Paul Kimmage

[linnega]

...I see that Kimmage was again getting a few words in.  I imagine he won't be invited to too many of LA's future discussions with the press.

 

Read the commentary here: Cyclingnews

 

I imagine there will be a little more from the press and a whole lot of "knowledgeable" yanks nodding their appreciation for LA's well worded response.  Personally I think Kimmage hit the nail on the head, but then I am a big fan of Kimmage's work.

 

[SwissVan]

 

Lets face it Linnega, Kimmage was just trying to stir ***. 

 

Loved LA's response to Kimmages stirring,

 

"So it goes without saying, no we are not going to sit down for an interview. You are not worth the chair you are sitting on with a statement like that, with a disease that touches everyone around the world."

 

polite way of saying take your *** and duck.

 

Kimmage keeps refering to Basso, Landis and Millar making out as if Millar is a ok cause he confessed after getting busted, surely thats not considered a confession? 

 

What a twit I'm going to send his book (Rough Ride) back and ask for a refund, nah wait I'll recycle it tomorrow and hopefully they will make loo paper out of it.

 

 

[linnega]

Moenie worrie nie - Kimmage is at least as harsh on Millar.  I'm sure Lance had practised that little gem, but it is absolutely irrelevant to the comment that Kimmage had made previously.  Seriously, why would a journalist apologise for an appropriate and effective image?

 

Of course Kimmage is there to stir ***.  He hates everything that LA represents to doping in cycling.  He is the reason Kimmage stopped watching the Tour, and removed himself from cycling entirely.

 

[SwissVan]

 

In a strongly-worded radio interview last September, Kimmage said the sport that welcomed back Armstrong was heading backward and took a swipe at cancer survivor Armstrong's passion for the cause of raising money for cancer research.

"This guy, any other way but his bullying and intimidation wrapped up in this great cloak, the great cancer martyr . . . this is what he hides behind all the time. The great man who conquered cancer. Well he is the cancer in this sport. And for four years this sport has been in remission. And now the cancer's back."

In his quick and angry reply Armstrong first made sure that those in the media audience unfamiliar with Kimmage's work knew what had been said by Kimmage last September.

Kimmage had finished his question by pointing out that Armstrong had refused to do a private interview.

"The reason you didn't get [the interview] Paul was, when I decided to come back for what I think is a noble reason, you said, 'Folks, cancer has been in remission for four years but our cancer has now returned,' meaning me.

"I am here to fight this disease. I am here so I don't have to deal with it, you don't have to deal with it, none of us have to deal with it, my children don't have to deal with it. Yet you said I am the cancer. And the cancer is out of remission. So it goes without saying, no, we aren't going to sit down and do an interview."

 

[SwissVan]

 

Journalist: Someone who works in the news gathering industry.

 

Objective: undistorted by emotion or personal bias.

 

Kimmage: Someone who works in the news manufacturing industry distorted by personal bias.

 

 

 

 

[linnega]

When providing editorial comment you are required to make a judgement.

 

Stand back and read Kimmage's original comment with an unbiased eye.  Surely you can see his point?

 

[Speed Racer]

I really enjoyed Rough Ride.

The reason why this book still irritates people is the same reason why the Tour is a joke. Last year 25% of the stages were won by dopers.

 

Since Festina in '98 things just get worse: Pantani, Ullrich, Basso, Hamilton, Landis, Heras, Vino, Heras, etc.

 

Kimmage really cares about cycling, and just wants things to get better.

 

Just read the Pantani biography which was really sad reading. The amount of people who knew about his doping and the obviousness of his use of EPO was incredible. 

[porky]

 
"I am here to fight this disease. I am here so I don't have to deal with it' date=' you don't have to deal with it, none of us have to deal with it, my children don't have to deal with it.  

[/quote']

 

What a typical pig headed statement.

 

The less said about this idiot the better, (so YOU dont have to deal with it) - tell that to someone who sleeps strapped to a wall because their bedsores are so bad they cant lie down, or someone who cant even recognise his / her partner for the morphine, - so we dont have to deal with it- the pig headed arrogance of the man is beyond words - heaven save us from another fool like him.!

porky2009-02-13 14:03:17

[SwissVan]

 

Nooooo!

I thought the readers made the judgement based on an objective artical?

 

Ok I just read it for the first time now, TBH yes from an outsiders (read as non cyclist non sports person) he has a point.

His problem is not just LA he has a problem with lots of people.

 

Transcript of Paul Kimmage's radio interview in Ireland, 9/10/08:

"My reaction to Armstrong coming back? ...the enthusiasm that I had built up about the sport in the last couple of years has been all but completely wiped out in the last couple of hours.

Let's turn the clock back to Armstrong's last apparition in the sport. The Tour de Francehttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif 2005. He's standing on the podium. And he makes this big impassioned speech. Which is basically saying 'The last thing I'll say to the people who don't believe in cycling, the cynics, the sceptics: I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry you can't dream big. I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles.' That was 2005, his last ride in the the Tour de France. And the people flanking him on that podium were Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich. And a month after that race ended the French newspaper L'Equipe reported that in his first winning Tour de France, in 1999, Armstrong had tested positive for EPO. Six separate samples taken during that race revealed positive tests for EPO.

