Wind 'N Snow

I don't know what the big deal is. Sure, with that big and rich an organization behind him L.A. should have had some prepared words--even for the media and not for the whole tour. Regardless, why do people want to hang on the words of people who accomplish great things. He won the Tour a couple or seven times, he came back from a cancer that could have killed him at worst, challenged his manhood at best.

He's a cyclist, not an orator (yet). He'll have time to polish his words. Right now marvel at what he (and his team) achieved and don't fret about the words. When he runs for government in Texas, then listen and listen carefully.

Chucklehead

i think he as addressing the skeptics who think cycling is going to die now that he's done with it.

jeff800

Consider he is the first person to have a say on the podium, that is usually never done in the tour. I don't think he was much prepared. I didn't take it as a rant so much as him trying to say for all you non-cyclists that don't know what the sport is about. Since in the U.S. biking is looked at more of a recreation than a competitive sport.
I think he has some sort of friendship with both Basso an Ulrich be it professional or other. So it is rather hard to say "Well Jan here you are again just not enough always second or in this cause third". "Looks like Basso is the new young gun move over for next year Jan".
Think he was trying to be nice to both without committing anything.

racingpain

you know this was supposed to be his last ride for retirement and his kids, now here you all are disecting his speech, well I find it annoying that it just has to be ripped apart because everyone here didn't like one section of it or another, as someone who not only rides and races his bike but is also involved in politics and has to gave speeches I think the speech was appropriate especially to the media which have been a bunch of morons and have been accusing him of using enhancers and drugs since the beginning. The media deserved the speech and he deserves peaceful time with his son Luke and his twin girls Isabelle and Grace. This race was not for his retirement, this race was so he could be with his kids and watch them grow up. Once you grasp that I think you will understand how special this Tour De France truly was for him.

RacingPain

waltergodefroot

I think his blackberry is going to explode.

SunSwingsLow

The man has so much fire in his belly. I think hes been waiting a long time to say his peace. I think what you heard was about 7 years of pent up aggression let out in very controlled and measured fashion.

Lance is going to be force to be reckoned with no matter what he choses to do.

Bontrager

Perhaps he was a little pissed at being randomly chosen to be drug tested @ the beginning of the race.

Steelrider

L'Equipe - French sports rag, in similar vein of SI, Sporting News, ESPN Magazine, National Enquirer (!?) etc. They are always on his case and insinuated on the final day that there is a cloud over his accomplishments, saying something to the effect of "...he retires leaving more questions than he has answered...".

LA no doubt read/heard about this and wanted to vent a little. Add to that Sandy Casar's whining about how he can't hang with the front of the Peloton, saying "I have no proof, so you come to your own conclusion." How about not enough talent, self discipline, work ethic, training, cojones, etc. This is the same guy who had sour grapes over losing to Guiseppe Guerini in one of the last stages because he got caught sleeping by Guerini's attack and lost a chance at a stage win. His own countryman, no less than Laurent Jalabert, ripped Casar for not being mentally strong enough to risk losing in order to win.

It is apparently true that this is the first time that anyone has ever been allowed to make a speech from the podium and I think he was taken a little off guard. I don't personally have any problem with anything he said, but it did feel a little awkward when he was attempting to say something personal, but complimentary, about both Basso and Ullrich without offending anyone.

krazyderek

i thought it was a good speach, i understood what he meant.

sabretech2001

Man! You guys just blow me away! You're just waiting for the tour of Lance's house so you can rag on him for the way the toilet paper is hung in the bathroom, right? No matter what he says or does, there's one of you pissing and moaning about it. Jeez!
I've seen Hinault, Fignon, Lemond, Indurain, Pantani. A rider the likes of LA is not even once a generation; the rider I most think of is Eddy Mercx, and that was 40 years ago! The one thing we need to thank (yes, thank) Lance for is the exposure. About all Greg Lemond accomplished was the Sports Illustrated covers and some Taco Bell ads. And nobody cares about 'sum furriner winnin some furrin bike race'.
LA has been the bike communities' PR spokesman for years, one that neither love nor money can replace.
And all you can think of is to rag him every chance you get. Jeez!

H2OChick

My thought is that it's important to consider his audience. Here are my assumptions - and perhaps his as well: 1) anybody who was watching in person was a cycling fan; 2) most folks watching on tv were cycling fans; ergo he wasn't directing his comments at the average Joe Citizen because average Joe wasn't watching OLN on Sunday morning. I think the comments were likely directed at the media, who were there because they had to be. Maybe he saw an opportunity to say something directly to them and he took it, and figured the rest of the folks (a.k.a. the fans) would get it.

