I would say the best moment of bike racing that i have seen on tv was when Armstrong went cyclo-cross down the field, after avoiding Beloki’s crash.
That was insane, so funny to watch him do it. I think I have it on tape somewhere. man, that was some funny sh*t.
Another funny moment was when Ullrich went off the road on a mtn descent, while following Armstrong. You see him shoot off the road, down the slope, and a bike fly up in the air. I never laughed so hard watching OLN.
Stage 2 Report
Sun Jul 3, 2:44 PM
LES ESSARTS, France - A master of strategy after all these rides, Lance Armstrong did what he had to: He stayed out of trouble.
Armstrong negotiated the second stage of his farewell Tour de France on Sunday, finishing safely in the pack and in 63rd place. Crucially, he avoided danger by steering clear of sprinters jostling for position on a day when several fell, and Belgium’s Tom Boonen was the winner.
Armstrong, bidding for a seventh straight Tour de France title, had no intention of trying to win the 112.5-mile run from Challans to Les Essarts, raced in the sunshine in the Vendee region of western France - once a stronghold of royalist supporters during the French Revolution more than two centuries ago.
Mufasa
Stage 3 Report
Armstrong was content to ride safely in the main pack again Monday. He finished in 87th place in the third stage while Belgium’s Tom Boonen sprinted to victory for the second straight day, the route marked by towering gray castles, endless green fields and dozens of vineyards.
There will be nothing cautious about the key time trial Tuesday. Armstrong is a mere two seconds behind leader David Zabriskie of the United States and will be looking to gain more ground on his rivals, and perhaps move in front again.
Mufasa
Armstrongs now in yellow. his team set a team trial record speed of 35.5mph average for the 1hr 10 minutes. That is some serious speed.
I once did a team trial as a junior in a Canandian race. Fast course and we averaged 30mph. I can’t imagine averaging 35.
[quote]KiloSprinter wrote:
Armstrongs now in yellow. his team set a team trial record speed of 35.5mph average for the 1hr 10 minutes. That is some serious speed.
I once did a team trial as a junior in a Canandian race. Fast course and we averaged 30mph. I can’t imagine averaging 35.[/quote]
that is frickn ridiculous science fiction kinda speed. most people couldn’t hold 35 for 1 minute -if they could get there at all . she-it.
The only bad thing I can think of coming out of the whole Lance Armstrong story is how the first American to win the TDF, Greg LeMond (back in '86,'89,'90) has been forgotten by all but the most hardcore cycling fans.
His comeback from the brink of death (he got shot in the gut in 1987 and did not race again until the '89 season) to win the Tour de France in 1989 by EIGHT SECONDS in the final day
background:
(he was down 50 seconds at the start of the last stage - which was a time trial into Paris - and was down to Frenchie Laurent Fignon, no slouch in the time trials and winner of the TDF in '83 and '84) -
back to paragraph:
following an inhuman time trial effort (where he averaged close to 35 mph ON HIS OWN, WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF A TEAM TO PULL YOU ALONG) is right up there in my book with Lance’s string of victories as one of the ballsiest performances in sport.
The other thing that sucks about Lance’s retirement is that he is not going to get to tackle the hour record. I think he would have crushed it.
One more thing: the only thing that is going to stop Lance is age. He could win the next two TDF’s after this one if he really felt like it. I personally think he’s bored with cycling. What else is there for him to do? Try to do the Grand Slam like Merckx? ( Vuelta, Giro, TDF, Worlds) Seriously, there is no one out there that can give him a run for his money. Ulrich is done, and the Spaniards since Indurain and Olano are one-trick (climbing) ponies.
lates,
-max
p.s. This Tour is already over. Lance may let the yellow go just to take the strain off his boys and keep them fresh for the mountains. Then he’ll lay the hammer down as always.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
Mufasa:
My heart is with Lance, but there are plenty gunning for him this time around.
