Retired footballer Geoff Thomas has explained why he invited disgraced ex pro bike racer Lance Armstrong to ride part of the Tour de France route for charity.
The former England midfielder, who hopes to raise £1 million for Cure Leukaemia told BBC sports editor Dan Roan he has "no regrets" about inviting Armstrong to take part in the find-raising event that involves riding the route of the Tour the day before the race itself.
Thomas sees Armstrong's involvement as a step in his rehabilitation as a cancer fundraiser.
He said: "I feel he's got a place, in the future – some people might feel it's not now – but I feel it's about time I gave him a lift back into helping people in the cancer community."
Thomas doesn't feel Armstrong's presence is disrespectful of the Tour, an accusation levelled by UCI boss Brian Cookson.
Thomas said: "This is a charity bike ride. The Tour turns up on the day, but the day before or the day after it's just a highway, everything's gone. And that's what the Tour is about."
"I'm celebrating ten years since I did the Tour [route] in 2005. I thought that was pretty special and I want to allow people to join in raising the target of a million pounds to join in and experience what I went through.
"With lance it was always going to be controversial, I knew that. But I feel it's time to allow him to carry on with his life.
"He's paid for his past and he's going to pay more. It's for the governing bodies to sort that out. I just want to give him the opportunity of helping others.
"If his two days of involvement help get more revenue in for a good cause then that's great.
Thomas says it's time to stop dwelling on Armstrong's past.
He said: "Look to the future. I want the future to be better for people in the cancer community."
49 thoughts on ““No regrets” says Geoff Thomas over Lance Armstrong charity ride invitation”
Good for him. It’s all
Good for him. It’s all getting a bit silly now.
I agree…it’s only a charity
I agree…it’s only a charity event. I commend his choice to be “other centered” rather than “self centered”. Everyone makes mistakes. Let’s give him a chance to make his amends.
“It’s time to allow him to
“It’s time to allow him to carry on with his life”
Sure – when he does the same for others who have recently been subject to fresh litigation by Armstrong’s lawyers.
“it’s time to stop dwelling on Armstrong’s past”
Would be easier to do when we feel that Armstrong has genuinely learnt from his past mistakes. So far that hasn’t happened.
Simon E wrote:”It’s time to
Yup. Pretty much agree. Armstrong never failed to put the boot in on others, never failed to exploit a situation when one came along and one suspects that he wants us to a) forgive him, and b) exploit the situation for his own ends. I don’t think he should be given that chance.
This is the man that called the UCI to dob Tyler Hamilton in for doping after Hamilton beat him on Ventoux. This guy doesn’t fight fair and doesn’t respect the rules. Never forget that.
He still disputes doping in 2009 & 2010. He seems to have known all about bad blood bags of his rivals – who wouldn’t put it passed him for tampering – I know that sounds extreme, but this is the man who likely bugged USADA/FBI witnesses so who can put this beyond him. I see very little that he wouldn’t do or say he’s such a pathological liar.
Not sure who is more paranoid
Not sure who is more paranoid here, him or you!
The way people go on it’s as
The way people go on it’s as though it’s a life or death thing he did, it’s just bike riding, it’s not really that important.
Didn’t Mr. Armstrong actively
Didn’t Mr. Armstrong actively try to ruin the lives and/or livelihoods of anyone who crossed him/stood in his way? For those folks, his fall from grace shouldn’t be brushed under the carpet.
Skynet wrote:The way people
Let’s imagine that someone dragged *your* family’s name through the mud, or caused you to lose your job/career/business. Would you still think it wasn’t important?
andyp wrote:Skynet wrote:The
Do you personally know these people, I doubt it. Do you really care about these people, I doubt it. So no, it’s not important to 99.99999% of people.
Skynet wrote:
Do you
I don’t personally know of them. But I don’t need to know them personally to know that having their lives ruined is wrong. That’s not about personal knowledge, it’s about being a decent human being.
I suspect you plucked your figure of 99.99999% from out of your arse. Either that, or you are seriously deluded about the rest of the people in the world. They’re not all complete cunts, you know.