In his defense (although he really doesn't need to be defended - he's got a right to say whatever he pleases) none of us has probably experienced the kind of malice, doubt, indifference, suspicion, insult, etc. that he has, and for so long. That's bound to make a guy feel some anger and at some point, something's gotta give. I'm interested to hear "the interview" on Aug. 2.

hdog

Wasn't gonna make anyone forget Lou Gehrig's speech that's for sure.

fore0121

Agreed. You could almost see that look in his eyes.



Quoted for truth.
f

tomcat

For a Texican.....I thought he pronounced all his words fairly well. And, no smirky face.

Deep_South

Hmm, you haven't followed what was been said about him then.

1. That he is doping cause no one is that good.
2. several times a year some moron sports writer say well anyone from the
NBA or NFL could win this thing. It is just riding a bike. If this guy can hit 500
homerun he can win the tour. To which I say yeah and that is just putting a
ball through a hoop or running fast for 30 yards with a few fat guys chasing you.

These writers that think this should go win some races. If it is so easy they'd be
rich. Truth is these guys 1. Hate or don't care about cycling and 2. are writing to
a niche audience, which in their cases is most all of their readers that usually read
their articles about baseball.

Lance probably get tired of hearing stupid people saying hey I could ride 3000 miles. Sure, These people could not even make it to the end of the block much less understand how demanding professional cycing
can be.

Americans tend to be not so bright about cycling. I don't even tell people what my Cannondale cost anymore. I'm tired of hearing I could get a car for that. Which I use to say $1100 bucks for a car? Sounds like a piece of junk that will last a week. I tried to explain I have my bike down to pennies a mile, I enjoy it, these things are not made in the millions of cheap materials and Wal-mart sells crap. Never works. Now I just say it cost a good bit and I don't remember what it cost. Some of these same people think nothing of spending $40,000 on a truck that never hauls or $1500 on a benelli that will never be fired. My bike cost less than the interest on these peoples none hauling truck. I'm not even going into morons that have told me 18 pounds is heavy and their Huffy weighed less. That's the people the sports writers are targeting. Probably a bit of what Lance was saying.

Want to talk about rants, what is with OLN, Discovery wrecks on their own riding the last stage in the rain and Bob Rolls and crew blamed a guy 8 feet away for bumping Hincapie. The OLN crew was outraged. That guy was no where near Team Discovery and he lost his wheel on his own. Like they can't even slip without being pushed. Also funny when the crew said Jan Ulrich answered his critics and they should get off his case. They are the ones than alway say Jan is not Armstrong, out of shape, done for, shouldn't use the big chain ring on and on. Everything the critics said they repeated as original thoughts then distance themselves after years of bashing. Bunch of jerks. Those ugly OLN L.L. Bean shirts made me want to ask, "are you guy here to fix the pothole?"

Sincitycycler

Why would I think that he's gay. He's harpooning Sheryl Crow . What a maroon...

G-Unit

I thought his speech was good, nothing embarassing about it at all

jslopez

Have to remember this was after a 100+ kilometer ride plus LA was never really known as a good impromptu speaker.

Then again he could have said the most eloquent thing and people woudl still find fault in it.

wyobiker

All I can state is - UNBELIEVABLE!

Lighten up. Why does someone always have to read into something someone says. He was very clear who he directed his remarks to. Obviously if you haven't lived under the pressure this man has had to endure, you have no idea how it affects you. The critics not only don't understand, but I really think they don't want to understand.

Let's all revell in his accomplishment and allow him the time and the room to enjoy it.

ddeand 

If what I've read in a couple books about Armstrong is correct, his little speech/rant was something he had thought about for a long time - he just doesn't fly off the handle. Specifically, I think David Walsh and the contributors to his book (LA Confidential) were the main focus of the rant. Next, the French/European press might have been targeted. And finally, nitwits like LeMond and other back-biters in the ranks could have been his targets.

The thing about Armstrong is that his memory is long and his sense of justice is sometimes harsh (look what he did to Simeoni in the '04 TdF). He doesn't like people to get in his way, and there's a strong sense of righteousness in his actions. Plus, unlike LeMond, Hamilton, and some others, he is pretty brash - the American that Europeans love to hate.

I liked what he had to say.

Dean

Wind 'N Snow

What's the deal with Lemond? I went into a media vacuum during the Indurain years and lost all track of everything cycling. What (else) did he say, do that makes him so reviled now and never mentioned in any tour coverage?

odannyboy

The "Indurain Years", yep, a big black hole for me, too I believe LeMond is also one of the "unbelievers" who said, or at least implied, that Lance must have been using drugs to accomplish what he has. Truly bad form.

Chucklehead

help me out..
what did simeoni do to him to cause that little episode? i'm having a hard time remembering.

and lemond..
just calling it like he sees it. can't fault that.

Dolomiti

Tried to sue Armstrong

Wind 'N Snow

Thanks. The truth is out there somewhere.