On Jun 16, 1:10*pm, "Fred on a stick"
wrote:
Brad Anders wrote:

IMO, LemonD is living in a dream world where he believes that such a
"cleansing" would result in cycling becoming a "clean sport".

Dumbass,

He's living in a dream world where he holds the record for the greatest
number of TdF wins.

I raced as a kid back in the early '70's, at a time when even the idea
that a US cyclist could be successful at all in Europe as a pro was
considered to be ridiculous. Guys we had who were amazing US riders
like John Howard, Allis, Hiltner, etc. all had only the most limited
success. In the late '70's a new breed of riders like Lemond, Boyer,
and Mount emerged, who began to make an impression on the scene, and
in Lemond's case, rose to the top.

Lemond comes from my era, and I wonder if that's part of what drives
his mentality. I suspect that he thought that his 3 TdF wins would
never be equaled by another US cyclist for another 25 years. When
Armstrong came along and not only won the TdF, but blew away all the
TdF records by winning 7 straight, that must have been a bitter pill
to swallow. Add in that after winning 3 TdF's, the only thing Lemond
seemed to get was a Taco Bell commercial, seeing Armstrong rise to
such popularity outside of cycling made it even worse. It's clear that
Lemond has always craved acceptance and praise from the public.

Finally, for Lemond to believe that all of his accomplishments were
eclipsed by a guy who he sincerely considers to be the biggest doper
of all time, the current situation must be completely unacceptable.
Given all of these factors, it's not to hard to understand the root of
his obsession.

Brad anders