Armstrong: Grand Marshall at Sturgis

[CunegoFan]

Lance on the comeback trail.

http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/news/read-more-news/lance-armstrong-grand-marshall-mayors-ride

"The City of Sturgis chose Lance as our Grand Marshall because he represents the American spirit. Lance represents the business owners who have lost it all and are fighting to make a comeback. Lance represents the single mother who works 16 hours a day and has to keep pushing when she has nothing left to give. Lance represents the cancer patient that wants to beat the diagnosis. We understand the controversy that surrounds Lance, but we are willing to meet it head on. The City of Sturgis is about second chances..."

[Lewis Moon]

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

[Jgrooms]

That's some crazy marketing strat! The good olde Harley crowd is about as anti cyclist as they come.

[Louis]

The good olde Harley crowd is about as anti cyclist as they come.

For my own personal PR campaign I make it a point to wave to them when we cross paths, and I'd say about half of them wave back, which isn't too bad, considering how often another demographic we know quite well waves back.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I'm confused by this:
"Lance represents the single mother who works 16 hours a day and has to keep pushing when she has nothing left to give"

Seems like he's really digging. Maybe he'll become the Gary Coleman of sports.

[jmoore]

Love the moto guys. They know what we go through on two wheels out there. Had a long chat at a rest stop at the top of a long climb in the Hill Country with a bunch of them one time. They were all great and were enamored of my Trek 2300. I kept telling them the bike was great but it had a weak motor and a crappy AC. They thought that was HILARIOUS. :p

IMO, some of their Harley schtick is a bit silly, but that's the pot calling the kettle black for sure.

[saab2000]

Love the moto guys. They know what we go through on two wheels out there. Had a long chat at a rest stop at the top of a long climb in the Hill Country with a bunch of them one time. They were all great and were enamored of my Trek 2300. I kept telling them the bike was great but it had a weak motor and a crappy AC. They thought that was HILARIOUS. :p

IMO, some of their Harley schtick is a bit silly, but that's the pot calling the kettle black for sure.

This. 99% of moto guys are cool and understand the dangers we face. The odd ones out exist but they're the exception and not the rule.

About 20 years ago I happened upon the rally in Sturgis, totally randomly, and everyone I met was polite and a gentleman or lady. My impression was positive and not negative.

[Louis]

About 20 years ago I happened upon the rally in Sturgis, totally randomly

As you got closer and closer to town you must have been wondering why there were so many Harleys on the road...

[texbike]

Lance Armstrong - Soon to be headlining shows at an Indian Casino near you!

Texbike

[Ahneida Ride]

Had a big Harley dude approached me at a Motorcycle get together.
I was walking around with my Bedford checking out all their Chrome.
I was a bit apprehensive .... and he exclaims ...

Man .... a lot of dude here would be real pissed to find out
your bike cost more then theirs !

We both laughed ! :banana:

[cekte]

Because small business owners, single mothers, and cancer patients are all complete cheats, liars, and frauds too?

What an absolute insult to hard working single mothers. I have infinitely more respect for single mothers than I ever will for Lance.

[Ahneida Ride]

Lance Armstrong - Soon to be headlining shows at an Indian Casino near you!

Texbike

Ouch ! :p

[Anarchist]

I'm confused by this:
"Lance represents the single mother who works 16 hours a day and has to keep pushing when she has nothing left to give"

Seems like he's really digging. Maybe he'll become the Gary Coleman of sports.

Well, apart from the fact that he is white, a man,not working 16 hours a day and is probably down to his last $100 million or so... They are exactly the same.

[zmudshark]

Love the moto guys. They know what we go through on two wheels out there. Had a long chat at a rest stop at the top of a long climb in the Hill Country with a bunch of them one time. They were all great and were enamored of my Trek 2300. I kept telling them the bike was great but it had a weak motor and a crappy AC. They thought that was HILARIOUS. :p

IMO, some of their Harley schtick is a bit silly, but that's the pot calling the kettle black for sure.

Jason, were you not with us when the motorized two wheeler buzzed us a couple of years ago on the TMB ride? I told him what I did with his mother and sister, and Eric M hoped he came back to not be a punk? He was a punk, and just sped off.

