@@branchandfoundry560 They just did the TdF, not sure what you mean by "miss." Also, Bob was horrible at the Vuelta without Phil. Making him the main voice was a big mistake as he prattled on. Bob does great in second chair and color commentator, but can't carry the main announcer gig.
I liked Lance Armstrong and rooted for him when he rode. I have always liked Phil Liggett, still do. Together Armstrong and Liggett made me a cycling fan. If they have flaws (and who doesn't?) well, I can thank them both for turning me on to cycling. I just watched the Olympics and was excited to watch American Kristen Faulkner win the gold medal. I ride myself, I even trained with members of the old 7-Eleven racing team many, many years ago, going on long rides with them. Back then I was not really a fan of cycling, from a spectator's perspective, I just loved riding a bike. It was really the 2003 Tour de France when I became, sit in front of the TV, cycling fan. Some of you can CHOOSE to be bitter, I CHOOSE to remember the good times. Thanks Lance and Phil.
I am going out on the limb--you are an American, a typical American who will overlook or defend any bad behavior from an athlete or a celebrity or a rich person as long as they have given you the sort of voyeurism that you love so well. Armstrong was a fiend who used his organization as a means to protect himself from the truth and have voyeurs as yourself persecute those who exposed the truth in the inquisition of public opinion. The way Armstrong intimidated Frankie Andreu's wife Betsy Andreu to the point of tears was beyond the pale. On that act, Armstrong had broken man's law. If I were Frankie Andreu, then I would have gone after Armstrong with mortal intention. You Americans are wondering why your country is going to shit... People like you. As for Liggett, he and Sherman knew that Armstrong was super doping. They knew.
Phil’s assessment of the situation of my team chasing down George Hincapie in that particular stage in the Tour is completely wrong. In fact, I made a deal in the car with his DS Brian Holm of team Columbia-HTC that we would let the break take sufficient time to allow George to take yellow, in exchange for them fully defending it the day after, thus saving our team some hard work. If you revisit the footage of that stage, you will see that the reason George didn’t get yellow that day is because the American team Garmin-Slipstream started to pace insanely hard in the final of the stage for no rational reason, except the reason being they didn’t want to see another American cyclist in yellow that wasn’t on their team. This is a true and verified fact. Best regards, Johan Bruyneel.
@@johanbruyneel7723 Thank for taking time to share your side of the story. Is there a a email to reach out to you at to have on an episode of the podcast!
Yeah it was Garmin that chased as I watched it live. But then again I saw no reason to “give” the yellow Jersey to George or anybody. You gotta earn that thing.
@@jazzman99000 well true…. If Team Garmin had anything to gain from such a move, which they didn’t. Matt White, DS of Team Garmin, is also on record for saying the sponsors demanded they chase down Hicapie, solely for the reason that no American, NOT of the Garmin squad, was allowed to take the jersey. Team Garmin had nothing to gain from this from a sporting perpective whatsoever. In other words, it was a petty and disgusting move, solely against a specific rider, and nothing else.
My life is very short. I have so many things to consider and stress about and look forward to. Why waste one second I was somebody else goes with their life or they’re racing career. I enjoyed watching that generation of racing. It inspired me to ride my bike, my whole life. I’m 62 years old, and I love riding more than anything because of the inspiration from watching that generation of cyclone. Whether they were all on PED’s or not why waste my energy, giving a shit. Just watch the way they race. Watch the way they train. In mind my own business, the rest of the way.
Back in the 80's, I was at a signing event of professional bodybuilders and naively asked one of the guys if he took steroids. He replied, "if you want to compete with Lee Haney, you do what Lee Haney does." If anybody, Liggett included, thinks that LA was the only one doing all this, they're delusional. The European teams just didn't like that an American was cheating better than they were.
