Professional Cycling For the Fans - Forth fastest TT in history!

The below statement on Versus site is a typo but its funny to read and think that non cyclists that will be reading this. Its no wonder cyclist are looked at juiced :D



It was a remarkable time trial - the fourth fastest in Tour history at 53.081mph

Levi also had never won a stage at the Tour De France and has been racing in it for several years.

Then comes this SUPERMAN effort.

Very suspicious.

It was also pretty flat, and downwind. Not minimizing the effort, but also not so beyond expected to raise eyebrows.

Levi also had never won a stage at the Tour De France and has been racing in it for several years.

Then comes this SUPERMAN effort.

Very suspicious.

Levi has been riding strong time trials all year.

The below statement on Versus site is a typo but its funny to read and think that non cyclists that will be reading this. Its no wonder cyclist are looked at juiced :D



It was a remarkable time trial - the fourth fastest in Tour history at 53.081mph


Wow over 80kph for 55km thats is amazing.:p:eek::p

54.545 kph over 24.5km - fastest individual time trial (Greg LeMond, 1989)


Wow

That's pretty fast

Musta been doping don'tcha think??

I don't think he doped.. I think he rode his ass off.. he was going for second place.... and he almost got it! it's also been well documented that he's been training very hard on his aero position and tt in general!

it's also been well documented that he's been training very hard on his aero position and tt in general!

I see your point

It's not like anyone does that anymore

and the equipment must have been much better back then too.

Lemond's TT comes up all the time. I don't know him so I can't say he doped or not. But I don't think he did, based on looking at his other TTs, including that year, and looking at modern riders who raced similar distances (and beat him). TTs are not all equal. You should check out distance, elevation gain/loss, and wind direction because all three make a huge difference.

distance: interesting thing on how racers can put out pro level wattage for short times. In otherwords, for about a minute, virtually all of us could TT as fast as a pro. It's going longer than a minute that's hard. For pros, doing 15 miles is very different than doing 34 miles.

elevation gain/loss: 1989 was a downhill TT, sort of. Personally I find it easier to go fast when going downhill. It even carries over onto the flats right after the downhill.

wind: I went 60 mph for about a mile on a flat road during Hurricane George in Florida, no drafting, nothing. 54x11 as fast as I could go. With a 50-70 mph tailwind it wasn't as much "how fast can I go" but more "how big of a gear can I put on this bike".

Lemond's TT came up recently in cyclingnews and I wrote a response to a similar "he must have doped" statement:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/06/letters-greg-lemond-and-itts.html

cdr

elevation gain/loss: 1989 was a downhill TT, sort of. Personally I find it easier to go fast when going downhill. It even carries over onto the flats right after the downhill.
These things are really personal - whatever floats your boat.
Seriously, great post. Doesn't mean LeMond wasn't doping, but there are a lot of variables at play in a TT and the knee-jerk "musta been doping" comment gets old.

Levi has been riding strong time trials all year.

Not that strong. Look at his first TT at the tour. You just don't get that much better in a week.

Doping was done in 1989. What is different is they didn't have the technology to catch a lot of it. I don't think they could catch blood transfusions for example.

I look at it this way, LeMond and Armstrong were the best cyclists period during their time. I'm assuming that everyone was doping or no one was doping except those caught were doping.

Everybody had a slow trial trial on stage 13. Look at the winning times for 13 vs 19. They were the same distance.

The wet roads were a big reason.

Richard


Not that strong. Look at his first TT at the tour. You just don't get that much better in a week.

I look at it this way, LeMond and Armstrong were the best cyclists period during their time. I'm assuming that everyone was doping or no one was doping except those caught were doping.

The best period during their time? Yet between them they have only 1 season long championship?

I would think anyone who was clearly the best would collect a few more of these.

p.s. Arguments can be made about the nature of cycling in Armstrongs time, but then shouldn't it be best tour rider, not best cyclist?

Everybody had a slow trial trial on stage 13. Look at the winning times for 13 vs 19. They were the same distance.

The wet roads were a big reason.

Richard

Don't forget a fair sized hill or two.

Yeah, and it looked like Levi paced himself too much early in that first TT as well. He had one of the fastest, if not THE fastest, third sector.

With the way Levi has been riding his TTs this year, the surprise was the bad result in the first rather than the good one in the second.

The best period during their time? Yet between them they have only 1 season long championship?

I would think anyone who was clearly the best would collect a few more of these.


You're talking about the championship that preceded the ProTour? Can't remember the name right now.....brain freeze.....

Anyhow, I didn't realize Lance had won that....

edit: Sorry, misread your original post. Yeah, you're right. It's sad how so many people don't realize that there are a LOT more races on the calendar outside of the TdF. Doubly sad that Americans never seem to ride the other races and if they do they're ignored. To my mind it isn't very surprising that Levi could finish third in the Tour when he has finished 3rd in the Vuelta in the past. But of course there are many on this forum who don't even know who Andy Hampsten is!

oh yeah - found it - the Super Prestige Pernod Trophy and later just the World Cup. Lemond won it once, Armstrong not at all. Then of course Indurain never won it either. Just like the current ProTour there was considerable controversy over the points worth of the TdF vs., say Paris-Roubaix.....

But of course there are many on this forum who don't even know who Andy Hampsten is!



Didn't he finish 4th in the Tour once?


Just joking. 4th in the TDF while the 3rd placed rider on his team. 4th getting almost no help at all and giving a lot to Lemond. (Almost because there is something about 2 French riders and 75,000 French Francs).

Oh and of course being the first last and only American rider to walk away from any grand tour with two major Jerseys.

Didn't he finish 4th in the Tour once?



Rotfl

It was a remarkable time trial - the fourth fastest in Tour history at 53.081mph

Um, you realize MPH and KPH are not the same thing, right? All the drugs in the world will not get you a 53mph TT.

It was a remarkable time trial - the fourth fastest in Tour history at 53.081mph
Um, you realize MPH and KPH are not the same thing, right? All the drugs in the world will not get you a 53mph TT.I think that's exactly what he was pointing out (the typo in the Versus report) but it went over just about everybody's head... :)

The below statement on Versus site is a typo but its funny to read and think that non cyclists that will be reading this. Its no wonder cyclist are looked at juiced :D

I think that's exactly what he was pointing out (the typo in the Versus report) but it went over just about everybody's head... :)

aaaaahhhhhhhh, ok

They all dope for training or they would never make the tour. Out of 300 million Americans only 10 make it to the tour. Is there any motivation to cheat?????

Landis got caught. Lance quit before he got caught. Everyone for the last 30 years has been doing it.

Times are changing.

Times are changing.Bob Dylan doped, too. :) You just can't tell it by his performances. Oh wait, yes you can! :p

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