Some (a minority) are okay, the majority would roll coal on us if they could.

:fight:

Oh, and Lance who? Memory erased.

[11.4]

Had a big Harley dude approached me at a Motorcycle get together.
I was walking around with my Bedford checking out all their Chrome.
I was a bit apprehensive .... and he exclaims ...

Man .... a lot of dude here would be real pissed to find out
your bike cost more then theirs !

We both laughed ! :banana:

This has been my experience too. It's basically live and let live. Some of them have had some snotty guys in lycra diss them too, but if you know how to smile and appreciate what they ride and how they live, they do the same for you.

There's only a hair-breadth's difference between one of them and one of us. Just ask the local redneck.

[thwart]

Some (a minority) are okay, the majority would roll coal on us if they could.

:fight:

Unfortunately, I have to agree with zmud. At least in groups, out on the road. Numerous buzz passes, and 'crack open throttle as passing/maybe we can make those bikers deaf' episodes has led me to this conclusion.

That said, one-on-one at gas stations and such is a much different story.

Pack mentality is a nasty thing.

[shovelhd]

That's some crazy marketing strat! The good olde Harley crowd is about as anti cyclist as they come.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

[bluesea]

That's some crazy marketing strat! The good olde Harley crowd is about as anti cyclist as they come.

Zany or not, that's what makes it so cool.

[gdw]

"Nothing could be further from the truth."

+1 I've never had any problems with the Harley crowd and the ones I've talked to are friendlier than your average roadie.

[harryblack]

Never had a problem with Harley dudes (& the occasional woman). Pack riding highway or suburban/rural hill bombing 'rice burners' are another story, howev, likewise 'monster truck' & four wheeling schmucks...

... but likewise the 'iphone' yapping coffee drinking mom blowing stop signs & stopslights in her VOLVO (because, you know, 'safety first') while I'm running or riding so...

I'll take the Harley dudes anyway because, as others noted, most of them know the perils anyone on two wheels faces.

[bobswire]

At this point of their lives I think Lemond would look more real seated on a Harley than Armstrong.

http://i60.tinypic.com/162acg5.jpg

Lemond looks so much healthier today than he did a couple of years ago, worked off his gut and obviously been working out.

[dogdriver]

... but likewise the 'iphone' yapping coffee drinking mom blowing stop signs & stopslights in her VOLVO (because, you know, 'safety first') while I'm running or riding so...



Substitute "Escalade" for "Volvo" and this is the biggest threat to cyclists in my town. Motorcyclists and pickup driving cowboys are, generally, pretty cool.

[djg21]

That's some crazy marketing strat! The good olde Harley crowd is about as anti cyclist as they come.


Reminds me of the joke: what is the difference between a Harley and a Hoover vacuum cleaner? The location of the dirtbag.

Heard this at a continuing legal education lecture from a prosector with an outlaw motorcycle gang background. Unfortunately, this news reinforces the punch line.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Jgrooms]

Nothing could be further from the truth.


Yes in between jaunts to the next all you can eat buffet & biker night pub, the cruiser crowd is doing the tue group ride & downloading the tour app?

BTW, five motorcycles in the garage & my point is that 99% of motorcyclist I know do not assoc their two wheel passion w the cyclist's two wheel passion. Me being part of the 1%.

And maybe you live where all the nice hog owners live? Where I live its the loud pipes save lives bs, buzzin cyclists & rolling on said pipes when their on top of you.

That & rollin coal are the two most ***wipe sets of behavior imo.

[unterhausen]

While I know there are a lot of motorcyclists that are fine people, there are a goodly number of jerks that ride motorcycles. At this point there have been enough people that rode up beside me and dropped the clutch in order to blast me with noise that I'm firmly in the "sound pressure meter by the side of the road" advocacy group. I'm already going deaf, intentionally exposing me to damaging sound levels is assault.

[Mr. Pink]

"Lance represents the single mother who works 16 hours a day and has to keep pushing when she has nothing left to give."


Wait. Didn't he walk out on his wife and twins? I mean, c'mon. (Although, something tells me that the ex isn't working 16 hours a day. Maybe shopping eight or nine......)

Murica! USA! USA!