I have a signed 2005 discovery yellow tdf hat. Signed by Lance and everyone who was with Lance for his 7 tour wins. Phil also signed that hat on this trip to Calgary that he was talking about. That hat is one of a kind with all those signatures on it. I met phil that day and what a classy man. I also vividly remembering Lance cutting up Mr. Ligget at a rest stop. Lance his arrogant self said to Phil about trying to keep up with the pace saying. "Hey, french froggie, are you jumping from one Lilly pad to another keep up with the group?" At that moment, I released Lance was an ignorant a-hole, to say that to a respectful, polite man as Phil Leigget is. I walked away that day with great disappointment in Lance. My highlight that weekend was getting Lance and Eddy Merckx to sign my Alp De Huez cycling cap. Eddy was also there, and so was Steve Beaur, a local cycling legend where I grew up. Anywho... that's my story
Liggett was all-in on deriding those who questioned Armstrong. I believed Liggett for quite a while. And I’ve never listened to him since. I’ll turn the volume down.
My mother-in-law was a lung cancer survivor, and lived for many years on one lung. Armstrong was her absolute HERO. As it was becoming more and more suspect that US Postal was doping, she would not listen to any doubts about Armstrong's cycling performance. Ultimately, her second lung succumbed to cancer, and she sadly passed away. The only small blessing in her tragic death was that she was never confronted by the indisputable proof that Armstrong was a serial cheater and a ruthless manipulator of other people. Had she found out while she was still alive, it would have broken her heart. So I don't have a lot of sympathy for stories about Armstrong's cancer "philanthropy," because it was all based on lies.
@@BradBolin I mean you make it sound as if he’s guilty by association or something. I think Lance was buttering him up and other sports reporters to help his career, and also to help his cause.
While the Life saving foundation LIVESTRONG achievements cannot and should not be overlooked . The lives that have been changed will be forever grateful. Lance is an Egomaniac, just ask his teammates. I believe Phil Liggett to be an Honest person. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I'm not here to judge Lance but he has done far more Good than Bad.
@@barrettwalker5294 Thank you for the positive feedback and clear perspective. Much appreciated Barrett! We agree with your sentiment! Amen, Namaste my friend!
I would never excuse Lance's behaviour at the expense of those racing without any assistance, but I've always felt he was the Full Guy for quite a lot of bad behaviour that had been going on for a very long time and just went 'unnoticed' in a deliberate sort of way by those running the events.
If you guys spent as much time researching your subjects as you do popping off at commenters you'd have a much better product. He tells you he was getting paid by the Livestrong gravy train and revelling in the access, and you just sat there and let him waffle calling it "sage wisdom"!
@@paulheron8283 community engagement. We arnt journalists and we our not the podcast that in vote people on to go at them. Read the description. Send me your email I’ll send you out notes.
Very true.......I forget when the worm turned for me. Might have been the year Landis showed off. I so enjoyed the TDF streak but was later crushed because I was fooled.
Liggett's revisionist history doesn't fly. For years, he openly attacked, mocked, and maligned anyone who dared question Lance. He can spin it as much as he wants after the fact. In many ways, he's just like Lance - defiant, refuses to ever admit a mistake.
Spot on. He defended him and rubbished the idea that Armstrong was on anything. Blind Freddy could have seen what was going on and now Ligget's trying to claim the moral high ground.
@biscaynedive Revisionist history, you say? Liggett’s just telling it like it is, which is more than I can say for some armchair critics. Thanks for watching and Subscribing 🎭
@@petehowell220 More like spot off! Liggett’s got more insight in his little finger than most people have in their whole body. But hey, keep throwing stones from your glass house. It’s entertaining, if nothing else! Thanks for watching and subscribing🙄
@@Aireybros You obviously have no memory of the years in question or haven't viewed the broadcasts and interviews Liggett did. Liggett was Armstrong's #1 defender and ally in the media, and actively worked behind the scenes to muzzle anyone who said anything questioning LA. Liggett made UGLY attacks on a number of people, not the least of which was Frankie Andreu. He was savage in his slander of Betsy Andreu, and he was a one-man hit man against Landis. Liggett was a prime moving force in having Frankie fired by Discovery Channel. He had the Discovery bosses muzzle Bob Roll with a threat to fire him too. That is unforgivable.Your interview was pure suck-up, absolutely no factual challenge to Liggett's pure spin. Shame on you.
