Professional Cycling For the Fans - TdF Stage 7 - Friday July 10 - 224 km - Barcelona (Spain) → Arcalis (Andorra)

Lance clearly had a tough day today, how do I know? HE SAID IT HIMSELF! Besides that, anyone with two eyes and was watching the race could see that it was tough on him.

The <edited by Admin> then goes to say that he was "just staying behind the wheels"


just stfu already..

just stfu already..
What is his race number and on what team is he on? And whats about him/your point?


We know all of your thoughts/ideas stem from that fact that you hate Lance, so this automatically makes them skewed and invalid. Basically, your ideas are rather worthless.
By this Logic, ideas/thoughts from Phill and Paul, Bob when they commentate on Lance are rather worthless because they are skewed towards Lance?


And Howzit you are absolutely ruining what could be a good thread with your hatred and petty jabs at Armstrong.
Im ruining this thread by talking about Lance, someone in the race, and your making this thread a good one by attacking me? You just made yourself look rather stupid.

Please reserve you thoughts about me to yourself, we are here to talk about Lance and the race. Thanks "bro".

I'll add that the whole reason for these interviews is not to get information, but just to hear the athlete's voice and see their face. What's talked about is meaningless most of the time.

Well what I saw in Lance's face at the interview was a guy who was pissed. Whether Lance thinks he can win or not is not going to stop him responding with some vicious attacks somewhere down the line.

Frankly, I'm getting sick of your Lance bashing, but the name calling has taken it a step too far.

All you are is a little man sitting behind your keyboard spewing crap on the internet. Please, act like civilized person and take your hate somewhere else.

If it bothers you that much, then don't watch the TdF. Period. However, if you do decide, check your name-calling at the door and act like you are actually older than 12 years old the next time you attempt to submit a reply.

Most of us are reading this thread, and forum, to see what other folks have to say about the race, AC, LA, etc. No one wants to see some dude acting like a 6th grader calling someone names.

Again--let me reiterate--grow up.

Good post.

Give the guy a break! 7 Tour De France Victories in a row, he's takes off for 3 1/2 years, comes back, and is only 2 seconds behind AC.

He also is helping with the fight against cancer.

I think the man deserves a little more respect.

Well what I saw in Lance's face at the interview was a guy who was pissed. Whether Lance thinks he can win or not is not going to stop him responding with some vicious attacks somewhere down the line.

Exhaustion can sometimes look like irritation, especially if he doesn't exactly want to do the interview. He's tired, dehydrated, and just wants to get on his team bus and cool down. Instead he's got to answer stupid questions to satisfy the likes of you.

Does LA speak Spanish?

Because AC does not speak English.

Yes, he lives in Spain while training. Remember also he is a Texas native.

In the US Postal days, since the team had a mix of native English and Spanish riders, he used to jokingly say the team spoke Spanglish since they spoke to each other in a mix of the two languages.

Question...... they obviously run different bikes for TT's compared to the sprint stages, but do they rock a different bike for the climbing stages? Some super light buggy?

Team leaders usually have a slightly different bike in the mountain stages. I.e. Lance has a bike with a left downtube shifter on the mountain stages to save weight and make tethering the Fder cage easier since he usually only shift rings at the top and bottom of the hill on the mountain stages.

Hey look, another thread that's turned into a debate about Lance. Can we please ban the moron who keeps turning every thread into the same argument? Everyone knows who I'm talking about, why is he still allowed to ruin this forum?

Hey look, another thread that's turned into a debate about Lance. Can we please ban the moron who keeps turning every thread into the same argument? Everyone knows who I'm talking about, why is he still allowed to ruin this forum?

Seconded.

Hey look, another thread that's turned into a debate about Lance. Can we please ban the moron who keeps turning every thread into the same argument? Everyone knows who I'm talking about, why is he still allowed to ruin this forum?

Well, Lance is a part of stage 7 and is currently 2nd in the GC, so I suspect he's going to come up in most stage related threads. As for banning anyone: It would be a shame to loose the rantings of Greg. They continue to provide a constant reminder to us all about how not to be a bitter former Champion. Just imagine how many more there will be like him, if they continue with the idea of testing identifiable samples for as many as 7 years after the fact. We're being set up for a never ending legacy of bitter disappointment for a lot of riders.

Discussing Lance's performance in the stage: OK.
Discussing whether Lance is a "selfish egomaniac", and/or his extra-marital affairs: Not OK, and not even remotely on topic.

