Say what you will about the man, but Lance Armstrong energizes interest in cycling like nobody else, in the United States and around the world. Versus network broke even on their Tour de France coverage in 2008. For 2009, they say that viewership is up a solid 80% over last year. For Cyclelicious, traffic is up well over 100% over last year from people looking for Tour de France information in spite of what I consider very spotty coverage.Lance Armstrong plans for 2010?
Given Vinokourov's mouthing off about Astana Team Director Johan Bruyneel, today's announcement by Bruyneel that he will leave Team Astana after the 2009 season should come as no big surprise. Lance Armstrong also hinted at a big announcement regarding a new team for the 2010 season. Some of the names mentioned as potential sponsors of a third US Pro Cycling team: Nike, the Livestrong Foundation and (most interesting for me personally) Oracle Corporation. Apple and Google are also mentioned on the short list of potential sponsors. We'll see on Thursday who the sponsors are, and hopefully some unresolved questions on UCI licensing and riders will be answered.
So what about Lance Armstrong? Longtime cycling journalist John Wilcockson (40 years in the business!) has written what he says is probably the most comprehensive story of what drives the seven-time Tour de France champion as told through the words of Armstrong's family, friends, rivals, and — of course — Lance himself.
More details here: Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion.
http://www.oraclecycling.com/
ReplyDeleteThat one's registered to a cycling coach (Allen Bean) in Los Angeles. I don't believe it's related, but I could be wrong.
ReplyDeletelooks like nike has a bunch of cycling domains too but they were reg'd many years ago to protect their brand name (apparently)
ReplyDeleteJasper - any chance of VMware / EMC sponsoring a bike team :-)
ReplyDeletenopes - that would be a negative. although the recent motto would be great "virtually anything is possible"
ReplyDelete...be kinda hard to think the ol' lance-ster couldn't drag up a few bucks for a few years of concerted effort...as you imply, fritz, the man is bank...
ReplyDelete...& regarding vino:- hey, c'mon...johan was outa there from the first moment of the announcement of vino's press conference in monaco...he didn't need the press conference to make any decisions...
..."been here, did this for ya, gonna give ya a keeper by the end of this little french bike brouhaha but i am long gone down the road...me n' my pal are gonna do our own thing next year...thanks for the opportunity, borats but this is one door that can't close fast enough to hit me on the ass on the way out !!!"...guaranteed...
...post script:-...bit thick on the title there, wilcockson but i'm sure some day i'll read it...
ReplyDelete...the man's a phenomena whether ya appreciate him or not & the work he's doing in this tour alone qualifies as something special...
How Mr. Armstrong conducts himself as a supporting rider will say a lot about his character.
ReplyDeleteThe book is misleading. It has a pretty sensationalizing title indeed. Many people have debated that Lance has been a champion of the Tour (which we can accept), but not of the other races in the calender. Considering that, titling a book like "The Greatest Champion Of The World" is pretty short winded. On what basis does he say he's the "greatest" champion? I'd like to see an analysis done comparing him to other remarkable feats in other sports, not just cycling. If the book has none, this is just another biography to advance his story to us. I have had enough of that. Let's move on, please.
ReplyDeleteAs a 503.c corporation how can the Livestrong Foundation sponsor a cycling team?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the money given as contributions need to go to the "cause"? they probably could claim it as advertising but 10 to 15 Million spent on a cycling team could be a lot of research.
=v= Wow, you got Gregg Lemond posting here anonymously. Too bad about that pottymouth, though.
ReplyDeleteDoper!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of dope, the latest rumor is that Starbucks will be a sponsor for his team.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the most vituperative comments come from people who decline to be identified.
ReplyDelete..gotta say...jym handled that well, though...props, sir...quite funny...
ReplyDelete@bikesgonewild: i have a score to settle with you sir, and it is i who needs to pay up. i was onboard the anti-lance bus during the ToC. i believe i've changed my mind on that note. i think his riding in this tour has been exemplary. it has to be hard for a rider of his caliber to accept defeat, but he has handled it with the grace and dignity of a champion, and has not hesitated to put the focus on the riders who are in their peak form in this tour.
ReplyDeletesecondarily, i saw you mentioned on television (Klunkerz) and am a bit smitten by your celebrity. you really ARE an O.G. in U.S. cycling. much respect. :)
P.S. is it just me or do there seem to be people actively searching the internet for blogs about lance armstrong for them to verbally defecate upon?