Go ahead and answer the question, though. If it was *your* family, would it matter?
andyp wrote:Skynet wrote:
Do
I agree with the sentiment. I just think my definition of ‘ruined’ is different to yours. Yeah, he was a complete and utter wanker. Nobody’s life is ruined though. No matter how much people desire to find a devil to hate, Lance ain’t it.
andyp wrote:Skynet wrote:The
Do you personally know these people, I doubt it. Do you really care about these people, I doubt it. So no, it’s not important to 99.99999% of people.
The invitation by Thomas is
The invitation by Thomas is for exactly the same reason as Armstrong’s acceptance to ride – create publicity.
Do we know whether Cure Leukaemia is happy to be funded no matter what the circumstances; end justifies the means?
Cynical attempt by Thomas to
Cynical attempt by Thomas to gather publicity. Unfortunately it has worked.
I wonder how all the other
I wonder how all the other participants feel about him joining them in what is a tough and incredible way to raise money for charity.
It might be worth somebody doing some journo type thing and garnering the info and putting a piece up on it.
Who’s life exactly has been
Who’s life exactly has been ruined by ol’ Lancey Wancey?
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Christophe Bassons.
felixcat wrote:Christophe
I completely agree that Armstrong was a prick to him, but everyone was. The entire peloton isolated him – his words, not mine. What was far worse in my opinion is that after being isolated during the day he would go back to the hotel and his own arsehole team mates shunned him behind closed doors. Imagine that! Utter wankers. And I’ve read the stories about Four Days in Dunkirk where the other riders tried to force him into a ditch – Lance wasn’t even on the continent.
Anyway, I digress, the point I was originally trying to make is that nobody’s life is ruined. He wrote a great autobiography that sold very well. He continued cycling for years. Now he is in charge of….wait for it…. drug testing (!) for youth sport in Bordeaux. He has gone on record saying that he forgives Armstrong and that Bassons considers that his career is as a sports professor, not a cyclist.
But hey, don’t let all that stop you. Grrrr…evil Lance, another life ruined!
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Filippo Simeoni.
(This could run and run)
Simon_MacMichael
Errr….the coach of one of the best football teams in Europe!? You’re mad!
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Marco Pantani
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Betsy Andreu
Streetlife wrote:Kadinkski
Seriously? Her life is ruined? How exactly? Is it having to wake up next to that drug-cheat creep she married that betrayed her by lying to her face every day?
Grrrr….Lance’s fault. ‘He made me marry him’!
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Philip Seymour Hoffman
http://news.sky.com/story/1219150/philip-seymour-hoffman-died-from-drugs-mix
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Greg Lemond
Ladders wrote:Kadinkski
LOL. Seriously. LOL. They had a public spat and Lance was exposed as a lying cnut. How is Lemond’s life ruined exactly? I’d love to see you tell him that to his face – i know for a fact he has a different opinion to his life than you do.
Kadinkski wrote:Ladders
LOL. Seriously. LOL. They had a public spat and Lance was exposed as a lying cnut. How is Lemond’s life ruined exactly? I’d love to see you tell him that to his face – i know for a fact he has a different opinion to his life than you do.— Kadinkski
Didnt Armstrong go out his way to try and ruin LeMonds burgeoning bike business (and succeeded) and spread lies about him that meant Lemond was ostracised from the cycling community?
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Paul Kimmage. He’s out of a job now!
Kadinkski wrote:Who’s life
Jan Ullrich
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/10136274/Tour-de-France-winner-Jan-Ullrich-admits-doping-during-career-saying-almost-everyone-back-then-took-drugs.html
Quote:Who’s life exactly has
The problem with people new to cycling is that they have little idea of the way the sport was changed by the advent of oxygen vector doping and the extent to which Lance Armstrong chose to exploit it. Once he made himself into the next big thing by choosing to use PEDs, he effectively chose the direction that cycling would take for the next number of years. Anyone who wouldn’t do what he wanted them to was discarded, anyone who attempted to speak out was bullied into silence.
Go read the books, go and do the research.
…and Emma
…and Emma O’Reilly….
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/lance-armstrong-called-whore-ive-3830143
…and Betsy
…and Betsy Andreu…
http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/5-questions-betsy-andreu
You are simply exposing your
You are simply exposing your ignorance.
“Simeoni’s reaction to
“Simeoni’s reaction to Armstrong’s confession was: “I acknowledge Armstrong’s confession on television but he put me through such a humiliating experience and damaged me so much, in terms of sport, morale and finances that I don’t know if I could ever forgive him.”
