Lance Armsrtong "wouldn't change a thing."

[Beau Vine 54231]

No idea what his motive is here, but he sounds even more idiotic than usual.

Quote

Since going down in flames as a liar, a cheat and a dangerous individual who relished inflicting harm on others to save his own reputation, Lance Armstrong has attempted to soften his image.

After years of intimidation and strong-arm tactics that did actual damage to the lives of people who challenged him during his notorious doping scandal on his seven-year run atop the Tour de France, Armstrong eventually acknowledged defeat.

As part of his pseudo mea culpa, Armstrong attempted to show a lighter side seen in this cutesy bike repair video he posted in 2014.

But if there was any belief that Armstrong has actually changed who he is at his core, he put it to rest in a yet-to-be-aired interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico.

Lance Armstrong: I wouldn’t change a thing

USA Today previewed the interview. One thing is clear: Armstrong is still an awful human being.

“We did what we had to do to win,” Armstrong said, via USA Today. “It wasn’t legal, but I wouldn’t change a thing — whether it’s losing a bunch of money, going from hero to zero.

"I wouldn’t change the way I acted. I mean I would, but this is a longer answer. Primarily, I wouldn’t change the lessons that I’ve learned. I don’t learn all the lessons if I don’t act that way. I don’t get investigated and sanctioned if I don’t act the way I acted. If I just doped and didn’t say a thing, none of that would have happened. None of it. I was begging for, I was asking for them to come after me. It was an easy target.”

 

Lance Armstrong apparently doesn't have any regrets. (AP)

More

Armstrong justifies doping

Armstrong goes on to justify his behavior by explaining that he doped because it was the only way to maintain an edge in a sport where doping was rampant. Without doping, there was no chance to compete.

"I knew there were going to be knives at this fight," Armstrong said. "Not just fists. I knew there would be knives. I had knives, and then one day, people start showing up with guns. That's when you say, do I either fly back to Plano, Texas, and not know what you're going to do? Or do you walk to the gun store? I walked to the gun store. I didn't want to go home.

"I don't want to make excuses for myself that everybody did it or we never could have won without it. Those are all true, but the buck stops with me. I'm the one who made the decision to do what I did. I didn't want to go home, man. I was going to stay."

It wasn’t the doping that made Lance a pariah

That’s all well and fine. This isn’t a sanctimonious rant against the ills of doping and cheating in sports. Cycling was corrupt at its core, and in a large way, Armstrong’s doping was a symptom of that problem, not a cause.

But this isn’t about doping. It’s about Armstrong wrecking people’s lives to protect his own well being.

There are dopers in every professional sport. The steroid era in baseball reduced a generation of heroes into villains disdained by the sports world. But for the most part, these men were simply cheaters in a game.

Armstrong cheated more than his sport

You may not like Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds. Hell, Bonds may be a bonafide jerk. But these are men who simply looked for an illegal edge to enhance their careers playing a game that ultimately has no legitimate consequence.

Had Armstrong stopped there, he wouldn’t be the pariah he is today.

But he didn’t. He wantonly wrecked careers and ruined relationships of people who stood in his way using public and private tactics of intimidation and reputation smearing.

Count fellow riders Greg LeMond, Frankie Andreu and Scott Mercier among his victims.

He doubled down on his cheating the playing field by causing real-life harm.

And this is all without considering the massive disappointment he turned out to be for cancer survivors and yellow-bracelet supporters.

Despite a public downfall that included an Oprah appearance, the loss of a fortune and lame attempts to be charming to rehab his image, Armstrong is telling the world his true colors have not been altered.

He wouldn’t change a thing.

 

[Hook1997 5355]

Who gives a shit they all we’re doing it, I wouldn’t change a thing if I was him either.  Except for the intimidating people crap but the doping screw it.

Edited May 28, 2019 by Hook1997

[jimmyjazz 45960]

That blurb interview with Tirico in the hockey game was chilling.  The dude has not changed one bit.

