armstrong to race tour of ireland?

mr. pleasant

at least he says so:

Lastly, today we announced we're doing the Tour of Ireland and the LS Global Summit will immediately follow the race. Can't wait!!

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

E@gle.

yeah it was announced a few weeks back, whether he will turn up is another story

Caroline_ie

It wasn't certain he was going to do it tho ...
I am kinda chuffed he is doing it ... I am not sure why just yet.

zzzzzzzz

I'll have to get a lend of this guy's costume:

TinyExplosions

Hurrah, sir Lance is coming to our Emerald Isle... we're not worthy!

Caroline_ie

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I'll have to get a lend of this guy's costume:

I think he's going to be a bit scared of all the 'people' around ... people, everywhere, in tracksuits, but they're not athelic ... nooooooooooooooooo!

tunney

Don't know why you're all getting so excited. There's a load of druggies loving up the road from me - I can show you where they live and you can worship them *all* year round.

TinyExplosions

tunney wrote: »

Don't know why you're all getting so excited. There's a load of druggies loving up the road from me - I can show you where they live and you can worship them *all* year round.

But they don't contain the cure for cancer! Tunney, don't be so anti-Armstrong, he's the most tested athlete on the planet, and has never failed a drug test -you leave him alone... he should be knighted, or at least that faux knighting thing they do to folk from the colonies, like Bono and that...

Caroline_ie

TinyExplosions wrote: »

But they don't contain the cure for cancer! Tunney, don't be so anti-Armstrong, he's the most tested athlete on the planet, and has never failed a drug test -you leave him alone... he should be knighted, or at least that faux knighting thing they do to folk from the colonies, like Bono and that...

Tiny? Is that you? I thought that was Blorg there for a minute ...

Caroline_ie

It's going to be fun when a certain journalist decides to show up I will treat him well with nice chocolate bikkies

TinyExplosions

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Tiny? Is that you? I thought that was Blorg there for a minute ...

I've just realized that the B man was right, and Lance rocks!

TinyExplosions

Caroline_ie wrote: »

It's going to be fun when a certain journalist decides to show up I will treat him well with nice chocolate bikkies

Mini Boards jersey, Kimmage holding one side, Lance the other -now there's a picture I'd like to see!

Caroline_ie

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Mini Boards jersey, Kimmage holding one side, Lance the other -now there's a picture I'd like to see!

that shall be my new mission .,.. quite a level up from Dave the announcer and Duffied holding the jersey ... I accept the challenge!

danburke

When is the Tour of Ireland? I tried google but no useful info

Raam

danburke wrote: »

When is the Tour of Ireland? I tried google but no useful info

Aug 19th I think

paddy's hill

Tour of Ireland 19-23 August 2009.

LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit will take place Aug. 24-26, 2009 in Dublin.

penexpers

Breaking news on Irish Times now.

I would prefer if he didn't come - at this stage the media concentrates on him and no-one else. Some of the reporting during the Tour of California was pretty bad

"Lance Armstrong's TT bike has been found! Oh and Cavendish won the stage yesterday" (No mention of course that his TT bike was now against UCI regulations).

Raam

penexpers wrote: »

Breaking news on Irish Times now.

I would prefer if he didn't come - at this stage the media concentrates on him and no-one else. Some of the reporting during the Tour of California was pretty bad

"Lance Armstrong's TT bike has been found! Oh and Cavendish won the stage yesterday" (No mention of course that his TT bike was now against UCI regulations).

A lot of the teams TT bikes were against regulations.
I agree about some of the coverage, far too much focus on Lance. The one thing that is good is that we might get improved coverage of the race this year. As it was, I was impressed with last years coverage anyway, but we might get even more now.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

A lot of the teams TT bikes were against regulations.
I agree about some of the coverage, far too much focus on Lance. The one thing that is good is that we might get improved coverage of the race this year. As it was, I was impressed with last years coverage anyway, but we might get even more now.

I'm in the Raam camp on this one... increased media around Lance means increased media for the race as a whole -we may get decent coverage (last years was ok, but could be improved on!)

Caroline_ie

Raam wrote: »

The one thing that is good is that we might get improved coverage of the race this year. As it was, I was impressed with last years coverage anyway, but we might get even more now.

