It’s official. I’ve got an “authorized media credential” for the upcoming LiveStrong ride with Lance Armstrong. I’m not sure what sort of access the pass will give me but I’m expecting to at least be able to ask Lance questions and/or rub shoulders with him out on the road (that is, if I can keep up with him while talking and trying to take photos!).
Since I tend to clam up around famous people I’m hoping to have some questions memorized beforehand. The problem is that I’m not coming up with any real zingers so I’m hoping you can help.
If you could ask Lance a question what would it be?
Questions I’d like to ask Lance Armstrong:
1. Are you going to cover the Tour de France next year as a reporter/commentator?
2. In your opinion, who will be your “heir” as the next American cycling hero? And why?
3. Are you going to make any moves to try and patch up your relationship with Greg Lemond? If not, why not?
4. Are you going to make the LAF Portland Ride an annual event? What is the “tipping point” in terms of fundraising, etc., to make this ride worthwhile to repeat next year?
5. How are you going to “indulge” yourself, now that you no longer have to stay on a strict training regimen as a professional cyclist (ice cream? one Shiner Bock beer a day? what?)
6. Have you and Sheryl ever consider buying a tandem bike and riding together, regularly?
7. At what point in the future do you really have to make the definite decision about whether or not you’re going to run for governor of Texas? Or have you already decided to run?
8. Now that you can ride any kind / brand of bike you want, are you still going to ride a Trek carbon-fiber bike? If not, what is your “dream ride.”?
9. Would you encourage your kids to choose a career as a pro cyclist? Why do you say that? (yes or no)
10. You say you’ve never failed a drug test. True. But does that mean you’ve never taken any performance enhancing drug and/or performance-enhancing substance? What about drugs/susbstances that haven’t even been banned yet? Ever taken anything like that?
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I’m not signed up for this ride, as there were at least 2 things about it that bothered me.
1. I’m sometimes the captain on a tandem with my 12 year old son, who has autism. There is no way that he and I could do 100 miles. There’s no way that I could do the 100 miles by myself in the time allotted. So there’s no way that the Livestrong Ride FAQ which says:
“Can I ride tandem with a partner?
Tandems will be allowed on the 10-, 40- and 70-mile courses. However, due to safety concerns, tandems will not be allowed on the 100-mile course.”
applies to us. But, I’m sure that there are other tandem teams out there, where the stoker has a disability, who could actually do 100 miles in the allotted time. Tell Lance about this, and ask him if banning tandems on the 100 mile ride does not discriminate against disabled people. Depending on how much you want to annoy him, imply that banning tandems is a possible violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (I am not a lawyer, so I have no idea if this is an actual ADA violation.)
2. The FAQs also ban baby seats and trailers:
“Can we use a baby seat or a trailer?
No baby seats or trailers are allowed on any of the courses.”
I do not recall seeing a restriction on baby seats or trailers on any other event rides in the Northwest that I’ve done, including: STP; the Weekend Cycle Oregon; Portland Wheelmen’s Spring Century; Salem Bicycle Club’s Metric Century, Watermelon rides, and the Peach of a Century; and Bridge Pedal.
Ask Lance if, as a father, he favors discrimination against fellow parents.
While you are there, see how many disappointed tandem teams, with or without a disabled stoker, get turned away from the 100 mile ride. Likewise, see how many parents with children in baby seats or trailers are told to leave.
I’d ask Lance what he and Bush talked about when they cycled together at the ranch last month…
I’d ask Lance what he and Bush talked about when they cycled together at the ranch last month…
1. Favorite ice cream flavor.
2. If reincarnation is true and you have a choice to come back as any creature besides human what would it be?
I’d ask him questions not related to cycling because he’s probably get sick of those by now.
Well, maybe I’d ask about his dream bike, that’s a good one.
Now that Lance’s efforts are going to be focussed less on cycling and more on both politics and anti-cancer research and advocacy, I’m curious as to whether he will draw the links between political choices, cycling and cancer prevention. e.g. does he perceive the health-related benefits of cycling, including that as a viable form of transportation it reduces harmful, CANCER-CAUSING pollutants, and as a form of exercise it can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer? Will he promote a political agenda that promotes safe communities for cyclists, as a way of preventing cancer (along with expensive research for those such as himself who despite good health get cancer).
1. Favorite ice cream flavor.
2. If reincarnation is true and you have a choice to come back as any creature besides human what would it be?
I’d ask him questions not related to cycling because he’s probably get sick of those by now.
Well, maybe I’d ask about his dream bike, that’s a good one.
I’d ask him if he realizes the immense benefit he could likely provide to communities wishing to promote bicycling and encourage more people to bicycle simply by dressing in street clothing, hopping on a hybrid bicycle, and taking a short, leisurely ride down an established bicycle route to a local coffee shop. Following the ride, all he’d have to do is make a statement (to the immense media attention such an event would attract) along the lines of: “XXX City is a great place to ride a bicycle. You don’t have to be a great cyclist to benefit greatly from cycling,” or something like that.
If he did that in Portland as part of a media event, he’d likely get quite a few people thinking about riding their bikes.
Riding with Lance Armstrong, yet NOT riding WITH him
Without question Lance Armstrong has done much for Cycling in the last 7 years. He has participated in cycling events for various causes, and rode with the ordinary cyclist for miles. Just how close, though, can the regular cyclist get
Now that Lance’s efforts are going to be focussed less on cycling and more on both politics and anti-cancer research and advocacy, I’m curious as to whether he will draw the links between political choices, cycling and cancer prevention. e.g. does he perceive the health-related benefits of cycling, including that as a viable form of transportation it reduces harmful, CANCER-CAUSING pollutants, and as a form of exercise it can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer? Will he promote a political agenda that promotes safe communities for cyclists, as a way of preventing cancer (along with expensive research for those such as himself who despite good health get cancer).
I\’d ask him why he didn\’t test postive. If he was a clean rider his testicular cancer would have made him test positive.
I wouldn\’t ask him anything, I\’d thank him for bringing testicular cancer into the spotlight. If he hadn\’t, I might not have been aware of the testicular cancer I had so early.
I’d ask him if he realizes the immense benefit he could likely provide to communities wishing to promote bicycling and encourage more people to bicycle simply by dressing in street clothing, hopping on a hybrid bicycle, and taking a short, leisurely ride down an established bicycle route to a local coffee shop. Following the ride, all he’d have to do is make a statement (to the immense media attention such an event would attract) along the lines of: “XXX City is a great place to ride a bicycle. You don’t have to be a great cyclist to benefit greatly from cycling,” or something like that.
If he did that in Portland as part of a media event, he’d likely get quite a few people thinking about riding their bikes.
Riding with Lance Armstrong, yet NOT riding WITH him
Without question Lance Armstrong has done much for Cycling in the last 7 years. He has participated in cycling events for various causes, and rode with the ordinary cyclist for miles. Just how close, though, can the regular cyclist get
I\’d ask him why he didn\’t test postive. If he was a clean rider his testicular cancer would have made him test positive.
I wouldn\’t ask him anything, I\’d thank him for bringing testicular cancer into the spotlight. If he hadn\’t, I might not have been aware of the testicular cancer I had so early.