@@Aireybros Liggett also was absolutely disgusting in his efforts to discredit Emma O'Reilly and David Walsh. He was a complete b.s. defender of Ferrari, Conconi and Roche, and dutifully advanced and repeated every one of the b.s. coverup narratives the Armstrong camp put out. You really need to go back and do some homework. Liggett has ALWAYS been on the pro-dope side of the equation. He's ALWAYS been in the Eddy Merckx pro-dope camp. He sucked up to that whole side, including Merckx's doped up kid. He also defended Contador and savaged those who dared shine the light on the Schlecks. Liggett's claims that he was a neutral "reporter" is utter b.s. He ACTIVELY worked to savage people's reputations (just like Lance), and personally worked alongside LA's team in having Frankie Andreu fired. Shame on anyone who interviews him and lets him use them without any challenge to his revisionist history.
I’m disappointed in Phil. He was as much an icon of cycling as the cycling greats of his generation. He did show bias towards and in favor of Lance Armstrong during those years and excuses Armstrong’s doping actions and vicious bullying of other riders simply because he raised money for Livestrong.
I didn’t pick that up from this interview. He said he seen both sides of Lance. The way that he’s treated people as a bully. And how he’s helped raise money for cancer.
Imagine how much more money for cancer research Lance would have raised. But no, they had to strip him of his titles, make him the media scapegoat while the real cycling community still thinks he won those tours.
What a load of BS! Everyone familiar with power output and times over certain routes knew he was using PEs, including Mr Liggett, and now they all want to pretend. I'm old enough to have watched Lance ride the TDF on corporate tv, and I remember how Liggett and others were his cheerleaders. Lance is an asshole who did whatever he had to in order to win. That's The American Way, right? As Bill Burr observed: "Our 'roided up guy beat your 'roided up guys." I have the DVDs of every TDF Lance won, and I find his riding inspiring, regardless of what he was on. Lance used PEs and lied about it because that's what all the top guys were doing, and that's what it took to win. If you want to drag him, it would make a lot more sense to talk about what he did to people who threatened his narrative. He's no hero, but, IMHO, these coat-tail riders feigning ignorance are worse. How stupid do you think we are? Shame on you, Mr Liggett.
Too bad Phil lost all creditability for a wonderful career by not calling out Armstrong. He threw writer Walsh (first to see Armstrong for what he was) under the bus and never once said ....sorry...not credible!!
He got duped like so many of us… Doesn’t make him a bad person. We all wanted so badly to believe it was real. This was a really candid and honest interview❤
Unfortunately no one remembers number 2 in any sport so we will forever be looking for what pushes us over the top. People cheat on their taxes every year and they are still trying to vilify Lance... something about who ever casts the first stone...
From what I've heard of that guy Lance is that he wasn't a very nice person to many people in cycling, he sounds like a bullying loud mouth American, not saying all Americans are like that but. I hear that he's got a RU-vid channel and I won't go anywhere near it. Phil Liggett is a great cycling commentator and when he was with Paul Sherwen they were the best duo cycling commentators.
As a former pro cyclist who didn’t dope Phil sold out to support and hero make Armstrong in order to line his own pockets Shame on him. Shame forever shame.
"Community engagement"? @petehowell220 below responded to another commenter by saying "Spot on. He defended him and rubbished the idea that Armstrong was on anything..." Your response to him was "More like spot off! Liggett’s got more insight in his little finger than most people have in their whole body. But hey, keep throwing stones from your glass house..." Which part of the community were you trying to engage with with that little Wildean retort! "Spot off"!!! I've been following cycling pretty closely for a long while and you two are the first donuts in the box ever to accuse Liggett of being insightful. You clearly didn't listen to any of his "commentary " on the last tour.
Kind of a sad way to go into Retirement Phil... Cycling greats from Miguel I on have most likely been suped up... And instead of a proper farewell you want to end it as a sour puss? Really unfortunate way to turn the page after so many years telling stories with Paul and others that we all enjoyed. Really really unfortunate
Who cares about the doping. The sport has had it from the beginning and it still has it in 2024. Who cates, the Lance years were awesome and he helped sp many with cancer which means so much more.
Wow! You guys just gave Liggett a free pass! He was so deep in Armstrong's pocket, client journalism didn't begin to describe it. You two just did the same for Liggett. I'm so glad he's finally retired. His commentary is stale and often factually wrong, as pointed out by Johan Bruyneel below.
Thank you for sharing your negative thought on our public forum and not subscribing to our channel or having any context of what this channel is about. Much Love!
