Lauren Fleshman's great letter to Lance

Fleshman to Lance is about the same as a 3rd grade peewee football player to an NFL stud.

He was the best in the world (doped). She's someone that only a few fanboys on this site have ever heard of. He probably has no idea who she even is....."pro to pro". The sort of pressure he was under would crush her. Gimmie a break.

It's easy to pile on Lance now. And believe me, I don't like the guy. But people find it so easy to criticize someone when they come out, but are silent when the biggest PED cheats are right in front of us. I hear journalists now saying "Cycling is the dirtiest sport", when they know it is not.

The reason cycling and T & F are considered dirty sports is because those associations test very well and name people when they get caught. Their commitment to drug free sport has killed their sport, while the world's dirtiest sport is seeing record breaking popularity.

The NFL has figured it out. Warn the athletes when they will be tested, give them all the resources to pass, and if they still screw up bury it. Only the odd token athlete will be named in order to make it appear they are testing.

While journalists attack Lance, they can't say enough positives about the amazing athletes in the NFL. We all know that this sport is incredibly rich and so there must be a great ambition for athletes to do as much as possible to be successful. If you think 6'6 athletes weighing 325lbs who can run like the wind are plentiful, give your head a shake. There is no way you can play on the line without taking PEDs. Do you really believe that many of the cyclists and track athletes need to cheat, but the football players do not?

Do you know that the average offensive lineman's life span is some 20 yrs less than an average person's? In the 50s, the average offensive lineman weighed 230, in 70s it was 280, now it is 320. Is it all do to better weightlifting? Where is the investigative journalism here, or are the complicit in this huge cover-up?

The NFL will be king and the sports that test for drugs will be ruined. It is a very sad position we are in.

Indianapolis, IN wrote:

Fleshman to Lance is about the same as a 3rd grade peewee football player to an NFL stud.

He was the best in the world (doped). She's someone that only a few fanboys on this site have ever heard of. He probably has no idea who she even is....."pro to pro". The sort of pressure he was under would crush her. Gimmie a break.

True (although Fleshman has won a couple of national 5K titles in non-WC years and been on World Champs teams three times, and you have no way of knowing how she would respond to the pressure of being the best in the world) but entirely irrelevant. Yeah, Lance is the more accomplished athlete, but that is not the point.

It's bizarre to me that had some anonymous blogger who follows endurance sports, or random 20-minute 5K type, written virtually the same letter (leaving out the "pro-to-pro" and related shit for obvious reasons), it very likely would have earned praise here, had it been discovered at all. It's even more wacky that the Johnsons thought that the meandering and worthless essay they linked to ("A Woman I Used to Know" or something) by the Irish ex-soccer guy was full of insight, yet apparently don't see the articulate and on-point words of an American elite runner as worth noting (or maybe they're finally done talking about Lance Armstrong).

Greg Lamond knew Lance was cheating because he knew the type of athlete Lance was and knew that before Lance won, he couldn't even finish a Tour de France. Don't call Lance an accomplished athlete just because he was doing PEDs. I know most of you think all cyclists used, so Lance was still the best, but that is not true. Lamond didn't use and there are many other talented middle of the packers that didn't. Just as in Track many people will not use PEDS: their consciences won't allow it.

Canada Coach wrote:

Greg Lamond knew Lance was cheating because he knew the type of athlete Lance was and knew that before Lance won, he couldn't even finish a Tour de France. Don't call Lance an accomplished athlete just because he was doing PEDs. I know most of you think all cyclists used, so Lance was still the best, but that is not true. Lamond didn't use and there are many other talented middle of the packers that didn't. Just as in Track many people will not use PEDS: their consciences won't allow it.

Yeah, Indianapolis, IN's parenthetical use of "doped" is pretty funny and I should have called him on it. Makes me think of a headline like "man sets record with 3,800-pound bench press! (in anti-gravity chamber)" or something.

Are we going to assume the jealous Lamond didn't dope because he said so? lol, lol...

U Duface wrote:

Semites are a race and not a religion you idiot. She could be a Moonie, a Moron, or a Scientologist and still be Semitic.

SHE IS NOT JEWISH!

yes, sir wrote:

Are we going to assume the jealous Lamond didn't dope because he said so? lol, lol...

He was a 2 time winner ...Jealous?

Canada Coach wrote:

yes, sir wrote:

Are we going to assume the jealous Lamond didn't dope because he said so? lol, lol...

He was a 2 time winner ...Jealous?

Actually, he was a 3 time winner.

More importantly, why do folks always bring up this "Jealous?" crap like it is some kind of trump card. Anyone who criticizes someone else must be jealous, right? Grow up.

This letter is pretty funny if it's completely sarcastic.

Fleshman is the same as Lance -- she uses everything as an opportunity to jump in the spotlight and try to preserve her waning nice celebrity status.

Also, the part about Lance getting a real job? Are you kidding me? Making a couple hundred Picky Bars and whoring out your blog and twitter account to build that brand is not a real job.

lol, you nailed it.

it's not even irony wrote:

This letter is pretty funny if it's completely sarcastic.

Fleshman is the same as Lance -- she uses everything as an opportunity to jump in the spotlight and try to preserve her waning nice celebrity status.

Also, the part about Lance getting a real job? Are you kidding me? Making a couple hundred Picky Bars and whoring out your blog and twitter account to build that brand is not a real job.

Yes, you two just love Lance. He's such a hero. If you saw him on the street, I'm sure you'd ask him for a quick bl** job.

I don't think he would give one to me but I might if he wanted. I would get some really good DNA in me then.

yes, sir... wrote:

lol, you nailed it.

it's not even irony wrote:

This letter is pretty funny if it's completely sarcastic.

Fleshman is the same as Lance -- she uses everything as an opportunity to jump in the spotlight and try to preserve her waning nice celebrity status.

Also, the part about Lance getting a real job? Are you kidding me? Making a couple hundred Picky Bars and whoring out your blog and twitter account to build that brand is not a real job.

Seriously? Do you really lack the mental competence to see the difference? Seriously?

Here is a clue for you. Lance cheated. Fleshman did not. Lance viciously attacked anyone who had the audacity to tell the truth. Fleshman did not.

Yet "Fleshman is the same as Lance?!?" Seriously?

Yes.

What the heck wrote:

yes, sir... wrote:

lol, you nailed it.

Seriously? Do you really lack the mental competence to see the difference? Seriously?

Here is a clue for you. Lance cheated. Fleshman did not. Lance viciously attacked anyone who had the audacity to tell the truth. Fleshman did not.

Yet "Fleshman is the same as Lance?!?" Seriously?

Bobblehead doll wrote:

Swooshed wrote:

Q: Why didn't she write a critcal letter to Lance when she was employed by Nike?

For the same reason Paula Radcliffe kept her lips zipped when Mary Slaney got busted. She knew if she spoke out the Nike mafia would have buried her in a shallow grave. Paula has transient doping ethics. She'll make exceptions who she calls out if the money's right.

Plus she was 22 and barely known.

What the heck wrote:

Here is a clue for you. Lance cheated. Fleshman did not. Lance viciously attacked anyone who had the audacity to tell the truth. Fleshman did not.

Yet "Fleshman is the same as Lance?!?" Seriously?

Unknown if Lauren cheated or not.

We know she passed some drug tests.

So did these guys:

sto wrote:

In short, if I were a pro triathlete, I would not want this guy within 140.6 miles of my race.

+/- 10% of said distance

"Lauren Fleshman MIGHT BE concerned about Armstrong's re-ermergence in the triathlon circuit, tainting, what has been, a relatively clean sport. "

Clean and triathlons don't go hand-in-hand. Keep on dreaming the dream though.