ReplyDelete...ah, well, thank you, kit...i was about to say that for $100,000 i'll consider it a settled score but damn...if yer gonna appeal to my ego, then i'll have to "be like lance" & just be gracious & again say thank you...
ReplyDelete...by the way...while i have a certain "reputation" if you will, i, in no way consider myself a celebrity...
...btw...i've mentioned it elsewhere but i believe i'm one of the first across the line w/ the news that RADIO SHACK is a name we're about to hear a lot of, very soon...but i'm no oracle (that's my little joke on the matter)...
Rat Shack?? That was from way out of left field.
ReplyDeleteI am a drug cheat, sorry anti doping agencies i am too smart for you and hence you can never catch me
ReplyDeleteWatch out for me next year Ill try out new designer drugs and try to win the tour the france.
FELL SORRY FOR ME BITCHES BECAUSE I HAD CANCER.
Yours Truly
LANCE(Dope) AMSTRONG
Drug Ceat# 1
PS I Love ALberto Contador
Lance did not win because he was not good enough nor had the dope to back it up.SO HE went for the next best thing and tried to improve his IMAGE(exemplary behaviour my ass)But the damage has already been done drug lord LAnce,so retire to an old age home and die of cancer biaaatch.
ReplyDeleteYes he did try to win this years tour de france and Mr lance dope amstrong along with team manager instructed Alberto COntador not to break away on the mountain stages but alas you cant keep a good man down.BLOODY TEXAN DOPESTER WANTED TO IMPROVE HIS DOPED IMAGE
RIP DOPE AMSTRONG........
FKING SQUINT EYED DRUG WHORE
Read this article it will open your eyes
ReplyDeletehttp://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/07/322007.shtml
Lance you are a drug cheat come clean and save the sport
Warning: This article is not politically correct. In fact, as you can probably surmise from the headline, I am not a fan of Lance Armstrong.
ReplyDeleteOh but Bob, the man is a champion cyclist. And don’t you care that he had testicular cancer?
Well, I must say that while cancer is a horrible, terrible thing, I do not feel it should cloud our judgment about the man, or any public figure.
Having had cancer shouldn’t shield you from being subject to the same scrutiny that every star athlete has to face.
Nor does it automatically make you a good person.
And being a champion? Well, if done the right way, it simply means he is good at riding a bike very fast and has incredible endurance.
That is, if you believe he did it all the right way.
He has never been caught, though there have been strong indications that Armstrong, like the sport itself, has been infused by performance enhancing drugs.
Earlier this year, Armstrong kept a drug testing doctor sent by the AFLD waiting for 30 minutes behind a closed door before giving samples.
He said he wanted to take a shower.
Why does that remind me of a riddle about how someone can be clean without being clean?
In 2005, it was discovered that Armstrong's backup urine samples from the 1999 Tour, retested for research purposes, showed evidence that he had used the banned blood booster EPO.
Armstrong used to work with known steroid pusher and controversial trainer Michele Ferrari.
Armstrong's former masseuse, Emma O'Reilly, claimed Armstrong once asked her to dispose of used syringes and give him makeup to conceal needle marks on his arms.
Steve Swart, claims he and other riders, including Armstrong, began using drugs in 1995 while members of the Motorola team.
An employee of Armstrong, Mike Anderson, claimed that he discovered a box of Androstenine while cleaning a bathroom in Armstrong's apartment in Girona, Spain.
In Armstrong’s case, his latest attempt to suddenly look like a martyr by conceding defeat smacks of insincerity that permeates a lot of his persona.
From blood doping denials to this latest “hey, look at what a great teammate I am” stunt, Lance Armstrong is about as real and true a person as the Easter Bunny.
Did you know that Armstrong is not even his real name? He was born Lance Edward Gunderson.
Did you know that he doesn’t believe in God?
Does that make him a bad person? That’s up to your own personal beliefs. This is not a religious site, so I won’t comment on my feelings toward his agnostic tendencies.
Armstrong knew he probably wasn’t going to win the Tour de France, so he has said he would support teammate Alberto Contador and not try to undermine him.
You want to bet that Armstrong will be ready to take advantage of any weakness?
You can feel free to believe le mensonge Armstrong, but I choose not to.
Lance is so used to being the alpha dog, I wonder how he will take to being the mutt, come to think of it.