12/21/24
April 18, 2005
Armstrong may Retire: World cycling champ and Tour de France record breaker may call it quits.
posted by Jimbob1077 to general at 08:03 AM - 15 comments
They say he may ride the Giro d'Italia next month, which I think would be completely great. But more than likely he won't and he'll just announce when he's going to retire. Either that or he's going for the papacy.
posted by afx237vi at 09:01 AM on April 18, 2005
Oh, and just to be a little pedantic: Oscar Freire and Michael Rogers are currently the World Champions of cycling. Lance was World Champ in 1992 after winning in Oslo.
posted by afx237vi at 09:59 AM on April 18, 2005
Steroid allegations make alot of guys retire early. Lance Armstrong gets too much love for winning in a sport noone gives two rat's-a$$es about with a disease that is routinely beaten and more sponsorship money that the next three racers combined. It's kinda like the Yankees, but intead of baseball, it's something lame like Curling. Please Lance, retire... Then ABC can show more Arena League football instead of the Tour DeFrance. P.S. I hate Arena League.
posted by LostInDaJungle at 02:45 PM on April 18, 2005
I thought NBC did the Arena League???
posted by daddisamm at 02:50 PM on April 18, 2005
i think the "no one gives a rat's ass about" generalization for cycling and curling and arena football ignores that these sports have a niche appeal but a passionate following that somebody making such a statement is either unaware or or does not give a rat's ass about. lots of people give more than a rat's ass about those sports. so what if it is just lots of people rather than lots and lots of people? s'up curling? yo cycling! I got yo' back
posted by gspm at 05:11 PM on April 18, 2005
Lance Armstrong gets too much love for winning in a sport noone gives two rat's-a$$es about *sigh* Locker Room...Locker Room...
posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:20 PM on April 18, 2005
Anyway, he says he's gonna retire...so LostInDaJungle, you can keep your rat's ass, I guess.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:21 PM on April 18, 2005
I have no idea what arena football is, but I'm sure it has fans, otherwise it wouldn't exist. But I do know that cycling has lots and lots and lots of fans. Over 1 million people turned up to stand on a mountain and watch the Alpe d'Huez time-trial in last year's TDF... one million people watching one stage! So yes, it has lots of fans... especially in Europe. You have to wonder what Lance's announcement will do to the popularity of the sport in America though. Will the 2006 edition get any coverage at all in America? Plus the fact that America's "other" top cyclist - Tyler Hamilton - has just been banned for 2 years, effectively ending his career. Two for the price of one! At least you still have Julich (remember him? He's winning again, by the way).
posted by afx237vi at 05:22 PM on April 18, 2005
Every year when the Tour de France comes along I make sure I'm unemployed or pay special attention to avoid sports websites for the day, so I can watch the coverage without knowing the results. And I watch every stage like it were a baseball playoff game. I've barebly ridden a bike in my life, never been to France, and for the years prior to Indurain couldn't name more than two past winners of the Tour. But I still love it. And there are more like me. Yes, the Tour has plenty of fans. I predict the 2006 edition will be fine, though predictably lower in ratings. Those of us who came to the sport through Armstrong are much more deeply involved now. If all people know is Armstrong, I'm willing to bet they aren't setting their Tivos everyday, but rather just following the Tour via news dispatches. Those that watch are hooked beyond Lance. A drop-off? Sure. Complete abandoment? No way. That said, I'm incredibly disappointed in Hamilton. He seemed to be the heir apparent for many cycling fans. And his loss will hurt the sport even more. I'm just hopeful the same fate doesn't come to Rogers. That kid has been another favorite of mine since he's been in the Tour. And he shows great promise as a Tour contender. Sure, he was 22nd last year, but he's 25 freakin years old. Plus, he can time-trial with the best of them and he can climb.
posted by 86 at 07:03 PM on April 18, 2005
ONE THING THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO NOT KNOW ABOUT LANCE ARMSTRONG IS THAT HE RIDES A BICYCLE. YOU KNOW.... LIKE THE QUEEN SONG. I LIKE TO RIDE MY BICYCLE..... I DON'T KNOW THE REST OF THE SONG BUT I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN. I'LL POST THE LYRICS IN MY NEXT POSTED COMMENT. I ALSO OWN A BICYCLE. BUT MINE HAS TWO TIRES. NOT SEVEN. BUT IT IS OK. NOBODY IS PERFECT.
posted by POOP at 09:48 PM on April 18, 2005
I really can't see Armstrong winning again this year anyway. But then, I said that last year. Who says it's a niche sport? It's officially the largest spectator event in the world.
posted by BigCalm at 03:25 AM on April 19, 2005
I raced bikes for a while in my teens, but really came back to the sort as a grownup through Lance. I've watched the Tour de France the last two or three years at great expense to jobs I've held too, and I'll do the same this year and probably next year too. I give a rat's ass about cycling. (And curling, for that matter.)
posted by chicobangs at 01:26 PM on April 20, 2005
RATS DON'T HAVE ASSES. THEY HAVE BUNS. AND VERY SWEET BUNS AT THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
posted by POOP at 07:25 PM on April 20, 2005
>>>I really can't see Armstrong winning again this year anyway Not really sure who will beat him. I think he'll dominate once again.
posted by JohnSFO at 11:41 AM on April 21, 2005
It'll be the end of this year, at the earliest. He's got one more TdF to go, which is all he ever cared about, and which is the only real knock on his career. Developing...