quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

quote:

ORIGINAL: kitkat105

I kind of suspected he might have blamed his cancer treatments for continuous blood tranfusions, etc. I was always suspicious of him.

I think this is idiotic. So all the top athletes are doping? So basically you're going to have a dead decade in cycling where the records show no winners. Because even the second and third place finishers had to be doping as well. Despite none of them failing a test. And then you take down the top guy in your sport? And in doing so you take all his fellow top cyclist too. (since they were all were doping, even though they didn't fail test). So who are you going to hold up as the greatest cyclist of all time? The guy who consistently came in 15th place?

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB


One of the reasons I have always admired Lance Armstrong is, he was a big symbol of hope for all those suffering similar cancers to him. Lets not forget the huge amounts of money this guy has raised for charity. The number of people, me included, who have been inspired by this guys zest for life. His accomplishments were huge and the guy showed extraordinary courage, determination, persistence, and absolute discipline when it came to training and competing.

I have followed the 'tour'. I followed it again this year and its unbelievably tough. I live on the same mountains these guys cycle up. I regularly have to drive 8 mile climbs in second gear and that's in a car for christ sake.
Lance may well of doped but he wasn't alone. Every guy that stood on that podium was under some 'code of silence' It was a fairly mutual supportive group but when one talked they were all stuffed.

The saddest thing isn't that he did this, which I'm sure he did, but the continual witch hunt to bring him to ground and dig him out. Lets be assured that those who went on this witch hunt won't have achieved anything like as much as he has.

Le plus dur, c'est pas d'arriver au sommet, c'est d'y etre.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kitkat105

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

quote:

ORIGINAL: kitkat105

I kind of suspected he might have blamed his cancer treatments for continuous blood tranfusions, etc. I was always suspicious of him.

I think this is idiotic. So all the top athletes are doping? So basically you're going to have a dead decade in cycling where the records show no winners. Because even the second and third place finishers had to be doping as well. Despite none of them failing a test. And then you take down the top guy in your sport? And in doing so you take all his fellow top cyclist too. (since they were all were doping, even though they didn't fail test). So who are you going to hold up as the greatest cyclist of all time? The guy who consistently came in 15th place?

I'm not saying all the top athletes are doping, but you are idiotic (thanks for that) if you think these people are still innocent. Without a shadow of a doubt, cycling has been outed as the most corrupt sport there currently is. It is a big money industry, hence the ability of those involved to create such an elaborate scheme of doping.

quote:

ORIGINAL: fucktoyprincess


I have known many people who have suffered from cancer. Some are in remission. Some are still battling. And some are dead. The youngest person I know battling cancer was 5 when diagnosed (and is now 10). Another of the youngest was in her 20s when she was diagnosed and died. The oldest in their 80s. None of them won any kind of athletic competition. None of them was "famous". None of them made millions of dollars from corporate sponsorships. But they inspire me more each day of my life more than words can say, and certainly much more than some cheating athlete who thought he was above the rules.

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

I didnt mean you were idiotic. I meant this whole situation is. Why go after the most visible and popular guy in your sport when you know that everybody who is on that elite level is doing the asme thing? And why even test people if you know they are doping and they all pass.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Focus50

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

I didnt mean you were idiotic. I meant this whole situation is. Why go after the most visible and popular guy in your sport when you know that everybody who is on that elite level is doing the asme thing? And why even test people if you know they are doping and they all pass.

You're quite the advocate of anarchy. If they only went after the "little fish", you'd be here complaining that the "big boys" get a pass because they have the money and influence to grease the right palms, no?

Bigger picture - just curious about your apparent disdain for rules, limits and boundaries etc.... What do you get out of the BDSM lifestyle?

Focus.

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

As far as bdsm rules go, What rules? Determined by who? Enforced by who? How many of them are you refering to?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Focus50

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

As far as bdsm rules go, What rules? Determined by who? Enforced by who? How many of them are you refering to?

Kudos for catching me by complete surprise with this most excellent answer to my question - and probably any other I once might've been tempted to ask you....

Focus.

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

I'm happy I could assuage your puerile fancy.

Ooh; sophistry - the preferred form of defense on discussion boards.

Focus.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Focus50

quote:

ORIGINAL: blacksword404

I'm happy I could assuage your puerile fancy.

Ooh; sophistry - the preferred form of defense on discussion boards.

Focus.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB


One of the reasons I have always admired Lance Armstrong is, he was a big symbol of hope for all those suffering similar cancers to him. Lets not forget the huge amounts of money this guy has raised for charity. The number of people, me included, who have been inspired by this guys zest for life. His accomplishments were huge and the guy showed extraordinary courage, determination, persistence, and absolute discipline when it came to training and competing.

I have followed the 'tour'. I followed it again this year and its unbelievably tough. I live on the same mountains these guys cycle up. I regularly have to drive 8 mile climbs in second gear and that's in a car for christ sake.
Lance may well of doped but he wasn't alone. Every guy that stood on that podium was under some 'code of silence' It was a fairly mutual supportive group but when one talked they were all stuffed.

The saddest thing isn't that he did this, which I'm sure he did, but the continual witch hunt to bring him to ground and dig him out. Lets be assured that those who went on this witch hunt won't have achieved anything like as much as he has.

Le plus dur, c'est pas d'arriver au sommet, c'est d'y etre.

quote:

Tha'ts a really interesting observation but had nothing whatsoever to do with what I was meaning in my previous post.
I am not here to defend Lance Armstrong but to give my opinion without bringing personal emotions into it. I respect your opinion but its yours and not mine.
On a final note. Cancer is not a competition on who was less deserved and who was more deserved. It doesn't care who it selects.

quote:

ORIGINAL: fucktoyprincess



Yes, I agree that cancer is not a competition.

I've bolded the parts of your original statement that to me sounded like you were defending Lance Armstrong and criticizing people for being on a witch hunt.

And yes I reiterate my previous statement that I know, and have known, many cancer suffererers who have inspired me much more than Armstrong. To me, it sounded like you "admired" Lance Armstrong, were asking people not to forget his charitable work, and that you "have been inspired by this guys zest for life" (is that not what you say??).

My apologies if I have misunderstood that you are, in fact, criticizing Lance Armstrong and not defending him. Just didn't understand what you were saying, I guess.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB

The bit you are not getting is about you being inspired by people with cancer. What I was meaning was the people with cancer being inspired by the achievements of Lance Armstrong.
A very close relative of mine has almost identical cancer to the one Lance Armstrong not only recovered from but went on to win 7 Tour de France. That relative is also a cyclist and so am I. We have had many discussions together about Lances recovery and how he learnt to embrace his cancer and use it as an aid to become the right shape (lose body mass) to achieve the goals he was able to achieve. This was before any of these new revelations appeared. Lance was hope, not for me but for my relative. Now that hope has a bitter taste to it but it doesn't take away the fact that Lance Armstrong overcame what should of been a terminal illness. I for one am glad that my relative was and has been given hope by Lance Armstrong and so have many other people suffering from cancer.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MariaB

The bit you are not getting is about you being inspired by people with cancer. What I was meaning was the people with cancer being inspired by the achievements of Lance Armstrong.
A very close relative of mine has almost identical cancer to the one Lance Armstrong not only recovered from but went on to win 7 Tour de France. That relative is also a cyclist and so am I. We have had many discussions together about Lances recovery and how he learnt to embrace his cancer and use it as an aid to become the right shape (lose body mass) to achieve the goals he was able to achieve. This was before any of these new revelations appeared. Lance was hope, not for me but for my relative. Now that hope has a bitter taste to it but it doesn't take away the fact that Lance Armstrong overcame what should of been a terminal illness. I for one am glad that my relative was and has been given hope by Lance Armstrong and so have many other people suffering from cancer.