Armstrong's back

[MJ_1993]

All i know, is that now I can get an autograph without flying to America (which would mean a detour via Cuba).

Oh and Kristian Housey signed my ACC jersey.

[virek]

Just read the article...there's a line in there, I had to read twice!!

"...researcher Edward Coyle, who has defended Armstrong from persistent doping accusations by arguing that the cyclist's cancer and therapy produced an exceptional physiological advantage."

This is a line from DC Comics, no?

Also, millions of cancer sufferers, but LA's the 'chosen' mutant with increased power output?

Billy....

Matthew

[Robh]

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/featu ... rong200809

[Rob C]

If you thought that was bad...


http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/10/ ... ndis10.php

[Snoop Doug]

Yaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnnnn

[Will]

You can kinda imagine him saying that

[Mike I]

I felt sure that Fatty would have something to say, and sure enough you can read it att [url]http://www.fatcyclist.com/2008/09/10/exclusive-lance-armstrong-returns-to-pro-racing-plus-insider-reactions/[/url].

[Alex P]

I can't wait for his return it will be great.

Also can you imagine what the ACC forum will be like when he is racing, we will get hourly updates on the latest obscure article that a reporter has written saying that he overheard a friend of a friend of a hotel porter that he saw an empty pot of pills in Lance's waste bin of a hotel that he stayed in five years ago therefore guilty.

I'm even surprised that the standard that is applied here - "If they win something then they must be on drugs" has not been applied to the British Olympic cycling team or even the Paralympic cycling team following their successes but perhaps those reporters/armchair experts have probably been distracted by Lance, it will come I'm sure. The great British disease, when they get up there, shoot them down

I also have images in my mind of the film 'the conspiracy theory' where Mel Gibson has a secret room with lots of pictures of Julia Roberts but they replaced with Lance Armstrong with added voodoo dolls.

[Dombo]

His return will be good for the sport.

Like him or loathe him, he generates interest in cycling and the Tour in particular. An example - I work in an office where colleagues get excited over something called Fantasy Football as well as the usual cricket, wugger, tennis, Limpics, etc. The biggest sporting event on earth barely gets a mention. Except when Lance rode. 2003 started it with the fall and attack on Luz-Ardiden and his foray across a field. 2004 I had guys stop by my desk in the early days asking what Armstrong was playing at, not winning stages yet. During the mountain stages the TVs in the office would be switched from CNBC to Eurosport. All sorts of people started wearing yellow wristbands. On bike rides you'd see people wearing Postal, then Discovery kit and riding Treks.
Purists may scoff at those casual riders wobbling about wearing kit for professional teams to which they don't belong, riding a Trek in team colours, but they got interested in cycling because of a brash American who dominated the sport for over half a decade. Who among non-cyclists could name a professional rider before Armstrong came along. Sure, most had heard of Eddy Merckx, but that was it.

He has not brought the sport into disrepute, he has enhanced it. Welcome back, Lance.

Like Alex, I look forward to his return, an eighth win (that still won't silence the French who perversely still worship Virenque) and to the outpourings of semi-amusing guff it will generate on this forum and elsewhere.

[Brian Nolan]

I started off being a fan of LA .. Watching him taking off on Hautecam in the 2000 tour was what got me into road bikes and I thought he was the best.. After getting into the sport and reading a lot about it and all the dodgy practices however I changed my mind. Specifically - if he was so good why the need to work with dodgy Italian doctors who specialised in ' preparing ' racing cyclists ? Plus the fact that all his contempories have been shown to be on the ' juice ' and the fact that he has not got a ' massive engine ' or a great physical advantage so why / how did he perfom so much better than everone else ?
I still think he his a great athlete though - and if he pulls this off and races again with a thorough testing program , visible to everyone, then I think you must give him his due and he say he is one of the greatest cyclists ever...
cheers,

[Will]

He's winning things again (well sounds like his team did the lion's share of it)...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... hour-18540

[Elliot M]

Dombo/Alex P - I think a lot of people's views, including mine, mirror Brian's, rather than being motivated by the desire to bring down a successful athlete. There is dirt on Merckx and pretty much any top rider from any era, of course.

On reflection, despite not being a fan, I also second Brian in hoping he does well - I think such a high profile team with genuine testing transparency will do a lot to restore faith in the sport as a whole, and I look forward to seeing how things develop.

[Elliot M]

several smaller sponsors - trek, nike, oakley, espn? disposable team with enough budget for TdF only?