Is Lance the greatest American athlete of all time?

[MoreWineII]

endurance athlete - #1

skill athlete - not on the chart

[Lazymeatball]

How many non-cyclying enthusiasts but general sporting enthusiasts can name the second greatest tour de france bike rider guy of all time? not very many, because that guy isn't anywhere near the discussion of great athletes. Hence being better than that guy doesn't impress me much. Americans are so dumb and hypocritical for getting all excited about this pseudo-sport just because all of a sudden (well within the past 5 years) an american is kicking ass at it, when no one in this country besides Pee Wee Herman cared about the Tour de France ten years ago.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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How many non-cyclying enthusiasts but general sporting enthusiasts can name the second greatest tour de france bike rider guy of all time? not very many, because that guy isn't anywhere near the discussion of great athletes. Hence being better than that guy doesn't impress me much. Americans are so dumb and hypocritical for getting all excited about this pseudo-sport just because all of a sudden (well within the past 5 years) an american is kicking ass at it, when no one in this country besides Pee Wee Herman cared about the Tour de France ten years ago.

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We cared when Greg LeMond was winning.

[jakethebake]

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How many non-cyclying enthusiasts but general sporting enthusiasts can name the second greatest tour de france bike rider guy of all time? not very many, because that guy isn't anywhere near the discussion of great athletes. Hence being better than that guy doesn't impress me much. Americans are so dumb and hypocritical for getting all excited about this pseudo-sport just because all of a sudden (well within the past 5 years) an american is kicking ass at it, when no one in this country besides Pee Wee Herman cared about the Tour de France ten years ago.

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We cared when Greg LeMond was winning.

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We did?

[ClaytonN]

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Americans are so dumb and hypocritical for getting all excited about this pseudo-sport just because all of a sudden (well within the past 5 years) an american is kicking ass at it

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Hellooooo, this applies to all sports. Americans don't get hyped over soccer unless the American team starts doing well in the World Cup. Americans don't get hyped up over golf until Tiger is dominating. Americans don't get hyped up over hockey, EVER. Cycling is no different, except you let your opinion of the sport trip over your argument.

And by the way, LeMond definitely won the Tour almost 20 years ago, and that got a lot of press in America.

Your argument = I think cycling is gay, and let's throw some pseudo facts in.

[ChipWrecked]

Hey Arnfinn:

Congrats to your countryman Thor Hushovd on winning the points category. Am I correct that he is the first Norwegian to do so?

I follow the Tour because I ride a bike about 5000 miles a year (say maybe 8500km). It may not be a sport but it will get one's sorry ass in shape, that's for sure.

[ericd]

Agree 100%. Played both major league baseball and football for many years. But the record that amazes me the most is that his winning decathlon score in 1912 would still have been good enough for 2nd place in 1948.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

Thanks,

The first Norwegian to ever winning any jersey in Tour de France. Another guy worn it some decades ago, but lost it. Thor is also the first to ever wear a yellow jersey (early last year).

So our performances have not been very great [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img].

I have maybe told it before on this forum but during last years tour I went to the mountains to cheer the Norwegians and watch the spectacle. To go to the mountains to cheer Hushovd is kind of weird in itself. However, I felt normal after encountering a crowd with yellow flags with a black symbol in the middle of nowhere in the mountains (along the track). I got curious and asked what sort of flag that was. They said it was Flemish. I asked if it was any Flemish riders participating. They said: Tom Boonen (as you know he is a terrible climber). I said: "So like me you are here mainly to watch since Tom Boonen will be chanceless today as Hushovd is". They berated me about how I did not believe in my man and they had traveled there to cheer because they wanted him to win a mountain stage. I asked in a very polite way (afraid I had insulted them) how long it is since any Flemish rider has won Tour de France. They answered that it was in the 70s. With no real Flemish contender for the yellow jersey they keep going there year after year to support their riders.

The fans at this sport are superior to any other fans. The French went to cheer Virenque and Voeckler in the battle for their jerseys, yet they cheered their competitors in breakaways just as intensively, helping them up the mountains in the pursuit of ripping the jerseys off the French.

[Lazymeatball]

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Americans are so dumb and hypocritical for getting all excited about this pseudo-sport just because all of a sudden (well within the past 5 years) an american is kicking ass at it

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Hellooooo, this applies to all sports. Americans don't get hyped over soccer unless the American team starts doing well in the World Cup. Americans don't get hyped up over golf until Tiger is dominating. Americans don't get hyped up over hockey, EVER. Cycling is no different, except you let your opinion of the sport trip over your argument.

And by the way, LeMond definitely won the Tour almost 20 years ago, and that got a lot of press in America.

Your argument = I think cycling is gay, and let's throw some pseudo facts in.

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Apart from this LeMond angle which I will admit I'm completely unaware of being only 23 (I will take your word for it that it was a big deal, actually, no I won't because I never heard of him and he never gets talked about today)
I agree with your whole post as it does nothing to refute my argument. Americans are just as hypocritical for geting excited over world cup soccer once they star doing well, or golf in general, as they are for getting excited over the Tour de France.

[SomethingClever]

Lance is easily the greatest American endurance athlete of all time.

You can't compare him to guys like Jordan, however.