Monthly Archives: February 2017

Bruyneel – “Lemond – An Asshole”

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Johan Bruyneel did an interview with a Belgian magazine and in that interview, he has some pretty opinionated views.  He said that the detractors of Lance Armstrong are like a “sect”.  Then he goes on and criticises Greg Lemond about his efforts to try to clean up the peloton with his help with discovering mechanical doping.   I don’t get it why he even has a pedestal to speak? What is wrong with the media over there?

Johan goes on to explain how the peloton of old, felt about Greg.  He gives a few comparisons, then just said that he was “an asshole”.

Anyway, wow, that is pretty extreme.  Considering his background, it seems like pot calling the kettle black situation, even if he really believes what he is saying.  I’d bet a lot of people would use that very term to describe him.  But, he is with Lance and not Greg.

I’ve had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with Greg.  On and off the bike.  Asshole would never come to mind if I was using an adjective to describe him.

Greg could be a very intense person, like nearly every top-level athlete I’ve ever met.  Greg took the sport pretty seriously and was pretty concentrated when on his bike.  But that doesn’t come close to making him an asshole.

I don’t think that I know anyone that knows Greg personally that would call him an asshole publicly, in print.  I know a few that have called him that in person, but that was in jest normally. Maybe a few times being serious, but that is common in a tight-knit group.

Cycling of old wasn’t the cycling of recent.  Most everyone got along alright and the best riders “showed off” with their legs, not by spewing stuff out of their mouths.  Today, it is amazing how badly riders talk about each other through the media.  And how they say how great they are going.  That is a big red flag in my book.  I never knew how well I was going until after the race was over.

I remember talking to Greg about the 1989 World Championships he won, beating Dimitri Konyshev, of Russia and Sean Kelly, of Ireland.  He said he felt like shit the first 4 hours.  Then the rain or something made him feel better and better.  At the end, he felt unbeatable, which he was.  I doubt a Greg Lemond interview before that race would have been anything but modest.

I like Greg.  We’ve always gotten along and he’s always been nice to me.  He tried to help me in the Junior World Trials, when I first started, and has been nice ever since.  He even tried to buy me some hockey skates.  Maybe he should have made that offer to Johan?

Anyway, Bruyneel doesn’t get to play in our sport for a few more years.  I’m not sure where he is on his 10 year ban?  But for the guy to say that mechanical doping doesn’t exist is insane.  Just because the only “caught” competitor is a women, doesn’t mean that it hasn’t occurred on the men’s side.

Then to call out Greg for having issues with Lance.  That is crazy.  He said – “I do not know what’s wrong with LeMond. It is not normal when you’re so obsessed with Armstrong.” 

Lance made Greg and Kathy’s lives miserable for a very long time.  And when you were on Lance’s bad side, he could be a real “asshole”.  Maybe Johan should have mentioned that?

Greg winning the 1989 World Road Championships. A classic photo.

 

 

Another Birthday

This entry was posted in Just Life on by .

Today is my birthday.  Another one.  They keep coming in constant procession.  I’m not normally too big on celebrating birthday.  Still aren’t, but this one is a little different, I think.

This head injury deal has made me appreciate life a bit more.  Not that I didn’t appreciate life a lot already.  It is just that when you might have come close to not having it, you tend to pay a bit more attention to it.

I’ve already lived a couple years longer than my father.  When he died, I didn’t really take into account how old he was and how much potential life he had left.  You don’t do that when you are young.  At least I didn’t.  Now is a different deal.

Both my mother and father aren’t alive.  They lived their lives and I didn’t have much control over them.  They were great parents, but rotten on their own preservation.  They aren’t alone in that category.

Maybe I’m not so good at it either.  Maybe I am, I guess I won’t know that for a while.  I do know that I like living and would surely be disappointed if I quit doing that shortly.  But, it is life, and as we all know, we ultimately don’t have all that much control over the endgame of that.

I have a doctor’s appointment in a couple hours.  Guess I’m going to try to retrain my eyes and ears to work together with my brain better some.  Plus, get some more ear crystals to go back to where they belong.  Seems a little weird, but I tend to be more dizzy after I leave the dizzy doctor than before I went.  Maybe it is like getting active release or something.  It might hurt initially, but is good for you in the long run.

I try to ride my age in miles on my birthday.  I had a friend that used to do that running.  He did that until he was around 50, then switched to kilometers.  Anyway, I haven’t done it in a couple years.  I should skip it this year again since I have a bad head cold, but sort of feel like riding.

Catherine is taking half a day off work, plus Bill is feeling a little better from being sick, so we’ll probably just ride over to Lawrence, just some coffee and ride back.  That is the correct mileage. It is supposed to be nearly 70 degrees today and tomorrow.  I’m not sure we’ll make the one mile for every degree temperature winter rule.  Maybe, but maybe not.  It is supposed to be windy and when that is the case here in Kansas, it is pretty windy.  Should be fun either way.

Okay, I didn’t sleep much last night, from coughing most of it.  Think I’ll try to sleep another hour before heading to the doctor.   It is my birthday, I should be able to sleep in.

Nice picture someone made.

And then I got an email with this, early this morning, like last night. Seems appropriate.