# No Gifts...



## sbindra (Oct 18, 2004)

Why we love and hate him:



> Who the hell is Linus Gerdemann?
> 
> Recently, German rider Linus Gerdemann said that he was not pleased with Armstrong returning to the pro peloton and that Armstrong's generation and its propensity for drug use is better off out of the sport. "He's right, I am older. I raced with Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Miguel Indurain and Greg Lemond of all people. I have been around a long time and I don't know who the hell Linus Gerdemann is, but I know that when I rolled up in 1992, I started winning races. And when I roll up in 2009, I am gonna be winning races. He better hope he doesn't get in a breakaway with me because I can still ride hard," said the Texan.


http://cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2008/lance_armstrong_nov08


----------



## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

I Love it.....regardless of what people think of Lance. 

It's that attitude that makes him so good, as well as other great athletes...they are arrogant, but they know they are good and when they line up they know they are the best on the road, field, court, etc. and nobody can compare.

Should be fun to watch at a minimum this year, regardless of whether he dominates again or is a train wreck. It should bring people back to watching cycling again one way or another...at least in the United States.


----------



## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

I wonder if Linus likes apples?


----------



## ECXkid04 (Jul 21, 2004)

Fueling the fire... if I was Lance, that would be all the more motivation that I would need to take this "comeback" thing a tad more "seriously"... Honestly, doping issues aside, I'm pulling for him.


----------



## slamy (Mar 15, 2004)

I'm not a die hard Armstrong fan but I like him. When I read that response I thought it was brilliant.


----------



## bmxhacksaw (Mar 26, 2008)

I hope he kicks everybody's asses.


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I love the old school attitude that respect comes from kicking ass and winning races, not from shooting your mouth off. Gerdemann may have won a few races in his career, but nobody fears him when he lines up to race. Hell, most riders probably don't even know he's there.


----------



## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

they think, "when did hillary swank start riding bikes?"



mohair_chair said:


> Hell, most riders probably don't even know he's there.


----------



## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

weltyed said:


> they think, "when did hillary swank start riding bikes?"


If you win an academy award you are allowed to do anything you want.


----------



## iherald (Oct 13, 2005)

If Cantador started talking trash about Lance, fair enough. The guy has won major races. I'm a firm believer in the philosophy you better be able to back up your comments, and while Linus could kick my ass any day, I don't know if he'll be able to back up his comments about Lance.


----------



## function (Jun 20, 2008)

Quite a ballsy statement, i much prefer the quiet confidence of riders like Voigt and Cancellara. They don't have to make threats, they just line up and dish out.


----------



## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

function said:


> Quite a ballsy statement, i much prefer the quiet confidence of riders like Voigt and Cancellara. They don't have to make threats, they just line up and dish out.


Now that just wouldn't be Texan of him would it?


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

For good measure, I learned of Lance's power numbers in the TT and a couple of his numbers in the wind tunnel.

I didn't think he could be Di Luca or Basso at the Giro, but I'm starting to think twice. The numbers are almost at his 2005 numbers and he hasn't even started his full-time training yet (like he was in 2004/2005). If he can remember what it was like to suffer (we'll see come California or even the TdU), he may have a damn good shot. Wow.


----------



## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

I have to admit I laughed pretty hard when I read this. Having dealt with LA in the past as a writer I get the sense his PR guy Mark Higgins wasn't around when this one was being thrown out.


----------



## cycledog81 (Jan 8, 2008)

Lance is a huge Texas Long Horn fan and is still pissed after last weekend's loss to Texas Tech. We all know how well Lance likes German bike racers and their mouthing off.
Should make for some interesting one on one conversations. This Linus guy seems pretty harmless:


----------



## bmxhacksaw (Mar 26, 2008)

> "He better hope he doesn't get in a breakaway with me because I can still ride hard,"


Seeing LA humiliate Herr Gerdemann will make it all worth the price of admission.


----------



## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

teoteoteo said:


> I have to admit I laughed pretty hard when I read this. Having dealt with LA in the past as a writer I get the sense his PR guy Mark Higgins wasn't around when this one was being thrown out.


He needs to speak his mind every once in a while when it comes to this stuff. Enough of the namby pamby I am just doing it for cancer stuff  Let's see him kick some Hasslehoff lovin German arse. :thumbsup:


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

teoteoteo said:


> Having dealt with LA in the past as a writer I get the sense his PR guy Mark Higgins wasn't around when this one was being thrown out.


You might be right, but this thing smells like a pretty big-time PR event. As near as I can tell VeloNews, Cyclingnews, and LA Times were actually there in San Diego. Maybe the AP, too? Who else?

He could have gone off the reservation, but they all got the story.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...RONG?SITE=WIMAR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/other/la-sp-lance5-2008nov05,0,4971764.story
http://www.velonews.com/article/84865/armstrong-still-uncommitted-on-tour


----------



## sbindra (Oct 18, 2004)

function said:


> Quite a ballsy statement, i much prefer the quiet confidence of riders like Voigt and Cancellara. They don't have to make threats, they just line up and dish out.


I understand what you're saying. I think riders like Voigt and Cancellara are 2 of the classiest guys in the peloton. However, that being said, no one is mouthing off talking s*#t about Voight and Cancellara to the press. Love him or hate him and whether or not you think he's brash and got a big mouth, someone with LA's palmares deserves some respect, especially from a guy like Gerdemann who has shown some promise but certainly is not a legend.


