John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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62 comments
For all that Lance did with regards to be caught using illegal methods/drugs for enhancing his performance, I still regard him as one of the most influential cyclist in his time, he is probably responsible for 100's of thousand people to take up road cycling if not millions!
I believe he was one of many cyclists cheating, but one of the few that got caught!
A lot of people and companies made a lot of money out of Lance, perhaps they should hand back their profits too!
One way of looking at Lance, is that he was the best at cheating.
That's the optimistic view!
Also a proven sociopath, the Lemond and Andrieu stuff is utterly unforgivable and above and beyond any cheating, this guy would have done similar stuff had he chosen a career other than cycling.
This is fantastic, great to see a former world champ hasn't forgot about the little guys. I for one, think the sooner all this brouhaha about who said what and stuff blows over, the better.
I find it amazing that people think that LA had little natural talent. One of the youngest road world champions, but no talent? Regarding the doping, there were teams with just as 'sophisticated' programmes as the USP team.
Absolutely, lots of talent, don't disagree on the doping at other teams either.
He looks a bit sad at the end. Like he's trying hard to please but inside he's dying.
Well I thought it was funny
Curse me for having a sense of humour eh?
'Just LA or should anybody else in cycling's past or present join him to rot in obscurity? '
I can't speak for allez neg, but I am unaware of any other dopers, current or past, who tried to destroy others' lives and bullied, perjured and sued their way to millions whilst hiding behind a 'charity'. So, until I hear otherwise, just him.
The problem is the unique circumstances that LA found himself in. As the story continued to write itself, the need to protect his position got greater, until he was at the point where his and stakeholders' losses would be so great they would say and do anything. Never in cycling has so much rested on one man's shoulders. So to compare his actions to the actions of other dopers (of which there are many) is wrong.
Very F'kn funny! I don't hate the guy at all for doing this skit; Heck I think he can have a career in non athletic entertainment if he so desired.
I still feel that he has huge presence and not diminished at all by doing something like this. But I guess if your near bottom, there's only one way up.
Can a Dave Z (who I thought was quite funny ) have done this video? Tyler Hamilton ~ no way.
By the way; I would have taken off the tire and inspected it mm by mm . That finger sweep would have missed the tiniest near invisible , glass or what not.
His Radioshack and Dick's Sporting Goods TV ads (before the downfall) were actually very funny at sending up his persona, don't know if they're still on YouTube but made me laugh at the time....
Come on guys leave him alone, Doper so what, everyone doped. Da think Brad Wig was sitting forth wheel in the mountains clean, behind lance and Contador, you guys are funny!!!
His lawyers are apparently Widdicombe and Pump.
Is this not a family friendly oriented comments section?
Loved it...!
Loved it...!
US Airways? Surely you mean BA? I even tweeted them that a poster of escaping the commute to the Indian Ocean (no fishes - just water) was in bad taste at any time. No response
I'm still waiting for "Dodgeball:The no cheaters allowed cut"...
Its a genuine sentiment. I think he's a cheating, bullying conniving cunt and I wish he could just fuck off into obscurity, get a normal job and forget cycling and let cycling forget about him.
Not a very christian attitude, but I'm not a christian, so fuck him.
Has that clarified things?
Just LA or should anybody else in cycling's past or present join him to rot in obscurity?
Perhaps a few lessons for you in expressing your feelings in a less than colourful way might allow us to warm to your feelings about the man. Whilst I would agree with your sentiments, the manner in which you make them puts you a little behind the very man you speak of! Now I know why cyclists get a bad name in so may places. Perhaps cyclists don't need the likes of you also?
This is obviously a new skill Lance has had to learn since his fall from grace. If you will remember, he had to finish the Leadville 100 on a flat tire because he did not know how to change a flat at that time. Funny how you are forced to learn new skills when you no longer have a pit crew.
Shortly after I bought my first road bike I went on a basic maintenance course at Evans Cycles. A fellow attendee claimed to be an international triathlete and when it came to the bit about mending a puncture he said he didn't know how to get a tyre off, "because I have a mechanic to do that".
Lance who?
Is this video tongue-in-cheek? Honestly can't say.
the cheekiest bar steward out there ....
Of course, you're more likely to get a puncture if you leave sharp objects around - e.g. needles.
Throw the dust caps away - good to see the champ* doesn't break the important rules!
Dear Mr Armstrong,
Fuck off into obscurity, there's a good chap.
Yours,
Everybody.
why watch it then?
I didn't!
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