STORY: Angry Armstrong blasts reporter; 2/12/09

This return, he wants us to believe that it's all about saving the world from cancer. That's complete bullsh*t. It's about revenge It's about ego. It's about Lance Armstrong. I think he's trying to rewrite his exit from the sport. He's sat back and he's watched the last two years and he cannot stand the idea that there are clean cyclists now that will overtake his legacy and buy the memory of all the crap that he put the sport through.

When I heard it being mooted first that he was coming back, I thought well that's fine, because the first thing ASO are going to say is 'sorry Lance, we've seen your results from the 1999 tests , you're not coming back.' I expected a similar statement from Pat McQuaid. What's happened instead is that Christian Prudhomme has said 'yes, you can come back, no problem.' And Pat McQiad has said 'I really admire this man, he's a tremendous ambassador for cycling.' What we're getting here is the corporate dollars and the money that's going to accompany this guy back into the game. The money that's going to bring for Nike, one of the big sponsors of the Tour. And for the UCI, who have been experiencing some serious problems in the last couple of years.

Much as you want to say the sport has changed, as quickly as they can change their own opinions - McQuaid, who says one thing in private and quite the opposite in public, and Prudhomme - if they can change so quickly then I'm sorry, it's really very, very difficult to have any optimism with regard to Armstrong and the way the sport was moving forward. For me, if he comes back next year, the sport takes two steps back.

I spent the whole Tour this year with Slipstream, the Garmin team. That wasn't by accident. I chose that team deliberately, because of what they were saying about the sport and the message they were putting out. But also the fact that so many of that team had raced with Armstrong during his best years and knew exactly what he got up to. And the stuff that I learnt on that Tour about him and what he was really like was absolutely shocking, really shocking.

What's going to happen now is he comes back and everybody's going to wave their hands in the air and give him a big clap. And all the guys who really know what he's about are going to feel so utterly and totally depressed. And I'm talking about Jonathan Vuaghthers, who raced with Armstrong that first winning Tour and who doped. And if you look at that Tour, Armstrong's first win, there were seven Americans on that team. Frankie Andreu has said he used EPO. Tyler Hamilton has been done for [blood doping]. George Hincapie was exposed as a doper by Emma O'Reilly, the team soigneur. Christian Vand Velde and Jonathan Vaughters . both are members of Slipstream and would promote the notion that this was not a clean team by any means. When you look at that and what Armstrong's done and how he's seemingly got away with it, it just makes his come back very hard to stomach.

Astana's the absolute perfect team for him. He'd be renewing his old acquaintance with Bruyneel, who wanted to hire Basso last year. Will he be renewing his old acquaintance with Ferrari, the famous doctor? Will Bruyneel be taking pictures of the questioning journalists and pinning them on the side of his bus?

When Armstrong talks about transparency, this is the greatest laugh. When he talks about embracing this new transparency . I'm really looking forward to that. I'm really looking forward to my first interview request with him and seeing how that comes back. Because that would really make it interesting.

This guy, any other way but his bullying and intimidation wrapped up in this great cloak, the great cancer martyr . this is what he hides behind all the time. The great man who conquered cancer. Well he is the cancer in this sport. And for two years this sport has been in remission. And now the cancer's back."

 

 

[TheLegend]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[...]

 

 

 

Loved LA's response to Kimmages stirring' date='

 

 

 

"So it goes without saying, no we are not going to sit down

for an interview. You are not worth the chair you are sitting on with a

statement like that, with a disease that touches everyone around the

world."

 

 

 

polite way of saying take your *** and duck.

 

 

 

[...']

 

 

 

What a twit I'm going to send his book (Rough Ride) back and ask

for a refund, nah wait I'll recycle it tomorrow and hopefully they will

make loo paper out of it.

 

 

 

 

 

I think it'spathetic what Lance does - how can he use the cancer thing once more to evade a proper reply to a justified question? He's hiding behind that..he's a narcist (spelling) and the cancer fight suits him wuite well.

 

 

In a strongly-worded radio interview last September' date=' Kimmage said the sport that welcomed back Armstrong was heading backward and took a swipe at cancer survivor Armstrong's passion for the cause of raising money for cancer research.

 

"This guy, any other way but his bullying and intimidation wrapped up in this great cloak, the great cancer martyr . . . this is what he hides behind all the time. The great man who conquered cancer. Well he is the cancer in this sport. And for four years this sport has been in remission. And now the cancer's back."

 

In his quick and angry reply Armstrong first made sure that those in the media audience unfamiliar with Kimmage's work knew what had been said by Kimmage last September.

 

Kimmage had finished his question by pointing out that Armstrong had refused to do a private interview.

 

"The reason you didn't get [the interview'] Paul was, when I decided to come back for what I think is a noble reason, you said, 'Folks, cancer has been in remission for four years but our cancer has now returned,' meaning me.

 

"I am here to fight this disease. I am here so I don't have to deal with it, you don't have to deal with it, none of us have to deal with it, my children don't have to deal with it. Yet you said I am the cancer. And the cancer is out of remission. So it goes without saying, no, we aren't going to sit down and do an interview."

 

 

the diesease, the disease

 

I enjoyed Kimmage's book very much!

 

[boeing]

I agree with "TheLegend". I cant help but feel that Kimmage struck a nerve here. And the first thing that Lance does is hide behind the cancer. He has done wonders for cancer awareness, but the way he portrays himself as the saviour, even as a martyr is quite perverse

[decibach db]

"You don't have a patent on cancer. I'm interested in the cancer of doping in cycling. That has been my life's work! I raced as a professional and I exposed it. Then you come along and the problem disappears."

 

 

 

Well replied by Kimagge.

[Li Mu Bai]

I dont give Kimmage too much credit - a self confessed doper who doped because he couldn't quite hack it riding clean in the world of cycling. He rode with Stephen Roache yet wouldn't expose any of the doping that others (Roache/Kelly etc) must have been up to. He now goes on his squeeky clean mission to attack everyone else - he doesn't have a patent on doping either, although he was quite proficient in it.

 

Rough ride was a sad read, as was The life and death of Marco Pantani.

 

As for Armstrong, reading 'Tour de Force' shows a little what an absolute control freak he is. This obviously pisses off a lot of people. There would have been a humongous fuss if he was guilty of EPO doping, but there hasn't really been. Except for more insinuation and pot shots.

He at least takes a stand and uses his position to gather money for creating awareness and attention around one of the most horrific and insidious diseases we have today.

We only need to look at our own governments take on disease - garlic, potato, and take a good shower, to see how few people who have some power, actually use it to the benefit of anyone else but themselves.

Armstrong has been tested and tested and tested, and something would have been shown up if it was in his body - else everyone would be masking their doping in the way he has - this secret cant be that secret. Landis rode with him, boy scout Hamilton too, yet when going it alone they get busted.

So, come Tour time I' sure Lance will be tested some more, and then some more. If he is clean he is clean, and anger is his drug. If he gets caught he stands to lose a hell of a lot. lets wait and see...

 

[Li Mu Bai]

I agree with "TheLegend". I cant help but feel that Kimmage struck a nerve here. And the first thing that Lance does is hide behind the cancer. He has done wonders for cancer awareness' date=' but the way he portrays himself as the saviour, even as a martyr is quite perverse [/quote']

 

Having read a lot written on Armstrong and by Armstrong I haven't got the sense that he's being a martyr for Cancer, or a saviour for that matter. You obviously cant imagine what it must be like for someone suffering from Cancer, terrified that they may loose their life and everything they have, travelling across the world desperately trying to get close to Armstrong in France at the tour or wherever else he goes, trying to get some hope, or a message from him, or whatever, and having to beat a path through thousands of others in front of them.

Not everyone can or will beat cancer the way he did, yet like the priests in their silky expensive suits and sweaty hankerchiefs every sunday morning, he gives them hope in a different way, that it is possible to beat cancer.

[Tumbleweed]

When providing editorial comment you are required to make a judgement.Stand back and read Kimmage's original comment with an unbiased eye.? Surely you can see his point?

 

 

 

 

?

 

Journalist: Someone who works in the news gathering industry.

 

?

 

Objective: undistorted by emotion or personal bias.

 

?

 

Kimmage: Someone who works in the news manufacturing?industry distorted by personal bias.

 

 

 

?

 

 

 

objectivity in media? interesting subject. objectivity is nigh impossible. we are all framed by our experiences. kimmage is not objective. he admits as much. he is on a crusade. at least you know his viewpoint. thus his writing is not simple reportage. so, as linnega says, it's editorial comment. and, i believe, fair comment.

 

 

 

rude makes a good point about armstrong's control when it comes to his name being in print. media juggernaunts should be treated with scepticism and a healthy dose of contempt. armstrong's comeback was based on two things (according to him): cancer awareness and silencing the sceptics once and for all. we have already seen him back-pedalling on the latter, and the former, as porky put so well, is self-serving.

 

 

 

kimmage may have been a journeyman cyclist. once again, he admits as much in "rough ride". you know where he's coming from. at least he has the courage of his conviction. armstrong has courage, but the conviction is in doubt. holy roller2009-02-13 22:09:05

[Tumbleweed]

I dont give Kimmage too much credit - a self confessed doper who doped because he couldn't quite hack it riding clean in the world of cycling. He rode with Stephen Roache yet wouldn't?expose any of the doping that others (Roache/Kelly etc)?must have been up to. He now goes on his squeeky clean mission to attack everyone else - he doesn't have a patent on doping either' date=' although he was quite proficient in it.

 

[/quote']

 

 

 

you may recall that roche and kimmage fell out because of this book and the implication that roche may not have been clean.