Anyone pulling for Ullrich or anyone else to unseat Lance this year? I'm beginning to feel like the L in OLN stands for Lance- and it is feeling like being a Lakers or Yankees fan. Not that this is any sort of original speculation, but if not for Lance, how might Ullrich have fared the last several years in the TdF? Not to take anything away from Armstrong (his accomplishments already border on miraculous)... but if for no other reason to keep the pantheon in place, to forever fuel debates about Merkx vs. Lance, etc... to show human fallibilities. This year more than ever there are worthy contenders. Or- has Leblanc already redesigned this year's tour to stack the deck? If so, for or against Lance (and I'm thinking against)?

Anyone pulling for Ullrich or anyone else to unseat Lance this year? ...to forever fuel debates about Merkx vs. Lance, etc...

I'm pulling for Ullrich and would like to see Mayo make a good showing. I'd also like to see Heras win a stage.

I want to hear the excuses LA comes up with when he loses.

The LA channel is getting really annoying.

There is no debate about Merckx vs. LA--except by the clueless.

Lance is going to have to have a good tour with few errors to beat the field again this year. There just seem to be so many challengers: Ullrich, Tyler, Mayo, Heras, Vino. But when you look at his skills, he may have lost some, but he is still very strong on TTs and in the mountains. He may lose a little time on the long TT to Ullrich, but to no one else who is a contender. He may lose some time to climbers on mtn stages and on the ADH TT, but probably not enough to overcome deficits on the long TT and team TT. In the end, he'll likely outclimb the TTers and out TT the climbers enough to win. Closest competitor will again be Ullrich because Ullrich will crush the climbers in the TTs and hang tough on the climbs. Having the tour be more about climbing skills favors Lance over Ullrich.

Winner: Lance! Second: Ullrich again!. Third Tyler Hamilton. Fourth Mayo. Next year: Cunego!

The ongoing Lance show does get a little tiresome.

I gotta' cheer on Tyler Hamilton because the guy is so impressive riding through the injuries that he has had. I've also always enjoyed his diary entries and other stuff I've read that he's written. He seems like a genuine good guy that I'd be happy to hang with.

The other guy that I like to watch is Iban Mayo. Watching him climb the mountains in last year's tour was pretty exciting; out of the saddle and just flying up AdH like a bat out of hell. I like the fact that cycling is practically the national sport of the Basque region of Spain and that EE started as a club team. Obviously they don't have all the sponsorship $$$ or the organization that USPS/Berry Floor has but they've got the fan base and I'll be rooting for Mayo...

Anyone pulling for Ullrich or anyone else to unseat Lance this year? I'm beginning to feel like the L in OLN stands for Lance- and it is feeling like being a Lakers or Yankees fan. Not that this is any sort of original speculation, but if not for Lance, how might Ullrich have fared the last several years in the TdF? Not to take anything away from Armstrong (his accomplishments already border on miraculous)... but if for no other reason to keep the pantheon in place, to forever fuel debates about Merkx vs. Lance, etc... to show human fallibilities. This year more than ever there are worthy contenders. Or- has Leblanc already redesigned this year's tour to stack the deck? If so, for or against Lance (and I'm thinking against)?

Just like when Tiger Woods is in contention in golf, the ratings go up for OLN the more they talk about/show Lance. Tyler Hamilton is a distant second, and all the other American riders are off the radar of the general, non-cycling public. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it goes. Lance = ratings = money.

Just like when Tiger Woods is in contention in golf, the ratings go up for OLN the more they talk about/show Lance. Tyler Hamilton is a distant second, and all the other American riders are off the radar of the general, non-cycling public. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it goes. Lance = ratings = money.


Yeah, it would be tragic to profile some "unknown" European rider, like, well, pretty much the rest of the peloton... it ends up being a cultural issue- like watching the Olympics- how in the US media, it ends up being such a US-centric event, rather than an international event. OLN is effectively painting the tour using one color- Lance yellow- rather than with the full pallette of colors with all the individual dramas that unfold every day and in every stage... I almost wonder what coverage cycling would receive without him (although the Giro and Vueleta are still shown)... but then again, isn't OLN one of US Postal's sponsors?

Frankly, I really don't need to see Lance hanging out in his RV belching with his buddies, or making out with Ms. Crow... I rather watch/listen to more of an untamed Bob Roll ;) (Has OLN been sedating him lately?)

I'm beginning to feel like the L in OLN stands for Lance- and it is feeling like being a Lakers or Yankees fan. )?

In 2002, I watched several days of the Tour on French television. Based on the coverage and commentary, you would have thought that Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque were the two leaders of the race. My guess is that the coverage of the Tour in most countries has a slant in favor of the local heroes. That being said, I think that OLN is excessive in its Lance coverage.

Last weekend, I was discussing the Lance Chronicles with a group of riding buddies. The concensus was that the show actually has diminished Lance's appeal -- it really seems to evoke the @sshole side of Armstrong's personality. It is one thing to have hostile media make a public figure look bad, but I find it hard to believe that Lance's publicity machine (which I assume is behind the Lance Chronicles) has such a blind eye to the disaster that the show is. Lance would be better off is he just let his legs do the talking for him.

