'They’re hugging it out' – Rivalries aren't what they used to be, says Lance Armstrong

Never a man to stay far from the headlines, former American professional cyclist Lance Armstrong has caused a flurry of debate on social media with his comments on the friendliness of today's top stars.

Speaking in a lengthy interview on the Happy Endings YouTube channel, Armstrong drew comparisons between his rivalry with Jan Ullrich and the supposed friendships among today's top stars, no doubt referring to the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar remaining affectionate despite their sporting battles.

"It was way less friendlier in our generation," proposed Armstrong. "This generation now, like these guys go hammer [and] race each other and some guy will lose. The guy who wins is waiting at the finish line, they're fucking hugging it out."

"I'm like 'what? Are you just waiting there so you all can hug this out after you just lost?'"

Sharing this specific clip on social media on Thursday evening, Armstrong was unsurprisingly subject to plenty of backlash. The American has, of course, been stripped of his seven Tour de France victories, having admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

The 52-year-old's character has often been brought into disrepute not just because of his doping, but because of numerous accusations of bullying from various former teammates, staff and opponents.

Weighing in on how cycling has changed since he retired in early 2011, Armstrong seemed to preempt much of the backlash that would come his way.

"I'm not saying that our generation, that was the way to do it or that I was proud of [it]," he was quick to say. "I mean, I think it's kind of cool to see [the friendships]. But it wasn't like that for us, it never even crossed my mind."

Lance Armstrong has hugged a rival before - here he is embracing Jan Ullrich on the podium of the 2005 Tour de France

The idea of hugging an opponent immediately after the finish line seems alien to Armstrong, who contrasted today's big rivalries - Van der Poel vs Wout van Aert, Pogačar vs Jonas Vingegaard both come to mind - with that of him against the likes of Ullrich back in the early 2000s.

"I do think our generation's racing was better. We didn't hate each other. Even for me, nobody ever did anything to me that would have led me to be like 'okay, I hate this motherfucker', but I would make things up, like read an article, or read a quote and be like 'I guess I could read it a certain way', like, 'well ok, fuck them'.

"You just make it up. We had a much more college locker room mentality where we would use these guys as examples and their quotes and just make up these rivalries."

Vitriol with Ullrich's Team Telekom on Alpe d'Huez

No rivalry was more memorable in the early 2000s than that between Armstrong and Ullrich, who had won the Tour in 1997 but finished second to the American in 2000.

Speaking to Happy Endings hosts Danny Duncan and Jon Youshaei, Armstrong recounted a tale of mischief from the 2001 Tour de France – his third Tour de France (non-)victory – which evidenced the feeling of vitriol between his U.S. Postal Service team and Ullrich's Team Telekom.

"It was the stage to Alpe d'Huez to 2001. They just started to take control of the race on some of the earlier climbs during the day and I'm like, 'the fuck... We control the race, what the fuck do y'all think you're doing?' I legit thought that to myself. I'm like, 'why are you on the front? We control the race.'"

Armstrong's disgust was soon turned into deceit, as he laid a trap for Team Telekom on the team radio - which was often tapped by other teams.

© Getty Images

'What the fuck are you doing on the front of my bike race?' asked Armstrong

"I said to Johan [Bruyneel on the radio] 'I don't know what's up, I feel like shit, I'm having a terrible day,' it was a total facade, a total act, and they're listening - I knew that. Then he [Johan] hears Rudy Pevenage [manager of Team Telekom] say 'hey guys, Lance is having a terrible day.'

"Right at the bottom, I sent one guy to the front, he fucking lit it up and I just rode away, won by two minutes. They were probably saying, 'what just happened?'"

Armstrong took great pleasure in recounting this former glory, but the American was at pains to insist he is not a man living in the past.

"I never sit around and reminisce about my career ever, like never ever, never crosses my mind," he insisted. "I think it's strange when people do.

"I was forced to reinvent and reimagine my life, but because of that, that chapter is closed and it's gone."

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