There was a time I was proud of him being an Austinite.  Man, was I off base.  I get the "everyone was cheating so I cheated" angle.  I don't get the "let's be the most abominable person possible" angle.  The guy just needs to crawl away and preferably die.  What a disgusting human being he is.

[Neonmoon 38129]

He’s a narcissist. Wish he would just go away

[Pato del Muerto 52504]

To say those things in an interview really takes ball. 

[SuingToGetAMessageBoard? 3861]

I know a guy who raced against him at the beginning several races.  lance was always a stud and won everything, but my guy said he watched him and always imagined he could hang with lance if he’d only do X and train like Y and have strategy Z and everything broke just right, he could beat lance.  Then one race lance showed up and it was just a joke.  It was like lance was shot out of a cannon.  Now he’s like ‘in retrospect...’

[TexArcher 37794]

20 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

To say those things in an interview really takes ball. 

Post of the Day.

[Gil Bang 25960]

 

[Lhorn 4914]

I don't know the details of lives he "ruined" but I don't blame him for doping.  I'd be shocked if anyone who was considered a contender was doing it clean.

I think the whole "I regret nothing I've done in the past because it made me the person I am today" argument.  It's how losers justify their bad behavior. 

"My husband should be glad that I did gang bang movies in college, because it made me who I am today."  Yeah, right. 

[Wally Fairway 5550]

Well he banged Fitlump (allegedly), so maybe there are some decisions he should reconsider.

[Asithappens 974]

10 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

Who gives a shit they all we’re doing it, I wouldn’t change a thing if I was him either.  Except for the intimidating people crap but the doping screw it.

That's a big thing to change, imo.

I don't really blame Lance for doping/cheating. I do blame him for attacking his detractors and ruining some of their lives. 

In that respect, Lance is borderline psychopath. It seems pretty clear he's a sociopath. 

[52-80 19161]

of course he wouldnt.  his ego wouldnt let him, now, walk back on it

[formermav43 4606]

10 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

Who gives a shit they all we’re doing it, I wouldn’t change a thing if I was him either.  Except for the intimidating people crap but the doping screw it.

That’s the same point the article made.

[Anastasis 23472]

His ex wife is hot and available.  About the only nice thing I can think to say. 

[Moby Ric 2058]

Why would he?  For a while he was one of the most celebrated athletes in the world, and reaped the benefits of it.  Fame, Money, women etc.  And still today may be unliked by many for being one of the biggest caught cheaters in history but still has fame, money, women.

[RollLeft 5045]

10 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

His ex wife is hot and available.  About the only nice thing I can think to say. 

Ewww.  WNB.  More for you.  

As for Lance, he gets what he deserves for still talking.  I think the whole sport and most of the competitors are no better.  He just had the ball to beat em at their own game.  Fuck em all.  

[Beau Vine 54231]

1 hour ago, formermav43 said:

That’s the same point the article made.

It's also the point that flew over the second poster's head.

[Anastasis 23472]

5 minutes ago, RollLeft said:

Ewww.  WNB.  More for you.  

I will acknowledge that every photo I have seen of her is at least 10 years old. 

[South Austin 52515]

The balls on that guy.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

Given a choice, I'd keep both my nuts. 

[Asithappens 974]

1 hour ago, Moby Ric said:

Why would he?  For a while he was one of the most celebrated athletes in the world, and reaped the benefits of it.  Fame, Money, women etc.  And still today may be unliked by many for being one of the biggest caught cheaters in history but still has fame, money, women.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, imo.

He is despised not because he cheated, but because he tried to personally destroy the lives of some of his detractors.

And he may have infamy more than fame.

[South Austin 52515]

10 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

Wrong, wrong, wrong, imo.

He is despised not because he cheated, but because he tried to personally destroy the lives of some of his detractors.

And he may have infamy more than fame.

This. 

Compare a guy like Mark McGwire.  Yeah, the guy cheated -- eventually and reluctantly admitting it -- while breaking arguably the most revered record in baseball.  But by all accounts he was a nice and likeable guy, and wasn't a cruel dick who made it his mission to shatter the lives of others who tried to cross him or publicly expose him.  And he managed to find his way back into baseball as a pretty successful coach. 