I would like to see him grab his 7th consecutive win, and I think he has a good chance. I plan to follow along.
Thanks for starting the thread.
Zeb[/quote]
You are correct in this statement but every year since he won his first tour he has had people gunning for him like crazy. This year is no different. I have heard this year people are going after him because they want to beat him before he retires: last year their motivation was because no one wanted to him beat Indurain’s record the year prior it was for other reasons.
[quote]kilo sprinter wrote:
This is standard procedure for the general classification contenders. The race is not won on the flat stages. Lance would be insane to try to put time on his rivals on such a stage, which would be nearly impossible anyways. You will learn how the racing tactics work when you watch more of the racing. Indeed it is not easy to understand how everything works if you are new to watching the sport. [/quote]
Exactly. Wasnt it in 2001 that some of the sprinters had a 26 minute lead going into the mountain stages and ended up losing every bit plus some of that lead because Lance just blew it up in the mountains
[quote] KiloSprinter wrote:
Another funny moment was when Ullrich went off the road on a mtn descent, while following Armstrong. You see him shoot off the road, down the slope, and a bike fly up in the air. I never laughed so hard watching OLN.
[/quote]
I thought it was funny looking after I found out he wasn’t hurt. Strangely I am a fan of Armstrong and Ulrich However I always for Armstrong to win the tour. What I thought was cool was that Lance actually held up and waited for Ulrich to see if he was alright and to let him get caught up and going again.
[quote] TriGWU wrote:
Any hardcore TDF fans remember his fake-out during a hill climb a few years back?? [/quote]
That was classic! Wasn’t that Mt. Ventoux?? The other was when got out of the saddle and was a bit in front of Ulrich and looked back like he was saying " you coming or what" and then just hammered it up the mountain.
I seen the subject of sprinters come up so I have to ask where the hell is Alessandro Petacchi??? Did I miss the news as to why he isnt in the tour. He would be giving Boonen one hell of a run for his money. He is another reason I was looking forward to this years tour. No one can sprint like he can and now that Cipo is gone we need to have some excitement at the front.
RK
[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
The only bad thing I can think of coming out of the whole Lance Armstrong story is how the first American to win the TDF, Greg LeMond (back in '86,'89,'90) has been forgotten by all but the most hardcore cycling fans.
His comeback from the brink of death (he got shot in the gut in 1987 and did not race again until the '89 season) to win the Tour de France in 1989 by EIGHT SECONDS in the final day
background:
(he was down 50 seconds at the start of the last stage - which was a time trial into Paris - and was down to Frenchie Laurent Fignon, no slouch in the time trials and winner of the TDF in '83 and '84) -
back to paragraph:
following an inhuman time trial effort (where he averaged close to 35 mph ON HIS OWN, WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF A TEAM TO PULL YOU ALONG) is right up there in my book with Lance’s string of victories as one of the ballsiest performances in sport.
The other thing that sucks about Lance’s retirement is that he is not going to get to tackle the hour record. I think he would have crushed it.
One more thing: the only thing that is going to stop Lance is age. He could win the next two TDF’s after this one if he really felt like it. I personally think he’s bored with cycling. What else is there for him to do? Try to do the Grand Slam like Merckx? ( Vuelta, Giro, TDF, Worlds) Seriously, there is no one out there that can give him a run for his money. Ulrich is done, and the Spaniards since Indurain and Olano are one-trick (climbing) ponies.
lates,
-max
p.s. This Tour is already over. Lance may let the yellow go just to take the strain off his boys and keep them fresh for the mountains. Then he’ll lay the hammer down as always.
[/quote]
One hell of a time trial indeed. However if he is forgotten I do not care. He is afraid of being forgotten as well which is why he has talked shit about Armstrong for quite some time now.
