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news
Lance Armstrong and Piers Morgan (pictures Oprah still and CNN publicity shot).jpgPiers Morgan trolls cyclists on Twitter – and Lance Armstrong hits back
Newspaper editor turned TV presenter Piers Morgan has been trolling cyclists on Twitter, calling them “cretinous busy-bodies” – and among those to hit back is disgraced seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, continuing a long-running feud between the pair.
Yesterday, Morgan told his 4.8 million followers he would wear a helmet camera while driving “to catch cyclists behaving like cretinous busy-bodies.”
That tweet was bound to grab attention, with many replies defending cyclists and pointing out it is motorists who make the roads dangerous for vulnerable users such as pedestrians and people on bikes, while others took Morgan’s side, urging that cyclists should be licensed and, yes, pay non-existent “road tax.”
But given the history between the pair, perhaps the most arresting reply was the pithy response from Armstrong, who himself has 3.8 million followers on the social network.
@piersmorgan somebody has too much time on their hands...
— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) February 17, 2016
In October 2012, when the United States Anti-Doping Agency published its reasoned decision to ban Armstrong from sport for life and strip him of the seven Tour de France titles he won between 1999 and 2005, Morgan was among the mainstream press commenters who put the boot in.
Morgan, sacked as Daily Mirror editor in 2004 after it published a hoax story claiming British soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners, and whose CNN show in the US, Piers Morgan Live, was cancelled in 2014 due to poor ratings, tweeted: "Nice guy that Lance Armstrong -- a nasty, vengeful bully as well as the world's biggest sporting cheat.
"He's the biggest cheat in sporting history and those still lauding him as a 'brave hero' need to ssssshhhh. @lancearmstrong #LiveWrong," he went on.
However, with Piers Morgan Live still running at the time on CNN, he added: "Yes, I would LOVE to interview @lancearmstrong – but he hasn't got the guts. Or have you, Lance? #LiveWrong."
Armstrong’s televised confession was finally made to rival chat show host Oprah Winfrey, in something of a coup for her network – and, perhaps, a snub to Morgan’s own CNN show.
Now US editor at large for Mail Online, Morgan was particularly scathing about Armstrong in this column from last year, although few would take exception with his description of the Texan as “a despicably selfish piece of work who tried to ruin many lives, not save them, in his desperate quest for power.”
And just this month he compared Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton to Armstrong.
Referring to her defence for controversially accepting $675,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs between the end of her tenure as secretary of state and her current campaign for the presidential nomination, he wrote: “I carefully studied Hillary’s face as the CNN cameras closed in.
“It reminded me not just of [her husband] Bill’s when he was caught (regularly) with his pants down, but also of cycling cheat Lance Armstrong when he used to angrily insist he’d never (regularly) taken drugs.
“It’s a face of part fake innocence, part defiance, part anger and part indignation.
“And as with Bill and Lance, these lies are going to come back and bite Hillary where the sun don’t shine,” he added.
Earlier in the same piece, describing his mounting anger at Mrs Clinton’s protestations of innocence, he gave a brief glimmer of hope to the many people with whom he has feuded over the years, a list that includes the likes of Private Eye editor and Have I Got News For You panellist Ian Hislop, and former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
“I nearly choked on my glass of wine,” he revealed.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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33 comments
Piers Morgan = Helmet
Therefore, he only needs a camera.....
Twits like Morgan should be twatted. Clarkson had the right idea. However, choosing between Morgon and Armstrong would be like choosing between dysentery and diarrhoea. I'd prefer to slam my knob in a door than meet either.
PM
[erroneous duplicate post deleted]
Dashcam footage is de rigueur in Russia these days: only chance you've got of a successful insurance claim apparently. The cops there aren't interested in "moving traffic violations." So bring it on Piers. I suspect your internal schema of appropriate road behaviour may be found wanting when it meets daylight.
Actually, if you have an RTA in Russia you must leave the car in position and wait for the police to arrive, if you don't the insurance won't pay out, camera or not.
[[[[[ Test-send
Most amusing mispelling of twat, ever...
What a pair of wallys. They deserve each other.
If Piers Morgan liked Cyclists I would take up Golf.
I can think of no better person to be attacked by. Should improve cycling's public image, even among Daily Mail readers.
On the downside, being defended by Lance Armstrong probably cancels out much of the Piers effect.
And this holier than thou comment comes from somebody who turned a blind eye to his employees phone hacking.
People in glass houses Piers?
Was it Stephen Fry who offered "the murder of Piers Morgan" as a definition of 'countryside'?
Piers a bit frustrated he couldn't 'allegedly' listen to Lance's voicemail? Might have to watch Brett Lee bowling at him again.
"cretinous busy-bodies" says Pier Morgan. Clearly he has an underdeveloped sense of irony.
Morgan's on the money for once. Helmet camera pointing at his car's speedo, video feed uploaded in real time to DVLA along with geo location and traffic light status.
I remember that Armstrong fella, I think he did triathlons or something as a kid. i wonder what he's up to now?
Excellent!
When it comes down to it, and I was ordered by a judge to punch one of them. Piers gets it every time.
I'd rather have a chat over a cup of tea with Lance Armstrong than Morgan.
Lance Armstrong may be a deplorable cheat...
But Piers Morgan is just a complete idiot and that is a lifetime affliction with no possible cure...
as above, cameras in cars? yes please.
Ahh Piers Morgan. The only guy who could actually make you cheer for Lance.
I agree this pair deserve each other.
Don't feed the troll, nothing to see here, move along now.
I wish people would ignore fame craving cretins like this.
And yes I see the irony in posting on a thread about him.
I've always found Piers Morgan to a very generous and affable person. He is quoted in the article differently from the synopsis, he did not call cyclists "cretinous busy bodies".
I'm sure that Milly Dowler's parents feel much the same...
I'm no fan of Lance, but I'd love to see him batter this despicable little prick.
ITV employs a number of cameras in the morning specifically to catch Piers behaving like a cretinous busy-body.
Well no-one else has mentioned this ye, so I'll kick it off!
"helmet camera" for car drivers makes me think of this:
http://lesswrong.com/lw/mk0/wear_a_helmet_while_driving_a_car/
https://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/helmets-in-cars-hel...
Maybe Piers isn't actually being totally irrational after all, and he's going to start wearing a helmet while driving!
Edit: having found his original tweet I'm disappointed that he just said "wear a Go-Pro". How disappointing!
Paging Alanis.
Hahahahahahaha!! End thread!
Ooh driver helmet cams - would provide good footage of what they're eating, listening to on the radio, tagging on facebook with the occasional glimpse out of the window to see the red lights jumped on their way to pay road tax...
Those two deserve each other!
<popcorn>
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