Do you respect Lance Armstrong?

[Davidjacksonjones]

Yeah Lance Armstrong was busted for doping. But he did it in an era where doping was prevalent. There was some statistic that said over 87% of the racers who came in the top 20-30 were implicated in doping of some sort. Basically, if you didn't dope in that era, you wouldn't have a chance of placing high.

Doping or not, winning 7 Tour De France titles is no joke, especially after battling testicular cancer. The Tour De France race is one of the hardest sports challenge/race in the world. It is grueling, and is 2,200 miles long and takes place over 21 days.

Does he deserve respect?

These are his career achievements that are not tainted by doping.

Career achievements
Major results
Road
1990
8th Overall Tour of Sweden
1991
1st

Road race, National Junior Road Championships
1992
1st

Overall Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
1st Stage 2
1st First Union Grand Prix
1st Stage 6 Settimana Bergamasca
1st Stage 4a Vuelta a Galicia
1st Stage 2 Trittico Premondiale
2nd Züri-Metzgete
8th Coppa Bernocchi
1993
1st

Road race, UCI Road World Championships
1st

Road race, National Road Championships
1st

Overall Kmart West Virginia Classic
1st Prologue & Stage 1
1st

Overall Tour of America
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Thrift Drug Classic
1st Stage 8 Tour de France
2nd Overall Tour DuPont
1st Stage 5
3rd Overall Tour of Sweden
1st Stage 3
5th Wincanton Classic
9th Overall Paris–Nice
1994
1st Thrift Drug Classic
2nd Overall Tour DuPont
1st Stage 7
2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
7th Overall Tour de Suisse
7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
9th Trofeo Laigueglia
9th Züri-Metzgete
1995
1st

Overall Tour DuPont
1st

Mountains classification
1st Stages 4, 5 (ITT) & 9
1st

Overall Kmart West Virginia Classic
1st Stage 4
1st Clásica de San Sebastián
1st Stage 18 Tour de France
1st Stage 5 Paris–Nice
5th Road race, National Road Championships
6th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
10th Züri-Metzgete
1996
1st

Overall Tour DuPont
1st Stages 2, 3b (ITT), 5, 6 & 12 (ITT)
1st La Flèche Wallonne
2nd Overall Paris–Nice
2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2nd Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
4th Overall Tour de Suisse
4th Wincanton Classic
6th Time trial, Olympic Games
8th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
9th LuK Challenge Chrono (with Sean Yates
1998
1st

Overall Tour de Luxembourg
1st Stage 1
1st

Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
1st Cascade Cycling Classic
1st Sprint 56K Criterium
4th Overall Ronde van Nederland

 

[LEWIS540]

With him it's, more than just the doping......he comes off as a total psychopath.

And it's not correct to say "well everyone was cheating, so it was an even playing field, anyway". Sure it's pretty obvious cycling is/was a dirty sport, but then it comes down to who can cheat the best.

Guy obviously had some talent, worked very hard etc etc. Probably a little harsh that he has become the poster boy for cheating, but you reap what you sow.

And wasn't all that yellow bracelet, cancer awareness thing uncovered as something of a sham as well?

Doubt anyone truly believes those achievements listed were clean. Doesn't matter either way.

 

[Casio Bioassay]

There's doping and then there's Lance Armstrong.

 

[My Spot]

It's one thing to cheat, it's another thing to go out of your way and ruin the lives of people who rightfully called you out on cheating.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

With him it's, more than just the doping......he comes off as a total psychopath.

And it's not correct to say "well everyone was cheating, so it was an even playing field, anyway". Sure it's pretty obvious cycling is/was a dirty sport, but then it comes down to who can cheat the best.

Guy obviously had some talent, worked very hard etc etc. Probably a little harsh that he has become the poster boy for cheating, but you reap what you sow.

And wasn't all that yellow bracelet, cancer awareness thing uncovered as something of a sham as well?

Doubt anyone truly believes those achievements listed were clean. Doesn't matter either way.

Yeah i agree that he wasn't the nicest person and did try to ruin other peoples lives and careers, and for that he is vilified and outcasted

But do you think his accomplishments achieved while doping deserves respect?
Theres hundreds of news articles always referring to Lance Armstrong as disgraced.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

It's one thing to cheat, it's another thing to go out of your way and ruin the lives of people who rightfully called you out on cheating.

Yeah he is rightfully vilified for that

But as an athlete and cyclist, does he deserve to be shamed and disgraced as well?

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

There's doping and then there's Lance Armstrong.

He took it to the next level in doping. A true mastermind

 

[LEWIS540]

But do you think his accomplishments achieved while doping deserves respect?

LOL, of course not.

Are you American? Would you still defend him if he was a Russian?

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

LOL, of course not.

Are you American? Would you still defend him if he was a Russian?

I am Australian

so in your opinion, is Lance Armstrong a disgrace? just curious

 

[LEWIS540]

I am Australian

so in your opinion, is Lance Armstrong a disgrace? just curious

What the fuck is wrong with you?

Of course he is.

 

[Casio Bioassay]

He took it to the next level in doping. A true mastermind

It's the behaviour around the doing too. Proper narcissistic personality on display

 

[Morning Star]

I really admired what he did with all the winning and raising money for cancer, but he's an absolutely terrible human being for the way he blackmailed others and tried to destroy their lives to preserve his reputation.

 

[Gigacardio]

While it's true that the vast majority of cyclists were doping at the time, I don't respect him because of the way he treated the whistle-blowers.

 

[Vogg]

As an athlete? Yes, as a person? No.

 

[DaleBoca]

Didn’t he help raise hundreds of millions of dollar for cancer research?

 

[ferrisjso]

More than I respect the people that pretend he won 0 Tour De Frances because asterisk. Like the European version of the baseball police, fuck em.

The issue with Lance as a cyclist is he put all his energy into one event because he knew it was the only one much of the world had heard of. It's akin to if in tennis Nadal was considered the GOAT solely off his French Open success if he'd chosen not to play the other majors and dedicate all his efforts to one event. If you're looking for an asterisk on his legacy and a loophole to not recognize Lances greatness that's really the one that should be used.

 

[Sweater of AV]

 

[jx820]

Yeah, I'm WAY more off put by the hypocrites pretending to be shocked by his actions.

People were making statements in the press like "I'm deeply saddened to learn the most obvious thing ever was happening and I assure you that the entire time I was profiting off of it, I was totally unaware. To demonstrate how remorseful I am, I plan to cut off all my support to his cancer charities so that maybe the next Lance won't survive to break our hearts. I will of course be keeping the proceeds of all his merch sales."

The public response:

 

[therealdope]

Aside from being and asshole, and still full of shit to this day, he was no better than 36th in the tour when he was on the same doping plan as Indurain.

Even in 2004 you had Iban Mayo and Tyler Hamilton beating him with their own ghetto level doping, so he went to cycling authorities and told them to check out his competitors. Must be nice having the police for the sport help you cheat.

He would be beaten down in today's cycling where all-for-one team tactics don't exist and a biopassport does exist (that's how they got him).

 

[therealdope]

It's one thing to cheat, it's another thing to go out of your way and ruin the lives of people who rightfully called you out on cheating.

My favorite Pharmstrong story is that it pissed him off that Greg Lemond was clean. At the peak of his fame, he tried to bribe a former Lemond teammate -- who was flat ass broke --- with $250,000 to testify in court that Lemond doped, and the guy wouldn't take Pharmstron's money - LOL. He even told Pharmstrong that he needed the money but couldn't lie in court. It cracks me up that Pharmstrong was even more furious after the guy wouldn't take his money.