peawee03
10-29-02, 10:38 AM
OK, so Merckx is a god-on-two-wheels, but LA is a machine. Seeing that LA trains for the TdF, and Merckx simply rocked no matter what at his peak, who would win a two-man TdF?
Road Cycling - Merckx vs Armstrong
Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.View Full Version : Merckx vs Armstrong
lotek
10-29-02, 11:01 AM
I would have to say Eddie, he was a much better
all rounder. Yeah Lance is good no doubt about it
but I'm not sure he would be where he is without
the support of USPS team. I don't really have alot
of info on the Molteni team to know if they did
alot of the same.
So, for my $.02 I'd say Eddie.
Marty
all rounder. Yeah Lance is good no doubt about it
but I'm not sure he would be where he is without
the support of USPS team. I don't really have alot
of info on the Molteni team to know if they did
alot of the same.
So, for my $.02 I'd say Eddie.
Marty
ImprezaDrvr
10-29-02, 12:20 PM
But, USPS wasn't that strong in Armstrong's first two wins. It's tough if you're just looking at the Tour. I think Armstrong's focus on being the best Tour rider might give him an edge, but Merckx is still the best of all time in general. Of course, he didn't deal with the pressures of winning the Tour in the modern day. It's really hard to compare riders from such different eras in the sport. So much has changed as it's gotten more profitable.
bac
10-29-02, 12:34 PM
Originally posted by ImprezaDrvr
But, USPS wasn't that strong in Armstrong's first two wins. It's tough if you're just looking at the Tour. I think Armstrong's focus on being the best Tour rider might give him an edge, but Merckx is still the best of all time in general. Of course, he didn't deal with the pressures of winning the Tour in the modern day. It's really hard to compare riders from such different eras in the sport. So much has changed as it's gotten more profitable.
What ImprezaDrvr said! :D
But, USPS wasn't that strong in Armstrong's first two wins. It's tough if you're just looking at the Tour. I think Armstrong's focus on being the best Tour rider might give him an edge, but Merckx is still the best of all time in general. Of course, he didn't deal with the pressures of winning the Tour in the modern day. It's really hard to compare riders from such different eras in the sport. So much has changed as it's gotten more profitable.
What ImprezaDrvr said! :D
Ajay213
10-29-02, 01:46 PM
What ImprezaDrvr said.
Honestly if you took Eddy at his peak and Lance at his peak, I'd still bet on Lance. Mostly because all of his training is centered on doing well in France....and to hell with the rest of the season. Now if you were going to race a schedule like what they did back in Eddy's day, I'd bet on Eddy...I don't think Lance has what it takes to do a full season like that and win most of the races.
Andrew
Honestly if you took Eddy at his peak and Lance at his peak, I'd still bet on Lance. Mostly because all of his training is centered on doing well in France....and to hell with the rest of the season. Now if you were going to race a schedule like what they did back in Eddy's day, I'd bet on Eddy...I don't think Lance has what it takes to do a full season like that and win most of the races.
Andrew
ImprezaDrvr
10-29-02, 01:52 PM
I dunno, I think if you told Lance that he could focus on races other than the Tour, he'd at least make it close. I personally think that he's still got some Classics wins in his legs, but all of his energy goes towards winning the Tour. But, I would have to agree that Merckx would come out on top over, say, one World Cup season.
MHub
10-29-02, 02:05 PM
Gotta go W/the Cannibal. Dominant in just too many ways...
roadbuzz
10-29-02, 06:32 PM
Merckx vs Armstrong? Apples vs Oranges. Lance would win, Eddy would still be the greatest ever.
Originally posted by ImprezaDrvr
But, USPS wasn't that strong in Armstrong's first two wins
Yeah. Remember how he ran off his lieutenants after the first couple of mtn stages in 2000 and 2001. Okay, I'm being intentially provocative. Hamilton, Julich, Livingston, seems like there was another, too. Officially, they just happened to announce they were leaving USPS before the tour had even ended. It happened both years. To pace Lance on the mountain stages you have to be good enough to get a podium finish in one of the other grand tours.
Originally posted by ImprezaDrvr
But, USPS wasn't that strong in Armstrong's first two wins
Yeah. Remember how he ran off his lieutenants after the first couple of mtn stages in 2000 and 2001. Okay, I'm being intentially provocative. Hamilton, Julich, Livingston, seems like there was another, too. Officially, they just happened to announce they were leaving USPS before the tour had even ended. It happened both years. To pace Lance on the mountain stages you have to be good enough to get a podium finish in one of the other grand tours.
Cipher
10-29-02, 06:46 PM
I would very much like to see the results of that race with Eddy single mind-ely focusing his entire season on the TDF as Lance does... Given that scenario you would have to give the nod to Merckx.