Okiecardinal

Part of the report says that when LeMond "apologized" the first time he criticized Lance, the apology was actually written word-for-word by Trek. We also know what happened to LeMond's partnership with Trek shortly after.

I'm sure the Trek corporation was like everyone for a spell in that they probably didn't really know - or want to know - the truth....but the sponsoring corporation HAD to have received enough evidence to know what was going on LONG before now.

What role, or perhaps backlash, does the Trek corp deserve?

(And for what its worth, I've been a pretty loyal Trek rider so I really don't have an ax to grind here.)

tagaproject6

I never really found Trek bikes to be appealing. LA was a marketing tool that helped them sell bikes and it seemed that LeMond was another tool that they used. It is all business and nothing more.

Gordy748

Carbon Treks ass-plode in sunlight and are the brand of choice for the socialist proletariat masses. Best to avoid them in favor of capitalist entrepreneur brands like Hong Fu and Speedybike.

RedC

My first road bike was a Lemond I bought the year Trek divorced Greg for saying what we now know to be true. After 4 years and 20,000 miles I broke it and Trek replaced the frame with a Madone 5.9.. I don't think who doped and who knew 10 years ago will affect my future purchases. It's hard for me to be upset with the company that replaced the frame on my $1800 bicycle with a $2500 frame

kc0yef 

Trek is going to have to make a stand apologize to Greg Lemond and be held accountable to the people who bought their bikes
Recent interview with Greg Lemond
https://media.newstalk.ie/podcast/67851/popup

dstrong 

Along the same lines, what will the impact be, if any, on Chris Carmichael and CTS? It's difficult to believe he wasn't tied into this also.

merlinextraligh

Both Trek and CTS lose the halo effect of the association with Armstrong.

CTS has been distancing themselves from Armstrong for a long time.

In both cases, I doubt there will be any noticeable backlash.

Both companies will succeed or fail going forward based on the relative value of their product. In Trek's case they'll just have to change their marketing strategies a bit.

cafzali

None, absolutely none in all likelihood. Trek's association with Lance was a business deal. I sincerely doubt that many people went out and bought a particular brand of bike because it was used by their favorite rider -- especially if we're talking about a higher-end machine. Those people are going to read objective reviews, talk to riders who have them about their impressions, etc.

There are times when endorsements have a specific goal. For example, Tiger Woods' association with Cadillac was an effort by the car maker to make its models look less "stodgy" and a car brand that younger people should consider. That's a whole different can of worms and can be effective. But just having someone who has proven he can ride a bike endorse a brand has relatively little impact.

Rowan

You don't honestly expect anyone to believe that Carmichael didn't have any knowledge about how Armstrong made his performance improvements, do you? He had to be complicit in this along with the other team members, Bruyneel, and Ferrari et al. Simply, Carmichael could not have been involved with Armstrong in isolation from the others.

As to Trek, I suggest it won't make any difference to their sales. The majority of people entering the sport and buying their bikes, from hybrids up to Madones, don't have a clue who LeMond is, and they would only connect Armstrong to Trek through old advertising and his banning now.

gsteinb

There is no evidence that Carmichael had anything to do with Armstrong's training. Ferrari was his coach/doctor. Carmichael had a business association and a front as Lance's coach.

Rowan

Are you really suggesting that even as a front, Carmichael wasn't aware of what was going on?

Remember, this has been the biggest con job in sporting history. Anyone who had any association with Armstrong's sporting life even before cancer is now tainted.

Even the notion that Carmichael was fronting as a coach just adds to the deception.

gsteinb

Yes. I'm suggesting that based on what's been said about their relationship it seems unlikely that Carmichael was a confidant with intimate knowledge of what or how Armstrong was doing.

Rowan

By the way, gary, kudos to you for your insightful moderation and comments on these threads.

gsteinb

thanks, Rowan.

Commodus

It's a shame, but yes I doubt Trek will suffer very greatly. Surely everyone who is interested in these things have already long since boycotted that brand.

AzTallRider

I'm 'interested in these things', having read Bad Blood, Tyler's book, the Reasoned Decision, and now Breaking the Chain. I ride a Trek Madone because a) it is a great all around bike, and b) it is one of the few production bikes that is built in sizes that fit my 6'6" frame. My decision has nothing to do with Lance... not gonna pick a bike based on who promotes them.

Commodus

I would suggest that a boycott would have more to do with Greg than Lance.

mprelaw

The first thing they're going to have to do is update the Madone 6 page, by changing "the legacy of 9 Tour de France wins".

Walter

Trek existed before Armstrong and had a rep for building quality bikes but they were not a major player. No doubt the association with LA helped them change this. It will be a challenge for them to maintain this but not an insurmountable one.

We'll see.

gregf83 

They have one of the strongest distribution channels around and a solid lineup of bikes. I don't see how any negative press from LA is going to change the perception of 99.9% of the buyers walking into a retail bike store. They're still sponsoring pro teams so they'll continue to get plenty of TV coverage.

PRus

The first thing they're going to have to do is update the Madone 6 page, by changing "the legacy of 9 Tour de France wins".

+1

AzTallRider

Damn, I better sell my bike before the price plummets...

Mithrandir

I disagree. There's quite a few people in my bike club who bought Madones solely because "it's Lance's bike!". More than I would have thought, to be honest.

bicyclridr4life

I doubt TREK sales will suffer any more than Shimano's Dura-Ace sales will. Some people will still think they are the "best", other people will still not ride a TREK or use a Shimano product, no matter what.

cruiserhead

Trek sales were huge based on Lance. Trek made big inroads with their carbon bikes because of the high visibility Lance gave.
Shimano has nothing tied to Lance that it doesn't have tied to a multitude of other riders and teams.

Personally, I just don't like the brand because of the Lance association. I didn't really like Lance as a cyclist, dope or not.
Never drank the kool-aid. I used to admire his accomplishments and story...
Trek introduced some really nice city bikes that were really tempting. I even found one on blowout clearance but couldn't bring myself own a Trek.

However, others don't see the tie-in so strongly and maybe value some features and product and could care less about Lance.
I don't begrudge that. In the big picture, as long as they are on a bike, it's all good.