[oldpotatoe]

Lance on the comeback trail.

http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/news/read-more-news/lance-armstrong-grand-marshall-mayors-ride

"The City of Sturgis chose Lance as our Grand Marshall because he represents the American spirit. Lance represents the business owners who have lost it all and are fighting to make a comeback. Lance represents the single mother who works 16 hours a day and has to keep pushing when she has nothing left to give. Lance represents the cancer patient that wants to beat the diagnosis. We understand the controversy that surrounds Lance, but we are willing to meet it head on. The City of Sturgis is about second chances..."

Yikes..too much smelling gas fumes, those boys.

To edit the anti cyclist, motorcycle crowd..a lot of guys I know who ride, ride both and I have never seen or had a run-in with anybody on a motorcycle..in 29 years of riding...P/U trucks, Volvos, one Porsche, a few Pius', subarus(just two days ago..Texas tags, imagine that)...but no motorcycles of any type..they just seem to be dam happy to be riding..

[shovelhd]

Yes in between jaunts to the next all you can eat buffet & biker night pub, the cruiser crowd is doing the tue group ride & downloading the tour app?

BTW, five motorcycles in the garage & my point is that 99% of motorcyclist I know do not assoc their two wheel passion w the cyclist's two wheel passion. Me being part of the 1%.

And maybe you live where all the nice hog owners live? Where I live its the loud pipes save lives bs, buzzin cyclists & rolling on said pipes when their on top of you.

That & rollin coal are the two most ***wipe sets of behavior imo.

I've ridden Harley's my whole life until recently. Not once did I experience that kind of behavior, intentionally buzzing cyclists. My bikes were loud but not illegally loud. Cracking the throttle and getting on the gear is part of motorcycling. Don't take it personally if a rider does it near you. They're just enjoying their machine.

Coal rolling is always intentional, no question about it.

[Mr. Pink]

Yikes..too much smelling gas fumes, those boys.




Maybe all that tatoo ink has done some brain damage.

Lance is destined for a life much like Vanilla Ice's, I'm afraid. I wonder what his reality show will be like.

[thwart]

Cracking the throttle and getting on the gear is part of motorcycling. Don't take it personally if a rider does it near you. They're just enjoying their machine.

Well, you need to ride around here, in more rural settings. It's 'probably' intentional when people happen to do it just as they pass you. Not for the 1/2 mile before they pass you (and with those machines, you can hear them that far away), or for the 1/2 mile after they pass.

Yeah, coincidence. :rolleyes:

[shovelhd]

I live and ride in a rural area. Did you ever think that the reason they are getting on the gas as they pass you is because they slowed down to pass you safely?

[thwart]

I live and ride in a rural area. Did you ever think that the reason they are getting on the gas as they pass you is because they slowed down to pass you safely?

With a wide open road in both directions.

Right.

I'm just saying there are some real jerks riding Harleys. For that matter, there are jerks riding bikes, too. I suspect the proportion is a little higher, however. And a couple of drinks doesn't help.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I live and ride primarily in the Boston suburbs, so maybe my experience has been limited to biker-on-the-weekend-accountant-during-the-week sorts of folks. Anyway, I've never once had an issue with motorcycles. Some pass a touch too close, but I've never thought they were buzzing me. Hell, I've had cyclists pass closer without announcing themselves (often triathletes in their aero bars, oddly enough). We get a fair number of motorcycle groups riding around here, especially in summer around the time of Laconia bike week. Even the, with a hundred Harleys on the road, never had an issue. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them sympathetic to cyclists' issues, but they're certainly more careful than soccer moms in minivans.

[zachateseveryth]

Last night in my ride through a national park I had a woman on the back of a motorcycle curse me out for riding a bike on the road (I was going 25 in a 30 at the time). When I caught up to her and her boyfriend at the red light a mile later I had a rather humorous exchange:

her: you need to get off the road

me: why? this is a national park. I have a legal right to be on the road and I'm nto doing anything to impede traffic

her: bicycles don't belong on the road

me: wow you're an ignorant @#$@#

her husband: hey that's my wife you're talking to!

me: that sounds like your problem, not mine.

[shovelhd]

With a wide open road in both directions.