I think if Lance's only fault had been doping, and if he eventually just came clean without being a horrible person to so many others, he wouldn't be reviled, and might actually be halfway liked by many.  They guy cheated at a time when so many others cheated.  He just did it better.  And he helped raise a ton of money and awareness for cancer research.  But because he chose to be such a piece of shit person, he's got to be one of the more unpopular celebrities on the planet.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Lance is a huge dick head, end of thread.

[Asithappens 974]

I read Lance's book (the first one?) and what I got from that is that he is a world-class grudge holder and basically a sociopath.

The guy has deep, unresolved issues. 

Grow up, Lance. 

But he probably couldn't have achieved all he did unless he had a raging justice boner to prove his worth. 

He's one fucked-up dude. I wish he would be a better person. Really. He could be so much more as a person.

[G650 14263]

15 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

I read Lance's book (the first one?) and what I got from that is that he is a world-class grudge holder and basically a sociopath.

The guy has deep, unresolved issues. 

Grow up, Lance. 

But he probably couldn't have achieved all he did unless he had a raging justice boner to prove his worth. 

He's one fucked-up dude. I wish he would be a better person. Really. He could be so much more as a person.

 

Indeed.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

That guys is a narcissistic megalomaniac as most people who are at the pinnacle of their profession are, but his brutal and vindictive attacks against others who knew ruined lives and in the end he’s cool with that/would do again. 

Justice truly is relative.

[smuggs 9353]

19 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

But he probably couldn't have achieved all he did unless he had a raging justice boner to prove his worth. 

Raging Justice Boner is a great band name.

[jimmyjazz 45960]

3 hours ago, Anastasis said:

His ex wife is hot and available.  About the only nice thing I can think to say. 

Hot?  Eh.  Did she get some work done?

[Anastasis 23472]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Hot?  Eh.  Did she get some work done?

My mental image is based on ca. 2000s era interactions. At least a hotish?

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Anastasis

[South Austin 52515]

Would bang even with one ball.

[jimmyjazz 45960]

That's when I intereacted with her, as our kids were in the same dance class.  Nothing I ever saw made me think "hawt".

Edited May 28, 2019 by jimmyjazz
Was going to change "intereacted" to "interacted" but I kinda like it the way it is

[PilotsError 2287]

Bill Burr was right.  Dude is a sociopath and we just need to keep him on bikes going up and down hills.

[Bevo 13577]

Do you think things would have fallen the same way if Greg LeMond wasn't so bitter that he lost his fame due to Lance? It seems that a lot of people in the US cycling community loved LeMond and helped him bring down Lance.

[G650 14263]

Eh, probably. You have to remember everyone basically shat on LeMond while sucking off Lance, then pulled a volte face once Lance's cheating came out and now suck off Greg.

I was a massive LeMond fan growing up, and was totally on his side while despising Lance. But to be honest, the more I learned about LeMond, the less enamoured I became. I rate them both fairly evenly at this point.

[CHEF DIESEL 126]

Lance Armstrong has always been a turd. I remember in high school he bounced around a bunch between Richardson and Plano schools because he was a world class asshole. He thought highly of himself even back then. He was given a Camaro or Firebird to drive around in and would constantly show it off in all the wrong ways. Park in faculty lots, park next to the cafeteria during lunch and rev up his engine. It impressed no one. He participated in triathlons back then and no one on the cross-country or swim teams liked him. Jim Hoyt of Richardson Bike Mart(the owner) lavished on him with gifts and crowned him the next Greg Lemond.

I thought he'd found himself when ball cancer grabbed him and humbled him. Nope. The same Lance just hiding under a good costume. A lot of people believed in him and his campaign to fight cancer. Sad it was all a ruse and the ol' Lance I knew back in high school came back.

Lance has always thought of his father as a shit heel. He fits the same bill as Lance. Shit heel.