+1
I agree 100%
We might even be on the front page of the papers this time

Needabike

I guess RTE may now show the race before midnight so at least we might be able to stay awake for it

cantalach

We're in the midst of a major recession and our tourism industry is facing the bleakest outlook for decades. South Australian government figures published last week estimate that LA's presence in the TDU was worth €20M to their local economy. Given the high cost of interstate travel within Australia (not to mention the cost of travel to Australia) this is massive. It's fair to assume that his presence in the ToI will be worth even more to our economy. If for no other reason than that, I very much welcome this news.

No doubt St Paul will moan about it from here to August but I think a bit of perspective might be called for here. It's not as though LA is accused of paedophilia. And I really don't care whether the cancer thing is his honest motivation or just his excuse. The result one way or the other is greater focus placed on the disease and greater pressure on politicians to do something. For example, if his presence "forces" Harney into a well-timed reversal of the shameful decision on the cervical cancer vaccine for schoolgirls then his visit will have been worth it.

scottreynolds

I for one as excited. Its not just LA who will come. Better teams should come as well. This could be a real boost for the TOI, unless of course its a stuff up - e.g. making people go slow down some roads again.

As for the Cancer summit, I couldn't be happier. If it means that the Irish health system takes a more agressive stance to screening I'm happy. I think I read that 80% of cancers are curable if detected early enough and as it affects 1 in 5 people I am pretty happy than one of 'us' could be saved.

Tackleberry

Do you guys not like Lance because of his personality or coz you think he took drugs, or both?

On his personality, I admit his "holier-than-thou" attitude is getting annoying, but after cheating death maybe thats a luxury he's earned? After that experience we'd all probably be inclined to cut out all the Bull**it and tell it like it is, I agree he needs to tone it down a tad at times, but he's passionate about the cancer cause, and should be commended for it, not criticized by all you guys.

Its insulting to the nth degree to question a cancer survivors motivation to help the cause, so I'm disappointed at comments made in that regard on this forum, and certainly I think Kimmage got his wording VERY wrong in describing Lance as a cancer, poor journalism and questionable from an ethical viewpoint.

On the drugs debate, unlike practically every other high level pro cyclist in the peloton in the past 20 years he's never had a single positive test, and he's been tested the most - do you guys think he's got some super dooper chemist who's been able to con every drug-tester since 1990? Are we simply so bloody cynical at this stage that any successful cyclist has to be on drugs?

Post-cancer, from 98 to his retirement, Lance only really ever performed in a handful of races, the Tour each year for 2 or 3 key stages, one vuelta, the Amstel Gold, a World Champ, thats it!!! When you take it in that context it throws a different light on the matter.

His couple of tour wins each year were on roads he'd spent the previous 2 months practising on, over and over, then he scratched his arse for the rest of the year while other top cyclists were dragged to the classics, the other grand tours etc, is it not at all possible that a guy who only had to perform for a few specific stages in a 3 week window each year could be clean by training harder and more specifically than any other pro cyclist???

I'm not a mad big fan, but the negative and snide posts on this forum are getting old and smack of good old Irish begrudgery, he's taken every drug test on earth, and passed them all, but you guys still think he's a druggy, he was fcuked over by cancer and survived it, but you guys question his motivations to fight the cause...

Cheer the fcuk up lads, we'll have a great Tour of Ireland in whats gonna be a crap year for all of us, like a previous post said - he's not a bloody paedophile so lets keep things in perspective!

Gavin

I tend to agree. However it's too good to pass.

Rusty Cogs 08

And there's my lunch back again.

penexpers

Tackleberry wrote: »

Its insulting to the nth degree to question a cancer survivors motivation to help the cause, so I'm disappointed at comments made in that regard on this forum, and certainly I think Kimmage got his wording VERY wrong in describing Lance as a cancer, poor journalism and questionable from an ethical viewpoint.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Kimmage described unrepetant drug users as a cancer.

On the drugs debate, unlike practically every other high level pro cyclist in the peloton in the past 20 years he's never had a single positive test, and he's been tested the most - do you guys think he's got some super dooper chemist who's been able to con every drug-tester since 1990? Are we simply so bloody cynical at this stage that any successful cyclist has to be on drugs?

