Given how unpopular distance/endurance sports tend to be, why was Lance Armstrong so popular?

Because he's an all-American guy who is a world champion at something even lazy folks can passively understand. A fat lazy joe is more likely to go for a bike ride than a run.

And while endurance sports in general are less popular, biking is more popular and accessible than running. Easier for older people with bad knees.

plus, the advertising dollars that support cycling are so much greater than running. Every avg joe biker needs to buy a bike and countless other gear, the money from which ends up greatly enhancing the visibility and coverage of the sport.

He had alpha male personally Vs beta men like Rupp and the rest.

1. Tour de France is (still!) the biggest sporting event in the world. Nothing else is close. Money wise, fan numbers, effect in economy.

2. Watching track 10ks is akin to watching paint dry.

By comparison, watching a high mountain descent in Pyranees at the Tour de France can even attract Nascar fans.

For that matter, the sprint finishes of flat stages usually end up on ESPN Sport Center highlights.

3. The Tour de France requires world class fitness beyond that which is even physiologically possible in any other fitness sport. There is simply no analogous comparison in running, nordic skiing, rowing, or swimming. Period.

4. LA was a strong personality, fierce competitor, in a bad-ass sport, an American taking on a European dominated sport. He was a world champion @ 21 y.o. and Oly medalist who didn't focus on TdF until suffering and recovering from cancer and then caught everybody's attention when he won his first then took that popularity and shot into the stratosphere in popularity.

Galen Rupp doesn't have the right sport, accomplishments, or personality to attain what LA did.

-He won

-Strong personality

-Part of a sport that attracts wealthier folks. Advertisers/media like that and play it up.

-Compelling cancer comeback story

Absolute nonsense. The World Cup pisses all over the TDF in terms of size.

apples to grapefruits wrote:

3. The Tour de France requires world class fitness beyond that which is even physiologically possible in any other fitness sport. There is simply no analogous comparison in running, nordic skiing, rowing, or swimming. Period.

That seems like a pretty bold statement, is it backed by any sort of science?

Because Americans like to watch Americans winnin’!

I believe that if Pre had lived out the rest of his career he would have had a similar following.

bartholomew_maxwell wrote:

I believe that if Pre had lived out the rest of his career he would have had a similar following.

Agreed, but Pre wouldn't have had everything else to contend with. LA did his thing in this world of excess, and still stood out. Rupp could/could have done a similar thing, if:

He talked on camera now and then (had a personality).

He raced more than twice a year.

Pre would have done both, and not had a million cable channels, streaming services, and internet addition to social BS to fight through.

Americans love criminals. Simple as that. Scarface, trump got a few votes, OJ, ... .

lol@ Armstrong being skin and bones like Galen Rupp. He was big and very muscular for a climber. Never under 150 even though an inch shorter than Rupp. Normally @170 and all muscle.

I guess you never watched cycling. The top sprinters are what women who want muscle would go for. Some of them are 190+ with ridiculous calves, thighs & buttock muscles.

Also. All cyclists. From the 130 pound smallest climbers to 200 pound sprinters have superb washboard abs. Women love it!

Arm is strong wrote:

lol@ Armstrong being skin and bones like Galen Rupp. He was big and very muscular for a climber. Never under 150 even though an inch shorter than Rupp. Normally @170 and all muscle.

I guess you never watched cycling. The top sprinters are what women who want muscle would go for. Some of them are 190+ with ridiculous calves, thighs & buttock muscles.

Even more than 150, he said he never raced under 160 during his podcast talk with Ryan Hall.

Lance was a competitor in the same vein as MJ and Kobe. Lots of people he competed against and teammates didn’t like his attitude but it’s his drive that lead him to win the Tour more than anyone else.

You can credit doping but the sport has been dirty for over 40 years. Even if people have clean blood now there’s lots of speculation of motor assistance.

.InjuryProne. wrote:

Lance was a competitor in the same vein as MJ and Kobe. Lots of people he competed against and teammates didn’t like his attitude but it’s his drive that lead him to win the Tour more than anyone else.

You can credit doping but the sport has been dirty for over 40 years. Even if people have clean blood now there’s lots of speculation of motor assistance.

LA was a doping cheater, not a competitor, and certainly not in the same vein as rapist kobe and MJ. Certainly LA would have had less than zero morals against using a motor, and he probably did cheat in that way also.

Arm is strong wrote:

All cyclists. From the 130 pound smallest climbers to 200 pound sprinters have superb washboard abs.

The abs are used much more when running, and hardly at all when cycling. I have seen many avid pot bellied cyclists.

da crook wrote:

.InjuryProne. wrote:

Lance was a competitor in the same vein as MJ and Kobe. Lots of people he competed against and teammates didn’t like his attitude but it’s his drive that lead him to win the Tour more than anyone else.

You can credit doping but the sport has been dirty for over 40 years. Even if people have clean blood now there’s lots of speculation of motor assistance.

LA was a doping cheater, not a competitor, and certainly not in the same vein as rapist kobe and MJ. Certainly LA would have had less than zero morals against using a motor, and he probably did cheat in that way also.

LA cheated every way possible, and that did not include motorized bikes during his time racing, in my opinion. That tech has boomed in recent years, but was nowhere near mature ten years ago.

It was an amazing story! Remember he had won a World Championship long before the Tour and it really was not news.

But then the guy has cancer that could have killed him. Comes back from that to win this amazing event and also to beat the Europeans at their own game!

What is not to love about that?

Then he starts a foundation to aid in the fight against cancer. He is seen with cancer patients regularly (I truly believe this was absolutely genuine). Virtually everyone knows someone who has cancer or another terminal disease.

He picks up a medal at the 2000 Games.

He could also be pretty charming and funny. Watch his interviews during that time with Letterman and others.

Tell me what part of all that is NOT compelling.