Forum menu
[i]....but Lance clearly assaults him going by those photographs[/i]
Thats one way of looking at it,or:
Armstrong is riding along,bike gets a wobble on,Armstrong puts arm out to steady himself/avoid a fall,leans against the guy.
Guy falls over.....
See,you can interpret a photo any way you want.
slightly left' of [b]the normal right wing politics[/b]
"Soft Right". There's nothing "left", ie "socialist", or any intent to change the real structure of opportunity for people. Just to work within the current paradigm, economically and with a few "pr" tweaks to foreign policy.
GNARGNAR. I don't believe you really think that's worthy of being called assault.
If you do, then I can only assume somebody still tucks you in at night and leaves the landing light on. Bless.
I suspect you're fishing though. Good catch.
[i]No, I think that's pretty obviously assault. [/i]
God help you if you ever stumble across the real world.
I doubt if the guy who was (technically) assaulted will complain much.
I think he has got the publicity he was looking for (helped by L.A.)
@ GNAR
Chill out dude..Your like one those mad roadies who insist LA is guilty w/o any real evidence..I would have happily ****tted the c*nt (being a danger etc..)
ps GNAR know ANYTHING about HGH or are you just [i]another[/i] boring mud slinger?? If you did know something then perhaps its time for [i]you[/i] to write a book..Im fed up w folk who claim to be in the picture about the scene but never put their head above the parapet.
pps GNAR I reckon [i]you[/i] should lay off the drugs too..Your way too wound up about this..
ppps I think there is an awful lot of folk on this thread who should get back out on there bikes and [i]RIDE..FORGET THE SH!T![/i]
La la la.. 😆 😆 😆
SimonD - well said I think! People seem to be getting a bit too wound up over this!
The way I see it, no one has ever had the 'opportunity' before to have their body completely stripped down like it is when you have cancer and therefore the 'opportunity' to rebuild it to the exact specification you need for a specific sport. It's common knowledge that LA used to be a champion swimmer, not the ideal build for a cyclist and it was post-cancer when his physique changed when he started winning things like the TDF.
As for the guy in the picture, it looks like a push to me, not a punch, the guy doesn't fall like he's been punched. If it were assault every time you had ever pushed someone in your life, especially someone behaving in what could be seen as a threatening manner, there would be a lot of assault cases flying around!!
I'd have done the same, any day!
All this is why I'm not particularly keen for the texan to be racing again, oh well, i'll just have to wait until next year when he's stopped again.
GNARGNAR - MemberSo Lance assaults this guy and you applaud him?. Wonder why Lance felt the need to react so violently. Does human growth hormone make you more aggressive?
If you were racin and an idiot approached you whilst acting bizarrely, would you not give him a boot? Surely not, "hug a hoodie", "there are only good people, it's the circumstances that're wrong" etc. Pillock, methinks.
Opinions of L.A. aside, whether you love him or hate him, I watched this so called "assult" live as it happened. The photos actually don't do the event justice, the so called "fan" was actually running amongst the Peleton, Lance who was riding towards the front just gave him a shove to clear him out of the way. Spot on decision I say, definately not equal to punching a fan that runs on to a rugby/football pitch.
If the idiot had tripped over a huge pile up would have occured with the riders, Lance merely shoved him sideways to remove him.
Unfortunately because it was Lance it becomes more contraversial.
Imo, he is a cheat. I am not alone in thinking this.
Just because it's your opinion, and others agree with you, it doesn't automatically mean you're right, you know.....
I think it's brilliant. Well done LA.
Lot of people getting their lycra in a twist for nothing on this thread. 😆
Personally, if I was riding to work and someone in a stupid fancy dress costume started running alongside me/in front of me (i.e. making a general nuisance of themself), I would probably push them out of the way as well.
That guy knew exactly what he was doing, so if he didn't like the outcome he shouldn't have put himself in that situation in the first place.
You associate with Astana and you'll be labelled, simple as that, Astana is one of the dirtiest teams of recent years.
[url=
some good questions here[/url]
[url=
response[/url]
If it were me i would have swung a punch at him...Guys a complete idiot.obviously never rode a bike the fat git.
Its so easy for one guy to go down in the bunch and take a load of people with him. Causing potentialy dangerous if not life threatening injuries...
Good enough for him.
As for lance..The best tour of France rider ever,(regardless of what people say) Even if he is contversial. Never been caught doin drugs either.
Ater all in his defence, he is the most drug tested athlete in the world..
Had ma rant..vadar the darkside no more.
May I suggest that Obama isn't really left wing in any real sense of the word? His policies seem to be a [:-)] nicer [:-)] version of turbo capitalism, not socialism, nor a combination of the two or any other permutation
He's left wing for the States. They're not exactly gonna elect Hugo Chavez now are they? Democracy requires that you position yourself where the electorate will vote for you. I think he'd be more left wing if he was a British politician, say.