In February 2002, I was in Moorea, watching French TV coverage of the Winter Olympics. It was all France, France, France. At the same time, my sister was in Whistler, British Columbia. She said the Canadian TV coverage was all Canada, Canada, Canada.

however, OLN's 2 1/2 hours of coverage and 4 hours on key stages, sure beats ANY network coverage which would be Lance Centric + 45 minutes about some rider who lost his wife the week before to a bicycle accident and how he's trying to win a stage for her (no offense to anyone who has had a recent death in the family) and 15 minutes of real race coverage. Even ESPN covergae was lame compared to OLN's thorough coverage. If you go even farther back to 1985 and 1986 the coverage of the TDF consisted of a 1 inch square column in the New York TImes that featured 2 day old information - all it had was top 10 stage and top 10 on GC!!!! An occaisional story by Samuel Abt would accompany key stages....
So, keeping all that in mind.. god bless OLN - the commentary maybe be Lance CEntric but the race covergae is probably the TDF French Feed anyway...

If Paul Sherwin annoys you, just put away your Phil and Paul Bingo cards and turn off the sound...

Looking forward to 4 hours of good Amercian Tele on OLN in about 4 weeks time.

-Nik

There are a lot of companies and CEOs making money off of LA as and vice versa for the man himself. OLN is no exception – not to mention whoever distributes the DVD for "The Lance Chronicles". A lot of fans (cuz that's all they are for any sport) are infatuated with Lance for the same reasons they were fascinated by Michael Jordan or for that matter, Babe Ruth: people love to see the "super-human" at work. Champion, pompous jerk, cancer survivor, celebrity, businessman, whatever. The fact is that people want to see records broken and the seemingly impossible realized. You didn't need to be a basketball fan to be impressed by Jordan flying to the hoop.

Let's not confuse our fatigue of "Lance Romance" with reality. Jan, Joseba, and Iban have not had anything stolen from them. They just weren't better or "luckier" at the right moment. I'd rather see any of those other guys beat Lance because they're BETTER at the right moment(s), not because I'm tired of Lance winning.

By the way, if you're sick of the OL(ance)N, turn the television OFF, because you're bound to be "haunted" by that Nike commercial on many other stations.

is myopic. I'm sure Mayo and co own Basque TV. I know Jan does in Germany. It's the way it goes, cover what the people wanna see and people wanna see their heroes.

is myopic. I'm sure Mayo and co own Basque TV. I know Jan does in Germany. It's the way it goes, cover what the people wanna see and people wanna see their heroes.

Ya, the lance stuff is overdone. The worst might be tennis however. ESPN insists on covering Serena Williams or Andre Agassi drubbing an unknown when top (non-american) players are playing close matches on other courts. Drives me crazy. Who wants to see a blowout?

LA is the MJ of cycling today. Love him/hate him/love to hate him whatever. He brings ratings in this country. My guess is that if Indurain were the current champ, there'd be a lot of him on TV too--just not as much as Lance. Win the largest event five times in a row in any sport and there will be a lot of media attention. That's the way it is...

LA is the MJ of cycling today. Love him/hate him/love to hate him whatever. He brings ratings in this country. My guess is that if Indurain were the current champ, there'd be a lot of him on TV too--just not as much as Lance. Win the largest event five times in a row in any sport and there will be a lot of media attention. That's the way it is...

Exactly. Less Lance watch, more riding.

Ya, the lance stuff is overdone. The worst might be tennis however. ESPN insists on covering Serena Williams or Andre Agassi drubbing an unknown when top (non-american) players are playing close matches on other courts. Drives me crazy. Who wants to see a blowout?

LA is the MJ of cycling today. Love him/hate him/love to hate him whatever. He brings ratings in this country. My guess is that if Indurain were the current champ, there'd be a lot of him on TV too--just not as much as Lance. Win the largest event five times in a row in any sport and there will be a lot of media attention. That's the way it is...
Really. They are gonna hype him because if he wins 6 in a row that is historic and a sure ratings getter. I'd love to see him do it but wouldn't really shed a tear if Hamilton managed to keep the bike upright and pull off a win. Jan has had plenty of chances at unseating him so I'm less likely to root for him.

and hype =ratings
ratings=revenue
IMHO am glad as without him (LA) cycling coverage in America would stink. Better too much of one thing than not enough of the rest.

Don't kid yourself. There would be no opportunity to see basically all of the Tour on TV in America if Lance wasn't doing what he's been doing. And forget about the Tour de Romandie and the Dauphine. Puhleez! It's all made possible by those Subaru ads that make me want to puke. Still, I'll suck it up to hear Phil wax rhapsodic about that "steam train" Petacchi or counting down the miles until the peleton inevitably reels in the poor, fading breakaway rider. Damn! Lance or not, I want the tour to start today! The Giro's been over about a week, and I'm already in withdrawal. And it's not like Lance rolled through the Tour last year like some heartless robot. He struggled, he was tested, he dug deep (not as deep as Tyler, but still), and he pulled it off. If anything, Ullrich's the Drago clone in the peleton. Lance is pretty unhuggable, it's true, but he knows where his bread is buttered - in America. And in American boardrooms, the only cycling they know is the TDF. Concentrating on the race makes a lot of sense when you consider that. It's not that much different than the idea that a Spaniard must win the Vuelta or an Italian must win the Giro.