[4th&Five 41557]

I've listened to a couple episodes of his podcast when he's had people on that I like and even when he's hosting someone in a forum like that it's impossible for him not to be a complete fucking asshole.  He's just completely unlikable and really uninterested in anything but himself.

[phdhorn 6224]

U Call It dot com:

- Within the next 10 years, Lance Armstrong is going to be involved in some kind of crime, like a serious one (murder?  Proally not, but could be, indirectly or something... but more like assault or theft or sumpin').  Not the crimes already, more the kind of stuff you see on the ID channel.  He gotta do something to get back into the limelight.  I'm callin' my shot here.

[Nicole44 22060]

He’s a sociopath. I realize it was all for him but at least he raised money for testicular cancer. Outside of that fuck him.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Is and will continue to be an unbridled piece of shit.   Sans a few lapdogs remaining in his tiny circle, everyone now hates the dude and, justifiably, wouldn't throw Armstrong a life preserver if the need presented itself.  As it should be. 

 

[Nicole44 22060]

I will mention that I met Sheryl Crow at the dedication of the Willie Nelson statue and she was super tiny and nice. That’s all I got. If there is a hell, it would require Lance swallowing each yellow arm band that ever existed 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I will mention that I met Sheryl Crow at the dedication of the Willie Nelson statue and she was super tiny and nice. That’s all I got. If there is a hell, it would require Lance swallowing each yellow arm band that ever existed 

Next time you tell that story, I suggest you change “met” to “scissored”. Your audience will appreciate it.

[Nicole44 22060]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Next time you tell that story, I suggest you change “met” to “scissored”. Your audience will appreciate it.

Duly noted!

[Nicole44 22060]

4 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Next time you tell that story, I suggest you change “met” to “scissored”. Your audience will appreciate it.

 

4 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Next time you tell that story, I suggest you change “met” to “scissored”. Your audience will appreciate it.

Life sure has a sick sense of humor, doesn’t it?

[immortal13 4059]

I bet he woulda changed getting cancer in his testicle

[Bevo 13577]

12 hours ago, G650 said:

Eh, probably. You have to remember everyone basically shat on LeMond while sucking off Lance, then pulled a volte face once Lance's cheating came out and now suck off Greg.

I was a massive LeMond fan growing up, and was totally on his side while despising Lance. But to be honest, the more I learned about LeMond, the less enamoured I became. I rate them both fairly evenly at this point.

I got into cycling because of Lance and I am still a little bitter than in the effort to catch Lance, those guys totally destroyed US cycling. Now we get to watch Team Sky/Ineos do the same thing without getting caught and without the British cycling community going nuclear. And no one even cares that Spain helped hide all the big names implicated in Operation Puerto.

[Anastasis 23472]

 

[52-80 19161]

On 5/29/2019 at 3:58 PM, Bevo said:

Do you think things would have fallen the same way if Greg LeMond wasn't so bitter that he lost his fame due to Lance? It seems that a lot of people in the US cycling community loved LeMond and helped him bring down Lance.

LeMond wasnt effective in bringing down lance, and "people" didnt do shit.  Lemond had a tiny group of supporters, and everybody shit on him left and right, attributing it to "jealousy".  Check the comments section of any cycling article.  Or even back on shaggyeskimohut.com -- it was like 80% Armstrong support, until the Oprah thing came out. 

After which, it was only 60% Armstrong.  And now, tons of people like him because they think he's reformed, and he brings a valuable perspective through his podcast, etc etc etc.

[G650 14263]

Indeed.

[jimmyjazz 45960]

By my recollection, LeMond was a bit of an oddball, wasn't he?  At the very least he didn't conform to the European norms of a TDF champion.

I think the average American sports fan was much more prone to get behind a win-at-all-costs asshole like Lance Armstrong.  Of course, LeMond helped pave the way towards American success on the Tour.

[Asithappens 974]

5 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I think the average American sports fan was much more prone to get behind a win-at-all-costs asshole like Lance Armstrong. 

That, and Lance was a cancer Survivor!!1!!11!!.

Fuck Lance.