Take your gossip-mongering rubbish somewhere where people aren't trying to have discussions about cycling. Gossippy bull**** about cyclists is not cycling-related discussion, and sure as hell doesn't belong in the Professional Cycling subforum. Now it's extended so far that not only is it filling the subforum with rubbish, it's filling a perfectly legitimate thread about TdF stage 7 - among others - with rubbish. This **** needs to stop. Now.

Does LA speak Spanish?

Because AC does not speak English.

Since he lived in Spain, yes, he does. Also Catalan, or some of it anyway.

There is no point for Lance to run down his own teammate. Especially since there are over two weeks left in the race.

His parting comment to the press was pretty telling...essentially, there will be additional stages where there will only be a couple of riders left.

This one will go down to Ventoux.

I don't think a cyclist who has won the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta in only one year like Contador needs any kind of cycling mentors, really. Also, after hearing what he said to the spanish media, I believe he doesn't think of Armstrong exactly as his good ol' patronizing cycling teacher, regardless of what Armstrong has said about giving him lessons.

It surprises me a bit the idea of Contador being classless for having attacked yesterday. C'mon, what do you expect him to do? This is a race and not a charity ride, which means nobody gives anything away (except, maybe, if you were as soft-hearted as Indurain or Ullrich, but, understandably enough, racers tend to be more like Mr Merciless Merckx). That man Contador missed last year's Tour because Astana riders were not allowed to participate and then, saw a huge monopolizing star coming to his very same team, so he's really willing to prove some things on the road and has had time enough to chew wrath. From a cycling point of view, it's a joy watching him move his bike like he does. He's pissed off big time.

On the other hand, I think Armstrong is there to win. To be number one again. But of course! Anything different from that seems to me sort of outlandish or even just plain hypocrisy. Behind all the big reigning hero paraphernalia, I see those big rapacious muscles of his being seriously Tour-hungry. To tell the truth, I don't envy his situation.

Again, the guy that answered Contador was none other than Andy Schleck. He brought all the other big names up to the finish line. I think he performed magnificently. Cadel Evans was great fun to watch; he looked like a crazy horse, a mad man, a blind bull. I hope he can preserve that wild attitude all the way to the end. Finally, if there is one real underdog in this Tour, I believe that's Sastre. Nevertheless, his diesel engine only shows up after a while... Oh, and what about that lad, Brice Feillu? He was totally awesome.

Come on guys--could you really have seen Lance on any team that isn't sponsored by Trek? Quit with the Roswell/UFO theroies...it's much simplier than many of you think. Plus, he knew/worked with a lot of the people on the team already.

Occam's razor, people.

And Howzit you are absolutely ruining what could be a good thread with your hatred and petty jabs at Armstrong. We know all of your thoughts/ideas stem from that fact that you hate Lance, so this automatically makes them skewed and invalid. Basically, your ideas are rather worthless.

This forum has an ignore feature, you might want to try it

I think Lance returned to cycling because he finally saw someone who might beat him...and thought himself still young enough to contend... and maybe he joined the same team under the keep-your-enemies-closer theory. The only way Lance wins this tour is if Contador lets him.

I don't think a cyclist who has won the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta in only one year like Contador needs any kind of cycling mentors, really. Also, after hearing what he said to the spanish media, I believe he doesn't think of Armstrong exactly as his good ol' patronizing cycling teacher, regardless of what Armstrong has said about giving him lessons.

It surprises me a bit the idea of Contador being classless for having attacked yesterday. C'mon, what do you expect him to do? This is a race and not a charity ride, which means nobody gives anything away (except, maybe, if you were as soft-hearted as Indurain or Ullrich, but, understandably enough, racers tend to be more like Mr Merciless Merckx). That man Contador missed last year's Tour because Astana riders were not allowed to participate and then, saw a huge monopolizing star coming to his very same team, so he's really willing to prove some things on the road and has had time enough to chew wrath. From a cycling point of view, it's a joy watching him move his bike like he does. He's pissed off big time.

On the other hand, I think Armstrong is there to win. To be number one again. But of course! Anything different from that seems to me sort of outlandish or even just plain hypocrisy. Behind all the big reigning hero paraphernalia, I see those big rapacious muscles of his being seriously Tour-hungry. To tell the truth, I don't envy his situation.

Again, the guy that answered Contador was none other than Andy Schleck. He brought all the other big names up to the finish line. I think he performed magnificently. Cadel Evans was great fun to watch; he looked like a crazy horse, a mad man, a blind bull. I hope he can preserve that wild attitude all the way to the end. Finally, if there is one real underdog in this Tour, I believe that's Sastre. Nevertheless, his diesel engine only shows up after a while... Oh, and what about that lad, Brice Feillu? He was totally awesome.