“The problem with Lance is that you’re either a liar or you’re out to destroy cycling,” said LeMond who won in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
“Lance is ready to do anything to keep his secret but I don’t know how long he can convince everybody of his innocence”
Greg Lemond
[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
The only bad thing I can think of coming out of the whole Lance Armstrong story is how the first American to win the TDF, Greg LeMond (back in '86,'89,'90) has been forgotten by all but the most hardcore cycling fans…
…lates,
-max
[/quote]
that day lemond beat fignon was to me the most frickn exciting day ever in the tdf. lemond coming back with birdshot in him, the frenchie vs. the american , lemond using cutting edge prototype time-trial equipment, fignon just on bullhorns and lettin his pony tail flap in the wind, lemond being what ? 50 some seconds down ? and closing that gap and winning by 8 seconds, and then the real killer was that it was on the last day, that day is usually just a concession ride, the whole frickn world but lemond thought fignon had it…godddamn that was great.
,sorry kinda hijacking here back to armstrong i think he’s still gonna do the hour. and frickn crush it like those homers manny and mueller just hit in texas. on both bikes.
[quote]One hell of a time trial indeed. However if he is forgotten I do not care. He is afraid of being forgotten as well which is why he has talked shit about Armstrong for quite some time now.
“The problem with Lance is that you’re either a liar or you’re out to destroy cycling,” said LeMond who won in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
“Lance is ready to do anything to keep his secret but I don’t know how long he can convince everybody of his innocence”
Greg Lemond
[/quote]
yeah he is talking some serious frickn smack that he can’t back up. douchebag.
I know it sounds terrible but I really want Armstrong to lose. Simply because I hate domination of sports. Its the same reason I love when Real Madrid lose and Schumacher loses etc. 7 in a row, too many! Someone beat him.
[quote]swivel wrote:
KiloSprinter wrote:
Armstrongs now in yellow. his team set a team trial record speed of 35.5mph average for the 1hr 10 minutes. That is some serious speed.
I once did a team trial as a junior in a Canandian race. Fast course and we averaged 30mph. I can’t imagine averaging 35.
that is frickn ridiculous science fiction kinda speed. most people couldn’t hold 35 for 1 minute -if they could get there at all . she-it.[/quote]
well the conditions were super fast today, big tailwind most of the way, so that helped. Also, you have to remember that these guys are A LOT more aerodynamic than the average road rider. and it was a 9 man team effort, which also makes it a lot faster.
On average, the leading rider in a TTT is pushing 600watts, with the riders in the slipstream only doing about half that power.
I have been in pacelines and took some hard pulls at 600watts, and I would only be doing 32/33mph on the flats with that power. I have crappy aerodynamics.
I must say, there is nothing like rolling down the road at 35+ in a smooth paceline. but then the next thing I know, there’s a car blowing its horn at us because they can’t pass, even though we are above the speed limit.
[quote]ConorM wrote:
I know it sounds terrible but I really want Armstrong to lose. Simply because I hate domination of sports. Its the same reason I love when Real Madrid lose and Schumacher loses etc. 7 in a row, too many! Someone beat him. [/quote]
I’d normally agree, but Lance is a special case for me. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become more and more jaded by professional athletes, and no longer idolize them as I once did, but, if only because of his unreal will, I love that guy. ten years ago you’d never, ever catch me watching a stupid bike race, but I’ve watched entire stages of the last three just to cheer for Lance.
I agree with the last post. While Lance is not a nice guy, what he has done is simply incredible. I have no quams with him getting a 7th Tour victory. He is retiring anyway so anybody who hates domination only has to wait 1 year. He changed the way people train.
It should be known he isn’t the best cyclist ever. There were at least 2 better. Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx. They both won every kind of race and raced almost every weekend. Eddy Merckx himself is from a different planet then other cyclists (including Lance) Everybody was always riding for 2nd when he was in a race.
The interesting part was both of them were really mean guys too. Eddy was called the Cannibal. They were both nasty.
In regards to a previous post:
In lances defence, he didn’t run around on his wife. They had previously seperated. His wife doesn’t dispute that.
