Tour de France - Positive reaction to Lance

Eurosport - Thu, 11 Sep 11:21:00 2008

Lance Armstrong's former team manager, Johan Bruyneel, has said that physically there is no reason why the American cannot stage a successful comeback next year at the age of 37.

CYCLING Lance Armstrong dice que volverá a competir en 2009 - 0

Seven times Tour winner Armstrong announced on Tuesday he planned to return to racing in 2009 after a three-year absence.

Bruyneel, who now manages the Astana team, said at the start of stage 11 of the Vuelta in Calahorra: "Lance is exceptional. Don't forget (Spaniard Juan) Llaneras has won Olympic medals (silver and gold on the track last month in Beijing) at 39. Lance will be 37. So, more than age, winning is a question of your psychology."

Bruyneel played down the prospect of conflict between Armstrong and Spaniard Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour winner, if the American signed with Astana.

"If Lance were not at a good enough level to win the Tour, knowing him as well as I do, I'm sure he would be happy to help Alberto do that," he said.

Bruyneel directed Armstrong from 1999 up to the rider's retirement in 2005 during all his successful Tour bids. Asked if he could see Armstrong, who turns 37 on September 18, in any team apart from his own Kazakh-sponsored outfit, Bruyneel said: "I just can't imagine that happening".

News of Armstrong's decision was also welcomed by Contador.

"I would welcome him into the team with open arms because a cyclist like him would fit in anywhere," he said.

Contador said he was convinced that Armstrong believes he can once again compete at the highest levels otherwise he would never have taken the decision to make a comeback.

And he insisted he would have no problems with a potential rivalry between the two in the same team contesting the Tour de France.

"I have always had the highest regard for him and would be delighted to be in the same team as him," he said.

"It's great news for cycling," Astana rider Jose Luis Rubiera of Spain, who was part of Armstrong's line-up on five of the American's seven Tour victories added.

"Armstrong has got the character to do it and he would draw in millions of supporters again.

"At a sponsorship level, I can't see it doing anything but good.

"On one level, you have to ask if it's possible to come back at 37 to win the Tour. On the other hand, knowing Lance, anything is possible. He won't be coming back to finish second."

Rubiera is due to retire at the end of the season but said he might reconsider after Armstrong's decision, announced on Tuesday.

"It would be a very interesting challenge. I was going to quit but I could go on for another year if Lance asked me to do so," he said.

Carlos Sastre of Team CSC, who won the 2008 Tour, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo: "Just seeing Lance Armstrong on television makes my hair stand on end.

"Armstrong is in love with this sport. It will be tough for him to come back but if that's the case it's because he thinks he can do something."

Meanwhile, Armstrong will be able to compete in next year's Tour de France as long as he fully submits to the latest anti-doping controls, the race's director Christian Prudhomme has said.

His seven previous wins from 1999 to 2005 have often been cast into doubt by unproven allegations that he took illegal performance-enhancing drugs and he voiced fears that the race organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation could bar him from competing again as part of their crackdown on doping.

Prudhomme, however, indicated that provided he played by the rules, he would be allowed to compete in next year's race which starts in Monaco.

"As long as his team, which we don't know for the moment, and he himself abide by the rules concerning doping and anti-doping which have considerably evolved in the last few years, we will accept him," Prudhomme said.

"But under no circumstances will we accept a cyclist who refuses to abide by these rules which are stricter and of a different nature than previously," he added.

On his general sentiments about an Armstrong comeback, Prudhomme said that it would be a huge challenge for the American.

"There are very few sportsmen who have successfully managed to make comebacks of this nature - like Michael Jordan," he said.

"It's a huge challenge to comeback after three years of inactivity, even if he did finish second recently in a VTT race.

"On top of that there is his age. He will be 37 in one week. I suppose you can always point to Raymond Poulidor who finished second in the Tour at 38 years (1974) and third (in 1976) at 40."

"Let's remember though that we are mid-September and a lot of water can flow under the bridge from here until the start of the next tour in Monaco."

Reuters & / AFP

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  1. I was pleased when the Armstrong era came to an end. The Tour de France was at its least interesting during his period, and what else did he do? I pretty well stopped watching during those years. The race has become a lot more interesting and fun since he left.

    Whether or not he took drugs is of little interest - that fact is that he rode at a time when many in the peleton were, and the suspicions remain. What matters is that era has passed, and although drugs are still a problem, as they are in all sport, there is a belief that in cycling at least the problem is being well tackled and progress made. What signal would the return of a someone who rode and won, clean or not, in that period of drug usage make to the new generation who are trying to ride clean?

    Armstrong has got all the leads and can get all the backing he wants for his cancer campaign - and all good luck to him - I am sure that the Sportsman of the Year event (BBC) would welcome him with open arms.

