Lance Armstrong's Fighting Words
Lance Armstrong's February 2009 press conference wasn't quite awkward, but it was certainly contentious. Before the Amgen Cycling Tour of California, Armstrong took a question from Irish journalist Paul Kimmage, a former professional cyclist reporting for the U.K.'s Sunday Times. Kimmage, a staunch antidoping advocate, asked why Armstrong was welcoming back cyclists like Floyd Landis who had previously cheated or used steroids. He also complained that he had been denied an interview request with the star cyclist.
Before Armstrong answered the question, he took a moment to blast Kimmage for statements from a radio interview in which the reporter said Armstrong was "the cancer in this sport ... and now, the cancer's back." Armstrong, a testicular-cancer survivor, told Kimmage, "You are not worth the chair that you're sitting on with a statement like that." It looked as if Armstrong had practiced this speech in front of a mirror in anticipation of the chance to pounce on Kimmage for his crude comparison.