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Lance Armstrong (pic courtesy Photosport International)Lance Armstrong to ride with USPS team mates – and young pros – at Gran Fondo Hincapie this weekend
Lance Armstrong, banned from competitive sport for life, will this week ride alongside three men who in 1999 helped him win the first of the seven Tour de France titles he was stripped of two years ago at the Gran Fondo Hincapie in South Carolina. In news likely to raise eyebrows, they will be joined by a number of current pros, including BMC Racing’s Tejay van Garderen.
Also riding in the event, according to Velonews, will be two other members of the US Postal Service team around which the investigation that led to Armstrong’s disgrace was based – Michael Barry and Tom Danielson, although David Zabriskie who was originally scheduled to race, will not now be taking part.
Two of van Garderen’s team mates, Brent Bookwalter and Larry Warbasse, as will Trek Factory Racing’s Matthew Busche and Alex Howes of Garmin-Sharp, will also be taking part in what will be the third annual edition of the event, which Amrstrong can ride because it is unsanctioned.
The 43-year-old, who confessed to doping in January last year told Velonews: “I’m going because George is a good friend and he asked me to come. He’s been awfully supportive of Anna and mine’s work with Wapiyapi [a small private fundraising dinner and ride], so I wanted to return the favour. Regarding the others, I’m ambivalent.”
The website also contacted other riders including Hincapie, who like Danielson, Vande Valde and Zabriskie, but not Livingston, testified against the Texan as part of the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation, each receiving a six-month suspension.
Hincapie said: “I know I’ve made mistakes along with some of the other riders in attendance, but I believe in, and hope for, second chances for everyone.
“I’m very fortunate to count many former and current professionals as friends, and will leave it to my peers to decide how they regard me, and the event.”
“I can see the curiosity of people, wondering why we would choose to associate ourselves,” admitted van Garderen, aged 26, who had Hincapie as his room-mate during the 2012 Tour de France, a race in which he won the best young rider’s white jersey.
“It was frustrating for me to learn about all the stuff that happened in the past, and I think I was right there, with a lot of people, being angry about the news that had come out. But after a while, after I had had some time to digest.
He added: “Lance lives down the block from me, in Aspen. We’ve gone on some rides together, he’s even motorpaced me behind his Vespa. I don’t feel like there’s any hidden agenda there.
“He still loves the sport, and wants to see it get better. I don’t think he is the evil guy he’s been depicted to be, in all these books and movies, but I suppose that is ultimately going to be left up for people to decide for themselves.”
While neither Bookwalter, Busche or Warbasse mentioned Armstrong by name, Howes, referring to the older riders including “that Lance guy” said that his own contemporaries had to undertake a “balancing act” in “learning how to be friends with them, help them kind of reintegrate into clean cycling and also kind of create our own identity … as a generation.
“It’s not easy, and I feel like we’re doing a relatively good job,” the 26-year-old added. “I’m pretty proud of where we are from a results standpoint. From an ethical standpoint … Where we stay in our little bubble, how we relate to the rest of population, I don’t know. It’s complicated. It’s absolutely not black and white.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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I'm staggered that anyone, let alone current riders would associate themselves with him. He has learnt nothing and has not changed one iota, and would lie, cheat an the rest again tomorrow if he could.
Since when is a Gran Fondo a race?
Not sure of the rules elsewhere, but here in the States they are a race in everything but name; they officially listed as 'fun rides/tours'. But they are chip-timed with age/category rankings although there are no prizes/awards allowed apart from some KOM-type award for a certain segment. If you hold a racing license you get preferential staging at the start, so all Cat 1's start together etc. So it effectively becomes a Category divided race.
Looks like LA might not ride anyway, as it's unclear whether this is an event 'sanctioned' by a body signed-up to the WADA code (USAC). Although if LA does ride USADA may be able to punish him; I guess they'll have to give him another lifetime ban to run concurrently with the existing one! It's BS; let the guy ride his bike with his mates (which he does most days anyway in Austin or Aspen).
Everywhere but the UK.
Try a GF in Portugal, Spain, Austria, Italy or Slovenia for example. As said, it's a race in all but name.
There is money and sponsorship to be gained from being an elite amateur.
Everywhere but the UK.
Try a GF in Portugal, Spain, Austria, Italy or Slovenia for example. As said, it's a race in all but name.
There is money and sponsorship to be gained from being an elite amateur.
It would be so cool if they all turned up in US Postal kit.
Even more cool than them wearing 'Dopers Suck' tops?
Nah. But if he turned up in one of his TdF yellow jerseys that would be even cooler. Anything that gets the rabblement all riled up is fine with me
Still giving the tainted Texan the oxygen of publicity.
This.
Armstrong, JTL et al are irrelevant to the sport of cycling now, why road.cc bother to waste bandwidth on them is beyond me.
We'll never move on while people are still trotting out nothing stories on these clowns.
I've said it before on LA threads - as long as people like you (who profess not to care one iota about it all) bother to click on the thread, to type out your worldly opinion and comment on it, they'll keep publishing the stories.
It generates hits, it means people are viewing the adverts and it all contributes to road.cc winning awards for being best website at the BikeBiz media awards.
Don't want LA stories? THEN STOP BLOODY COMMENTING ON THEM. Don't even click on them. It's really not difficult!
Well, no.
I don't regard ignorance as bliss. If I see someone in the street throw rubbish on the pavement I'll go over and tell them to pick it up, not walk on by and ignore it because I don't like it.
Much like I have every right to respond with displeasure about rubbish articles covering unrepentant, dead-eyed cheating, bullying wankers. Articles which only serve to set back the severing of the chain with which Armstrong at the end, acting as an anchor holding pro cycling down in the sewer.
It's called feedback.
Meanwhile, talented British rider Dan Mclay gets a pro ride in 2015 with Bretagne Seche Enviro but let's not even cover that at all, let's trot out some more Lance Armstrong dross.
Is this news?? Guy who loves cycling wants to ride his bike in a sportive or Gran fondo... And?
So how many murderers and muggers and thiefs etc who have served time do you think might have rode the sportives you yourself have ridden?? You want everyone to do a disclosure about passed criminality for every rider???
This LA guy who wants to ride his bike to maybe, get a little redemption for personal or publicity reasons, or both I would imagine is really not a concern of anyones. I am more concerned about Ebola than LA having a bike ride with his mates... And let's be sure about one thing..... Everyone on that ride will be in awe that they are riding with the infamous x7 winner of the TdF. And if they are that principled? Don't ride, easy. That's their issue not his.
I for one still have respect for the guy as a bike rider, and he was an awesome bike handler/rider.
Well stated chief
A notable quote not included in this summary, from Van Garderen:
"Thor Hushovd said to me once, in regards to Lance, ‘If I had a family member, or friend, who committed a crime and went to prison, I wouldn’t support what they did — but I would still go visit them in prison.’ And I agree with that."
Glad to see the Chief will be riding among some of the former greats.
Listen to howes...howes? And you are...and we would know you from...yeah. Buh bye jackass.
Arrogant piece of shit. GFY.
Cry me a river howes
and all the other pussbag cry babies like you...I think your momma is calling...fairy boy, now run along...ya bother me son.
Congratulations. In relation to the story as it's posted above, that has to be one of the most incomprehensible comments I've read in ages.
In your defense...it's not easy being a statist, beaker!
Bravo Fozzie...bravo...
Are you still on the muppet show there flopsy?