In the late 1990s/early 2000s (before a test for EPO was devised), it was possible to easily beat the testers. Correct me if I'm wrong again but Riis never failed a drugs test, Pantani did eventually fail a test but that's because he was stupid. The utterly crap response of the UCI to what happened during the 1998 tour gave a certain level of acceptance to drug use (or more specifically, EPO use) in the peleton. And yes I think we are that bloody cynical that any successful cyclist (especially in the late 1990s/early 2000s) has to be on drugs.

Chips Lovell

Tackleberry wrote: »

On his personality, I admit his "holier-than-thou" attitude is getting annoying, but after cheating death maybe thats a luxury he's earned?

Yep, being able to ostracise riders in the peloton who break the silence about doping is a privilage you earn from beating cancer.

Tackleberry wrote: »

...unlike practically every other high level pro cyclist in the peloton...

Ullrich, Basso, Rasmussen never failed drug tests, to name a few.

Tackleberry wrote: »

...he's never had a single positive test that resulted in a sanction...

Fixed that for you.

Signal_ rabbit

Whose having a pop at my mate Lance, he is a god! (well he is until i read Kimmage's book as I've read Lances, so fairs fair!)

So not another word or it'll be handbags at dawn!

short circuit

I'd take Lance over Jade Goody anyday .... both to bring awareness to cancer and to show up naked on a bike ...

xz

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I'll have to get a lend of this guy's costume:

That was sooo funny, you can't see on that pic where he had "LIVECLEAN" written on his outfit, some shove that Lance gave him though

E@gle.

i know Armstrong is one of those love to hate kinda guys but think about the publicicty it will bring to a tour that didnt even exist 3 years ago

blorg

xz wrote: »

That was sooo funny, you can't see on that pic where he had "LIVECLEAN" written on his outfit, some shove that Lance gave him though

Sent him straight into the snow I believe. Christ though if that happened to me I wouldn't wash my arm ever again. Will Lance become the first to win the Tour, the Giro, the Vuelta and the Tour of Ireland all in one year? Can only be good for the profile of the race in fairness.

ednwireland

http://www.tourofireland.ie/index.html

says it on hear i guess its to coincide with the cancer summit to be held in august, if it happens (injury etc might rule him Out) it makes more of his claim that he's going to be riding to raise cancer awareness. and it wont do the TOI any harm either.

trek climber

cantalach wrote: »

We're in the midst of a major recession and our tourism industry is facing the bleakest outlook for decades. South Australian government figures published last week estimate that LA's presence in the TDU was worth €20M to their local economy. Given the high cost of interstate travel within Australia (not to mention the cost of travel to Australia) this is massive. It's fair to assume that his presence in the ToI will be worth even more to our economy. If for no other reason than that, I very much welcome this news.

No doubt St Paul will moan about it from here to August but I think a bit of perspective might be called for here. It's not as though LA is accused of paedophilia. And I really don't care whether the cancer thing is his honest motivation or just his excuse. The result one way or the other is greater focus placed on the disease and greater pressure on politicians to do something. For example, if his presence "forces" Harney into a well-timed reversal of the shameful decision on the cervical cancer vaccine for schoolgirls then his visit will have been worth it.

+1

DirkVoodoo

Like they say, no publicity is bad publicity.

What about the "local" riders though, all the focus on Lance isn't really fair to the guys who aren't apart of the big pro-tour teams, or is it?

I never even heard of the TOI until last year (was held up in traffic the year before, but I didn't know what for) and only heard about it through boards and the fact cavendish was here.

So yes, there will be more attention and more money at this years TOI, but is it for the right reason?

Chips Lovell

The media is by and large uninterested in local riders. You need the big names to show up for it to get a bit of attention.

Anyway, Dan Martin or Nicolas Roche living up to their potential over the next couple of years will do far more for the sport here than once visit from Armstrong.

sy

el tonto wrote: »

.....Anyway, Dan Martin or Nicolas Roche living up to their potential over the next couple of years will do far more for the sport here than once visit from Armstrong.

