It's not Lance's job to step aside so that someone else can fill the role. It's the job of the other people to take the position from him. Most people who follow professional cycling do not believe Lance can beat his teammate, Alberto Contador in the Tour de France. Alberto Contador won the 2007 Tour (officially, but in my head Rasmussen clearly defeated him), then won the 2008 Giro d'Italia and the 2008 Vuelta a Espana.

Nobody is struggling because Lance returned.

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There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

See attached for different kind of doping and different kind of hazy.

http://www.velonews.com/article/93545/g ... conspiracy

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

Sure it is. He CHOOSES to be there.


Tell that to Brett Favre, Miguel Duhamel, Teemu Selanne, the list goes on... These guys were all kings off there sport at one time or another and for their own selfish reasons and the lack of management backbone (sans Green Bay) continued to play and take up a spot on the roster.


You just made my point for me. If what you said is true and we agree his already won everything there is, then pass the torch already!


Really? You think Lance is riding for free? You don't think his share of the payroll couldn't cover 4 or 5 other guys?

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Seriously?

But you also have to realize how much money he's bringing to the sport just by being here. He leaves and you have room for 4-5 no names that "Joe Trendy-Cycling-Fan" doesn't care about. He leaves, he takes an untold number of fans and their money with him. Like it or not it's true. You don't think the sponsors care about the 300 pound weekend warrior just as much as they care about the super fit, 5 rides a week, 150 pound leg shaver?? 300 pound guy drops $4,000 on a Trek Madone and rides it 5 times, then hangs it in the garage never to be ridden again. Well, Trek doesn't care. There's probably one of those guys out there for every one of the guys out there who will buy one and actually ride it.

Think about it like this: we all like to think our user group is the important one. But when you go on an epic/hard/techy ride like to SART, ATT, Noble, etc, notice you don't see many people? Or if you go to places like Daley or Sycamore--places where there's some good mileage--that the further away from the trailhead you get the less people you see? Now go to Hodges or LPQ on a Saturday morning and try to not get your ass ran over.

I'm just saying that Lance brings needed attention to the sport. In reality, the biggest user group likely isn't people like us. It's more likely the weekend warrrior who will only pay attention to a televised bike race because Lance is in it. You gotta look at the big picture, not just the picture as it makes sense to you. Not trying to flame or start anything, just offering food for thought.

Good point and we all extrapolate the given info our own way, as we see it.

Further, no flaming concerns here, just good debate, unlike some "other" sites. Hell, I would've been banned just for saying "other" over there.

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Seriously?

Actually he is. When he announced his comeback with Astana, he said he would take no salary.

The competitors do not automatically get weaker when Lance returns. If they can not beat him on the road, that's their problem.

As for the Brett Favre comparison, do you think that the Jets would have played Favre if they had a better option? Favre was better than the guy they had, so signed him.

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There's a lot of shame on a road bike. -- evdog

Yeah, answer # 1 for me too. Maybe he cheated, maybe he didn't. Maybe he's not the best husband, boyfriend, father, teammate. But he's a phenomonal bike racer, an intense competitor. His cancer comeback story is inspiring. And to top it off, he's done amazing work for cancer patients. Besides the obvious fund-raising everyone is aware of, his website has excellent resources for a patient. I'll be cheering him, and several others, on in the TdeF.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

One more thing on Lance and then I'm done, I swear, LOL. We all like to think that given the fame/wealth/popularity/power/talent/chance we'd be responsible with it--and I'm not talking about doping. The work Lance has done for Cancer research and its victims can't be denied. As for the other stuff that Dan pointed out--no one here can be so sure they wouldn't be so cocky and abrasive if they were given Lance's talent, wealth and position. Hell, a few here are already that way.

1.25

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-Deniz

#1+ I want Lance do well but see C.V.V. win.

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If you are the big tree
We are the small axe

Thing is, the sport desperatley needs superstars to promote it and draw attention. The tour will be a mob scene because he is there.

He's not trying to win, he will be domestiquing for Contador W/ Leipheimer. The ultimate domestique if you ask me. How many teammates know what its like to be in Yellow, to know when its time to drink, eat, pull them back after a flat!!!

Number 3 for me...could care less.
But I will say this about him. He should have been throned "Athlete of the Year" the year he came back from cancer and won. Instead they give Athlete of the Year to a golfer. Lance was ROBBED! Golf is NOT a sport. And don't tell me it is...anything you do that your heartrate does not go above resting is not a sport.

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Code 347

I'd like to think he's going to ride in support of Contador, but if that were the plan going in, we would have heard that by now and Bruyneel has been silent on this topic. It seems the Lance and Contador can barely stand each other (shades of Hinault and Lemond?) One thing for sure, Astana is going to have the strongest team -- everyone seems forget how good Kloden is.

I'd love to see Christian Vandevelde do well -- nice guy, great on a bike and an American rider on an American team. He had such a good tour going last year before his fall.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

17

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blog

Lance was screwed today out of the yellow jersey.

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A mountain biker who doesn't ride road has no legs
A road biker who doesn't ride mountain has no soul