Professional Cycling For the Fans - Floyd's Stage 17 was the equivalent of....

Making it to the professional cycling world but not winning, getting cancer, and then becoming arguably the most dominant racer in history? No?

bah, ignore me. I'm just bitter because the recording I have of stage 17 cut to some stupid hosts talking for 10 minutes BOTH times that Floyd jumped ship from a group to launch forward.

Arguably the most dominant only if you exclude the top 3 and view things from a Tours are everything and classics don't count. One would think that someone who is 'arguably the most dominant racer in history' would be in at least the top 100 classics riders of all time.

It was the equivalent of Babe Ruth pointing to a spot in the outfield and hitting a home run there.

Riding a bike may be easy enough but riding it well enough to be in the the TdF is amazing. What Landis did was epic.

It was the equivalent of Babe Ruth pointing to a spot in the outfield and hitting a home run there.

Are you saying Floyd winning stage 17 is just a story made up by a sportswriter?

I know the called shot is part of legend, but I'm convinved it is just that, legend. The guy who caught the game convinced me in one interview. He simply said that if Ruth did point to the outfield neither he nor the pitcher saw it, because if either of them had the next pitch (the one he hit out) would have been at Ruth's head. SOmehow I believe him.

Are you saying Floyd winning stage 17 is just a story made up by a sportswriter?

I know the called shot is part of legend, but I'm convinved it is just that, legend. The guy who caught the game convinced me in one interview. He simply said that if Ruth did point to the outfield neither he nor the pitcher saw it, because if either of them had the next pitch (the one he hit out) would have been at Ruth's head. SOmehow I believe him.


Well true or false it's a heck of a legend.

Anyway, my point in making the comparison is that everyone in the peloton knew exactly what Floyd was doing and they were powerless to stop him.

I say a football team scoring a touchdown on every possession.

what would you compare it to?

I saw an Arena Football game once where a team scored on every possession -- the Richmond Bandits were playing the Carolina Ghostriders, except the Ghostriders had received a league suspension before the game, so they brought in some replacement squad called the Ghostchasers, who were completely overmatched. Final score: 113 - 0, Richmond wins. They scored something like 15 touchdowns, plus a few safeties, field goals, and 2-point conversions. In the end it wasn't that impressive because the opposing team sucked so badly.

Well true or false it's a heck of a legend.

Anyway, my point in making the comparison is that everyone in the peloton knew exactly what Floyd was doing and they were powerless to stop him.

Yup it is a heck of a legend, just as the idea that the entire peleton was trying to stop Floyd and could not. They were more concerend (and with resonable cause) with each other than Floyd. Remember that any team besides T-mobile still did not pull back the time they needed on Periero.

Floyd won, Ruth did hit a home run that day. But that the entire peleton could not pull Floyd back is just as much legend as the call of the home run.

I do see one difference however. Floyd should have faded on the final climb. He should have run out of gas, at least enough that he woul dneed an equally great TT in two days. I think even Floyd was a bit surprised at how much of his lead he kept on the final climb.

you could almost play the Rocky theme over stages 16 and 17

Floyd's Stage 17 was the equivalent of....

.... Kerri Strug sticking a near perfect vault one footed with a busted ankle at the '96 Olympics sealing the gold for the U.S Womens Gymnastic Team.

As I see it many of the equivalent ofs here just do not fit.

Floyds stage 17 was not just or even mainly a great ride. It was not even a great ride that was needed to win, e.g. without stage 17 stage 19 would have been worthless.

The thing that makes this stage 17 stand out is that on stage 16 Floyd totally lost it. So this is a Winner-lost it- winner story. Just gutsy perormances or comebacks do not make it.

To me the notorious Stanford band play comes the closest. It really miosses only on the sustained effort part.

Very well explained, cbip. I just don't understand the elitism and snob attitude that people here have with cycling over everything else. I'm sure there are other people who ride a bike AND play golf, and are happy doing either.