Maybe I'm just a myopic, romantic American fool...

would rather be buried in Lance related cycling than no cycling at all. without him we'd probably have next to no coverage stateside. Go Tom Danielson! we need an heir to the throne. Hopefully, Tyler, Julich, maybe Floyd can keep up the interest until the next great American comes along. Considering we've had 2 in the last 20 years and the French have had none, odds are we'll have another. Everybody get your kids riding!!!! Our TV depends on it:o)

would rather be buried in Lance related cycling than no cycling at all. without him we'd probably have next to no coverage stateside. Go Tom Danielson! we need an heir to the throne. Hopefully, Tyler, Julich, maybe Floyd can keep up the interest until the next great American comes along. Considering we've had 2 in the last 20 years and the French have had none, odds are we'll have another. Everybody get your kids riding!!!! Our TV depends on it:o)

Ya, I know I was inspired as a 14 year old or whatever by Lemond. Not that I amounted to much of a bike racer myself...still, that was my first exposure to cycling. Then later in college I found out that LA had won the world championships....I'd just gotten into MTB at the time. I'm sure it is good for the bike companies to have an American at the top. More Americans interested in cycling = more revenue.

My fear is that once Lance leaves the scene, it'll only be a couple of years before cycling coverage on American TV will once again be ESPN/CBS style.

I'm a Lance fan, and I would love to see him get six. But I've been sick of the hype for years now. It's sad that people who don't follow racing have no idea how many other good American riders are racing today. It's so nice to see Hamilton hit the top level and stay there. If anyone unseats Lance, I want it to be Tyler.

Ullrich? I'm tired of Ullrich. His time is past. Bring on the young Italians. Sella! Cunego! And let's not forget about Valverde, who could become an all-time great if he could get on a decent team. Ullrich? Who cares about Ullrich?

I can feel for some of these people... the once ignored sport of cycling is being marketed like there's no tomorrow because of LA... once he retires... the trend will be dropped like a bad habit. Oh well...

...ironically enough... ive come across certain people who bash Lance for the sake of being a non-conformist... yet you see them in a ride and they look like Lance-a-bees.

Without LA... cycling would not get the coverage we enjoy today... so as bad as it is now... it'll just get worse then. So, I for one am glad I got to see this guy do his thing during my lifetime. :)

is myopic. I'm sure Mayo and co own Basque TV. I know Jan does in Germany. It's the way it goes, cover what the people wanna see and people wanna see their heroes.

You haven't seen the Australian coverage then. Its far from myopic, and we don't sit sessions of lance armstrong nor do we endure the brilliant efforts of Brad McGee, we see whats happening with a good depth of perspective. The channel that shows the Tour, shows the Giro or the IAAF athletics or even the FA Cup and they show it with a great deal of detail and coverage not the myopic crap that people talk about with regards to OLN...

would rather be buried in Lance related cycling than no cycling at all. without him we'd probably have next to no coverage stateside. Go Tom Danielson! we need an heir to the throne. Hopefully, Tyler, Julich, maybe Floyd can keep up the interest until the next great American comes along. Considering we've had 2 in the last 20 years and the French have had none, odds are we'll have another. Everybody get your kids riding!!!! Our TV depends on it:o)

I've gotta agree with you 100%! It's funny because everyone used to complain about the lame coverage that cycling got here in the US. Now we are immersed, and people are still complaining! Who cares.... If you don't like the show, change the channel. Turn it back when a race is being televised. Just keep in mind, though, that the race that you are going to watch is because of Lance. And... we should enjoy the coverage while it lasts because when he retires we can kiss it all goodbye. Besides, I think that the show is kinda cool. Maybe I'm in the minority, but oh well.

I can feel for some of these people... the once ignored sport of cycling is being marketed like there's no tomorrow because of LA... once he retires... the trend will be dropped like a bad habit. Oh well...

...ironically enough... ive come across certain people who bash Lance for the sake of being a non-conformist... yet you see them in a ride and they look like Lance-a-bees.

Without LA... cycling would not get the coverage we enjoy today... so as bad as it is now... it'll just get worse then. So, I for one am glad I got to see this guy do his thing during my lifetime. :)

Well said. I agree with you 100%!

You haven't seen the Australian coverage then. Its far from myopic, and we don't sit sessions of lance armstrong nor do we endure the brilliant efforts of Brad McGee, we see whats happening with a good depth of perspective. The channel that shows the Tour, shows the Giro or the IAAF athletics or even the FA Cup and they show it with a great deal of detail and coverage not the myopic crap that people talk about with regards to OLN...

Well, I think people are referring to the Lance Chronicles show and the Road to the Tour preview shows. The Giro coverage for instance didn't focus on LA or Postal...I'd expect some of the Tour previews to focus on LA, but he's won the last 5, so that's only natural.