Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year

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Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:40 am

The Associated Press has named Lance Armstrong as Athlete of the Year for 2004, for the third year in a row. I'm not sure why, but Lance kind of bugs me. He is an amazing athlete, yes, but he's so over-hyped and over-exposed that I find it hard to root for him, especially when nobody else can even come close to challenging him. And with all the pro sports doping scandals this year, I'm finding it increasingly tough to believe Lance has never used steroids. But maybe I'm just jealous!

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:57 am

i think the thing that is fading with lance is that he's no longer the underdog we 'need' to root for. he's the best, by a lot. But any athlete, overhyped or otherwise, that brings any attention to endurance sports is a good thing. I hope he sticks with his plan to run New York next year. Partially because I really am curious to see how well he could do and partially becuase I can't wait to see the media predict his chances for victory, beucause outside of the Marty Liquouri's of the media world who ran, they would have no concept of what level the top marathoners really are running at.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 2:51 pm

Yeah, I'd like to see Lance lose the tour this coming summer, and then it would be more interesting to see if he could pull off a come back and win again the following year. Give the boy a bit of humility. And I agree that seeing him run a marathon would be very interesting.

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 3:38 pm

I'm not a big Lance Armsttrong fan, nor a fan of bike racing, but I think you can't begrudge the guy for the fame he's gotten. Look at what he's done. He's earned every little bit of fame and hype he's gotten. There are so many professional athletes out there making millions more than he is and they're not working nearly as hard as he is. Look at what Latrell Sprewell had to say about a measly contract offer of only 9 million dollars a year:

DenverPost.com wrote:
Insulted by a reported salary offer of $9 million per year from the Timberwolves, Sprewell reminded everyone this week how insensitive an athlete can be. He declared: "Why would I want to help them win a title? They're not doing anything for me. I'm at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed."

So, I don't have a problem with Lance's fame. Though, I think Lance's teammates deserve a bit more hype for the help they've given Lance through the years.

BGibbsLMT

Southington, CT
Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Posts: 68

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:04 pm

At one time Lance was a hell of a runner. Don't forget that before he turned to cycling only he was the top junior triathlete in the country. I raced against him once about 15 years ago in Bristol, CT. I think he'll do just fine in a marathon.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:18 am

Is he running New York? I hadn't heard that. I think he'll do very well, certainly sub 3:00 even if he doesn't train for it at all. With some preparation, I bet he could run something like 2:30 or even better. As others have mentioned, he was a strong triathlete in his youth and is no stranger to running. Plus he has one of the highest VO2max values of anyone who's ever been tested.

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:31 am

I agree. I think his history and enduance threshold alone show that even if he ran it cold he'd be towards the top. i just picture the bob costases of the world thinking he's a realistic shot to win. i just don't think lance, even if he focussed on it for years could approach the very top runners in the world.

psulli
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Vancouver, BC
Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 21

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:31 am

There's an article on the Runner's World web site by Amby Burfoot about Lance Armstrong. Even the experts disagree on how fast he could run a marathon--here's just one paragraph: "So how fast could Armstrong cover 26.2 miles? His coach, Carmichael, says, "Lance will probably rip me when he hears this, but I don't think he'd run faster than 2:30 to 2:40." Allen says 2:20 to 2:30. Lucia says sub-2:20 but not sub-2:10. "What are those guys thinking?" asks Swain. "With his aerobic engine, Lance could run 2:10 or better." It's a detailed (you might say exhaustive) analysis of Lance's "aerobic engine". Doesn't say anything about steroids though. As for those, here's a link to the International Herald Tribune article that came out when "L.A. Confidentail was published. http://www.iht.com/articles/524790.html That's the book which details allegations from his former masseuse, Emma O'Reilly. If they're true, he's dirty. But he's never tested positive, so until someone comes up with more, he can stay the Athlete of the Year.

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:39 pm

Even with a great VO2 max, I don't think Armstrong will do as well as some think if he doesn't do some serious training. That is, his legs have to be conditioned for 2+ hours of pounding. That amount of stress on his muscles and joints is very different from even the steepest hill climbs on the bike.

BGibbsLMT

Southington, CT
Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Posts: 68

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 8:28 pm

psulli wrote:

As for those, here's a link to the International Herald Tribune article that came out when "L.A. Confidentail was published. http://www.iht.com/articles/524790.html

That's the book which details allegations from his former masseuse, Emma O'Reilly. If they're true, he's dirty. But he's never tested positive, so until someone comes up with more, he can stay the Athlete of the Year.

As tight as Lance is with his inner circle of friends there's no way Emma O'Reilly would be in a position to have this info. If it were true no one but his most trusted people would know.

XC-PA

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 11

Re: Lance Armstrong: Athlete of the Year Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 1:04 pm

All i have to say is Lance is the man and deserves all he is gitting. Its not called steroids its called working hard for your goals and haveing the best team for support!

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