UKC

I won't be able to read them again. Should we all now ceremoniously burn our copies of It's Not About the Bike? When and how?

In reply to MikeTS:

Luckily I've lost my copy. If someone has some spare time I'd be interested to be reminded of the exact wording of the sentence in "It's Not About the Bike" where he says that it would be crazy for anyone to suggest that he'd want to put more chemicals into his body after all the chemotherapy.

This one sentence is basically why I've been wanting to believe he is innocent for the last 10 years.

In reply to MikeTS: Don't burn them, do something useful with them like shredding and composting them. His book, like his reputation, will slowly turn to fertiliser.

In reply to MikeTS:
Surely the inspirational message of LA's story remains the same

It is possible to survive cancer, come back from the brink of death, resume your life and do exactly what you would have done if you hadn't had cancer.

LA took drugs throughout his career, and I didn't feel from reading his book that he was a nice guy - his arrogance was plain to see. I suspect he would have 'won' the Tdf if he hadn't had cancer, but undoubtedly it gave him an added determination and even recklessness. Would he have won the race if all the riders were clean - probably not, but we will never know.

So OK we can't believe the fairy tale that a clean cancer survivor can beat the doped-up riders, but even for him to complete the race is still inspirational

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Very true, and it's for that reason I still wear my LiveStrong yellow band. With or without the drugs, just to get back on his bike after what he went through was an amazing feet.

Yogi

In reply to yogi2749: Yeah, what a legend. Because no one has beaten cancer before and then gone onto work an honest career, let alone a dishonest one that made themselves millions.

In reply to Chris the Tall:



Doesn't inspire me any more. He duped us and made idiots of his supporters.

Cancer was only part of the story. It was the combination of that and being a yank dominating the tour without drugs that inspired me when reading the book.

In reply to yogi2749:

use it as a cock ring instead

In reply to Game of Conkers:

The people who know they're terminal and carry on doing positive things are much more inspirational. I'm always impressed by them.

I guess his story can still be inspiring, but i'm much less inspired than I was. For me it's the qualities of his personality which count.

If being inspired is about doing things with life, i'd better stop posting today...

In reply to MikeTS:

Bah. Book burning is still barbaric no matter what you think of the author. Annotate the most hypocritical bits and give it to a charity shop.

In reply to davidbeynon

With a big sticker on the front saying "shelve in FICTION" ?

In reply to yogi2749: How do you feel about the reports that his use of steroids and other PEDs may have lead to his cancer?

In reply to Arms Cliff:

Or perhaps masked an earlier diagnosis?

Don't burn them! Keep them as evidence in a 'class action' against LA.

Apart from organisations who want millions of pounds back from him for prise money etc, there needs to be a collective class action by everyone who bought a book or bike or cycling top on basis of his story that now feel defrauded by his lies.

It's not worth individuals trying to recover a few hundred dollars, but if millions of us get together to claim $500 each in a civil claim, he couldn't afford to loose it, so would have to finally offer some defence in court.

In reply to MikeTS: send it back to him and demand a refund.

In reply to shark:

I guess the less you believed, the less you lost. When I read the book Kimmage had already opened my eyes to the dark side of cycling, but even so the all-american arrogance of Armstrong ensured that I would never like him as a person. Any belief that he might be clean disappered when I saw the Simeoni incident in 2006 (?) - a truely nasty piece of bullying.

The thing is, I don't believe the "one bad apple/the bad made made us do it" story any more than the "they all doped so it was still a level playing field" argument. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

We will never know if LA would have won a clean race, but I do believe he had very serious cancer(possibly caused by PEDs) and that he made a remarkable recovery, aided by the best (or worst) modern medicine has to offer

I've never given any money to Livestrong, but will give this very worthwhile charity a plug http://www.challengecancer.org.uk/

In reply to McGuinness:

That is a far better idea. If everyone sent their copy back to him, then surely he would get the message and finally admit to his errors and lies.

In reply to SFM: and remember to poop in the jiffy bag for good measure.

In reply to Gone: A plan.

In reply to Jim Lancs:

I was inspired to do a 100 mile MTB race after seeing a film about him winning the Leadville 100. Now it seems pointless. Can I reclaim my entry fee ?

In reply to Game of Conkers:

<nods and likes>

In reply to Chris the Tall: <<Can I reclaim my entry fee ?>>

Absolutely! That's the joy of a class action - every little helps!

In reply to lost1977:

What the book, if tried it but it keeps falling off. Do you have pictures on how to wear it?

In reply to McGuinness:

I got up many steep hills imagining I was LA. Now I can't believe anything he ever said or did. I can't read the book or give it a away. So I'll put in in my compost as suggested

In reply to MikeTS:


destroying books is, generally, wrong.
I think the return for refund/post back to him with postage owing/hand in to charity shop with annotations and corrections would be better.
or just leave in some dark corner and then flog it once it becomes a collectors item after everyone else burns theirs.

In reply to MikeTS: Lying, bullying, cheating, good for nothing.

As far as I am concerned he is no inspiration as it was all built on lies.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I have better people to inspire me than cheats and bullies.

In reply to Gone:

Someone beat you to it....
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/196129-lance-armstrong-memoir-fiction-joke-by-c...

In reply to MikeTS:

Nah keep it. Burning books is wrong and it's a bit of history and we should learn from history.

Lets hope it's third time lucky.
1. Festina
Fail, Lance start the proluge the following year with pure EPO in his veins against a most likely very clean peloton.

2. Puerto & then Beefgate
Fail, big scare less doping perhaps due to passports as well.

3. Lancegate, sees Carlos S win the tour, possibly clean, thinks he can get 8, this provides evidence of doping due to his blood passport and tips the scales along with everything else.
Jury's out, we'll see.

Cheers

Toby

In reply to Toby_W: Sorry about my dreadful spelling, rather sleepy today.

Cheers

Toby

In reply to MikeTS:

Yeah, burn 'em. Can I bring my Jimmy Saville autograph too?

In reply to MikeTS: ive got a USPS winter cycling top if anyone wants it . for a donation to a CYSTIC FIBROSIS charity. size large . i`l never wear it again.

In reply to MikeTS: I was diagnosed with cancer aged 10 - I beat it and since then must have placed in the top 200 for at least one Strava segment*.

But I'm afraid it was all a lie. I was on jelly babies.

* Probably not true anyway.