Not really such a laugh, is it?
As noted above, you are
As noted above, you are simply exposing your ignorance.
La madre dei cretini è sempre
La madre dei cretini è sempre incinta.
when he apologises to all he
when he apologises to all he has wronged, and when he pays back all the money that he’s conned out of people either through winnings or his ‘charity’, then I’ll agree with you that he’s not the devil, merely a complete sociopathic wanker who deserves to be slowly skinned alive and dipped into salt. 😉
andyp wrote:when he
‘charity’? Do tell us more?
It’s not about finding a
It’s not about finding a devil to hate, it’s about appreciating the impact he had.
He did have an important role in promoting cycling in the US, which has had an effect across the world. He won the Tour on a carbon bike, which opened the industry up to the possibility. He did raise consciousness about cancer, although the impact and funding he received have caused a great deal of comment.
He also hurt a lot of people and helped to change the direction of cycling and it’s association with doping.
Grrrr….Lance strikes again.
Grrrr….Lance strikes again. He made me do it, innit gov’? Grrrrr…..etc.
I’ve obviously missed the
I’ve obviously missed the allegations of LA conning money from charity can anyone enlighten me I’ve seen a few comments recently but no detail?
Beefy wrote:I’ve obviously
Armstrong asked for an appearance fee for a Norwegian charity event and turned up in Livestrong kit. The organisation was made to believe that the money would go to charity, but it went to Armstrong instead.
He also had Livestrong pay for his legal expenses.
There is more…
So did lance receive a ban
So did lance receive a ban for being a twat? Because that’s all the justification I ever hear for the vitriol. I thought it was the doping he received the ban for, not the way he treated people.
Another one who seems to
Another one who seems to delight in the demonstration of ignorance…
There is a great deal of information out there, but it’s not going to come and knock at your door.
Beefy wrote:I’ve obviously
Yeah, it’s been…..interesting. From what I’ve read on other road.cc threads in the last 2 days, he has been compared to Jimmy Saville (he did a lot of work for charity too, innit, no smoke without fire, child rape is such a small step from doping etc). And the latest post regarding the charity money is that cancer has already been cured but Lance was diverting the funds he raised to his global banking mates. Literally. Thats what someone is claiming. And by literally I mean literally.
The words ‘lunatic fringe’ spring to mind.
Lance Armstrong is a fraud
Lance Armstrong is a fraud and a fake. He didn’t just ‘cheat’ he systematically stole the most prestigious prize in cycling not once but seven times. His celebrity status should only be because he is one of the biggest fraudsters in history NOT anything relating to cycling. It’s not simply a case that he bent the rules and should be forgiven I’m afraid, he ruined people and threatened anyone who even crossed him slightly, Greg Lemond for example. I honestly don’t know how anyone can argue he’s served his time and should be forgiven, if anything, lance Armstrong the man should be forgotten, only his actions should be remembered.
I’m not being ignorant, but
I’m not being ignorant, but constantly banging on about how he’s such a bad man and he should never be allowed to cycle again seems to be justify that’s why he’s banned. i know all his bullying and sociopathic behaviour came out in the wash, but the USADA banned him for doping NOT being a bad bad man, I was under the impression the lifetime ban was for noncooperation and that’s why everyone else got off with what amounts to a slap on the wrist in comparison. I’m sure there are many people just like him at the top level of all sports who treat others like trash yet are adored by their fans. I believe in many ways, it’s that very aspect of their personalities that drives them to be the best, unfortunately it means that they are willing to do anything to achieve their goals.
Definitely me, but that’s ok
Definitely me, but that’s ok because I wear my tinfoil hat at all times, not just when I’m on the bike 8}
At the end of the day I really don’t give a hoot, I just wish LA would stop sucking all my bandwidth with all these inane comments about him (and yes I do see the irony here).
Well done Geoff Thomas a guy
Well done Geoff Thomas a guy with a bit of character. Unlike Brailsford and his placeman Cookson . What ever you may think of him Arnstrong did an enormous amount to break down the stigma of cancer as a disease people didn’t talk about which in itself has probably saved a lot of lives .
Don’t get me started on Betsy Andreu she frankly makes me sick an egotist who has achieved nothing in her life but jumped on exposing lance as a way to fame and fortune.