If we do see Lance at the Antwerpen race this winter it will be at the expense of few dozen other Euro renners.
Something to think about: at the Euro races everyone negotiates start contracts. The big stars like Nys and Boom pulling more money to start a race than you can imagine. With the lesser PRO riders getting as little as a few hundred Euro.
When a big name rider like Lance eats up a small UCI ranked race’s budget the lesser PROs are pitched to the sides, often getting no contract at all.
So in reality, Lance racing cyclocross may actually be hindering the sport less than helping it. By keeping a bunch of lesser talent from starting a few showcase races.
Or, should my line of thinking be that Lance racing these few showcase cross races will turn the heads of USAC policy makers and get cyclocross some funding and recognition? Lance racing Euro cx may somehow validate it in the eyes of the US public and bring it to the national consciousness?
The doctor cutting on me a few days ago asked what type of racing I did. She was being polite and trying to keep my mind off the scalpel.
“I don… I can’t explai… I don’t want to explain it right now…” I winced.
We both laughed but, I admit, it would have been nice to just blurt out “cyclocross” and have her say something like:
“isn’t that what Lance tried doing this year? The one where you run?”
Discussion
10 comments for “ANTWERPSE SCHELDT CROSS, WORLD CUP AND INDOOR ZOLDER HASSELT CROSS, ARMSTRONG INTENDED TO START”
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Maybe he will race for free….like he indicated when he announced that he was “coming back”.
why is he wasting our time with this silly attempt to prove himself, post-retirement, as more than a one-trick pony? granted, it was a pretty huge, awesome trick, but STILL…
i side with your first line of thinking, the one about screwing some smaller-name racers who truly love the sport, just so a guy who cant live out of the limelight gets his media attention. this isnt about boosting cross, this is about ostensibly boosting the livestrong/anti-cancer thing, but in my opinion, more about stroking his own ego.
im over the lance era. over it.
first off. great blog.
i fall in the second camp.
did versus (formerly oln) have live tour coverage before lance?
i understand how smaller riders might get screwed, but lance is only doing a couple races and the long term benefits will help the smaller riders.
@ joel.
who cares if he’s stroking his ego? are you telling me boom, nys, or wellens don’t have egos?
Isn’t it a bit like when Jordan played baseball? Or was it some other basketball player… It was all so unremarkable, and a little embarrassing.
If (big if) we can take Lance at his word and he is doing it for the reasons he says, the Euro races should offer him a spot but not a dime of money – after all, he’s not making a living off this like the other guys are. If he needs to get paid, let Nike or his other sponsors pay him. That leaves the Euro cross budgets intact to pay the “real” cross racers, and Lance gets his winter training and his ego stroked (or not).
I like to stroke my ego by leaving comments on eponymous blogs.
chris – i dont care if hes stroking his ego or not. its just that i think thats what this is all about, more than anything else. i dont doubt that nys et al, or any of the rest of us have egos as well – i just consider this whole comeback thing a publicity stunt, and i respect it accordingly.
do you really think that lance showing up to a few token cross races for this one season is going to have a lasting effect on the sport, or whether or not cross will be broadcast live in the states? its a flash in the pan, a momentary distraction.
who knows, maybe hell race for free, no start fees, like matt mentions. thatll make the issue moot, i suppose.
@ joel
i don’t think cross races will be broadcasted live, i was using that as an example of lances impact on the sport. lance is THE reason the tour is broadcasted live in the us now. and while cross will never reach the scale of road biking, a highlight on sportcenter might interest some people, and some people in a land of 300,000,000 is more than a handful.
Let’s hope he’s racing for free. Although with the dip in the market he might be getting worried…
It doesn’t necessarily matter if he races for free or not. He likely would race for free, though, since that’s his claim and the start money which seems big to cross racers is really not going to impact Lance. But, promoters pay riders to come to their events to bring in a crowd – they charge admission at these races. If Lance is there, the attendance will be probably be big already. So they wouldn’t need to pay as deep on start money for lesser known riders. Is this good for cyclocross? I doubt him racing some cross is going to end up on SportsCenter, but might bring more attention to it within the cycling community.
RC