly admire both of these men.

Brian

baj32161

I couldn't have said it better myself, except for the bike buying part, since I have a LeMond. I don't have 7 bikes yet but I am working in getting my fourth and fifth soon.

OH MY GOD....THE BUG HAS GOTTEN ME!!!

baj32161

Well I have to admit...cyclists are the funniest people. I think that the idea of being in such close proximity to 2-3000 lb machines everyday, with angry humans inside of them makes us that way

TheMainer

Oh, semantics..maybe...but it seems more like pointing out the proof of innocence than avoidance...

Flaneur

Too often, these discussions degenerate into a flag waving, political exercise. Criticism of Armstrong is quickly transmuted into xenophobia and vague assertions about "the French", or foreigners in general.

I applaud baj32161 for trying to avoid the worst of this.

History diminishes the immense influence of Lemond on cycle sport in the USA and beyond. Armstrong has taken this to another level, in an age of media saturation. They are clearly the giants of American cycling.

The idea that Armstrong is either miraculous, or a fraud, is the essential kernel of his legend and it is perfectly legitimate for Lemond to mention it. It isn't polite, of course......

Trekke

baj32161 , I agree and I ride a Trek and I ride a LeMond, but not at the same time.

baj32161

Well that would be quite a feat...actually...four of them

I know, I know

baj32161

I don't see how his comments could be construed as uncalled for when he was specifically asked about this issue. Has it come to the point where people's opinions are only uncalled for when we don't happen to like, or agree with them?

Just a thought.

Brian.

Trekke

Well I tried to understand but the only thing that comes to mind is "Bike Orgy" And again I am still not completely awake yet.

Edit: Oh Wait - I get it. Slow.

Walter

LeMond and Armstrong are two individual people whom apparently don't get along too well. While I guess that's unfortunate I agree wholeheartedly with the "trivial" assessment. After all, the only connection I have to these people is that I'm a fan of the sport they both excelled in. I've never met either and unless I stand in some autograph line some day I'm not likely to ever meet either of them. Whom they get along with, or not is meaningless information to me.

I can clearly remember when LeMond won his first Tour. He'll always be the first. I can remember when ABC's Wide World of Sports broadcasted, on delay and after announcing the result, '89 TT. Despite ABC's best efforts to ruin it it is still one of the best sport's moments I've seen.

There's no denying LA's greatness and while I'm enough of a retro grouch to wish he had raced longer seasons his dominance in TdF is indisputable. I don't know if 6 or maybe 7 wins will last forever but it may well last the rest of my lifetime (hopefully, awhile yet )

The point? I could care less if they don't like each other. I've enjoyed watching the careers of both.

I do like LeMond bikes btw. I find that for me his ideas on frame geometry work extremely well. Well enough to get me off a beloved Colnago anyways.