Armstrong retires

iainf72

Again

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lance-a ... om-cycling

rick_chasey

I would make some comment about it being coincidental timing with regard to the ongoing investigation, given that he was going to continue in the states, but that would be both facile and predictable...

Oh wait...

ms_tree

You know I'd have a song for it! This sums it up (and I've been waiting months to post it):

Artist: Strait George
Song: Somewhere Down In Texas
Album: Somewhere Down in Texas


I been on the road now dang near all my life:
An' I do love to sing a song.
I can say I've worked hard, put in my time:
Now it's time to go home.
And catch up on my chores:
Watch the sunset from my porch.

I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me,
Drinkin' in that great wide-open: soakin' up the summer breeze.
Kickin' back an' settled in with my family.
I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me.

That's where I got started, where I was born an' bred:
It's the fire inside of me.
I couldn't have imagined this Texas highway led,
Far beyond my wildest dreams.
But I'll turn out the lights tonight,
An' say goodnight, but not goodbye.

I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me,
Drinkin' in that great wide-open: soakin' up the summer breeze.
Kickin' back an' settled in with my family.
I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me.

I made so many friends,
Hope we meet someday again:
Till then:
(Think this should say 'and enemies')

I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me,
Drinkin' in that great wide-open: soakin' up the summer breeze.
Kickin' back an' settled in with my family.
I'll be somewhere down in Texas if you're lookin' for me.

SCR Pedro

Hopefully he'll stay retired. His ego won't be missed.

Gazzetta67

Good Riddance - Now take your pals with you Pat McQuaid,Darrach McQuaid and any other arse licker you brainwashed.

LangerDan

"You can't fire me - I quit!"

TMR

SCR Pedro wrote:

Hopefully he'll stay retired. His ego won't be missed.

<yoda>Much anger I sense in you! That leads to the Dark side of the Force!</yoda>

wicked

Don't let the door hit on the back of the head on the way out Lance! And this time stay away.

SCR Pedro

The Mad Rapper wrote:

SCR Pedro wrote:

Hopefully he'll stay retired. His ego won't be missed.

<yoda>Much anger I sense in you! That leads to the Dark side of the Force!</yoda>

You might not be wrong, me ole son. I got the impression that he failed to realise that the peloton is bigger than any one rider. His media 'blackouts' were pathetic and childish, and don't get me started on all that worship-me Twitter crap.

blazing_saddles

I must admit to being a little surprised. I had expected him to ride the Tour of Cali.
Undoubtedly, timed as it is, it will fuel yet more speculation.
Cue Dave and Moray.

bompington

He's realised he just can't hope to compete with Contador any more - I mean, it's currently 12 pages for "The Lance hits the fan" against 141 pages for the Bertie thread, it's just too one-sided

mattsy666

wicked wrote:

Don't let the door hit on the back of the head on the way out Lance! And this time stay away.

Taking it all a bit personally aintcha?

He rode a bike ... Won some stuff ... Said and did some sillynthings ... But boy it was entertainment, and that's the name of the game for you and i ... We're not invloved, merely spectating and speculating ...

One can only imagine how wound up you get when watching Hollyoaks ...

shipley

mattsy666 wrote:

wicked wrote:

Don't let the door hit on the back of the head on the way out Lance! And this time stay away.

Taking it all a bit personally aintcha?

He rode a bike ... Won some stuff ... Said and did some sillynthings ... But boy it was entertainment, and that's the name of the game for you and i ... We're not invloved, merely spectating and speculating ...

One can only imagine how wound up you get when watching Hollyoaks ...

Good post. I for one am glad he was in the sport. He gave me years of entertainment and I enjoyed watching him compete. Many successful sporting stars get above themselves, there'll be more I'm sure.

I expect all the haters will migrate to Contador now, instead of following Curling or something where they can enjoy a quiet sport but may be stuck for something to moan about.

sampras38

mattsy666 wrote:

wicked wrote:

Don't let the door hit on the back of the head on the way out Lance! And this time stay away.

Taking it all a bit personally aintcha?

He rode a bike ... Won some stuff ... Said and did some sillynthings ... But boy it was entertainment, and that's the name of the game for you and i ... We're not invloved, merely spectating and speculating ...

One can only imagine how wound up you get when watching Hollyoaks ...

+1 to this ^

Whatever he did or didn't do, I doubt we'll see another like him for some time.

Gazzaputt

Oh well he leaves with Bertie attaining something he never.


A positive test.

iainf72

Gazzaputt wrote:

Oh well he leaves with Bertie attaining something he never.


A positive test.

Nope, they're evens.

Remember his positive in 99.

dennisn

Shipley wrote:

mattsy666 wrote:

wicked wrote:

Don't let the door hit on the back of the head on the way out Lance! And this time stay away.

