LeMond Reveals The Moment He Knew Armstrong Was a Cheat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มี.ค. 2024
- An Extract from conversation with Greg LeMond
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I worked as a sales rep for Greg Lemond from the very beginning. Greg was always a genuine stand up person who treated people with respect. LA was the opposite.
Thank you. I get tired of the “they’re the same” when they couldn’t have been more different.
Integrity is everything.
Yet his doctors needed to take him to court as he did not want to pay his medical bills
@@usualsuspectsfor1k One of the things I have always noticed about LeMonds time trial was how much he was moving on the bike bobbing forth and back up and down.
From a style point Armstrong, Ulrich, Cancellara, Indurein..... all were so much more aero dynamic
@@jenspetersen5865 Aero? Bah! Sure seems like LeMond just injected more HP than the other guys and didn't need any aero!
I can forgive Armstrong for doping (but I don't condone it). Armstrong was not the first to use PED's and he certainly isn't the last. I cannot forgive him, however, for the way he treated LeMond and others who dared to challenge his storyline. That was the mark of a vindictive, vicious bully.
and to criticize pogacar's generation for "hugging" their opponents (actually friends). What a d*ck
Still is, sometimes i listen WATTS or something like that, not sure where that guy gets his ego.
That is it, that's exactly it. The way Armstrong (and his lackeys) behaved until it was irrefutable that he was lying, and even then with the Oprah interview when he sought redemption. And still in these comments there's the 'everyone was doing it'. No-one painted themselves as a 'miracle' like the way he did or threatened those who would tell the truth. Armstrong is a scumbag extraordinaire. Having the best doping programme doesn't make you the best cyclist. His legacy is that, because he became so famous, all that the non-cycling followers think that races are won in the laboratory.
@@BigSlinky7 What I find disturbing is that he still allows himself to discuss about our sport as if nothing happened. And making judgements or bad words about the current generation. Who does he think he is ?
@@phdinporn5146 He gets his ego from not having a father figure and he gains some success and used that anger on to others. Unfortunately he's still a dick. Bullies always have father issues. I'm suprised he hasn't been KOes but we all know cyclists are not fighters. He was lucky to win that wc in the rain. The chip on his shoulder is huge. Wish his dad was around him at the time. Maybe he would not be good but, hopefully he'd be happy.
Greg LeMond is the reason I started cycling as a young Marine in Hawaii, 1987. Still hitting the pavement today at 56, thank you sir!!!
I'm on my Lemond Zurich every day. I'm 53, and Greg has always been an inspiration!
The best American cyclist we have had.
🤡
I started in 89 for the same reason, I have a 1250 mile ride planned for the beginning of June, I'll be 50 this year. I have always and will always be a Lemond fan!! Viva Le Lemond!!
I was a young Marine in Okinawa and Greg motivated me to start cycling in 85.
Greg Lemond was the person who introduced cycling to me and many Americans. To me he is the greatest and most important American cyclist.
And still the only murcan who actually won TDF's 😁
Kudos to Roadman to just let Greg speak, uninterrupted for several minutes. Mark of a great interviewer.
When you are ex military and you watch someone who is just too scruffy and lazy to shave, you can’t respect them or anything that comes out of their mouth. What has this gué ever achieved apart from kissing GL’s ….
The one thing I remember about Armstrong was how he would destroy anyone who even suggested he was doping. He was vicious in his denial and retaliation. He harmed anyone who tried telling the truth. Armstrong is the waste flowing from a cows rear end. What he did is unforgivable.
A cheater always reacts violently when they are confronted.
He's like Trump! I however don't give a damn about a personality contest I look at the results! Armstrong was the greatest cyclist🚴♂ ever‼
@@quentincrisp6933 With no animosity whatsoever I wish to point out Armstrong was a science experiment in getting the max out of a teams performance in bike races. The depth of that cheating was jaw dropping. Armstrong cheated to attain his wins. Armstrongs records mean nothing, he was a science experiment. I humbly disagree with your assessment.
@@alan8887 You can't see the forest for the trees‼The playing (cycling) field was level because everyone else was cheating which has been going on since the 70's! Who was Lance cheating? The ten other riders that finished behind him⁉😂😂
Yawn, you are acting like he is Goebbels. He was covering up cycling doping, he didnt kill anyone.
As many have already said, Greg LeMond was the reason I started cycling in the early 90s. I remember whispering a "thank you" to him the first time I did 50 miles on my RB-1 and I'm still cycling at 73. So nice to see him healthy, happy and with grandkids now. Thanks, Greg!
Yeah other riders were doping but Armstrong went out to destroy people that went against him he’s a very nasty piece of work
His behaviour was borderline sociopathic in the way he sought to utterly destroy anyone who dared challenge him without an ounce of compassion. Horrific and a shame that people are now falling for his latest PR spin that he did nothing more than anyone else at that time.
A fully corporate person. It's the American way, and he's rich because of it.
Really oh man that's new news holy crap not like we knew this 10 years ago oh my goodness thanks for shedding light! 🙄 a day late and a dollar short Fozzie Bear maybe go back to Fraggle Rock and eat your sugar pills
@@jabba0975 Not wrong as a generalization but so many American athletes are worthy role models representing the best of the best.
Even non cyclists knew he was cheating over 20 years ago. Lance Armstrong is a nasty liar.
The sentiment for Armstrong was running high in 2000. Swimming against the tide of approval and support at that time for Armstrong took immense courage. In the fashion that he legitimately won his tour victories, good on Greg for never caving to the pressure.
No shit! I worked for an outfit where my boss and my peers in management were newly minted cycling fans. I had raced and watched the sport so expressed skepticism. It was like spitting on the flag. High treason.
@@chesterfinecat7588 I almost lost a life-long friend when I suggested that maybe, just maybe, the whole story didn't ring true and that Lance's numbers and sanctimony pointed somewhere unethical. Then, when the story broke and the truth came out, everyone wanted to act like they hadn't been duped by this guy and wouldn't talk about it.
Logic and stats revealed the truth. Armstrong won 7 times, 21 people finished on the podium during those 7 years and every single one except LA tested positive before Armstrong and he was beating them?? No way. Many of Armstrong's ex-team mates went on to test positive when they moved to new teams. We were are willfully blind because of Armstrong's fraud and we wanted to believe the story. LeMond is a hero for being the leaders of the dissenters (the only dissenter for awhile) an taking some serious hits along the way.
Conflating the glimmer of winning at all costs with commentary on his character, his values when truly under pressure. It's a difficult topic
@@MrBoggins1234
Outside the immediate pressure of a racing season, LA was a complete eff-stick in his attacks on Emma O’Reilly, LeMond, David Walsh, etc. Armstrong KNEW they were telling the truth.
Armstrong was a malignant Stage 4 tumor.
You forget the mantras of so many at the time:
"He's never tested positive." That doesn't necessarily mean what you are claiming it means.
"He's raised millions for cancer research." Yes, and he lives, trains, and travels tax-free as a result. Again, it doesn't mean what you are claiming it means.
These two statements were like a mind-virus at the time. Everyone said them, everyone held them to be mic-drop statements, and anyone who questioned them was ridiculed mercilessly.
Armstrong won ZERO times. Cheaters don't win, they are disqualified.
And yet LeMond's ITT time smoked Armstrong. And every other convicted doper. And LeMond did it on a course up to 5x longer than the dopers. Oh, and LeMond did it on a Walmart looking bike with box section wheel and downtube shifters. Nah, LeMond didn't need any aero tech, slick clothing, wind tunnel tested aero position, fancy bike, power meters or any of that garbage to go faster than all the dopers.
Faster than dopers.
On a course 5x longer.
With garbage equipment that is *proven* to be much, much slower.
Hmmmm....
Speaking of riders who tested positive, how many riders in Le Tour tested positive during the 3 years LeMond won? Not one. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
How many of those *very same riders* tested positive during other races during those same years LeMond won? About 1/3.
Do you think there's a chance you're still being "willfully blind"?
What Armstrong did to Greg LeMond and his family is almost unforgivable. It was done with Armstrong’s knowledge that what he said was not true about LeMond and was deliberately done to cause Greg and his family pain.
There is no ALMOST! Cheaters will do anything and could care less who they do it to!
@@tomcat1319 It is almost, people can be forgiven. I’m not saying LeMond has, but he can absolutely forgive Armstrong if he chooses too. And there’s obviously nothing wrong with LeMond if he chooses not too.
LeMons didn't cheat.
Peoples biggest problem is thinking and treating sports people like heroes of virtue, they are are just good at their job, against others at the same job in that era. Why people think they are any more virtuous than any other folk in any other job baffles me.
I never could understand celebrity worship whether it's sports, entertainment or politics
I had the honor of meeting Mr. LeMond years ago. My signed poster of him was on my wall for years. I encouraged him to try out a local trail, and he said he was planning on it and asked what I thought of it. He's such a nice man.
Just discovered this channel. Very good. And, as a 75 year old serious cyclist since 1972 who even raced a bit in my late 20s and followed the pro and am scene since then I can tell you that LeMond is a true class act. Getting this interview is a coup. Good job.
LA isn't a s-bag for doping. He's one for what he did to cover for his frauds.
Agreed. He was a s-bag AND he doped. He did nothing different than anyone else re: doping, he was simply more meticulous about it like he was all his training. People don't seem to realize "whistleblowers" like Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis were bosses on other teams when they got busted for doping. Armstrong wasn't forcing them. It was a doping era. What LA deserves scorn for his how he treated people.
@jaybobd. You should read David Zabriskie's story in the USADA report before you comment on things you know little about.
@@jaybobd many in the tour likely were not on illegal drugs
@@brb4754 You mean the one where Zabriskie talks about doping with Landis after leaving Postal? Thanks for proving my point.
LA has quite the narcissistic manipulative personality. That's what I really don't like about him.
I was a huge LeMond and Armstrong fan and one of less than 100 fans who were present at Armstrong's NYC Nike Town reception immediately after his first Tour win. He made a nice speech and totally blew me away after having golf ball sized cancer tumors from his lungs! I was absolutely Awe struck. The next summer I attended a cycling camp in Italy where we rode a mountain stage of the Giro di Italia. One day there was a crit race where some of our camp attendees U.S. domestic pros entered against the local Italian juniors. Some of our guys were Pan American track medalists. It was one of the hottest days I ever seen yet at the end of the crit the young Italians absolutely anhilated everyone. The guy who took first went directly from the finish line to a television interview and there wasnt a drop of sweat on his head. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed. Smiling and laughing. When I looked over at our guys they were literally on the floor sweating buckets and their faces bright red. That's when I knew that if the juniors were doping at an entry level pro race then the major tour guys were absolutely on the gear. And Armstrong is beating them clean? Thats when I said to myself this defies common sense.
Are you implying the Italian juniors were doping?
@@glennwatson3313 absolutely not its totally typical for a cyclist to finish one of the most intense forms of racing on a 100 degree day with nary a drop of sweat while blowing the doors off experienced riders who had medaled in international competition. Your comment jogged some memories for me now 20 plus years on. I distinctly remember the frosted tip of his poofy hair still dry as he was posing for photos while all the non-local rider were on the floor drenched in sweat like somoene had dropped a bucket of water over their heads.
Later I asked one of our riders what he thought about this him being from Belgium to get his view. He said bluntly "I'm not surprised whatsoever." He told me that when he was a junior and winning everything locally he was approached by the top team which was also based in Italy so I think you can guess which one I'm talking about, and with his father present they basically said "look we'd like to offer you a spot on our development program. But we need you to understand something. You will be doping. We get paid to win races." No sugar coating or dancing around the reality. As subtle as a brick wall. His father refused them which is the only reason he was even able to discuss it.
@@porscheoscar That's too bad.
This reminds me of what Gary Neville and Roy Keane recently said about playing against Italian teams in the late 90s and early 2000s and how after the games the Man United players would be knackered while the players on the Italian teams would be looking fresh 🤣
My mother has worked at one of the largest fitness/cycling stores on Long Island for like 50 years. I remember when this event took place.
I was in Paris as a teenager when Greg won the Tour. Our American Youth Hostel group watched the whole thing in awe. Now 57, this yt video is motivational!
LeMond the true American GOAT. So glad truth prevailed and LeMond came out of the other side.
😂
no way. LeMond was never a GOAT, he was never even in that conversation. He was a mediocre rider and now he is still bitter and angry and just a old "Karen" now.... he is a joke.
GOAT?! Are you for real?! 😂
He is the American GOAT. If not him who the hell is. Lance Pharmstrong, LOL!!!!! Don't make me laugh.
He said American cycling GOAT which he clearly is. There isn't even another contender. World GOAT no, that is Eddie.
Armstrong was an American hero for a while. He was winning the TDF every year. A lot of people in the US, like me, followed the TDF every day. I would watch the stages in the evenings during July to see what Lance would do. I found it amazing how a guy could ride a bike for two hours, and then suddenly bolt away from his competitors on an uphill climb like it was nothing. We found out, didn't we.
Bolting away from competitors on the same gear, that is. What a villain.
The other guys were on EPO too lol
We all take everything we can to get an advantage.
The fact that he was selling products and bringing the huge American audience to cycling and TDF, was what made everyone turn a blind eye. Pro sports are fundamentally about bringing eyes to the advertisers brands. There is no pro sports without it, so while athletes are admired, they work for the sponsors and LA did a good job for that at the time. They didn't want to know how he did it.
@@2011hwalker why would you say everyone else was on EPO. its speculation, which is not even likely
Excellent interview - Greg has always been my hero.
LA was not completely worthless, he can always serve as a bad example
Sort of like your mom I guess
only thing he's good for is organ donation
Now that’s keeping it positive and looking for the silver lining. He won that for sure.
Always a silver lining to the cow pat.
"His victory is unbelievable." Great response Greg as you could take it both ways.
Armstrong apologists ALWAYS excuse his doping by claiming that 'everyone was doing it' [which is patently inaccurate in any case]. But did any of these other dopers behave in such an utterly evil, bullying and intimidatory manner as Armstrong?
Did a single one of these other dopers set out to deliberately destroy that rider [and his family's] lives as Armstrong did with the Lemonds. Walsh's Andreau's, O'Reilly's, Kimmage's, Hamilton's, Landis's etc etc? No!
Armstrong is a control freak, psychopathic monster who would stop at nothing to be number one. In one of his books, he proudly states that you're 'either with him or against him' and whilst some might admire his competitive spirit sport is best remembered for its acts of sportsmanship, dedication, effort and respect among competitors.
Armstrong's 'win at all costs' mentality therefore has no place in sport or indeed in humanity. As ex women's World Champion cyclist Nicole Cooke so accurately put it when asked about Armstrong, 'He's a disgusting human being'.
Well landis and Hamilton are bitter clowns. Juiced to the gills themselves but bitter they couldn’t beat armstrong. You either are against doping or not, you cant pick and choose who your happy to let dope
Everyone at the top was doping. It's always funny watching the self-righteous in these discussions. You would have doped as well if you were in that situation.
@@charlestoddsullivanforpres6628you still don’t get it! Look past the doping part and see what Lance did to all the people telling the truth. If you can’t see that, then you’ll never get it….
Not only is it patently inaccurate - just look at Christophe Bassons - his intent to utterly destroy the lives, careers and reputations of everyone who dared challenge him was unforgiveable.
@@charlestoddsullivanforpres6628 No, it is not true that all who succeed must be cheats because they wouldn't have been able to compete with cheats. People do win at every level of competition without cheating. Perhaps you feel its necessary to cheat your friends, family and neighbors because you'll make more money so Lance is a good hero for you.
Journalist Paul Kimmage referred to Armstrong as a "cancer in cycling"
Sensationalist rubbish. The whole field was on EPO and god knows what else. Lance was an arrogant guy no doubt but he wasnt the devil.
Kimmage is a clown. did he not admit to drugs in the 80's? He would have done EPO is a second if he had a chance to win
not the whole field was on epo. This wasn't the 90s.
@@drunkensailor112 Fact is that the ASO doesn't want to call another winner because they know that the numbers 2 till 10 were also all doped :-D They don't even know which rider in those Tours was riding clean. That's why they don't call another winner. Let's say that the 7th domestique of Lotto was riding clean and he became 94th. Plus a rider of another smaller team was also riding clean and he became 112th. The number 94 knows that he was clean, yet, the ASO would decide to give the Tourvictory to that number 112 :-D I would be furiated. Oh, and guess what... Before 1999 they took everything what they could get their hands on and after 2005 the same old story just continued... I remember a guy running up a mountain without his bike... Now let's see one of the rules in the UCI guidebook: A rider that is (partially) taken a part of the route without his bike will be disqualified.... Oops.... Ask David Walsh how he was treated at Sky. :-D :-D :-D The juice now went to Team Fossil Fuel Zero Female Rights. With Mauro G. and Tadej P.
I held LA up as an example to my Son. Diligent training and preparation, dedication, persistence, clean living, and hard competition---these are the things that bring success. That was the message of LA's achievements that I gave my Son.
I will never forget nor forgive LA for his cheating, for what he did to others (both great and small) in the cycling world, and especially for making a fool of me when I was trying to be a good Father.
thats on you for choosing a pro athlete as an idol for your son
@@poindextertunes 100%
That s ur fault, not LA's. Who would put a professional cyclist as an example? U did not know the sport was dirty? You could have chosen your father as an example for your son. Find the hero where they are: around you
He's not Louisiana. You're giving him too much credit.
The other comments are so uncharitable. It's important for children to have role models. If the role models are not who they claim to be, place the blame where it belongs.
I remember back in the 80s as a kid my parents driving from Carson City to Reno through Washoe Vallley and seeing him riding. Quiet humble man.
Battle Born💪🏻
LeMond is why I got into cycling. A Legendary Rider and awesome person.
as a loyal Trek rider who has purchased several over the years i think I'm going to change this year after watching this.
What a rube.
I never did like Trek bikes.
@@HWG-wm8ld seems you're more the rube than I. What's a matter? Can't seem to explain yourself with more than 3 words?
@@stewarts8597 wow you are thick aren't you.
Better late than never. I never gave Trek bikes a penny. Cannondale, Felt, 1980’s Steve Bauer, Pinarello, Lemond, and Colnago got my business, because Armstrong was the epitome of a toxic narcissistic sociopath.
"Our raided up guy beat your raided up guy" - Bill Burr
A loooong time ago, when I was living in Colorado, near the Olympic Center, I had the opportunity to watch Greg race...there isn't a cooler sound the listening to bikes pass as they shift gears...I watched Greg tear it up.
I never believed in Armstrong. Greg's tour victory in 1989 was the greatest ride I have ever seen. "Never quit early." In my view LeMond is the greatest American cyclist of all time.
Let's be clear: in France they said Lance was doping and that he didn't deserve to win. Of course, everyone just assumed that ALL OF THEM were doping - the Tour had always been corrupted by doping since its start. They were just pissed that an American was the best doper.
The Tour de France was Armstrong's sole event. He never entered the Giro d'Italia or other major races. Being the "best doper" is nothing to celebrate.
Please. The Tour organization pampered and actively COVERED Armstrong since 1999. Even when every single journalist knew he was a cheater. They covered him because the big champion sells.
Very good interview, good hearing Greg’s side of it.
I bought a carbon Lemond back in 2009 and it still kicks ass all these years later.
I was lucky enough to be in Paris for the final stage of the 1989 Tour de France when Lemond came smoking by my vantage point. Most impressive sports performance I ever witnessed. Greg was fast. Way faster than anyone else that day. It was visually apparent. No one was close to him. It was a great day to be an American in Paris!
they were all taking drugs including lemonds era
I suppose Greg first realized it, when Lance said “no thanks, I have my own guy”. Cycling is the dirtiest of dirty sports. It is an arms race to find the best undetectable dope.
Just like many other sports it became “who knows the best chemist”
Not anymore though. Cycling is probably the cleanest sport out there now
@@drunkensailor112
Meaning they pass the tests they take? Lol
@@A.J.1656 no. They ride minutes slower than in the 90s on each climb
@@drunkensailor112
So they are clean based on the clock? lol
I stood next to Greg in 1989 in the French alps right after the aix Les bains stage and two days before the famous time trial in Paris and comeback Tour de France victory. He was climbing on cars looking for his crew. I was right next to him while he was being interviewed on French tv. What a moment.
I was a bicycle racer in San Diego and Utah for about 8 years and then 5 more years in Los Angeles.
Greg Lemond was one of the reasons that I fell in love with the sport.
What Lance Armstrong did sickened me so much that I walked away from that sport and never came back.
Went to surfing and swimming instead.
Still sickens me to this day when I hear the name Lance Armstrong I want to puke.
Same for me mate. I admired his achievements,and believed him wholeheartedly (like a fool) It was actually an awakening for me. I have very little trust or belief in anything anymore,and I question absolutely everything. He was my hero,I defended him,and if I had not heard him actually admit to it all himself I probably still would. It is a massive betrayal. And the worst of it,is that I no longer love the sport anymore. I finally stopped watching it when the cyclists didn't put up a fight against the insane covid measures. They were racing side by side, blood,sweat and tears and would then get up on the podium and do interviews wearing those stupid masks and social distancing from the same people they had been racing against. Insanity is not a strong enough word for it.
@@atmywitsend1984 what's stood out in your to me is MASSIVE BETRAYAL
,,, LA victim here of the : I wanna believe ,,, !
@@rolandtamaccio3285 No. I raced with him before he got famous. Hated him then. Hated him now.
Tears falling from your eyes? Geezus, who cares.
No idea who this Podcast host is - but he's great. He shuts up and lets the guest talk.
Welcome my friend
I helped out Greg LeMonds grandfather once. Gregs Grandpas Garage door opener was not working right and his door would not close. Well he called my office at KB homes and my boss sent me over there to help him out. Since KB homes did not install the opener I undid the latch so that I could close Mr LaMonds garage door for him. He was a truly nice man and he gave me a magazine about Greg
Greg put training wheels himself on my first bike….never forget it
I cry thinking back of those good times
Greg LeMond is a legend!
I once had the utmost respect for Armstrong... once.
One thing I’ve learned over the years watching professional cycling is if it looks too good to be true, it probably is
Greg was a tremendous champion rider!
He came to my hometown Athens, Georgia in the early 80s for our Twilight Criterium.
Athens started this race after the success of Breaking Away (they later filmed the BA TV show here)
It is sad that there are so many Armstrong doping supporters still around.
It's also sad the Lemond is obsessed with Armstrong.
@@Matt-fb5xe *Armstrong actively tried to belittle Lemond and ruin his company; he has every right to hold a grudge against Lance.*
He's well liked in Belgium.
Yeah, Lance should have just sat back while everyone else doped and allowed his cycling career to fizzle away. How dare he get on an even playing field.
@@Matt-fb5xe Lemond is more than entitled to his victory lap, as well as to fill in the parts of the story that weren't made public.
Clearly Walsh had an important role in exposing Lance. But he put a lot of sources in the line of fire.
I wanted Fignon to win that 8sx Tour but as I grew older I realised just how talented LeMond was and what he went through. A good guy.
74yrs old guy. Love bicycling, always looked forward to the Tour de France, but after Armstrong's cheating came out, I lost all interest in the sport. How could anyone watch a lie. Still feel that way.
I live in a country where cycling is a huge deal. We have produced several top riders, including multiple Tour De France winners. EVERY SINGLE TOP RIDER dopes. EVERY-SINGLE-ONE. The top teams will not allow a person to be a team member if they do not participate in the team doping program. It does not matter how strong they are without doping, refusing to be a part of the doping program is an immediate non-starter.
doping is the default... if you want to be verified natty, test voluntarily... the current anti-doping measures does not prevent doping
LA is, at base, a terrible person. But he had an army of enablers that helped facilitate him. Their names should be up in lights also.
When greg mentioned his le monde interview of 94 it reminded me of that photo of lance in his rainbow Jersey and greg in his gang kit and another article from a defunct British cycling magazine in which it was stated that lance wanted to buy or lease the house in Belgium in which greg and kathy had lived for a long time and it was clearly a kind of 'statement ' on lances part------greg clearly meant 04 in the context of that part of the podcast though 😊.
Does Lemond have a response to the Cycling Highlights video?
Cycling Highlights is part of the dark corner of Internet. Not worth to respond to thatclickbait champ
@@martinschaefer9581 well the video raises some questions and is up to 36k views now. And it's worth mentioning that blood bags were developed by the US Navy for pilots prior to pressurized cabins. There's a paper published in 1947.
And doping still continues today, Armstrong beat the French at their own game .
This obsession with the French is weird. The French weren't winning any GTs after '98 (or since), mostly because they were the ones to actually criminalize doping which made having large doping networks risky. Not just for a forced vacation, but for actual legal trouble.
Compare the amount of team-wide doping cases in Italy vs. France. It's night and day.
And yes, doping continues today. What the fanboys (and maybe Armstrong) don't understand is that he's not "beloved like Pantani" because he cheated at bike racing. It's because of the complete abuse of power he exerted over everyone else. I would counter that with a different question - how are people so quick to love abusers? it's really weird if you see it from those lenses. From what he did to Andreu(s), O'Reilly, Lemond, Bassons....
You think its about the doping..?
Greg LeMond was a big part of the reason I got into cycling in 1990. I was lucky enough to buy one of his LeMond Team Gan official frames when he retired in 1995. Still ride it today! Like many others, I fell for the Armstrong fairy tale and even for a while thought LeMond was acting jealous. How wrong we were! Thanks, Greg, for being such an ambassador for a great sport. Too bad others tried to destroy it while pursuing their own egos.
Great clip, love hearing interviews with Greg. It's interesting how even the bicycle industry is utterly corrupted. Treks handling & strong arming of another legend of the sport is disgusting. Hope people in the community start going out of their way to support smaller or independent manufacturers instead of corrupt giants.
I owe Greg Lemond an apology. He and I had curse words with each other when I accused him that it was jealousy that was fueling his Armstrong stance. Fast forward a few years and he was 100% correct. Mea culpa… 😔✊🏼
Doping aside, Armstrong tried to destroy people's lives who were against him. That I cannot forgive.
So they could try to destroy him, but he was supposed to be Christlike and turn the other cheek? Is that how you'd respond to people trying to ruin you?
@@A.J.1656 Armstrong wasn't being ruined, he was being exposed as a cheat.
@@A.J.1656 "destroy him" by simply stating the truth? He treatened Simeoni in the 2004 Tour, and Simeoni wasn't doing anything against him personally. He had to testify in court against Ferrari.
“Our roided up guy beat your roided up guy”
-Bill Burr
Think its: our Psychophay beat your psychophat wich is even more fitting in this case.
It's not about how Lance won his titles, it's about how he treated people who doubted his titles legitimacy.
@@hessunator Exactly! Go read up on that people...
I wrote that comment before you did. You copied and pasted mine, but mine was deleted.
@@hessunatorwell of course....he didn't win, did he
I raced in college. '88 to '91. LeMond was a big influence. Still have his book on my shelf. No respect for LA. It wasn't the doping. Like people have said. Everyone else was doing it. It was his lying about it and destroying anyone who dared question him that is unforgivable.
Forget Armstrong, Greg is the legend… the Fignon time trail is what got me into racing - absolute kudosGreg, thank you!
When Armstrong blew everyone away including Big Mig in the 1993 World Champs road race where the peloton didn't even consider to chase him down I'm pretty sure all his competitors knew he was enhanced!
I can tell you lived the era just by your mention of, "Big Mig". 👍
Indurains physiological gifts were discussed in a university class I had once...just absolutely insane numbers compared to the average mortal. The stuff of legend.
@@tonygSDWRhaha yeah he was amazing kinda crazy Armstrong became arguably 'better' in the tour.
@@Lt.Mingus69absolutely I studied in Finland and a Spanish post-grad physiology student also studying there told me an unknown 20 y.o. Miguel Indurain broke their bike erg when testing him 😮. And that he has an identical twin who was also a pro 😊
It was also down to an act of bribery against the guy that was favourite to win, some kind of deal was struck beforehand. There's a documentary on it somewhere, not sure if it's on youtube. Oops, found the documentary. It wasn't the world champs it was a US Pro championship race.
Still waiting for Lance's apology to Betsy Andreu.
One of my good friends was a top track athlete and he knew one of the US Postal team riders very well. The guy told him back in the early 90's Armstrong was using EPO and steroids. This was prior to Armstrong's cancer diagnosis. The friend refused Armstrong's threats for him to also start on the same protocol. So, the guy quit the team.
I’ve had a LeMond bike for 16 years and it is the best bike I’ve ever owned!
I owned a Lemond bike in 2004 and loved it. Trek screwed him.
His bikes were keepers. Better than the treks.
Still got mine, 2006 Buenos Aires, steel and carbon. Fantastic bike.
@@dom24363Still have mine. Entry-level aluminium from 2006. Still a lovely bike to ride.
I love mine. Changed the way I ride.
They were treks with different stickers, you had to know that.
Big fan of LeMond ✊No one ever seems to consider the fans though. In 2004, my partner and I paid good money to travel from the UK to France to watch the team time trial. I think it was an infamous stage where Armstrong and team had blood bags set up in the team bus before the start. We stood for about 6 hours in torrential rain to see them come first and as it turns out the whole thing was a charade. I feel like we wasted our time and money.
Raced with LA…
saw, felt, sweated his beyond Human performance
That was tough to follow. Greg was talking about more than one thing at a time, getting different parts of different stories mixed together, and I do not remember where the title of this video came into play. Was there a moment when he knew? Again, he talked about all kinds of things people were saying, or telling him, but I didn't hear "the moment".
Right after the bicycle was invented (Day Zero), doping began in bike racing (Day One). The interval was so short, time measurements describing that miniscule measurement of time haven't yet been invented.
Passed on my le Monday Zurich to my son, recently. Loved that bike, because I love the man. 853 reynolds, with ironically a trek fork. Campangnolo group. Lovely bike
I don’t believe for a second Lemond was clean. As one French rider said during the lemond era “sure you can ride the TDF without amphetamines but why?” Everyone doped one way or another and Greg was no different. He just didn’t get caught because nobody did then.
Thank you for pointing out LeMond's hypocrisy. He was as dirty as anyone else in the peloton, then and now. The tour organizers and cycling governing body knew Lance and everyone else was on the hot sauce. They just looked the other way because it made for exciting racing and created a huge interest in the tour and the sport. Money, advertisers, and sponsors flocked to sport.
You two are awesome, I love how you've cracked the case and revealed the truth with just your gut instinct!
@@johnlennon6790you mean just like LeMond knew before LA admitted it? LeMond knew because he was a doper too.
I still remember how big of a deal it was when Greg won the Tour De France.
My tri bike is an old steel LeMond. Love it.
The professional cycling environment was very toxic at that time. Greg was a great cyclist and Armstrong was a bully and a cheat .
and it still is, it's just that today's cheaters are more protected than amstrong
Oh boohoo😢 maybe better call your mommy for some tissues
Is your dad back with the pilk?
@@gunnersama8343 "More protected"? Never a cheater had been more protected by a race organization than Armstrong by the Tour organizers. In tour 1999 Armstrong tested positive for corticosteroids FOUR TIMES, and yet the organizers managed to give him a pass and silence the journalists.
LeMond was doped like the rest of them. you can't tell me he was so much better and won against doped riders while all other clean riders lost against cheating dopers.
Lemond has a massive VO2. He didn’t need to dope. look it up.
@@sleepingsealproductionsAnd Indurain won 5 tours in a row without doping.... sure
@@sleepingsealproductions yeah yeah, so did his doped rivals. he's just an angry old man because armstrong stole his spotlight
I think all you guys need to watch the full interview. He never claims he was clean. Really. Watch the full-length version.
Good; greg lemond is a great guy!! I’ve always admired him.
Also, I did have a lemond bicycle that I liked very much.
The issue is not that he cheated, everyone was doing it. I mean everyone. Everyone knew about it and everyone participated. He was, in the end, the scapegoat for everyone.
He had been more protected than everyone else. In Tour 1999 Armstrong tested positive for corticosteroids FOUR TIMES, and yet the organizers managed to give him a pass and silence the journalists.
I was an avid LeMond fan up until 89. But then these things happened:
1. Last Giro TT. From nothing to everything. He was being dropped for tens of minutes the stages prior then does this.
2. First TdF time trial. Everyone cites the last TT but that first one he was about a minute down with less that 20km to go and comes back to win it and does so without looking tired when he gets off the bike, I remember begin at my coaches house during this stage and the look on his face was gaunt. I asked how. He was one for words but was silent. One of his protégés, Graham Jones finished
3. World champs. Catching Fignon out of nowhere. Watch the live footage. Greg comes from nowhere and gaps him like he's a junior. This is a guy that earlier in the season was fighting for is career?
When you go to someone like Yvan Van Mol that was the King of dopers and would go on to fuel QuickStep, you have to sit up and question. Van Mol left Quickstep a few years ago - what have they done in the last few years?
It's like asking what did Bolton Wanderers FC do after their rise to fame in 2005 when they rose through the ranks to finish 5th in the English Premier League. Shortly thereafter, their "doctor", Richard Freedmen went on to work for Team Sky. Oddly, they did well too before becoming cornered in scandal. Or asking why did Stephen Roche's career drop into oblivion after leaving Carrera only to come back after rejoining. Italian spring water or Conconni?
And this all happened the year when EPO was launched commercially!
The funny thing is that all Lemond's success started when EPO went into clinical trials in his backyard. He would have gotten EPO when he was shot, and his doctors had to sign non disclosures regarding his intake tox screens.
What?! Didn’t you know, Lemond is the only clean cyclist ever and anyone that’s better than him is using drugs and motors in their bikes?! 🤷🏼♂️
@@jenspetersen5865 My questions: did LeMondcever fail a test? Did any of his teammates ever come out with statements saying he was doping? In the absense of any if that, I will go with innocent til proven guilty.
Take a drink every time that he says, "you know".
"His victory is unbelievable." A great line, more of a Delphic statement than PR.
Lance Gunderson is his birth name and is the name on his birth certificate. Armstrong is his step dad's name. Lance thought it would sound better.
I don't want to stoop so low as to make fun of somebody's name, but Gunderson sounds like a pile of garbage to me.
So does Armstrong now that I think about it.
To any fan of 1960's TV cartoons, Gunderson is the name of a good guy, a scientist colleague of Dr. Benton Quest.
@@angusquake That's cool information. But, Lance could not keep the name of a good guy
Armstrong, in the rainbow jersey, is signing autographs at the very start of my other clip. He finished the 1994 Milan-Sanremo in 99th place, over 5 minutes behind the winner Giorgio Furlan (who may or may not appear at 2:55 ahead of Tony Rominger). This was the season when many got suspicious about the amazing race results of Furlan's Gewiss-Ballan team. Anyway ... I think this "monument" race, the first of the spring classics, no longer starts in the shadow of Milan's Duomo (cathedral).
th-cam.com/video/rNsPOrPBpWM/w-d-xo.html
@@angusquake yeah and I remember when he abandoned the tour of France in one of his early attempts.
Let's compare that to Greg Lemond in his early attempts.
Oh yeah Greg almost won it.
I started cycling after seeing Greg compete - he’s awesome
It must have been very hard to watch all the armstrong fan boys when he knew the truth
That guy is from Dublin, who is he?
The guy won a Tour De France with buckshot still near his vital organs---A total legend.
Hey Greg, how much of the entire field was also doping? Who is the racer with the highest finish that didn’t dope? Are they even in the top 20?
And this is why to this day I won't own, ride or have anything to do with a Trek product. That company was complicit in the fraud that was perpetrated on the public. Shame.
Same I used to own Treks starting in 1991. But not anymore.
Huge LeMond fan here! I will say when the top 40 finishers are all doing stuff, it is tough to deny. If Lance didn’t come out of retirement (or simply went to a different aspect of the sport) he would have been fine.
I am a small fish in a small pond in a completely different field than sports. And in my limited experience with the media, if 60% of what is reported about you is true, you are doing really well. This interview gives good insight about how the media's top priority is money (through twisted, out of context sensationalism), veracity comes in second.
There was drugs in cycling when lemond was around. To even suggest riders in the lemond era were clean is ridiculous.. it wasn't epo but there were other substances being used.
like coffee?
Ben Johnson was the first i can remember and that was in the 80s. So athletes were priming then but I don't think testing was as sophisticated as it is today or isn't it 😂
Armstrong became the godfather of an organized crime syndicate that just happened to use pro cycling as a front -- pure and simple. And the biggest unanswered questions -- how, why, when.
Money, money, and money…
E.P.O. drug
Greg and Major Taylor the greatest American cyclists. For an American to win the Tour when Greg did it was truly unbelievable. He had to fight everyone including the fans who spit on him and knocked him off his bike. When he sacraficed a win for his team leader he won the hearts of many Europeans and domestics.
I remember Greg Lamond back in the 80’s. Boy he’s younger than I am at 67. One of us has not aged well.
Kind of shocking.
FWIW, I had a LeMond Nevada City - I've had only one other bike where the geometry worked as well for me. Loved that bike. Wish I still had it. I hate the way Trek treated Greg LeMond.
Would never buy a Trek for the same reason
" Yeah, it was when I was jacked out of my mind on PED's and he still beat me."
I hope the good people can be restored. And the bad (ALL) will be held accountable.
I followed the Armstrong saga as it unfolded and I also read his 2 books remember in his books he kept on saying how he would never, ever ,ever use any peds after the cancer ordeal he had been through and I totally, totally believed him as did millions others so thats just really disappointing also he cheated so much and escaped detection for so long its like a guy robbing the same bank dozens of times you'd have to say the drug testers of that era were pathetically inept or the cheaters were just so much more advanced, probably a bit of both.
Remember he came within a breathe of getting away with it all his comeback was where he finally tripped up. Armstrong said years later he's postive he would have got away clean but for that comeback and he would have been everwhere ripping into the drug cheating cyclists who followed him the whole thing is just crazy with the benefit of hindsight.