Right.

I'm just saying there are some real jerks riding Harleys. For that matter, there are jerks riding bikes, too. I suspect the proportion is a little higher, however. And a couple of drinks doesn't help.

Your prejudice is quite clear now.

There are jerks everywhere, however I've met way more jerks on bicycles and seen way more stupid and dangerous behavior by bike riders than I have with Harley riders. It's not even close. Riding on the wrong side of the road, no helmet, on the sidewalk, blowing lights and signs. Not even close.

[bikingshearer]

Some motorcyclists are jerks. Most aren't.
Some drivers are jerks. Most aren't
Some cyclists are jerks. Most aren't.
Some black people are jerks. Most aren't.
Some white people are jerks. Most aren't.
Some mixed-race people are jerks. Most aren't.
Some left-handed people are jerks. Most aren't.

Notice a pattern yet?

[thwart]

Your prejudice is quite clear now.

There are jerks everywhere, however I've met way more jerks on bicycles and seen way more stupid and dangerous behavior by bike riders than I have with Harley riders. It's not even close. Riding on the wrong side of the road, no helmet, on the sidewalk, blowing lights and signs. Not even close.

Whatever. Your pro-Harley rider bias is evident as well. Perhaps I'd feel the same way if I'd owned one in the past, who knows.

Folks on fast moving, motorized vehicles are held to a little higher standard, IMO.

Come out and ride with us Cheeseheads sometime. Maybe the MA Harley riders are a somewhat different bunch. Hopefully there is less bar-hopping, anyway. And apparently some wear helmets...

[gasman]

Last night in my ride through a national park I had a woman on the back of a motorcycle curse me out for riding a bike on the road (I was going 25 in a 30 at the time). When I caught up to her and her boyfriend at the red light a mile later I had a rather humorous exchange:

her: you need to get off the road

me: why? this is a national park. I have a legal right to be on the road and I'm nto doing anything to impede traffic

her: bicycles don't belong on the road

me: wow you're an ignorant @#$@#

her husband: hey that's my wife you're talking to!

She is an idiot though

me: that sounds like your problem, not mine.


Man you're lucky he didn't whack you.

[Dave B]

A lot of folks throwing stones here.

I ride a bike and have been at it for years, I own and actually ride a harley, I also have plenty of ink.


I guess it is also possible that there are those of us who just live life the way we want.

As for Lance, it still doesn't matter to me what he does. Simply because he doesn't start threads about me eating an oatmeal cream pie or having a fart war with my 9 year old.

[torquer]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with zmud. At least in groups, out on the road. Numerous buzz passes, and 'crack open throttle as passing/maybe we can make those bikers deaf' episodes has led me to this conclusion.

That said, one-on-one at gas stations and such is a much different story.

Pack mentality is a nasty thing.

^^^This!
Mods, can we merge this thread with the "Sometimes I hate being called a cyclist" one?

[Mr. Pink]

Does lance ride a harley?

[cegerer]

One of those horrid OCC theme bikes .... maybe the only thing he has left with 'Tour de France Champion, on it?

[pbarry]

your prejudice is quite clear now.

There are jerks everywhere, however i've met way more jerks on bicycles and seen way more stupid and dangerous behavior by bike riders than i have with harley riders. It's not even close. Riding on the wrong side of the road, no helmet, on the sidewalk, blowing lights and signs. Not even close.

+1

[bobswire]

I kinda got along with motorcyclists, even Hells Angels (from my days as a Bail Bondsmen and working the Old Filmore).

Back in the day.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2prd3lx.jpg

Not too long ago.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2zo92dj.jpg

[firerescuefin]

And they said "Pimpin wasn't easy" :cool:

;)


I kinda got along with motorcyclists, even Hells Angels (from my days as a Bail Bondsmen and working the Old Filmore).

Back in the day.
http://i59.tinypic.com/2prd3lx.jpg

Not too long ago.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2zo92dj.jpg

[pbarry]

Epic images Bob. Now we expect some stories. ;)

[sc53]

Well, apart from the fact that he is white, a man,not working 16 hours a day and is probably down to his last $100 million or so... They are exactly the same.

Hahahahah! Perfect.