Mufasa,
good thread and thanks for posting the results.
the rest of just rambeling.
ya know those of you out there judging the man, he, just like the rest of us probably wasnt always the nicest guy in the world. do ya think some of that could have been just the aggressiveness that an individual or personality such as that requires to be in that position?
look at the kennedys, the rockefellers, etc. it appears that those that have that kind of drive probably tend to be a little more abrasive then the norm of society.
who are any of us to make any kind of comment or judgement about lance or anyone else for that matter. if you havent walked a mile in their shoes…you know the rest.
at any rate lance or merkx or a lot of other superstar types (the real ones)could probably be a lot worse and get away with it. im not saying that he is perfect because he is a winning american bike jock, but that he like all of us is just a person doing what he does and that he is in the spotlight. there are a lot of others that are a lot worse and most of main stream society could care less. regardless of whatever else he is or does. he is truely one of the great cyclists of all time.
Stage 5 Report
“Lance Armstrong retained the overall lead in the Tour de France when he cruised to a safe finish in Wednesday’s fifth stage, won by Robbie McEwen of Australia.”
“Armstrong, going for a seventh straight Tour victory, crossed the finish in 45th place in a pack of riders that clocked the same time as McEwen - 3 hours, 46 minutes - for the 113.7-mile ride from Chambord to Montargis. He has the yellow jersey for the 68th time.”
“McEwen, of Davitamon-Lotto, sped ahead of Belgian Tom Boonen in a final sprint to collect his sixth Tour stage win and his first this year. Boonen has won two stages this year, both sprint finishes.”
Mufasa
[quote]trailrash wrote:
One hell of a time trial indeed. However if he is forgotten I do not care. He is afraid of being forgotten as well which is why he has talked shit about Armstrong for quite some time now.
“The problem with Lance is that you’re either a liar or you’re out to destroy cycling,” said LeMond who won in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
“Lance is ready to do anything to keep his secret but I don’t know how long he can convince everybody of his innocence”
Greg Lemond
[/quote]
damn, I didn’t think LeMond was such a hater. Jealous much, Greg?
I remember hearing (or reading) that Lance basically gave Greg the ol “f-- off” when LeMond tried to befriend him early in his career - after the first TDF win, I believe. Do not know if this true or not - but if so, it explains a lot.
I also think LeMond was satisfied with being the “man” in American cycling until Lance came and shattered his accomplishments.
[quote]fingolfin wrote:
It should be known he isn’t the best cyclist ever. There were at least 2 better. Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx. They both won every kind of race and raced almost every weekend. Eddy Merckx himself is from a different planet then other cyclists (including Lance) Everybody was always riding for 2nd when he was in a race.
[/quote]
I’ll give you Merckx as the G.O.A.T.
But Lance would crush Hinault - Hinault (aka the “Badger”) was a mean SOB. He totally fucked LeMond out of the title in the '85 Tour.
You could make a very strong case that Indurain would have crushed Hinault as well.
If I had a time machine I would have paid money to see Lance go toe-to-toe with Indurain up L’Alpe d’ Huez. Do it like Madden - 1993 Indurain v. 2002 Lance - who wins?
I think it would be very, very close.
The cool thing is that Merckx and Lance are really tight in real life.
my buddy raced him in some minor race years ago. he said he beat lance but that the race didnt count for much and he probably wasnt going to kill himself trying to beat my friend. after the race he wanted to shake lance’s hand and say good race but he got the cold shoulder and a “fuck off” attitude.
he is seen as a stand up guy, and he may infact be one, but this saint-like immage is good for business and thats about it. subaru doesnt want an asshole in its ads.
[quote]fingolfin wrote:
I agree with the last post. While Lance is not a nice guy, what he has done is simply incredible. I have no quams with him getting a 7th Tour victory. He is retiring anyway so anybody who hates domination only has to wait 1 year. He changed the way people train.[/quote]
Could you explain how he “Changed the way people train?”