Lance Armstrong ! Some advice !

My Letter to LANCE !
Delivered by a Tweet , hope he decides to read :


Lance ,

  "  Through the many years that i have been riding the routes of the Pro World Cycling Tours, i have had mixed responses from you . Mostly they appear to have been favourable .I have treated ALL Racers in the same way , with a certain amount of respect , regardless of misgivings as to their proberty in respect of any  " Doping/PED usage "! It would have been foolish of me to treat " Vinkie " in a bad way , since his No 1 Mechanic , for any number of years , was always " Helpful to me " , whenever i needed advice or assistance . In fact the British Mechanic , Alan , on your teams at different times , was friendly and helpful . Craig , the Kiwi mechanic , with you at Astana , now with Orica / GreenEDGE , is another example . So many Teams have had their Record " Blotched " by the " Less than Honest Behaviours " of their Racers . Many of the Team Support Staff , are fully aware of the situation they find themselves with , the alternative is to leave , and HOPE , they find employment elsewhere . How can they be certain , that it is not , jumping out of the frying pan , into the FIRE !  Media Reports , suggest , you were less than kind , to some of your Support Staff , let alone those that raced with you !

You may recall that in Monaco , " Le Tour Grand Depart of 2009 " , i asked you to have your Team Members carry " LiveSTRONG Wristbands , in their pockets and pass them to any people in wheelchairs , beside the barriers , as they went to the " Sign on podium ".  I repeated this request , when riding with you before the start of the  Rotterdam Grand Depart , 2010 . Both of these occasions resulted in me being on TV and on front page of various Newspapers . Of course , my story , is so old now , that Journos take no interest in reminding theeir readers or viewers of my interest in Assisting " Para Athletes "! As you have told Journos in front of the Crillion Hotel in Paris , i seem to ride more milage than you , each year , certainly a thankless task !

I can think of several people , that have been inspired by your efforts , over the years in respect of LiveSTRONG .  @8 wristbandman was with me in Monaco and Jesolo , having fought cancer , successfully for several years , he is still supporting you , regardless of the mud that besplatters you in recent times !  39stoneman , is another that has continued , to blog his support in recent times .

Since the " USADA Reasoned Report " people have been trying to put distance , between their actions in past years and your current morass of difficulty ! An example of this can be found in a Tweet i received recently ! Mike Rann , like others , saw you as an opportunity to further their interests . No doubt as a Politician , he relied on his Staff to guide him ? With that advice he went along with the opportunity to " Publicise " the Tour Down Under " start in 2009 . Only You , will know , how easy it was to arrange an " Appearance Fee " , and where these monies were deposited ! You will be aware that most people THOUGHT , that this money was going to " LiveSTRONG "! Where it actually was banked has led to a huge amount of Speculation ! Perhaps , one of your mistakes , was  creating a " LiveSTRONG.com ( Personal Business ) " , marketed alongside the " LiveSTRONG.org ( Charity Org. ) " , ALL your detractors , have honed in on this facit of your affairs , rightly or wrongly ?  Mike Rann's tweet to me :
 " Mike Rann ‏@Mlke_Rann
@skippydetour Please dont mention my name and that man in the same sentence again... I'm trying to distance myself from any connection!

Friends like this , who needs enemies ?

Social Media has been of benefit to you over the years , not only Twitter , which at one time , was more tham 4.2Million followers , but other platforms in which you invested . Currently , there are a few Tweet addresses , asking people to use the " Unfollow " facility . Time will tell , how effective they will become ?

When it was confirmed that Oprah , would be interviewing you , in your home , many hopped on the " Bandwagon " with their views as to how and under what terms this " Interview " would be conducted ! Speculation is " Rife " , about the reasoning , leading to this interview . Personally i have mooted the possibility of a reoccurance of " Health Issues " ? Most are of the view that the 1996 Cancers , were the result of the " Cocktail of PED Products " , that you are accused of using ! Suffice to say , most are of an opinion , that this is about " Lance " , not about a Genuine Desire  to rectify past errors of Judgement ! The following link refers to a " Baseball Player " and his " Confession ":

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/sports/baseball/11giambi.html?_r=1&

This is an example that you should not follow , you will find yourself in a " Firestorm " , should you take this course .

Far be it for me to offer you advice , considering the amounts you spend , to retain the best professionals in every respect , needed to preserve your previous " Good Name "! With reports of your Assets being in excess of $125M , it is possible that you are getting good results , from your investment in their endeavours . Very hard to put oneself , in your shoes , and decide , if ALL your decisions , since the return to Road Racing in 2009 , were beneficial to your and your family's wellbeing .