+1
By the way and sorry for hijacking the post but did anybody see the two guys on the last climb of the tour of California in their Sumo Wrestlers suits? Classic stuff:D

petethedrummer

xz wrote: »

That was sooo funny, you can't see on that pic where he had "LIVECLEAN" written on his outfit, some shove that Lance gave him though

Footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3rjb4G8ZMI

Raam

Some of the people running along side the guys at the TOC seemed more interested in the cameras than the riders.

penexpers

Armstrong's visit prompts mixed feelings

CYCLING: AND SO Lance is back, confirmed as heading here in August for the Tour of Ireland and a Livestrong Global Cancer Summit. It’s huge news for the race, with Sunday’s announcement set to earn the kind of attention the organisers could otherwise only dream about.

An explosion of crowd numbers at the Tour Down Under and the Tour of California show the effect the Texan’s presence has on an event. That’s due in part to his winning seven consecutive Tours de France, in part to his recovery from cancer; but much is also due to a comeback story more suited to boxing than cycling.

Simply put, riders don’t come back. From injury, yes, from doping suspensions too – Floyd Landis was back in action last week in California, two-and-a-half years after testing positive in the 2006 Tour de France.

But post-retirement? It almost unknown at this level, and that’s a big reason for the headlines.

Theories abound as to why Armstrong returned, more than three years after he became the only multiple winner in the history of the event to retire undefeated.

The sceptics would put it down to boredom, ego, frustration in seeing his column inches turn from sporting matters to his dating of celebrities. Even political aspirations have been suggested,with the 37-year-old considering running for Texas governor and – it is believed – having a long-term eye on the White House.

Armstrong and his people insist otherwise, saying this return is all about the sport and, above all else, a mission to battle cancer. His Lance Armstrong/Livestrong Foundation has raised hundreds of millions in the fight against the disease, and he says this is his biggest motivation.

Sunday’s announcement focused almost exclusively on this.

The essence is that he’ll ride the Tour of Ireland, doing the August 19th-23rd event before then participating in the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit from August 24th-26th in Dublin.

According to that release, the summit “will make the case for acting urgently to address the global cancer burden and introduce new commitments to cancer control by bringing together world leaders, corporations, nongovernmental organisations and advocates in an unprecedented show of solidarity”.

Minster for Health Mary Harney and Irish Cancer Society chief executive John McCormack welcomed the news, while Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and former US president Bill Clinton have expressed their support for the initiative.

And, as expected, race organisers Alan Rushton and Darach McQuaid are hugely satisfied.

“The global sports icon that is Lance Armstrong last raced in Ireland in the Tour of Ireland in 1992,” said the latter, brother of UCI president Pat McQuaid.

“The Tour of Ireland could not be more proud than to have Lance Armstrong riding once again on Irish roads in the lead-up to his Global Cancer Summit in Dublin.

“The massive, positive public reaction to his comeback to the sport in Australia in January and California in February indicate that by the time Lance arrives in Ireland next August, the interest levels will be at fever pitch.”

For the race, it’s undoubtedly big news. Particularly if he wins an eighth Tour de France.

Armstrong’s presence here could elevate crowd and TV figures to a level unseen since the Tour start was held in Dublin 11 years ago. From that perspective – and the fight against cancer – the news is a very considerable boost.

And, yet, there’s an element of unease. Armstrong remains a divisive figure in the sport. He’s been dogged by rumours of doping, with l’Equipe claiming in 2005 he failed retrospective tests for EPO on 1999 Tour samples.

When he announced his comeback, he said he was determined to prove he races clean. To that end, he undertook to be tested every three days by prominent anti-doping scientist Don Catlin and to publish those results.

Two weeks ago Armstrong and Catlin announced that testing would not now take place, several months after it was supposed to have started. They cited logistical and financial challenges as the reason. A back-up plan is in operation, and he’s been subjected to a large number of out-ofcompetition tests.

Yet, that unease remains.

Much as one may want to join the fight against cancer, much as one may love cycling, and much as one may want the Tour of Ireland to prosper, these enduring questions leave this writer with mixed feelings.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0224/1224241710775.html

Caroline_ie

In fairness ... who knows what can happen between now and august ... :pac: