Just on the local news. Lance and Sandra Bullock not happening, denied. However new reports are Lance and Cheryl Crow and are trying to keep it quiet due to Lance’s now ‘bitter’ divorce to Kirsten.
Damn, this again?
Always a good idea to go dating megastars if you want to keep things quiet, I always say. Now why exactly would this be getting ‘bitter’?
Whats’ the rush, Lance??
Indurain has five as well – and could teach LA a bucketful about understated class.
Indurain has five as well – and could teach LA a bucketful about understated class.
Dude, what are you talking about? The mere fact you or, I or anyone gives a rat’s ass about who a bike racer is dating is the epitome of trailer park tabloid grandstanding.
Focus. Perspective. Patience. Perseverance. Balance.
I don’t care who he – or anyone – is sleeping with or slippin’ around with. But these have been Armstrong hallmarks in recent years, and a key reason for his success.
This isn’t just a “bike racer”. This is the country’s single best athlete – a guy who’s justifiably made a small cottage industry out of exemplifying these traits, and who has himself chosen to feature Kirsten’s role prominently in the telling of that story.
Like I said, what’s the rush here? Humiliating your not-yet-ex partner with a tabloid romance is uncalled for.
Have you noticed the growing detritus of discarded past-best-friends and confidants around Lance? All of whom are also prominently featured in his comeback tale?
Will stand by what I said above: Indurain also has five, and could teach LA a bucketfull about understated class. And humility. And self-abnegation.
Alp-I think you are on to something. I read Lance’s first book where he spouted a lot of vitriole towards his father for leaving his mother, now he is doing the same thing to his kids. A lot of people who grow up abused (and I think divorce is a form of child abuse) end up abusing thier kids.
I heard a quote the other day that the greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother. I think I’ll go home and give my kids a big present tonight.
It is none of our business.
As far as the best gift a father giving is the love of a kids mother? Sometimes that is impossible. As I am certain that my father has a love for my mother - I dearly wish that they would have divorced YEARS before they did as growing up, I got to see them in a loveless abusive relationship “For the kids sake”. Had they had the best interest of the kids in mind, they would have tried to make themselves happy (divorced)…and we would have been happier (I think - maybe).
What Lance and his wife do is of no interest to me, other than the fact that it is now the typical American situation where it is no longer convienient for them to be married. I do not see it as an issue in my life as Lance never was and never will be my roll model - person of awe, sure. Roll model - no way.
I would think that we as cyclists (tri what ever) would be better served to take Lance off of that pedistal and remember he is just like us. Mortal, failable, and makes bad decisions. Just like us - and what his decisions are - are not ours to judge. I have not read the Christian posts here at Multisports because I am not a religious person - though I have no regret with my feelings on France I will not voice my opionions on religion any more than saying that Lance does not need to justify himself to us…but, only to his god. Beyond that - I awe him and will not judge his life.
Testify, Brother!
While I agree with tri_bri2’s sentiments, the best gift my parents every gave me was when they got a divorce. I don’t think I got a decent night’s sleep until my Dad left when I was eight. I was happy when they broke up, and everyone thought I was the one who was screwed up. When both parents are miserable , the best you can hope for is damage control.
I just finished reading the second Lance book, and it seems like both he and Kristen are focused on giving the kids a loving environment in which to grow. But I don’t follow the papers(read:tabloids), so I really don’t know what their situation is alleged to be, and I wouldn’t count on the media for an accurate portrayal in any case.
Given the wealth they have amassed, they will have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with their kids. I hope they make the best use of that opportunity.
Record9ti: In some regards, I agree with what you say here.
But hey – Lance himself willingly adopted the role of being a role model. Entirely his choice.
In fact, you could argue he’s made a not insubstantial busine$$ out of making his personal life our ‘business’ – not that that was necessarily his sole (or even main) motive for doing so.
Re-read the book. Notice Kirsten’s role in getting him out of ‘couch potato mode’ once he was medically recovered, but mentally unhealed and totally unmotivated to ride or work again. She didn’t tell him to – in fact, she told him she’d be perfectly happy to support both of them forever if that’s what he wanted.
If that wasn’t worthy of our knowing – or any of our business – why did he bother to relate it? (book cost me 17 UK quid – ~ $26 – BTW). Again, his choice to make this stuff public.
This is just sad, that’s all – the timing and collateral damage seem unnecessary and unwarranted.
There are always exceptions to every rule. But, statistics show the vast majority of children of divorced parents are far worse off in almost every way than the children of married parents (more likely to commit suicide/be clinically depressed, have problems in school, use drugs/alcohol, go to jail, be below the poverty line, etc.). You and jmorrisey just may have been in the minority-- I don’t know your particular situation. Just strikes me as odd or sad that Lance blamed so many problems on his dad leaving, and now he is doing it too.
As far as the pedestal thing, I couldn’t agree with you more. I admire Lance for his courage in facing his disease and his ability to make himself suffer to reach a goal. Beyond that, I don’t find that much to admire in him.
So Lance and Sandra are off.
Do you think she’d date me?
“It is none of our business.”
Absolutely right.
So Lance and Sandra are off.
Do you think she’d date me?
I dont see why not…
Actually, I had quite a few of the problems you describe, and I’ll leave it at that. All I’m saying is that being the only kid around with divorced parents was preferable to having them together. This was in 1976. I was the only kid around whose Dad didn’t live at home. It was before divorce became cool. Maybe some of the problems I’ve had do relate to that, but I try to be forward looking. I don’t blame my problems on others. I would absolutely say that a big reason that I don’t want kids is because I don’t want to mess up my kids the way my parents messed me up.
