Armstrong or Palmer?

That said, Palmer's coming back to a much less competitive sport than Armstrong.

WTF ! World Cup level DH is nothing like it was in Palmers day. I respect the guys all-round ability but he'll be nowhere.

WTF ! World Cup level DH is nothing like it was in Palmers day. I respect the guys all-round ability but he'll be nowhere.

Oh shit yeah. I wasn't comparing DH then and now, but DH and the TDF.

What I wonder about is what is Armstrong's real motivation. I doubt it's really to raise awareness of his cancer fund although that is a laudable goal. I think it has more to do with getting back in the limelight because he has a need to show the world his value. He needs a shrink more than a comeback if you ask me. Just like guys who need a hairpeice to cover their baldness. They need a shrink to get them to realize it doesn't really matter what you look like.

I never cared for Palmer's antics but he is very skilled. Did he ever make the Olympic snowboard team? I recall that he had some lifechanging thing happen, as in his unhealthy party lifestyle was taking a toll and he found religion or something??? Then as part of his healing he was trying to make the team.

easy one, there must be a new, undetectable drug :)

Or the cancer preventing steroids he takes have just got more powerful :)

Palmer was skilled for sure. He was skilled at extracting never-before-seen levels of sponsorship dollars from apparently brain dead industry folk while producing essentially nothing on the DH circuit (unless you count spectalur crashes and 3rd place finishes). He is singularly responsible for raising sponsorship support levels to lofty heights where before they sucked bad (previous to 1995), and then killing sponsor support for most race events (after 1999-2000). In 4-5 short years, the business world began seeing through the smoke screen of hype and asking, "what are these guys doing for our bottom lines?" The answer when it came to Palmer was "nothing". While he has had reasonable success in many other endeavours, the same in mountainbiking elluded him and will continue to do so.

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

Palmer was skilled for sure. He was skilled at extracting never-before-seen levels of sponsorship dollars from apparently brain dead industry folk while producing essentially nothing on the DH circuit (unless you count spectalur crashes and 3rd place finishes). He is singularly responsible for raising sponsorship support levels to lofty heights where before they sucked bad (previous to 1995), and then killing sponsor support for most race events (after 1999-2000). In 4-5 short years, the business world began seeing through the smoke screen of hype and asking, "what are these guys doing for our bottom lines?" The answer when it came to Palmer was "nothing". While he has had reasonable success in many other endeavours, the same in mountainbiking elluded him and will continue to do so.

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

OK, so who's going to better in 2009?

Okay, okay.

Lance first then anyone other than Palmer second.

Palmer was skilled for sure. He was skilled at extracting never-before-seen levels of sponsorship dollars from apparently brain dead industry folk while producing essentially nothing on the DH circuit (unless you count spectalur crashes and 3rd place finishes). He is singularly responsible for raising sponsorship support levels to lofty heights where before they sucked bad (previous to 1995), and then killing sponsor support for most race events (after 1999-2000). In 4-5 short years, the business world began seeing through the smoke screen of hype and asking, "what are these guys doing for our bottom lines?" The answer when it came to Palmer was "nothing". While he has had reasonable success in many other endeavours, the same in mountainbiking elluded him and will continue to do so.

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

He won stripes in Slalom and Silver at WCs in DH in '96, and 5th overall.

I'd hardly call that "essentially nothing".

Are you for real?? You have just proven that you know exactly shit.

I work in the waste water industry, so yeah I know shit. A lot of it.

I also know that Palmer wins the "most pompous ass" award everywhere he goes.

Kn.

haha, this thread is getting stupid… anyone who disses the Palm Daddy just wasn't snowboarding 17 years ago… if you were you'd only have good things to say…

Palmer was skilled for sure. He was skilled at extracting never-before-seen levels of sponsorship dollars from apparently brain dead industry folk while producing essentially nothing on the DH circuit (unless you count spectalur crashes and 3rd place finishes). He is singularly responsible for raising sponsorship support levels to lofty heights where before they sucked bad (previous to 1995), and then killing sponsor support for most race events (after 1999-2000). In 4-5 short years, the business world began seeing through the smoke screen of hype and asking, "what are these guys doing for our bottom lines?" The answer when it came to Palmer was "nothing". While he has had reasonable success in many other endeavours, the same in mountainbiking elluded him and will continue to do so.

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

sometimes it isn't 100% about placing in sponsorship…. You know a big part of companies giving you money is that they want their name in images and being talked about. That is exactly what they received. A highly talented rider (he may not have won every single race), that is still talked about till this day. For instance, i bet that most people on here know what kind of dh bike he rode when he raced (I know and i wasn't even riding when he was). I'll give you a hint, there is three shots of him in decline for the nov/dec issue riding one.

The palm is an icon, simply because he would go from sport to sport and give every single "dedicated athlete" in each category a run for their money. He would surprise everyone and maybe he will do the same this time.

I mean you talk about somebody who would be riding balls to the walls in every race either placing amazingly or exploding in a spectacular crash (aka some inconsistency), tell me did you watch the world champs dh this year?

haha, this thread is getting stupid… anyone who disses the Palm Daddy just wasn't snowboarding 17 years ago… if you were you'd only have good things to say…

Really? I'm heading into my 20th season on a board and I remember Palmer was the first poster boy of the dickhead misogynist egotistical asshole new school (though he wasn't technically new school).

He was a great rider, but he didn't let it speak for itself (if he did, you couldn't hear it over his loud beaking off).

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

If I wanted to hero-worship a load of junkies, I'd take my prayer mat down East Hastings…

With respect to Lance, well come on, he is a god and must be worshipped. Me first…….

come on, this guy did doping like all the other "stars" of this sport. thx to them, cycling is dead now in germany. our biggest tv stations dont do live events anymore, the german tour is canceled, also some track events in the winter…