    What happened is what happened - let the new generation get on with the job.

    From abhfot, on Thu 11 Sep 10:47AM

  2. Epoch post 7: New tests screen the last 8 years of your endocrinal existence. Now, if you were using banned but then undetectable substances in, say, 2002, their residual effects can be detected today. UCI has said retroactive positives could result in removal from classification. That means that a cyclist who won a race in 2002 could be stripped of the title if he tests positive for identifiable residues in 2009, even though he hasn't taken more than a coke for the last 3 years.

    From jimwont986, on Thu 11 Sep 10:31AM

  3. over his 7 wins armstrong was the drug tested more times than any other rider with never a positive result. as aman i don't i'd even like him but as a cyclist he is the ultimate competitor, of course he won clean! if it's true then welcome back lance!

    From graham.king28@..., on Thu 11 Sep 9:29AM

  4. Check the look Armstrong has in this picture. He has his game face on already and the new year hasn't even started yet.

    From graham.king28@..., on Thu 11 Sep 4:34AM

  5. Wouldn't it be nice if Lance signed for Slipstream/Columbia? That the rumours suggest a return to a suspect trainer in a suspect team is only going to hold the sport back. Lance is trying to force Prudhomme's hand, and Prudhomme seems to be falling for it. This return is a bad thing for the sport. I don't know whether Lance won clean or not (I really hope he did -- he certainly provided some oft-lacking spectacle) but he's toying with the sport somehow and it's not nice. Cycling doesn't exist to promote good causes [cancer] -- that's what marathons are for. The only sport with grandee comebacks is boxing, and look how straight that is. Just leave it, Lance. Carry on living strong though.

    From Nick, on Thu 11 Sep 1:03AM

  6. H C, if I see you or anyone else through anything at Lance or any memeber of the peloton, during the AToC. I will personally knock you an your bum!!! Then carry you to the nearest police officer to be arrested and thrown in jail. Anyone interfering with a race, regardless of personal beliefes, does not deserve to be respected and should severly be chastized and or arrested. Expressing your dislike for Lance in a forum is one thing, but to attempt physical harm can not be tolerated.

    From Nick, on Thu 11 Sep 12:23AM

  7. If this opens the door for Lance finally getting caught with doping then his legacy is gone and the only remaining good story about cycling goes with him.

    From Casa-Pres, on Thu 11 Sep 12:13AM

  8. Well I for one will be throwing things at him at every stage - Drug cheating BASSTTARD!!!

    From H C, on Thu 11 Sep 12:02AM

  9. I am truly excited by the fact that Lance Armstrong will be making a comeback.I believe he will win the Tour and show the doubters about him being clean,that they
    should praise him rather than slander and spit on him.GOOD CYCLING LANCE.

    From phil davis, on Wed 10 Sep 11:44PM

  10. The boss is back. People previosly ask how he improved after coming back from cancer he lost a stone and a half, with the same strength. Lance was a triathelete from an early age if you swim over a vast period of time especially from an early age you have larger and stronger lungs, plus he has a low lactic threshold. He did win the world road championships the youngest winner before cancer. He is motivated by negative comments after all the French used to spit on him all the time on the tour one way to get your anger very nicely warmed up

    From Robert, on Wed 10 Sep 11:01PM

  11. "how come lance only became brilliant after his cancer treatment. ideas anyone?"

    I guess that World Champion jersey he won prior to beating cancer means nothing? Along with being a top swimmer and triathlete before becoming a cyclist?

    "If Lance does come back it will be the definitive proof that he was clean."

    Not really. People will still say that he doped along with the other top riders and that now he can just beat then while they are all clean...

    From mipapage@..., on Wed 10 Sep 10:28PM

  12. "if he was doping during those years and couldn't beat him, hmmmm"....

    You do realize this statement means nothing. Really. There is no valid logic behind it.

    From mipapage@..., on Wed 10 Sep 10:22PM

  13. You're kidding ruthrogers61, the only fun thing about the Tour during the Lance years was trying to predict who would come second, and that was usually Jan Ullrich, and if he was doping during those years and couldn't beat him, hmmmm

    From Reefgirl, on Wed 10 Sep 10:14PM

  14. i am trilled to see these announcement but i think Alberto at the moment is far greater than Lance and would be disappointing to see Contador forced to work for Lance when he could easily overpower the American, le tour will have a lot more to win if Lance will sign for another team... i only hope for a duel like that between Contador and Rasmussen the most electrifying duel in the last years...

