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I was going to refute saying "comparing to the past in cycling doesn't work" but thats not really what you were saying. Of course if Lance in his prime went against those guys in their prime, Lance would win purely because of the modern technologies Lance has, but that doesn't really mean anything, taking things from the past is always questionable.
Anyway, this is really just a situation of opinions. Europeans obviously don't like the "arrogant" I guess you could say American coming over and dominating their sports. In my opinion EPO is the first real thing you can use against him. I like the paragraph in Rick Reilly's column in last weeks SI. I just got home from vacation and didn't bring it home with me, but it basically just pointed out how there are all these allegations against him, but no proof.
A lot of Americans think Lance is the greatest, and personally I like him a lot too, but I think I am a bit more informed on his life and the sport. To me, he should be the most marketable athlete in the United States and its a travesty to Trek and some other companies that don't take advantage of it. But if you think about it, here is this guy doing something that nobody else has ever done, he has never recieved negative press besides heresay by the French media that isn't backed up, he overcame testicular cancer, he is good looking, a family man, confident, proud, and dating a rock star. But what sets him apart is the way he handles himself publically, if you see him in an interview you would know what I mean.
If he gets caught doing something, then my opinion will change, but until he does I am not going to create an impression based on stuff I hear on Around the Horn or I, Max.
Also, it is not unheard of to be good in the mountains and time trials, Jan Ullrich is another example, he is basically Armstrong just not as focused or in as good of shape.
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