Armstrongs retirement

[[email protected]]

Lance's retirement announcement should not suprise anybody. I think
this year is appropiate time for Lance to retire. On the otherhand I am
disappointed by his decision to retire in the middle of the season.
Personally I think Lance should have completed the season and supported
the rest of his team.

[Kenny]

wrote:
> Lance's retirement announcement should not suprise anybody. I think
> this year is appropiate time for Lance to retire. On the otherhand I
am
> disappointed by his decision to retire in the middle of the season.
> Personally I think Lance should have completed the season and
supported
> the rest of his team.

Complete the season?? Did he do that the last 6 year? Why should he
do that now? His season is always completed ater the tour (post-cancer
that is).

Kenny

[[email protected]]

I just feel that there is a certain responsibility to the team, Even if
Lance does not ride the rest of the season it adds a certtain degree
of support.

[hueyville]

lance is the only reason the team exists. i was at the press conference and
he is going to be supporting the team. he said he intends to make sure the
team stays competative on the international scene for years. he has a
contract that says he will stay involved whether he is riding or not. this
team was built just for him and without him it would have dissolved. i
believe that discovery will be searching out some fine younger talent to
push to the the front of the team and will be a force for years to come.
lance will be working for discovery for quite some time and making sure the
team wins will be part of his responsibility.
his biggest reason for retirement is his kids. he is away from them for
months at a time. at the press conference that preceeded lances bobby and
others were discussing how tough it is to spend 9 months out of the year in
europe for a home boy. lance is doing the smart thing. retiring on top.
michael

www.coolbicycling.com
michael

[psycholist]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Lance's retirement announcement should not suprise anybody. I think
> this year is appropiate time for Lance to retire. On the otherhand I am
> disappointed by his decision to retire in the middle of the season.
> Personally I think Lance should have completed the season and supported
> the rest of his team.
>

HA! What team do you think there'd be without Lance? Where do you think
most of these riders would be in their careers without Lance? Those guys
who've departed the team to become leaders on their own ... Tyler, Levi,
Roberto ... they're really set the world on fire. And those guys who've
stayed put ... George, Eki ... they keep having nice, solid seasons and, I'm
sure, they keep lining their wallets ... in large part thanks to the Lance
gravy train. And Jose Acevedo was a minor blip on the radar screen until
Lance tapped him as his mountain commander.

I don't think Lance owes his team anything that he hasn't paid tenfold or
more in advance. And I doubt anyone on his team thinks Lance owes them
anything beyond what he's already done.

All that having been said, Lance is only 33. I don't believe for a second
that he'll stay retired. It's ridiculous to think that a man of his talent
would depart with plenty of good years still in him. After six months home
with his kids, he'll be climbing the walls. We'll see him racing the
classics in the years ahead ... and maybe winning quite a few. That is, of
course, unless his retirement is the result of a negotiation with the UCI to
keep a positive dope test from hitting the press.
--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

[Bob Schwartz]

psycholist > wrote:
> All that having been said, Lance is only 33. I don't believe for a second
> that he'll stay retired. It's ridiculous to think that a man of his talent
> would depart with plenty of good years still in him. After six months home
> with his kids, he'll be climbing the walls. We'll see him racing the
> classics in the years ahead ... and maybe winning quite a few. That is, of
> course, unless his retirement is the result of a negotiation with the UCI to
> keep a positive dope test from hitting the press.

Merckx, Hinault, and Indurain had all walked away by that age,
never to return. When you consider just how hard it is to be
a TdF champion I suspect it is really not that difficult to do.

Bob Schwartz

[psycholist]

"Bob Schwartz" > wrote in message
...
> psycholist > wrote:
>> All that having been said, Lance is only 33. I don't believe for a
>> second
>> that he'll stay retired. It's ridiculous to think that a man of his
>> talent
>> would depart with plenty of good years still in him. After six months
>> home
>> with his kids, he'll be climbing the walls. We'll see him racing the
>> classics in the years ahead ... and maybe winning quite a few. That is,
>> of
>> course, unless his retirement is the result of a negotiation with the UCI
>> to
>> keep a positive dope test from hitting the press.
>
> Merckx, Hinault, and Indurain had all walked away by that age,
> never to return. When you consider just how hard it is to be
> a TdF champion I suspect it is really not that difficult to do.
>
> Bob Schwartz
>

True, and good point. However, IIRC, they had all failed in their sixth
attempts at tour wins and could be said to have tipped over the pinnacle of
their careers. That can't be said of Lance ... yet. We'll see how #7 goes
this year. If he goes out with a bang and not a whimper, I think it'll be
tough for him to stay on the sidelines at his relatively young age.

--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

[[email protected]]

It will be interesting to see how Discovery develops after Lance. Part
of the problem with Discovery is that most of their better riders are
older and approaching retirement. A lot of this is due to tha fact that
the team was so Lance centric.


hueyville wrote:
> lance is the only reason the team exists. i was at the press
conference and
> he is going to be supporting the team. he said he intends to make
sure the
> team stays competative on the international scene for years. he has
a
> contract that says he will stay involved whether he is riding or not.
this
> team was built just for him and without him it would have dissolved.
i
> believe that discovery will be searching out some fine younger talent
to
> push to the the front of the team and will be a force for years to
come.
> lance will be working for discovery for quite some time and making
sure the
> team wins will be part of his responsibility.
> his biggest reason for retirement is his kids. he is away from
them for
> months at a time. at the press conference that preceeded lances
bobby and
> others were discussing how tough it is to spend 9 months out of the
year in
> europe for a home boy. lance is doing the smart thing. retiring on
top.
> michael
>
> www.coolbicycling.com
> michael

[Wannagofast]

I guess this means he won't be attempting the hour record.

"Kenny" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
> > Lance's retirement announcement should not suprise anybody. I think
> > this year is appropiate time for Lance to retire. On the otherhand I
> am
> > disappointed by his decision to retire in the middle of the season.
> > Personally I think Lance should have completed the season and
> supported
> > the rest of his team.
>
> Complete the season?? Did he do that the last 6 year? Why should he
> do that now? His season is always completed ater the tour (post-cancer
> that is).
>
> Kenny
>