Actually my speculation based on those results would be that Greg Lemond was a doper himself. I personally feel that Lemond used performance enhancing drugs himself. There was no way he should have been able to compete at such a high level after being shot and with his lungs still full of lead buck shot. Its like the little kid that tells everyone his friends are stealing when he himself is the one doing it. Greg Lemond sounds like a bitter old man that can't give up the dream. Hey Greg be happy with what you achieved and what you did its more than most people do in a lifetime, there is no need to drag other people down to make yourself look better which is what you seem to be trying to do when it comes to Armstrong. Greg was an incredible cyclist who should be respected but right now he just looks like a big asshole.

I would say that the "thinly-veiled reference" is aimed at Tyler Hamilton, not Lance. Lance never tested positive, so whatever Lemond thinks about him has little relevance to the possible outcome of the Landis case.

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There was no way he should have been able to compete at such a high level after being shot and with his lungs still full of lead buck shot.

Why not??

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How does it do that?

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rode the whole season."

Yeah, and LeMond sure didn't do that. Why, a rider who rode the whole season would probably, I don't know - maybe win the World Championship twice?

You obviously know a little about Lemond’s career, so you should know that once he won the Tour in ’86 he practically disappeared from one-day racing. Except for one WC win in ’89, Lemond was never a force during the spring or fall classics after ’86. He never placed higher than 8th or 9th in any of the Big Five classics and those were both in Paris-Roubaix during G-D Lasalle’s two wins.



... and twenty years later, Bjarne Riis is a genius for insisting his riders cross-train... Huh?

Lemond himself later admitted that he had gained a lot of upper body weight that caused him a lot of issues in the spring/summer of '92. He was still very fit but just too heavy.

I never said that pushing for more money was bad. I totally agree that the things he did led to the betterment of rider salaries and he was always one to question the status quo. My point was that he accepted the money to go to La Vie Claire knowing that Bernard Hinault was clearly the team leader and 4-time tour winner. What did he think was going to happen as a foreigner on a French team with a French leader?

LeMond had a good year in ’86, but he was not even the best rider that year. That honor would go to Sean Kelly who won the Super Presige Pernod by 300 points over Lemond in 2nd place. He was a good example of somebody who raced from the beginning to end of the season and won eight of the big five classics over the course of eight years.



Chad

HomerJ, you shouldn't say those things without iron clad proof. Slowman gets pissed.

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Nice post -- Lemond is now looking less like an angry little man and more like one of the few honest ex-pro cyclists out there.

Gee, shot and almost killed by a shotgun blast to the chest. Yawn! - I just ran a 5km with ITBS (sarcastic).

Regarding drugs, well, if they guy was right (and evidence is mounting that he WAS right -- one of the few non-dopers of his era), then he was right, period.

Regarding Lance... I've been holding out in favor of Mr. Seven Wins Straight a long time. Pre-C, most folks with a brain concur some substances may have been ingested... but post-C, I've always trumpeted the same thing everyone else did (100% dedication, loss of body fat, better team, etc.) and viewed Lemond as an irritating jealous little guy... but perhaps common sense (and Occam's Razor) is in Greg's favor:

If, as ALL evidence appears, nearly every pro Cyclist dopes.... then any Pro Cyclist who denies this is likely among the conspirators. "A small group of cheaters"... yeah, RIGHT!

"Testoserone Patch -- Apply Directly to the Scrotum!

Testoserone Patch -- Apply Directly to the Scrotum!

Testoserone Patch -- Apply Directly to the Scrotum!."

Haven't heard about LeMond in awhile, but Carlson's post here still makes me fall ont eh floor laughing! I admire Lemond's record, but if only he would SHUT UP!

first of all I am not out to bash Lemond but to claim that his 86 season was one of the best ever is simply incorrect he did not even win the super prestage that year and was beaten by some way by kelly both Mercex and Hinault had a number of better years as well as roche in 88 (Giro,TDF and the worlds) also Jalbert the year he won the tour of spain with seven stages on route with severil other major wins. He did achive alot for cycling including boasting pay and conditions for the riders. But the way he presents him self at the moment is that of a bitter old man.

Sigh.....

The way Greg presents it or the way the press presents it on behalf of Greg? Big difference.

If you haven't met Greg in person, you wouldn't understand. It's the same reason why many folks think Lance is the cockiest A-hole that ever walked the planet. It's all marketing folks...look at who write the articles, who owns the companies/sponsors and who benefits from the press (good or bad).

If you HAVE met Greg and/or heard him speak...you'ld understand.

great points. I think the first post may have been interpreted in a more light-hearted way but I see what you're saying.

Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com

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Here, Here! It's a joke that people give Lemond crap for coming out against doping and dopers. He should be bitter. The generation that replaced him was the EPO generation. He witnessed plowhorses turn into stallions. He was an honest guy who saw it all happen.

I would be bitter as all get out if I were in his shoes.

-Marc

Fredly, great post. The man just gets limited to no respect today. Today's riders are riding the gravy train of Euro peleton success that Lemond had to break into first solo on French teams and then followed up with the assistance of team 7-11. He formed the template that ensuring TdF winners like Indurain and Lance used to win. That was by starting slower early in the season (less racing) and peaking for the TdF. I remember the year that Lemond won the Tour DuPont, thinking, "He just messed with his formula and is going to blow up in the Tour...". In the age of Merckx, everyone just hammered from Feb till Oct. That was fine then as everyone was partially trashed, with Eddy being the fastest of the trashed peleton. Now today, guys pick their game, be it one of the grand Tours, the spring classics, or the fall world cups.

Dev

"Greg was an incredible cyclist who should be respected but right now he just looks like a big asshole. "

When did you see him ?
When I met him recently he didn't seem or look like a big asshole. A really nice guy, no chip on his shoulder, not bitter or jealous in the least. What he said made sense. It may not be 100% right but it wasn't an outrageous leap of logic either.

Certainly Greg was very focused on a very limited number of races in the year, but he is and probably will be for a long time, the last Tour de France winner willing to put his season on the line and be a contender at Paris-Roubaix. Anybody have that photo of him after Paris-roubaix, sitting in the dressing room covered in mud eating a piece of bread? It won a world press photo award I believe, best cycling photo ever.

I like Greg, he reminds me of John McEnroe. misunderstood, but usually right.

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Gerard Vroomen
3T.bike
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This one

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Yes, that's the one. Thanks,

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Gerard Vroomen
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i know nothing about the Lemond-bashing...but DAMN that's some funny sh*t right there!!! LOL.....

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blood, sweat...and big gears

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Big fat LOL.

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I'm with you 100% on this fredly.

LeMond is a courageous man with the candor to speak his mind. Like everyone sometimes his comments are more expdient than diplomatic, but he says what he thinks and thinks what he says. He is also responsible for building the foundation upon which Armstrong acheived his success. Had it not been for LeMond, it is less likely Armstrong may have enjoyed the success and notoriety he earned.

LeMond is a iconic contributor to U.S. and world cycling history and the history of sport.

Bottom line: There will always and forever only be one First American to win the Tour de France, and win it well: Greg LeMond.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I just found my Palmares and it's magnificent!

Still find the original post well written and VERY entertaining!

From Velonews:


"Day two of the Floyd Landis hearing brought further clarification as to who each side may call to testify before the arbitration panel during the upcoming week. Most of the potential witnesses come from the scientific world, but there are a few names more familiar to cycling fans.
Among them is Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, and a vocal critic of doping in cycling. LeMond won the Tour title in 1986, and then two more times in 1989 and '90. He was listed on the USADA side of the ledger, one spot above former pro cyclist Joe Papp."


Looks like lemond is going to do some Landis bashing.

Too many run on sentances, clean it up next time.

tfun~