Not having access to the Oprah Winfrey Network , i guess , i will see segments in Sky News and on CNN Sport programmes . Whatever takes place , ONLY a full disclosure of the relevant facts , will satisfy ANY of the Viewers ! People like " Jaime Fuller of " Change Cycling Now " and; Skins.inc " have voiced their concerns as to what you plan to do :
 http://watercooler.skins.net/blog/2013/01/08/hey-lance-if-youre-going-to-confess-you-better-do-it-right/#comment-235
 Reading his Blog Post , reveals GOOD Advice , no doubt , you will have another perspective ?

No doubt , you are aware of " Phat Mc Quaid "  losing his WADA Executive status , he claims that he was on the Executive since 2009 , Heinous , currently , has not repeated his " NEVER , Never , etc " remarks , regarding your friendship , doubt he will sleep easy , until after you appear on the " O Show "!

In the past , you have had regiments of Journos , following you at the various Cycling Tours , eager to earn Plaudits , for a different " Spin " , on your remarks , NOW , they will be like Pirannas , endeavouring to draw " Blood " ! You will lose  , regardless of how " Honest " your part of the " Interview " turns out !

Since first posting this Letter to you , the following from David Walsh has appeared in the Media , both in the U.K. and in the Chicago Tribune :

https://twitter.com/lioneljbirnie/status/290156457746395137/photo/1

Many of these questions have been posed to you over the years , so they will not surprise you ?

Sincere disclosure only , please ! The outcomes and their results are hard to predict . In past Blog Posts i have described you as either a " Saint or Sinner " depending on a Person's point of View !

Choose a path that helps your family , they will have to live with YOUR CHOICE !

Their Welfare is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY !

Ciao
Skippy

NB   Should you not follow blogs in Europe , here are a few comments worthy of consideration :



  "  Difficult not to think this will be a highly manipulative interview by Armstrong portraying himself as a victim and martyr, only doing what others were doing (as the Lance-apologist photographer Graham Watson was saying in his blog a few days ago, which apparently met with Armstrong's approval).

  "  Being interviewed at home in Texas will also give Armstrong an opportunity to create just the right surroundings to say what he wants to say to an American audience which I suspect will be a lot more sympathetic to his case than people over here.


  "  That would indeed be ace. It's like a train crash, it's perverse to watch but not sure I'll be able to help it. Although the early-hours slot might take care of that for me.

  "  Funny, the last half dozen Lance stories have lacked any rabid fanboys telling everyone else how brilliant he is... wonder why that is?!


  "  He won't confess to anything at all. I predict that the phrase "maybe I've made some mistakes" will be used, perhaps "I'm not an angel", and similar.


  "  Then they'll talk about all his charity work, how many people he's inspired to take up cycling, and a million people who care about the sport will combust.


  "  The guys at RedKitePrayer.com had a good analysis of this nonsense. Anything Lance does is completely self serving because his cashflow has come to an abrupt halt. He doesn't travel on Livestrong's dime any more. He doesn't get paid to all of the things he normally does. Padrag even floated the idea that it's politically motivated so he can run for office in Texas.

Go away Lance!

  "  I think I did a little sick in my mouth, pass the bucket there's more

  "  Now, if Dame Edna had been doing the interview that would have been different

  "  You guys are all dicks... I bet if you were in his shoes you'd do the same thing. If I was on the brink of death and survived and had a chance to come back and start over, I'd do the same thing. I'd be all in, no half assing, you're either with me or against me, cause life is too short to f*** around.

Saturday Evening , i came across the " Guardian Newspaper " offering  , which may be worth consideration :

THE OBSERVER'S 10-STEP PATH TO REDEMPTION

1. Observe an injured, even dignified, silence. Give nothing away.

2. Express televised contrition, ideally to a popular host.

3. Involve your wife/partner in 1. and 2.

4. Apologise to everyone, but don't confess.

5. Suffer a life-threatening illness.

6. Write a book; write three books.

7. Smile through your tears; be brave.

8. Mobilise the support of influential friends and allies.

9. Turn to prayer; find a priest; talk about confession, but keep the details private.

10. Keep Buggering On.

Some of these points , i am sure you have already considered ?

KING CAV will ride the SKY in 2012

 

 

Delighted to read that “ King Cav ” is going to ride for Team Sky in 2012 . So much speculation in the last weeks about which team and which “ Sponsors ” will be involved in the deal .

My source was “ Podium Café ” and here is the link :

 

 

 

http://www.podiumcafe.com/2011/10/11/2483390/confirmed-mark-cavendish-to-team-sky  

Cav is a popular Racer with a Huge Future and so far all that is missing in his career are the Olympic Medals that he had hoped for in Beijing !

More importantly is that Berny Eisel will be with Sky to help build the Train that has been a hallmark of the success of HTC team these pass several years . Cav can win by himself as Robbie Mc Ewen was in the habit of doing but there is something special about watching the various trains fighting to get their man in place to WIN on the line . Gossy , Wilson and others from the HTC team train will of course be working hard to disrupt the continual success of Cav’s sprints . Andre Greipel must be heaving a sigh of relief that “ Specialised ” did not convince Mark to join the Quickstep / Lotto team so as to have him continue riding their bikes .

Will Sky have King Cav at the Tour Down Under must be a key question for the media at present as they will be looking to see the results of Cav wearing the “ Rainbow Jersey ” which tends to have been a jinx for the wearer in past seasons . So many of those wearing it have had difficult seasons and then enjoyed success when it passed on to the next Racer .

Have waited until now to offer congrats to Mark on his winning the “ World Champs ” since I felt certain that he and the British team regarded the result as a certainty barring accident or injury .

Now as another of my favourite Bloggers has pointed out recently we are less than 100 days from the start of the TDU !

MEMORIES !

@PremierMikeRann’s tweet about Gough Whitlam triggered memories of the events of Nov 11th 1975 when Gough’s Government was sacked by Sir John Kerr , the then Governor General who was the Queen‘Representative in Australia ! At that time I was working for NCR in North Sydney and being driven north on the “ CoatHanger ” by one of my bosses after a meeting in the city . Just before midday the “ Breaking News ” announced the outcome of Gough’s meeting that morning at Government House in Canberra and of course there was the recording of his voice saying “ God Save the Queen because nothing will save the Governor General ”

Naturally the Media went ballistic and even more so when Malcolm Fraser was asked to take over in interim Government whilst the House of Representatives was sent to the country in preparation for a general election . The Coalition of Liberals and Country Party went on to win the Election thus returning the country to Conservative Government and some would say stability . Later Bob Hawke would be elected leader of the Labour Party but that is a story for another time and place .

In other blogs I have mentioned meeting Billy Mc Mahon on the Squash court in the late 60’s whilst he was treasurer in John Gorton’s cabinet . The guy I was waiting to play squash with was together with his brother the founders of a Rubbish Compacting business called “ Big Foot ” . Harvey was kind enough to loan me his Bob Lexen designed yacht , “ Big Foot ” , moored in Rose Bay on the Sydney Harbour during the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic period .

Harvey sailed from Sydney with others to Scandinavia some years later , he advised that he was arriving but after several weeks of travelling around arrived in Brighton , UK whilst I was tied up with a tour in the North of England . I only discovered the day he was to fly out how short his visit was to be . His step daughter was living in Brighton at that time so of course family comes first and since returning to Sydney he has retired and moved down the South Coast to his farm . Regretfully I have lost contact as emails to his family seem to have failed either to reach him or he like another friend , that I remain in touch with by occasional phone call has no internet access .

Brian Brown was the veritable personification of “ Mr NCR ” and I had the pleasure of being entertained and welcomed by his family on many occasions through the years . It was always a pleasure to welcome him and his wife into my homes over the years . Lately Dee has been the victim of Cancer so their retirement in Scone has not been as happy as they could have wished . Those remembering the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games will recall the Quarter Horses which Brian together with his committee were responsible for supplying . Somewhere in my Computer photo records I have kept copies of that event and having turned over every stone I am still unable to locate them to liven up this post .

Brian like myself has made investments for retirement that failed to return the success that was hoped for . In the mid seventies he worked as Chairman for the Liberal Premier of New South Wales and would occasionally get the “ nod ” from mates about Shares that were likely to go for a run . Most likely whoever was passing the info had already taken a position and left the “ herd ” to make them richer ! From these flutters I got the “ Share trading Bug ” for a decade or so and did quite well as the market moved higher but I guess in the long term I could have been much wiser to follow other investment avenues and opportunities .

Looking back over the years I recall many people that I wish I was still in touch with , but when Guys marry you are dealing with a new situation , and the new partnership comes first , which can mean that those friends that you enjoyed being “ Jack the Lad ” with , will not risk trawling over memories of “ Single life in the City ” . The Sixties had a certain reputation and Sydney , Melbourne and Perth were right up there as places to be single . Recent times I tried renewing contact with a fellow socialiser from the mid 60’s , now a retired solicitor that had just returned from a European trip . So far he has not found the time to put me in touch with the other member of our occasional Friday night social group of those times . The Peter G. I was seeking out was a barrister not the Doctor recently honoured in Oz .

Not being interested in Cycling or Cycle Races until 1998 meant that most of my time in Oz was such that living in the shadow of Camperdown Velodrome for several years , I was unaware of the Sport and those participating . Occasionally people say to me “ you must know…” and regrettably unless I have met them here in Europe I am at a loss as to their input to the cycling world .

Having stated a desire to ride Perth to Sydney and thence Adelaide for the Tour Down Under should I find the backing , I am yet to hear from anyone offering any kind of encouragement or even support . I have most of the equipment and the fitness level needed but financially the project would require support and would attract huge publicity for the Organisation being promoted . Whilst in Oz I was always happy to help fundraising for Legacy and enjoyed some success whilst working for NCR but that is a story for another time .