----------



## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

JSR said:


> You might be right, but this thing smells like a pretty big-time PR event. As near as I can tell VeloNews, Cyclingnews, and LA Times were actually there in San Diego. Maybe the AP, too? Who else?
> 
> He could have gone off the reservation, but they all got the story.
> 
> ...


Personally, I like the contrast and difference in quotes. The CN writer is an old friend of my mine who actually rides so you can see how he didn't dare chop the cyclists out, while the AP guy did, and then made Lance sound as if he were talking about his laptop at the end. 

"I don't even know who that is," Armstrong said. "I am older. I am part of the older generation. I've been around a long time and I don't know who the hell Linus Gerdemann is, but when I rolled up to the line in 1992 I started winning races and when I roll up in 2009 I'm going to be winning races. And so he better hope he doesn't get in a breakaway with me because I've got a good hard drive."


He's right, I am older. I raced with Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Miguel Indurain and Greg Lemond of all people. I have been around a long time and I don't know who the hell Linus Gerdemann is, but I know that when I rolled up in 1992, I started winning races. And when I roll up in 2009, I am gonna be winning races. He better hope he doesn't get in a breakaway with me because I can still ride hard," said the Texan.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

teoteoteo said:


> Personally, I like the contrast and difference in quotes.


Yeah, CN's report makes more sense. FWIW, Diane Pucin of the LA Times heard it the same as AP (could she be the originator of the AP report), and explains it this way:

"The double meaning was that Armstrong's hard drive is both his memory and his cycling engine and it is that fire Carmichael said was driving this comeback."

She writes the Times coverage of cycling, but is definitely not full time on the beat. Who knows, maybe she just made it up.

JR


----------



## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

JSR said:


> Yeah, CN's report makes more sense. FWIW, Diane Pucin of the LA Times heard it the same as AP (could she be the originator of the AP report), and explains it this way:
> 
> "The double meaning was that Armstrong's hard drive is both his memory and his cycling engine and it is that fire Carmichael said was driving this comeback."
> 
> ...


Bruce was Andy Hampsten's Soigneur from the 7-11 days and a very strong rider. He went on to work at Sun Microsystems and now writes mainly to make a pittance to offset the tons he made with all of his Sun Stock. We were both guides for a few summers for the same company that ran TdF tours. Sometimes a stressful existence with long hours where we would be buds one day and ready to kill each other the next. 

I covered some in the past for a different sources including CN and VN. Picking what to keep in a quote is tricky. Some of my best and worst moments were when AP ran stuff I had a hand in. Best when I got the credit in the story from a one-on-one interview, worst when they ask bad questions at press conferences and instead ran the answers to questions I asked. When it came to Lance, I'd always save my best and try to catch him alone. I figured why bother getting my best stolen when I could be greedy instead.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

The big takeaway from those reports, which noone seems to be talking about yet, is Lance fleshing out his Spring program. He seems to have declared for "all the Spring classics, except Paris-Roubaix."

I've actually always liked LA for the classics. He has a big motor and is a slightly heavier rider than some. No real sprint to speak of, but I'd think he could drop a breakaway on hillier classic and motor away to a win.

JSR


----------



## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

JSR said:


> The big takeaway from those reports, which noone seems to be talking about yet, is Lance fleshing out his Spring program. He seems to have declared for "all the Spring classics, except Paris-Roubaix."
> 
> I've actually always liked LA for the classics. He has a big motor and is a slightly heavier rider than some. No real sprint to speak of, but I'd think he could drop a breakaway on hillier classic and motor away to a win.
> 
> JSR


Very true.

I think with George elsewhere it also leaves him in spot to go for a win rather than be jerk trying to take the win from his teammate/buddy. I interviewed him 4 days before he retired (for Pez) and he went on and on about how he wished George cared more for Flanders. Talking over how he wished it would mean more than Roubaix to George. LA feels it is the more prestigious, so I have to think that is where the attention could be for him. 

The other thing they lightly touched on was his current weight. He is light. I suspect they are aiming for a Tour/Giro start at a lower weight than his previous editions.


----------



## Stogaguy (Feb 11, 2006)

*classics yes!*

I am neither a Lance hater or lover. However, there is no arguing that he one of the very best the sport has ever seen. That said, he had more success as a TDF rider than as a classics rider. Yes, he did win Fleche Wallonne in 1996, but that pales in comparison to seven straight TDF wins.

I think it would be great to see him really throw down this spring. Winning any one of the Spring monuments (at this point in his career) would cement his position as a more complete rider. Flanders is the logical choice given the terrain. A Roubaix win would be epic, but perhaps too much to hope for.

As for the trash talk, Linus Gerdemann is entitled to his opinions. However, the fact remains, Lance has never been sanctioned for doping and it wasn't like nobody was trying to catch him. Now that Herr Gerdemann has mouthed off, he better bring it his "A game" whenever he and Lance are in he same field...


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

Stogaguy said:


> ...and it wasn't like nobody was trying to catch him.


Well it's seems pretty clear that they weren't trying very hard to catch him or anyone else. Dope testing even when he retired was nothing compared to what it is today because of changes instituted to actually make it somewhat likely that not "only the stupid ones" would get caught.


----------



## LCFrecrider (Jan 4, 2006)

I thought this was all about cancer?


----------



## wiz525 (Dec 31, 2007)

LCFrecrider said:


> I thought this was all about cancer?


does that mean he should try to NOT win? it can be all about cancer and he can still be a competitor.


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

LCFrecrider said:


> I thought this was all about cancer?


It's about cancer AWARENESS. It's effectively a PR campaign.


----------



## Rolando (Jan 13, 2005)

The BOSS is back!


----------