As for Lance - fair play I say. It was assault, but extremely mild and arguably justified. Certainly understandable. I don't think I'd have shoved him if it were me but I'd have given him a few carefully selected sections of my vocabulary at a fairly high volume.
IMO he should have been knocked over ealier, he nearly caused two accidents whilst running in front on the peleton before Lance give him the nudge 😈
I am all for people dressing up and having fun during the races but some of them just have to go that little bit further and risk ruining the race for someone.
I would be well pissed off as a spectator if I had waited 3 - 4 hours for the peleton to come along only to have some ****in idiot spoil my only chance of getting a good picture of the riders by running in front waving like a lunatic 👿
iamtheresurrection - Member
GNARGNAR. I don't believe you really think that's worthy of being called assault.If you do, then I can only assume somebody still tucks you in at night and leaves the landing light on. Bless.
andrew -God help you if you ever stumble across the real world.
Listen ladies, in the eyes of the law "assault" is any situation where one applies unlawful force to another. For example, if I spat on a police officer - that would be an assault. If I cycled past a police officer and pushed him to the ground don't you think that would be assault too?
In fact Lance might actually be guilty of battery there. If anyone is coddled from the real world it would seem to be you nutthuggers.
anyone who interferes with the sport while it's going on is fair game, in my opinion. and there's plenty of precedent for that view in many, many other sports, as well.
here's a textbook, and fantastic, example:
😆
You associate with Astana and you'll be labelled
Astana is a capital city. They sponsor a team, but it's not the same team as before.
Calm down everyone - calm down!
Under british law that is an assault. fact. Dunno how it works in USA but here one definition of assault is "touching without consent"
LA would have a defence of "self defence" and would have to show that the amount of force LA used was "reasonable" So if the guy merely annoyed LA then LA has not right in law to push him. If LA was touched first or was in "reasonable" fear of assault himself then a push might be "reasonable" force in self defence.
So although it was an assault it might be defensible on grounds of "self defence" but personally I doubt it
Technically, GnarGnar is correct that what Lance did does constitute assault (shouting at someone and scaring them can constitute assault).
However, GnarGnar is incorrect in thinking that Lance was wrong to do what he did. Most people would have done the same thing in that situation.
GNARGNAR, You leap to the defence of some moron for threatening the safety of a bike race, yet you're happy to break the law by not paying your TV licence, and would "happily do VBH up the wrong un, only out of out of nastiness you understand". (5th gear thread) I think you may need to get some perspective in your life.
mike-at-dialledbikes -However, GnarGnar is incorrect in thinking that Lance was wrong to do what he did. Most people would have done the same thing in that situation.
Just because most people would have done it doesnt make it correct. Most people may well believe LA is a cheat. Proves nothing.
redted - Member
GNARGNAR, You leap to the defence of some moron for threatening the safety of a bike race, yet you're happy to break the law by not paying your TV licence, and would "happily do VBH up the wrong un, only out of out of nastiness you understand". (5th gear thread) I think you may need to get some perspective in your life.
Im not leaping to the defence of a moron. Armstrong is imo a cheat, and doesnt desrve to be applauded every time he breaks breath. This goes double for when he is assualting people.
Are you now comparing assault with not paying a tax which I believe is wrong?
[b][crude comments removed - Mod][/b]
[i]Listen ladies, in the eyes of the law "assault" is any situation where one applies unlawful force to another. For example, if I spat on a police officer - that would be an assault. If I cycled past a police officer and pushed him to the ground don't you think that would be assault too? [/i]
Your example that you quote are indeed assault. For you to walk up to someone completely unprovoked and push them over, you should be arrested for it. This nutter however has threatened the entire peleton - if he (accidently or otherwise) knocks over one rider, it will take out the entire bunch, 160+ riders. You may not beleive it from still pics but the guys are doing 25+mph mere inches off each others wheels. All Lance did (it could have been any rider, let's remove LA from the equation for a moment) was remove the threat to himself, his teammates and his competitors. It happens all the time in pro cycling, some **** will be running alongside a rider yelling "encouragement" or pouring water over them or "helping out" by giving them a push. Riders hate it and, if they feel threatened by it, they are justified in using reasonable force to remove the threat. What the pusher did was REASONBLE FORCE in the face of what the American Government might term "clear and present danger" to a large group of people.
In American law what Lance did would be classed as 'simple assault' and thus would be treated as a misdemeanor. A slapped wrist for Lance then.
By the salad dodger wielding a home made trident an assh0le lawyer could easily argue that he had committed 'aggravated assault', a victim only needs to feel threatened by someone with a weapon for a charge a aggravated assault. That would put chubby away for 30-90 years!
crazy-legs -Your example that you quote are indeed assault. For you to walk up to someone completely unprovoked and push them over, you should be arrested for it. This nutter however has threatened the entire peleton - if he (accidently or otherwise) knocks over one rider, it will take out the entire bunch, 160+ riders. You may not beleive it from still pics but the guys are doing 25+mph mere inches off each others wheels. All Lance did (it could have been any rider, let's remove LA from the equation for a moment) was remove the threat to himself, his teammates and his competitors. It happens all the time in pro cycling, some **** will be running alongside a rider yelling "encouragement" or pouring water over them or "helping out" by giving them a push. Riders hate it and, if they feel threatened by it, they are justified in using reasonable force to remove the threat.
And what if Lance's push had backfired, he mis-judges it, looses balances and crashes into pelton and takes out 160 riders? Like I said, no other rider bother to do it - Lance took it upon himself, presumably because he is a superstar millionaire. Who doesnt cheat.
Most people would have done the same thing in that situation.
Too right - if I was a drug cheat and trying to hide the fact, I'd also want to punch anybody suggesting I took drugs.
Yeah! good pics from the OP. Nice story.
Then STW get hold of it!
F*&^!ing hell.
Take Lance out of the equation. It could have been *any* rider. Hell, for all you know, there could have been another 40 guys behind thinking "When I get level with that guy I'll push him out the way, he's a danger to everyone".
LOL @ DezB!
GnarGnar, are you the bloke in the costume?
"if I spat on a police officer - that would be an assault. If I cycled past a police officer and pushed him to the ground don't you think that would be assault too? "
well if the police officer was running infront of you point a big stick at the rider infront of you( with 30+ riders around you) i think the guy should get out the way!!
its not assault the clown is threatening all those around him! it is in defence the guy is clearly getting closer to the riders in the pictures and lances arm is not stretched out he was too close. lance did not get off his bike and hook the guy!(if he went out of his way to injury the clown then that is assault)
ps.. i have big respect for lance coming back into it! he may have cheated only he knows but to have the ball to come back to the sport after all the acusations of drugs before , i think hes got a point to prove!!
Are you now comparing assault with not paying a tax which I believe is wrong?
nope, both are wrong, it's about perspective.
'And what if Lance's push had backfired, he mis-judges it, looses balances and crashes into pelton and takes out 160 riders?'
Takes out 160 riders!?!?!?! Do you think pro-riders explode when they crash?
And what if Lance's push had backfired, he mis-judges it, looses balances and crashes into pelton and takes out 160 riders?
It didn't, did it?
Your statement means nothing
jim the saint -Takes out 160 riders!?!?!?! Do you think pro-riders explode when they crash?
No but Lance explodes when you get close to him.
PeterPoddy -
It didn't, did it?
Your statement means nothing
There is no evidence Lance or any of the other riders were in danger. Lance acted alone. He put the other riders in as much potential jeapordy as fattie. How can you quantify something non-existent? That's what others are doing by saying LA was justified.
Lance took it upon himself, presumably because he is a superstar millionaire.
No, because from the pics it looked like the actions were aimed directly at him. Because he's the most famous guy there and the one with the most drug allegations aimed at him. Simple.
[i]There is no evidence Lance or any of the other riders were in danger.[/i]
That's easy for you to say sat in front of a computer screen looking at 4 pics. Have you ever had someone running alongside you as you rode? A chav yelling abuse at you or a dog barking at your heels?
To the chav it's a bit of fun and he doesn't really intened to push you over and nick your bike.
To the owner of a dog it's just an example of "Rover is having a bit of fun, he's harmless".
To the rider though it is very intimidating, you feel threatened by it and react accordingly.
crazy-legs -That's easy for you to say sat in front of a computer screen looking at 4 pics. Have you ever had someone running alongside you as you rode? A chav yelling abuse at you or a dog barking at your heels?
To the chav it's a bit of fun and he doesn't really intened to push you over and nick your bike.
To the owner of a dog it's just an example of "Rover is having a bit of fun, he's harmless".
To the rider though it is very intimidating, you feel threatened by it and react accordingly.
Yes I have, both dogs and undesirables. I reacted by cycling on.
when i left school, my teacher's parting piece of wisdom was, "remember, boys, there are a lot of stupid people out there."
for some reason this thread has reminded me of that...
Seriously Gnargnar, stop digging.
Do all the comparisons you want (no matter how irrelevant or incomparable), I'd worry about anybody who thinks a push in this situation should be classed as assault. The law takes a view of 'reasonable behaviour' - this would be one of those occassions.
GNARGNAR - Member
*chuckles*
I have just wasted 5 mins of my life reading this thread. There's lots of other places out there to have a pop at Mr Armstrong. In fact there are whole sites devoted to them. Can we just move on?
Seriously Gnargnar, stop digging
Digging? Trolling.