Taking it all a bit personally aintcha?

He rode a bike ... Won some stuff ... Said and did some sillynthings ... But boy it was entertainment, and that's the name of the game for you and i ... We're not invloved, merely spectating and speculating ...

One can only imagine how wound up you get when watching Hollyoaks ...

I expect all the haters will migrate to Contador now, instead of following Curling or something where they can enjoy a quiet sport but may be stuck for something to moan about.

Maybe we all need something to moan about. Maybe the people who moan about cycling can't handle the fact that it is not the perfect sport that they want it to be. After all they ride bikes and when they hear about some rider and some dastardly deed they feel as though it's a personal attack on them??????

afx237vi

sampras38 wrote:

Whatever he did or didn't do, I doubt we'll see another like him for some time.

Thank the lord for that.

I agree with Dennis*. Sport (and life in general) would be very dull if we didn't have trivial stuff to argue and complain about.

* Well, apart from the last bit.

Homer J

IMO, The LA, JU, and MP era of the TDF was some of the best racing to watch, not like the yawn fest that followed.

sampras38

iainf72 wrote:

Gazzaputt wrote:

Oh well he leaves with Bertie attaining something he never.


A positive test.

Nope, they're evens.

Remember his positive in 99.

And the 2005 Tour of Switzeland test.

Oh, hang on, that one didn't happen...;-)

Pross

For all his faults and the dark clouds following him around he is still one of the best riders of recent generations. Doped or not he had talent (and as most if not all of his main competitors were also probably doped his advantage would have been pretty much negated). He deserves some credit for the way he came back from serious illness to compete at the highest level and also for bringing cycling to a bigger audience although that could prove to be his biggest problem if / when he finally sucumbs to the investigations as he would be the ultimate sign to the general public that cycling is dirty.

Gazzaputt

iainf72 wrote:

Gazzaputt wrote:

Oh well he leaves with Bertie attaining something he never.


A positive test.

Nope, they're evens.

Remember his positive in 99.

Never ratified or proven.

iainf72

Gazzaputt wrote:

Never ratified or proven.

Are you disputing he failed a test and then provided a TUE? He never argued he failed the test, so he's the same as Bert.

Both failed tests, both cleared.

bazbadger

Pross wrote:

For all his faults and the dark clouds following him around he is still one of the best riders of recent generations. Doped or not he had talent (and as most if not all of his main competitors were also probably doped his advantage would have been pretty much negated). He deserves some credit for the way he came back from serious illness to compete at the highest level and also for bringing cycling to a bigger audience although that could prove to be his biggest problem if / when he finally sucumbs to the investigations as he would be the ultimate sign to the general public that cycling is dirty.

Yep, agree with that.

rick_chasey

iainf72 wrote:

Gazzaputt wrote:

Never ratified or proven.

Are you disputing he failed a test and then provided a TUE? He never argued he failed the test, so he's the same as Bert.

Both failed tests, both cleared.

S'a little teleological...

RichN95.

iainf72 wrote:

Are you disputing he failed a test and then provided a TUE? He never argued he failed the test, so he's the same as Bert.

Both failed tests, both cleared.

Armstrong didn't fail the test, though. Something people seem to constantly overlook. He was well below the allowable threshold, as were several others.

You can read the reports of the time here: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/jul99/jul22.shtml

iainf72

RichN95 wrote:

Armstrong didn't fail the test, though. Something people seem to constantly overlook. He was well below the allowable threshold, as were several others.

You can read the reports of the time here: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/jul99/jul22.shtml

Like a man with an orthopaedic shoe, I stand corrected.

moray_gub

iainf72 wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Armstrong didn't fail the test, though. Something people seem to constantly overlook. He was well below the allowable threshold, as were several others.

You can read the reports of the time here: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/jul99/jul22.shtml

Like a man with an orthopaedic shoe, I stand corrected.

I am surprised at you here Iain ,i would have thought a man with your usual detailed knowledge would have known that basic fact.

iainf72

Moray Gub wrote:

I am surprised at you here Iain ,i would have thought a man with your usual detailed knowledge would have known that basic fact.

It's always good to surprise people But unlike BikingBernie (RIP) I don't have a creepy file of evidence to refer to all the time.

dave_1

iainf72 wrote:

Gazzaputt wrote:

Oh well he leaves with Bertie attaining something he never.


A positive test.

Nope, they're evens.

Remember his positive in 99.

sweep the story of the 1991-1995+s under the carpet eh...you're always right others have said :roll:

brakelever

hopefully once the whining texan finally goes we wont have to put up with , did he or did,he not do narcotics of one form or another , for my sins was never a fan .