Whatever sport or activity you choose to engage in, if it makes you happy and confers some degree of fitness or relaxation or passion, then great. But why bust on other peoples' choice of hobby/diversion with dumb statements like 'giving blood is harder than golf'? The only thing that proves (besides ignorance) is that you're insecure about your own choice of recreational activity...

Is it OK if instead of calling you an idiot that I think your analysis is dumb, or do run to the Mod squad again? When you say something idiotic about cyclists participate by using donated blood, you're just being sarcastic. Right? I get that now.

Is it OK if instead of calling you an idiot that I think your analysis is dumb, or do run to the Mod squad again? When you say something idiotic about cyclists participate by using donated blood, you're just being sarcastic. Right? I get that now.
Hey, you're the one who took what I intended to be a sarcastic reply as a serious one, and then required an explicit explanation from me regarding that fact. It's not MY fault that you can't recognize sarcasm when you read it. Funny how nobody else participating in this thread seemed to have that problem, eh? And then getting slapped down by a mod for violating forum rules must have really bruised your ego...

If you think MY analysis is dumb, that's fine. All I said was that glorifying cycling and bashing on other sports that others here may participate in is lame, and it is. Donating blood is harder than golf? You've obviously never played, and you appear to be way too closed-minded, ignorant, or a combination of both to try.

I'm glad you 'get it now'. See? You're capable of learning something. Took you long enough, though :)

...Ben Johnson's gold at the Seoul Olympics?

TH's gold at Athens?

double post

Sorry guys
(maybe)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/5221122.stm

TH's gold at Athens?

It's starting to look like Karlotta is right. Tylor was juced, so was Floyd.

...assuming the aligations turn out to be true.

...Ben Johnson's gold at the Seoul Olympics?

I was going to say Tommy Simpson taking one less pill and winning. But I think yous wins.

Hey, you're the one who took what I intended to be a sarcastic reply as a serious one, and then required an explicit explanation from me regarding that fact. It's not MY fault that you can't recognize sarcasm when you read it. Funny how nobody else participating in this thread seemed to have that problem, eh? And then getting slapped down by a mod for violating forum rules must have really bruised your ego...

If you think MY analysis is dumb, that's fine. All I said was that glorifying cycling and bashing on other sports that others here may participate in is lame, and it is. Donating blood is harder than golf? You've obviously never played, and you appear to be way too closed-minded, ignorant, or a combination of both to try.

I'm glad you 'get it now'. See? You're capable of learning something. Took you long enough, though :)

I have learned that you create insipid strawman arguments, make desultory statements, call others ridiculous and dumb--now, close-minded and ignorant--after you cried to the Mod Squad when someone calls you on an obviously idiotic statement, which you now excuse as simple sarcasm.

Stage 17 was the equivalent of . . . .
charging directly a hail of bullets, many striking you in the torso and some in the head, and still reaching the cops that were shooting at you, able to take one of them down.

Oh, and you were cranked up on angel dust and died shortly thereafter.

Giving blood harder than golf? Maybe if you're scared of needles.

cbip hit it right on the head. Every sport requires vastly different qualities, and none are better than any other. IMO, it's exactly these inequalities that makes different sports so unique and interesting to try.

Belittling other sports (on BF, golf seems to be the #1 target) is the wrong way to go about getting more respect for cycling. Why not spend that time explaining to people from other sports the beauty and intricacies of cycling instead?

I have learned that you create insipid strawman arguments, make desultory statements, call others ridiculous and dumb--now, close-minded and ignorant--after you cried to the Mod Squad when someone calls you on an obviously idiotic statement, which you now excuse as simple sarcasm.
Waah waah waah, stop your crying. If you don't like what I have to say, then try defending your own statements instead of criticizing mine. Would you mind showing, with quotations, where exactly I called you ridiculous and/or dumb? Since you're unable to read carefully, I was calling statements like yours ("giving blood is harder than golf") dumb and ignorant, and that still holds true since you haven't chosen to reply to that. I haven't attacked anyone personally, unlike you ("you're an idiot").

