Lance Armstrong

[Ese_Guy]

So what do you guys think?
Greatest athlete ever?

[FAJA]

He's certainly a great athlete, but I think calling him the greatest ever is overstating. Apart from anything else, there are so many ways in which a person can be called "athletic" that it's not really possible to know who the greatest is.

[haroldino13]

I think he's an amazing athlete. Not only did he win six straight tours but he did it after recovering from cancer and being close to death. I think this is the reason why he has been so successful. Being so close to death has made him mentally stronger than any other athletes around. :thumbsup:

[LebSoccerBoy]

yea, i wouldnt say he is the greatest athlete ever....but you could say the greatest cyclist ever. because, you couldnt give him a futbol, football, baseball, basketball, and all those other balls out there and him do amazing things with those. i guess the greatest athlete would be one that could use at least 3. and i dnot think we have seen that yet! but GO LANCE!!! i hope he does it next year too!

[Ese_Guy]

So, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, and probably a few others are greater athletes because they have participated in multiple sports?

Lance overcame adversity. He not only one the Tour de France once, but 6 times. This cycling event takes place over 21 days across an average of 200 km, per day. Sure he's the greatest cyclist of all time, but his sheer determination, endurance, and will are probably more than any athlete in any other sport.

Don't get me wrong, other athletes deserve credit for their feats as well, but in this case, Armstrong seems to take the cake.

Who then would you consider the greatest athlete?

[Greek Succer]

He can't even ride a wheelie. That would impress me. I mean, yes, he defeated the depression and counteracted the deterioration cancer causes on the body, but, come on, he can't ride a wheelie across the finish line?

Lance Armweak in my opinion

[Josef]

Go Lance! He is the best in his field.

[lsgworldl]

So what do you guys think?
Greatest athlete ever?

fourth consecutive gold medals

Steven Redgrave: born the 23 .3.1962 in Marlow, Great Britain
Club: Leander Club, Henley on Thames
High: 1,95 m Weight 105 kg
Coach: Jürgen Gröbler

He has competed on the British national team every year since 1981. In the 10 years from 1986 to 1995, Redgrave medalled 9 times in the straight pair and 3 times in the pair with. His 13 Olympic and World Championship pair oared medals during this period include 9 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.

Redgrave has doubled in both pair events at the same FISA Championship regatta four times. (Worlds '87, '89 and '94; Olympics '88) In those 8 "man races", he has won 3 golds and a silver in the straight pair, and a silver and bronze in the pair with.

Ironically, Redgrave's first medal was an Olympic gold in the four with in 1984 in Los Angeles, after 3 years of relatively unsuccessful sculling at World Championships in which he placed 6th once, and twice failed to make the finals. The 1984 Olympics was his first event with Andy Holmes, who became his reknown partner in both pairs in the late 80's.

After another unsuccessful stab at the single in 1985, Redgrave teamed up with Holmes in the pairs for the next 3 years. Together they won 5 medals in the two pair events between 1986 and 1988, including 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. One was the Olympic gold in the straight pair in Seoul in 1988, the second straight Olympic gold medal for Redgrave and Holmes.

Holmes retired after 1988 and Redgrave won the straight pair silver medal in 1989 with Simon Berrisford, the only medal Berrisford won in his 7 World Championship and Olympic appearances between 1985 and 1992.

In 1989 Matthew Pinsent made his first World Championship appearance, winning a bronze medal in the four with. For Pinsent's three partners, this bronze was the only FISA Championship medal any of them ever won in their 19 FISA Championship "man races", once again demonstrating the influence one man of exceptional ability can have on a boat's success. In 1990 Pinsent teamed up with Redgrave, who was looking for a new pair partner. This started another unprecedented string of British successes in the straight pair. They placed 3rd in the pair in the 1990 Worlds. They followed this with five successive gold medals in the pair between 1991 and 1995, including Redgrave's third successive Olympic gold medal in Barcelona.

Atlanta was Redgrave's fourth straight Olympics. Only four men before him have won rowing gold medals in three straight Olympics: Paul Costello, USA, 1920-1928; Vyacheslav Ivanov, Soviet Union, 1956-1964; and Perti Karppinen, Finland, 1976-1984, all scullers, and Siegfried Brietzke, East Germany, 1972-1980, in the pair and four without. Redgrave is only the second sweep oarsman to accomplish this feat. Karpinnen tried to extend his streak to four in Seoul in 1988, but fell short. Redgrave was poised to do just that in Atlanta.

Expert Yogi Berra says, "It ain't over until its over." Redgrave and Pinsent have not shown their 1996 colors yet. They did not race in Lucerne last month, at which most of the 1995 pair medalists were present.

That question should keep the adrenalin running in the British pair until they had to answer it on the water in Atlanta.

Rowing history was made at the eight-day Olympic regatta on Lake Lanier.
Steven Redgrave's conquered his fourth consecutive gold medal !

'' I've definitely had enough,'' Redgrave said after teaming with Matthew Pinsent for their second consecutive Olympic title in the coxless pair. '' This is it for me. If anyone sees me near a boat, they can shoot me.''

...... But never say never !
After a few months off spent with his family, this huge man started again to train along the London Thames, realizing with his teammate Pisent that a good idea should have been creating a new crew for the British 4 coxless.
On the last days of September 2000 in Sidney 2000 Olympics this experienced and legendary crew defeated the Italian team, one of the strongest in the world, permitting to Steven Redgrave to win his 5 gold medal straight! Simply unbelieveble, he made it again!



The 34-year-old Redgrave, who overcame a childhood bout with dyslexia, became the only Olympian capable to win gold in at least five consecutive Games. Danish yachtsman Paul Elvstrom (1948-60) and American discus thrower Al Oerter (1956-68) each won golds in four consecutive trips. American track and field star Carl Lewis later joined the group with a gold medal in the long jump.

[LanceSucksBalls]

Lance Armstrong is NOT AN ATHLETE!!!! Think about it all he does is ride a bike, i can ride a god damn bike too, see watch me ride my bike and piss of the french im such a great athlete.

Ryan Leaf and Minute Bol were better athletes then Lance Armstrong.

[LanceSucksBalls]

Smarty Jones is a better athlete. My 80 year old grandma can ride a bike better then Lance Armstrong and she only has 1 leg and is BLIND!!!!!

Suck on those hairy apples!!!!!!!!!!!

[mel81x]

wow talk about hostility,
lance armstrong only rides a bike? hehe i find that amusing when u come in and talk shit about a sport where the number 2 guys is miles apart from the number one guy who has 6 titles under his belt now. try riding a bike for as long as he does and as far as he does. If u come in first above him then ur allowed to talk shit. if u know something the joe public doesnt then come out with it. if ur the guy that got the silver medal this year then ill keep my comments to myself lol otherwise i cant see why ur trying to demean someone who hasnt done anything to u but on the contrary has started cancer drives and shown those ppl that nothing is impossible.

is he the greatest athelete ever? i dont know about that because i think its a shared title between ppl that have made accomplishments in different sports. I dont think Armstrong can do what Jordan does and vice versa. I dont think Armstrong can do what Maradonna did and vice versa. its all relative and when u label one man as the greatest athelete ever then ur sort of telling the other guys that ur efforts in ur respective sports means nothing.

and that Redgrave guy is in his own terms a great athelete.

Its a strange fascination we all have about terming someone the best at something. what happens when that gets upsurped???? i think its all relative and Lance Armstrong is a great athelete in his own right.

as for our friend 'Lance' posting here .. i dont know where your coming from man so please enlighten me if you can.

Cheers
MEL

[lsgworldl]

I think this is more impresive, 4 golds 4 olympics, over 12 years, and still can win 2 more golds over another 8 years

Fourth gold for Pinsent


Photos: Race/celebration shots
Our man at the race:
'Best of British in Athens'
Britain's Matthew Pinsent claimed an historic fourth Olympic gold medal when his crew pipped world champions Canada in the men's coxless four on Saturday.
Pinsent and Sydney champion James Cracknell, Ed Coode and Steve Williams won by the narrowest of margins in a time of six minutes 6.98 seconds.

The Canadian crew put the Britons under heavy pressure in the final stages.

But the GB four dug deep to edge them out in a photo finish by 0.08 seconds, while Italy took bronze.

Profile: Pinsent's pulling power

Pinsent, 33, won his first gold with Steve Redgrave in 1992 and has never lost an Olympic race, also triumphing at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

The victory, cheered on by a swell of Union Jack-clad supporters from the stands, was a dream ending for the British crew after a difficult season marred by injury.

Four years of emotion went into those six minutes

James Cracknell
Feature: Gold against the odds

The quartet took an early lead in the race, moving just 0.44 seconds ahead of the Canadian danger boat at the 500m mark with Australia third.

But Canada clawed their way in front by the third quarter to set up a tense finale.

Pinsent's crew replied by delving deep into their reserves and as they raced to the line it was impossible to tell which boat held the advantage.

Following the photo finish, there was an anxious wait before the scoreboard flashed up confirmation of Britain's dramatic win.


The difference between first and second... 0.08 seconds

"It is really hard to get any perspective on it at the moment," an emotional Pinsent said afterwards.

"I thought we rowed a really good race and controlled it nicely in the middle.

"We knew if we got to halfway and we were with them they were going to be in more trouble than us. Then we just moved on."

Cracknell, who rowed with Pinsent and Redgrave in Britain's coxless four triumph at the last Olympics, said the win was even sweeter after the ups and downs the boat endured this season.

"Four years of emotion went into those six minutes," said Cracknell.

I am pretty confident he has the capability of winning not just the next Olympics but the one after that too

Sir Steve Redgrave
Redgrave's reaction to the race

"There has been a lot of crying and shouting in the last 48 hours and it is incredibly hard.

"After such a tough season, it is very mentally gratifying to produce it in an Olympic final, and to do it like that, by a few hundredths of a second."

German coach Jurgen Grobler was overwhelmed by the victory, saying: "This is the most emotional situation I have ever had.

"This was maybe the toughest season we had so far. We had problems throughout the season and it is a big relief for me and British rowing.

I've never known a race that close before, just unbelievable. Definitely the highlight of the games for me

From RWT
Have your say on Five Live

"We had to rely on preparation and we made really good progress and the crew was really together."

Coode was also delighted to claim his first gold medal after coming in at short notice to replace Alex Partridge, who withdrew because of a collapsed lung.

"Alex is the fifth man in this boat, ever since Henley," Coode said. "He has encouraged us all the way and he is the strongest guy out of all of us."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/rowing/3585478.stm

[Katerina]

Lance Armstrong is NOT AN ATHLETE!!!! Think about it all he does is ride a bike, i can ride a god damn bike too, see watch me ride my bike and piss of the french im such a great athlete.

Ryan Leaf and Minute Bol were better athletes then Lance Armstrong.

WOW ! You're good ! You can ride a bike, piss off the French AND suck balls !!! where have you been hiding ya multi-tasking lil fukface ?!

[lsgworldl]

WOW ! You're good ! You can ride a bike, piss off the French AND suck balls !!! where have you been hiding ya multi-tasking lil fukface ?!
I saw a guy piss in a bottle once on the tour de france :D :p

[Katerina]

I saw a guy piss in a bottle once on the tour de france :D :p

OMG ! You're kidding !

[lsgworldl]

OMG ! You're kidding !
nope the tv coverage switched to him and he was having a pis, they piss in drinks bottles, empty ones :p if they fall off whilst doing it they get :bloody:

[EASports]

OMG ! You're kidding !

I have seen a picture of the 1921 tour de france where the first 3 riders
are riding in a line at a leisuerly pace, one with a cigarette in his mouth &
the other two lighting each others cigarettes. Talk about greatest athletes ?

[lsgworldl]

I have seen a picture of the 1921 tour de france where the first 3 riders
are riding in a line at a leisuerly pace, one with a cigarette in his mouth &
the other two lighting each others cigarettes. Talk about greatest athletes ?
good on them, no health nazzis around then :p

[EASports]

good on them, no health nazzis around then :p

If only I could find this picture. I saw it maybe 3 years ago framed in an art shop with a hefty price tag. I should have just bought it then.

Any ideas where to start looking ?

[Katerina]

nope the tv coverage switched to him and he was having a pis, they piss in drinks bottles, empty ones :p if they fall off whilst doing it they get :bloody:

LOL ... I didn't know that ! poor things ! ... we live and learn I guess :)

[Katerina]

I have seen a picture of the 1921 tour de france where the first 3 riders
are riding in a line at a leisuerly pace, one with a cigarette in his mouth &
the other two lighting each others cigarettes. Talk about greatest athletes ?

I suppose they'd ban them now if they get caught doing that ...back then, there wasn't such a widespread "ban" on smoking.

[Katerina]

good on them, no health nazzis around then :p

Hehe ... how true !

We went up north (Maine) sometime last year - stayed for 4 days ... we ended up taking food back to the hotel to eat for our entire stay ... because smoking was banned EVERYWHERE ...

[Katerina]

If only I could find this picture. I saw it maybe 3 years ago framed in an art shop with a hefty price tag. I should have just bought it then.

Any ideas where to start looking ?

Ebay ? (most things end up there in the end !) ... try starting a search in excite or google

[lsgworldl]

If only I could find this picture. I saw it maybe 3 years ago framed in an art shop with a hefty price tag. I should have just bought it then.

Any ideas where to start looking ?
www.ebay.com
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com

put in key words for the picture :D