Lance Armstrong: I'm an athlete and that's all

espn.com ^ | March 25, 2003 | ESPN.com

[RetiredArmy]

Armstrong: I'm an athlete and that's all

From: The Associated Press; Posted At ESPN.com, March 25, 2003

MADRID, Spain -- Lance Armstrong will worry about his team's safety this summer during the Tour de France if the United States is still at war with Iraq.

The four-time champion said he would be concerned about his U.S Postal team as it rides each day through the mountains and countryside.

"Two-hundred kilometers (124 miles) of road without barriers cannot be kept under control,'' Armstrong said Monday on Catalan regional television.

"I don't represent one side or the other, but I do represent a sponsor'' of the war, the Texan added.

"I'm an athlete and that's all,'' he said. (Is he not an American?)

Armstrong has overcome cancer to win his Tour de France titles. If he wins a fifth straight race, he will tie the record of Spain's Miguel Indurain, who won from 1991-95.

Armstrong is in Spain for the Catalan Week race.

[LibWhacker]

Exactly! That's what I'm saying, only not as well. I don't know if the man's liberal or not, but I'm glad he's keeping his mouth shut if he is. I'm sick of liberal celebrities.

OTOH, he's an American. Therefore, he's a target and if he really wanted to minimize his chances of becoming the target of terrorists, then he shouldn't have said anything at all, imo. He's now announced to the world that he's afraid concerned about it and we can bet that a thousand terrorists who were not thinking about him before now are. Poor guy. He shoulda kept his yap shut.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I'd hate to be an American athelete competing in Europe this particular month."

I'm sure Joe Louis and Jesse Owens once felt that way, too...just prior to kicking @$$ - big time!

[Britton J Wingfield]

I'd rather see him beat France's ass than boycott them.

[Freebird Forever]

He's already proven that he owns that silly froggy bicycle race.

Armstrong could learn a thing or two from the example set by Pat Tillman. There are things more important then athletic events.

[philetus]

I don't believe he is saying anything negative about the war, the country, the military, or Bush.

He's saying he has no insight on how to win the war.

He's also saying he doesn't want to get freeped.

[CyberAnt]

Not me! It doesn't bother me at all. The guy is trying to stay safe while he's in a foreign country. I think he's just trying to let it be known that he's going to Spain to be in a race, not to discuss a war.

Besides, if this guy was anti-Bush in any way, there is no way our President would treat him to rides on Air Force One. Puhleeeeezzzee.

[Wolfstar]

I agree. Celebs and sports figures should stick to what they do best: play dress up and pretend, sing and dance, and play games.

[NYCVirago]

I've lost a whole lot of respect for Lance lately, as i heard about him leaving his wife and three little babies (set of twins) after all they've been through together. They claim his being gone most of the time has led to a breakdown in their family unit.

I heard that he was cheating bigtime on his wife, which is why the marriage broke up.

[optik_b]

He only trains in France because it is smart to train on the actual hills he will be riding in the Tour.

[optik_b]

I cannot believe with all that is going on some of you guys are attacking Lance. For one thing Lance is a friend of President Bush. He is EXTREMELY vulnerable to an attack in the sport he competes in. Maybe you guys dont know this but Bike racing is a very unusual sport where people can actually go up and touch the riders while they are going up the mountains.

I'd like to see my fellow American Lance win another Tour De France. I can tell you this angers the French so much you wouldn't believe. He could well be the greatest rider in the history of the sport. This is why we have seen the same anti-USA papers that attack the USA constantly make numerous false accusations against Lance.

[Leto]

Laurent Fingon(?) won a Tour or 2 also.

Let's remember in addition to the ususal obnoxious French, there are lots id Muslims in France also. It's fair for him to keep a low profile.

[Hatteras]

They'll be keeping a close eye on the Iraqi 7-Eleven Tour team with the extra large fanny-packs.

[BeadCounter]

5, he is going after a 5th Tour de France, and has said he wants to be the first one to ever win 6 Tour De Frances.

Don't know if this was said. Go Lance! I think, he's just trying to keep a low profile.

[Heyworth]

Fignon won in 83 and 84. Hinault won his last in 85.

[BeadCounter]

Finishing up this whole thread, occurred to me, in watching the movie the other night, "American Flyers", guy complaining, that cause of politics, the cyclist missed the Olympics, that year the US boycotted, must have been 1980. Maybe more to the statement, "I'm an athlete and that's all." This pertained to many athletes, who felt robbed, due to events under Carter's watch. Do we want to rob the athlete's??

I Urge anyone who really cares to pursue, more conversation on this, to check out the forums under community at "www.bicycling.com."

Marriage woes aside, this guy overcame testicular cancer, wins 4 TdFs straight, his acknowledged goal is to be the first to win 6, not what even some legends have done.

And on the topic of legends, Eddie Merckx? This Belgian got punched at a Tour de France by a spectator, so what do we know?

Lastly, I like Lance, but check out the record books, for how many and so many cycling events there are out there, before one calls him the best ever. I'm sure not judging, just honest appraisal.

And, and, back to marriage woes, I see it, he won four TdF's (Tour de France's) married to his wife. I wouldn't want to change one thing. IMHO all I said.

[Heyworth]

Lastly, I like Lance, but check out the record books, for how many and so many cycling events there are out there, before one calls him the best ever. I'm sure not judging, just honest appraisal

Yeah, it's hard to say that Lance is the greatest ever just because he's likely to win TDF #5 (Who's gonna beat him this year? Does Ullrich even have a team?), and probably #6. But he's changed the game by just concentrating all his training on winning that one event. Guys like Merckx or Fausto Coppi (my historic fave) raced every race, and tried to win them all or blew up trying. Lance has heart, there's no doubt, but there's a certain coldness about how he goes about racing. On the other hand, one of the finest moments I've ever seen in sports is a couple of years ago, when Ullrich ran off the road and Lance waited for him to get back on his bike and catch up before they started racing again.

I Urge anyone who really cares to pursue, more conversation on this, to check out the forums under community at "www.bicycling.com."

Oddly enough, that's the other forum, besides FR, that I check out regularly (with occasional stops at DU to shake my head at the stupidity of some people.)

[BeadCounter]

Well, I am not a big "bicycling magazine forums" fan, cause, a lot of the gadgets, well, are luxuries, and I have told some, gosh, just lucky at times, to have a bike, nice is fine, I agree. I do believe, bicycling magazine itself, provides relaxation and sometimes, insights to cycling, bikes, repair, riding, endurance, exercise, etc. of which I am thankful.

Anyway, this link, explains how maybe Eddie, a Belgian in France, may have been robbed, at that 1975 Tour de France, by a French spectator, who took matters of Merckx pursuing another Tour De France Championship in his own hands. Who knows?

But this link, discusses this, http://pub12.ezboard.com/flancearmstrongtourdefrance.showMessage?topicID=535.topic .

What Lance said, can as easily pertain to the French, probably does moreso, than to his own country and current actions in the world. IMHO

[GreatOne]

Exactly - he is not only an athlete, but also a lousy father and husband. Stay with your wife and kids, dickweed.

[tiki]

He has to beat the French again in their own race. I for one don't mind if he doesn't speak his mind whatever he feels. He is just an athelete. His opinion shouldn't count but it might because he is famous. So he should keep his mouth shut, I don't need to know how he feels even if he agrees with my viewpoint.

[Eva]

Tiger Woods came out with a support our troops and our president statement on his website. I sent him a thank you e-mail and told him that the feminazis are sure to be after him, now.