It’s too bad more people don’t think the same way. I think many people are emotionally incapable of being good parents. They have children for all the wrong reasons, whether it’s for attention, or to have little helpers, or because they look great in the back of the Escalade. I’m actually not sure what a good reason to have children is, other than fulfilling one’s biological imperative.
One thing that I encourage everyone to do at a young age is move away so that you can be on your own. Only in an environment that allows you to shed your history are you truly capable of becoming the person you want to be, or even figuring out who that person is. But that is just me, and my opinion. I’ll spare you the part two rant that includes self-diagnosis, and leave it to the peanut gallery.
The big difference between Lance’s dad leaving when he was a child and the current situation seems to be this. Lance’s dad wrote of he and his mother with no contact, from what i gathered in the book. Lance seems to have an active role in his children’s lives. Not that what ever marital problems they have is really any of our business. It’s ashame it happened but nowadays marriages are to tough to make work, especially ones in the public spot light.
The guy lives like a monk for 9 months out of the year. Every second of his time is occupied either training, giving interviews or raising awareness and a crap-load of money for cancer. If he wants to spend some time in the off season dating hot actresses and singers, more power to him.
You only go around this life once and no one knows that more than Lance. I stand by original assertion that his personal life is no one’s concern but his.
“It is none of our business.”
Absolutely right.
Does that mean I get my $26 back? 
In all seriousness, completely agree that Lance is only accountable to a few folks, and we’re certainly not among them.
Can’t help thinking, though, that in choosing to date such a public person while not yet divorced, he’s a bit like the Hollywood starlets who demand attention one minute (and never met a Klieg light they didn’t love), then suddenly moan that the press won’t respect their privacy.
Lance has very decidedly chosen the non-private route. Indurain didn’t.
in choosing to date such a public person while not yet divorced
Do you have any evidence that the reports are true?
You are condemning someone on the basis of hearsay of a particularly low quality.
Fair enough (though perhaps you ought to address this concern to this post’s author as well).
If we are to restrict ourselves to commenting on issues on which we have first-hand knowledge, I would like to say unequivocally that (as a married man) I am currently dating neither Sandra Bullock nor Sheryl Crowe.
Will keep you apprised.
The forum is moving slow and wanted to put this here.
I just finished his second book last night, “Every Second Counts.” It’s not much different than the first, the pervasive theme being “live life to the fullest because I almost died” is back for its second play, with anecdotes on his winning the next two races in the “Tour De France.” The book, however, to me, has a real purpose which is to demythologize himself, from am athletic and medical surviving legend and freak, into “an angry guy in a T-shirt,” a person, who just got lucky beating cancer, instead of beating cancer.
Therefore, this time, we see snippets of probably the real life Armstrong. We learn he himself not religious, probably doesn’t believe in god, but wears a cross to “signify he’s a martyr,” for cancer victims, and he admits some advantages in persons triumphing over problems having “faith.” However, for him, there is an almost disdain for organized religion–repulsed by this from a bad experience with a step father; in fact, he wouldn’t even go with his wife and kids to Catholic mass. Being married myself to a catholic and not myself being one, and not converting, and having kids in the church—it’s amazing to me, he wasn’t divorced years before, just over that, or wasn’t hit over the head with a heavy skillet by his wife.
Also, we not surprisingly learn that year round training and moving strained his marriage, to the point where he and his wife only went out for anniversaries and birthdays, twice a year. And, finally, at the end, he brings up his relationship and meeting with a Florida journalist who developed canceer and struggled with chemotherapy; Lance educates him that he wasn’t meant to be a role model, take the pain, trust your doctors, it’s all about you getting through this, in other words—he was blunt about taking the pain and misery.
Despite that, wierdly, Armstrong appears here and there helping out and encouraging cancer victims throughout the book, like his best friend’s brother back in Texas. So, we have this active rescue side and this sort of gruff, “take the pain,” “misery makes life better” “get it on your own” approach, the poor journalist got.
He’s a hero, but not a hero. He’s anti-hero. He evades all categories. He’s a helper sometimes but not a helper sometimes. What he’s saying here is, “I have my good moods, and I can have my bad moods. I’m just human.”
Onto the divorce. There is slim pickens here on details. There really is.
But you know, in his defense, we have to ask, what in the world was she thinking, or what did she expect when she married Armstrong? She married into year round training with full knowledge, unless some promises were made otherwise. This guy is not going to go away and smoke a pipe in a rocking chair? He can’t even sit still for one hour.
A critic recently picked up on the divorce situation, read his book, and sarcastically coined his review of Armstrong’s second book, “It’s Still About The Bike.” This is funny, but wrong. It should be called, “Honestly, I Am A Highly Motivated Human Bag Of Shit Like All Of You.” Actually, the book shows the many contradictions this man has, like all of us. He’s a “family man,” but not a family man who is home very much when he’s training. He’s an energetic charitable force for cancer victims and survivors, but a self confessed “non hero” and gruff asshole sometimes. He’s a businessman with discipline and a bottom line, but he’s self destructive and childish, occasionally. He doesn’t want to talk about his dad who abandoned him, but he talks about his dad. He beat cancer because he was a hard fighter. He beat cancer now because he was lucky.
I’m not sure what he is, but it was a damned good book.