If golf is so easy, why aren't you out on the pro tour making the big bucks, hmm? Come on, quit making excuses and back up your statements, or get lost.

Giving blood harder than golf? Maybe if you're scared of needles.

cbip hit it right on the head. Every sport requires vastly different qualities, and none are better than any other. IMO, it's exactly these inequalities that makes different sports so unique and interesting to try.

Belittling other sports (on BF, golf seems to be the #1 target) is the wrong way to go about getting more respect for cycling. Why not spend that time explaining to people from other sports the beauty and intricacies of cycling instead?
Good luck trying to get through to Mr. Wagathon here. He/she/it refuses to discuss things rationally and instead chooses the ignorant/namecalling route.

Good luck trying to get through to Mr. Wagathon here. He/she/it refuses to discuss things rationally and instead chooses the ignorant/namecalling route.

Pitiful (s)he/it la_raza: you said cyclists take the blood of others to compete and then layed the comment off as sarcasm because it made you look stupid. Obfuscation seems to be the only skill you really have mastered well. Call the Mod Squad and tell them I called you a obfuscator too.

Pitiful (s)he/it la_raza: you said cyclists take the blood of others to compete and then layed the comment off as sarcasm because it made you look stupid.
ME look stupid? What about you, Mr. "giving blood is harder than golf"?

Funny how YOU are the only one in this thread busting about MY sarcastic comment, yet there are multiple people here commenting on how useless/dumb/ignorant statements like YOURS are. It's also interesting that you continually obsess about this point without bringing up anything else - it's pretty obvious you have nothing useful to say to defend your original statement.

And by the way, your response proved my point nicely. Instead of responding to air-phil's points, you go back to attacking me. Like I said - you refuse to defend yourself. So be it.


Obfuscation seems to be the only skill you really have mastered well. Call the Mod Squad and tell them I called you a obfuscator too.
Your ego's still hurting because you got told, isn't it? Waah waah waah. :)

..Bjarne Riis winning in 1996.

..Marco Pantani winning in 1998

..Michelle Smith de Bruin winning Olympic Gold

Not quite. I don't recall any of the above putting in postive drug tests.

Versus cycling, where most of the participants appear to be the recipients of donated blood.

If you really think giving blood is harder than golf, then how about you borrow a set of clubs, head out to your local muni course, and play a round. I expect your score to be par or better. Oh, and make sure you donate a pint of blood before you do it.

Some of you guys are so ignorant it's laughable. Putting down other sports just because they arent as strenuous as cycling is stupid.

There's nothing more for me to say: you said most participants in the sport of cycling are recipients of donated blood. I think you're an idiot but I'm not allowed to say what I think because you'll cry to the Mod Squad while calling others ignorant, laughable, stupid . . . just in this one message. ¡Qué lástima!

There's nothing more for me to say:
Actually, you had nothing more to say after your first post in this thread. At least, nothing useful to say.


you said most participants in the sport of cycling are recipients of donated blood. I think you're an idiot but I'm not allowed to say what I think because you'll cry to the Mod Squad while calling others ignorant, laughable, stupid . . . just in this one message. ¡Qué lástima!
Wow, you really don't get it.

The REAL reason you're not allowed to say what you think is because what you're thinking is considered namecalling, and that's against forum rules. If you don't believe me, ask a mod. In fact, a mod has already jumped in this thread with a warning, to you indirectly, to knock off the namecalling. So stop trying to blame me for your violation of the rules.

Second, YOU said giving blood is easier than playing golf, did you not? Why can't you acknowledge the ignorance in this statement along with the perceived idiocy of mine? How about you actually start discussing/defending what YOU said that started all this, hmm?

Talk about trying to change the subject of a discussion to call attention away from ones self... :rolleyes: