How about Lance "YouDaMan" Armstrong?

[MChalkley]

How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

I guess the best compliment I can give him is: I'm speechless... /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

MarkC

 

[JOR_EL]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

Yeah Mark, the guys a real inspiration, ...talk about spirit and guts!

There's a role model to replace all those spoiled-baby high-$ ballplayers /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif !!

Larry

 

[MChalkley]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

As if it weren't enough that he's one of the greatest athletes on the planet, he's perhaps the greatest sportsman. In today's race, in which he went from about 9 minutes behind the overall race leader to 4 1/2 minutes ahead of him, and is now a little over 5 minutes ahead of his main competitor, he slowed down and waited for him after he crashed, so he could get on a new bike and catch up. Note this quote from Reuters news service:

"Ullrich, who was back on his bike seconds after the crash, said he was particularly impressed that Armstrong had slowed down and waited for him.

``It was a very nice gesture -- I don't think Lance would be so loved by fans if he did something unfair. He saw the accident. He was behind me and then waited. I appreciate that,'' Ullrich added.

Armstrong said he decided not to take advantage of Ullrich's accident to put some time between him and the German.

``For me, the correct thing, the honourable thing, the professional thing to do was to wait for him to come back,'' Armstrong said after the race. "

It struck me as funny that Ullrich said it would have been "unfair" if Armstrong hadn't waited for him, yet acknowledged he was "impressed" by the action. Hmmm.

At any rate, it sure is nice to see somebody with that kind of standards, when most sports are mostly about creating, finding, and exploiting the misfortunes of others...

MarkC

 

[frank_f15]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

mark: agree with u mr. armstrong is one hell of a guy. i don't know from nothing about bike racing, but i always pay attention to the toure de franz (why is that?) the man loves what he does, and u can never fault that. an honorable, selfless, professional athlete? LANCE ARMSTRONG!

 

[ddl]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

and to think he had cancer between his legs before his first win. Anyone who rode a bike with its norrow seat should be amazed that he can even sit on the bike. And to think he is at best going up hills, this is what amazes me the most. (I used to ride about 5000 miles a year and never could do what he does!!!)

Dan L

 

[Boondox]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

Gee, Mark, that's a first! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[JOR_EL]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

<font color=blue>It struck me as funny that Ullrich said it would have been "unfair" if Armstrong hadn't waited for him, yet acknowledged he was "impressed" by the action. Hmmm.</font color=blue>

I hope something was lost here in "crossing the language barrier". The remark seems a little "off" to me as well. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Part of riding in a bike race involves keeping your bike on-the-road.
The German rider's failure to do so did not place Lance under any "fairness" obligation to wait for him.

As far as I'm concerned, Lance's gesture was a classy display of generosity and sportsmanship, ...plain and simple! An absolute gredit to himself and the US! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Larry

 

[MChalkley]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

Pete - I told you it was the best compliment I could give him! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

You still a bean counter?

MarkC

 

[Boondox]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

Mark -- I'm more of a geek these days. We recently had a big software upgrade at work. Every single department crashed and burned...except mine! So now they want me to count less and geek more. Fine with me, as long as they keep giving me free coffee and stock options. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[MChalkley]

Re: How about Lance \"YouDaMan\" Armstrong?

Larry - I think it might have been something to do with the language, as you suggested. I've looked at a lot of the on-line press coverage of the incident since then, and nowhere else has anyone even remotely suggested that Lance could've been "expected" to wait. Those same press sources are full of reports that Hinault, the rider that Greg LeMond rode as an "understudy" with for so long, lied about LeMond's role on the team for 3 years to get his 3rd, 4th, & 5th Tour championships. Cycling, as with all other sports, has its share of people who are willing to do anything they can get away with to win. It's extremely gratifying to see that the best one in the world, wherever he's from, doesn't have to stoop to that, but will even wait for a well respected, fallen competitor to make sure he's ok, then allow him back into the event. Incredible.

Did you guys see the finish of the 14th stage today? Ullrich, the guy who fell yesterday, finished 3rd today with Lance right on his rear wheel (the two who finished 1st and 2nd today aren't even in contention), but Lance obviously let Ullrich finish before him (same times, though). And after Ullrich crossed the line, he looked over his shoulder at Lance, put out his hand in a "gesture of friendship and admiration", as one source described it, and sort of pulled Lance past him? It had "I know you could've finished in front of me if you'd wanted to" written all over it. Sporting class personified, in my opinion...

MarkC