    Alberto Contador el vencedor de Vuelta 2008!!!! y Le Tour 2009;);)

    From greeneys_coco, on Wed 10 Sep 10:02PM

  15. Fantastic news, having followed the last three years tour all around France I can say that cycling hasn't been so exciting without him. He is a joy to see, the way he almost danced on his pedals going up the mountains was pure perfection. He must have been the most tested sportsman ever. Can't wait for next years tour, I know where I will be, following him around France, cheering like mad!

    From Ruth R, on Wed 10 Sep 10:00PM

  16. how come lance only became brilliant after his cancer treatment. ideas anyone?

    From shambles, on Wed 10 Sep 9:21PM

  17. Any continental, pro continental or Pro Tour licenses are sanctioned by the UCI. This includes America, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Middle East, Asia, Russia etc. I chose the number 1000 because it's easy to work with. When combining all the countries with pro teams and riders, the number is vastly larger. All the hype of drug use pre dates the Pro Tour/20 teams (5 years old) that you choose to single out. OP is not full of cyclists. I think the number is around 15 out of 100+ ID's were cyclists. Lance held a Pro liscence since 1993? So on average there are 20 members per team with individuals leaving and new ones coming in. So a number of 150 former team mates over a period of 12 years is not unlikely. Now USPS from 1996? and becoming Disco through 2005 had riders leave and retire while being replaced by new incoming riders. Is 150 exact? no it's not, but it's in a close range. I'm not going to take the time to research and find the exsact numbers than you are going to provide documented copies of your stance. Even if we lowered the number to 90 former team mates and 4 positives as you stated. That's 4:90 .044%. Still makes for weak proof.
    Yes, you are correct about Telekom/T-Mobile, but Lance never road for them and it's one team out of how many that excisted during their time? Same with LS, it's one team out of how many Pro teams? Do athletes dope? Sure they do! I have yet to see any proof that there is an epidemic, though.
    Astana of 07 is good proof of what Im trying to say. 2-5 high profile riders out of (25 riders per team at 20 teams makes 500 total PT riders) get caught and the media sells millions of papers and magazines. There is no epidemic. There is media hype making millions of dollars or Euro's depending on where one lives.
    Until someone shows me the the numbers/intials on samples attached to Lances name on Doping documents. Then show actuall or copies of the testing results. I'm not going to profess Lance has doped.

    From Nick, on Wed 10 Sep 8:35PM

  18. if lance dose come bk hu will lead the team conti or lance? and will lance stay 4 jus 1 yr?

    From hamishhore, on Wed 10 Sep 7:52PM

  19. Lance Armstrong is without doubt one of the greats. whether he wins or loses in 2009. The return of Lance will be a positive for the Tour it will show a clean rider putting in the effort and commitment to yet again go out and try and win. It will bring sponsors and desperatly needed money back to the Tour as over the past few years teams have withdrawn or been expelled over the issues surrounding E.P.O's T mobile, Estana etc. and this has had a negative affect on cyclists and fans alike.The past 2 TDF have lacked a real rivalry which is what Lance and his other competitors had. There was also respect for each other and the Tour. I say 'chapeau' Lance. My problem is now who do i cheer on next year Lance Armstrong or Mark 'Lord' Cavendish best of luck to them both and lets hope it will be a tour to remember for the right reasons

    From Tina R, on Wed 10 Sep 7:43PM

  20. cer-soloist -
    i can't argue the point - there's no question that the media hypes things.
    but as for your numbers..... i think we've got a case of where statistics lets us down. as a comparison: new york state had 494 murders last year, with a population of 19+ million. ok, if you do the math, one might think - psh, why do we even worry about this issue? and the answer if obvious.

    so ok, fair. there are 1000+ licenses in existence. but i can go to the US cycling site right now and buy one. surely there are more than 1000 people in the US who'd qualify for a license, right? again. fair.
    but your pulling that number out of thin air isn't quite appropriate - we're only concerned with the ones given to UCI type teams (because those are the ones we see and are in the the news stories you talk about), of which there are what - 20? so suddenly the 20/year average looks like every year, on every team, one person gets nailed. suddenly it's a much bigger deal, yes?
    and as for the 5:150 of former teammates, while i haven't a clue where you got that number, it doesn't matter. what matters is that at least 4 of the people lance road with *during the 7 year run* have been caught or admitted to doping. as have many of the telekom riders, including a winner, of the 90s. oh and puerto has a long list of names as well. oh and both saunier riders this year. oh and vino and half of astana a few years ago. so, your numbers don't really capture the true situation here, do they, despite the media's need to spin.

    let me state again, and very clearly - i don't believe that what i've said above proves lance was doping. we'll just never know that one way or another. but it can't just be written off with fuzzy stats and mad hope.

    chad -
    ummm....i agree. there's nothing lance can prove to anybody at this point :)

    From the FISH, on Wed 10 Sep 7:25PM
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