Contador needs a mentor more than any of the other GC contenders. It became obvious during Paris-Nice. His own team director essentially said that in so many words. He is a strong rider but not always the most brilliant. Perhaps his max VO2 is higher than his IQ? As far as being without class, maybe not. But, it was not the most intelligent move yesterday. Bruyneel had instructed the team not to take the jersey & let Nocentini have it. Bruyneel was hoping that Nocentini would have it by a couple minutes even. I believe Bruyneel was being politically correct today by saying he told the boys it was ok to attack, but talk to the others first. It was obvious Contador hadn't. Perhaps Bruyneel took him in the back of the bus last night & put him in his place. There is no room on a team for anyone who doesn't follow the DS's orders. However, Bruyneel is going to be very tactful about airing any dirty laundry.

Neither am I really . I like him to the extent that races he is in tend to include exciting racing. I dislike him to the extent that races he is in tend to be surrounded by boring repetitive drama. As the former appears to be more his fault that the latter, he comes out a bit ahead.

His races appear boring to you because Bruyneel was able to build teams strong enough to shut down any attacks from the other teams to the point where they didn't try. And when they were able to isolate Lance, he was perfectly able to take care of himself.

Contador's little stunt did nothing more than annoy the crap out of his team. He'll get his chance to attack in the Alps and he'll gain a lot more than a few seconds on Lance or Cadel or anyone else. The attack was rather immature; Eddy Merckx says it shows Contador is lacking confidence and is nervous. Perhaps he's paying way too much attention to all the BS in the media.

If I were Contador, I would have done the same thing, and I can guarantee I'm not an idiot. Here's why I think he was right.

There's been a lot of buzz about the team supporting "the strongest rider". Being 19 seconds down to Lance could well have doomed him to riding to support Lance for the rest of the race. That would be a huge bitter pill to swallow for a man who feels certain he can beat his teammate. In addition to exciting the crowd, he definitely sent a message to the peloton, and got back ahead of Lance, where he (and I) believe he belongs.

If I were Contador, I would have done the same thing, and I can guarantee I'm not an idiot. Here's why I think he was right.

There's been a lot of buzz about the team supporting "the strongest rider". Being 19 seconds down to Lance could well have doomed him to riding to support Lance for the rest of the race. That would be a huge bitter pill to swallow for a man who feels certain he can beat his teammate. In addition to exciting the crowd, he definitely sent a message to the peloton, and got back ahead of Lance, where he (and I) believe he belongs.


When the opportunity presents you take it. Simple as that. He got 20 seconds for a few minutes effort.

Hey look, another thread that's turned into a debate about Lance. Can we please ban the moron who keeps turning every thread into the same argument? Everyone knows who I'm talking about, why is he still allowed to ruin this forum?
May you please keep on topic and discuss events, and events surrounding today's stage and this year's Tour. Love Lance, hate Lance, he is this year's race, causing a lot of chatter, feel free to drop in any comments or remarks you may feel about Lance too. Also, please comment on any riders in this year's Tour you may have opinions, comments or rants about. Other events such as interviews, press releases, rumors, or tabloid info about the stage or this year's Tour can also add to the discussion.

You may also want to consider what this post is meant to bring to the discussion.
Mods, lets keep an eye on this guy. I havent seen much contribution form him on the thread at hand other than this post.
P.S I just did an Advanced thread search, and Exit has made 2 comments in these 17 pages, and they both have nothing to do with either today's stage, riders in the stage, of this year's Tour (one of which is quoted above). By forum rules, you are trolling.
Thanks.


Now, back to this stage:

I find it hard to believe the flack Contador is getting.
He has been a GC contender since day 1. In fact, he was the official leader of the team before Lance came back.
Why wouldent a GC contender go out to gain time? Secondly, his attack was so strong that he didnt "pull" anybody anywhere. It was a complete solo effort.

His races appear boring to you because Bruyneel was able to build teams strong enough to shut down any attacks from the other teams to the point where they didn't try. And when they were able to isolate Lance, he was perfectly able to take care of himself.

Contador's little stunt did nothing more than annoy the crap out of his team. He'll get his chance to attack in the Alps and he'll gain a lot more than a few seconds on Lance or Cadel or anyone else. The attack was rather immature; Eddy Merckx says it shows Contador is lacking confidence and is nervous. Perhaps he's paying way too much attention to all the BS in the media.

His stunt? He gained 20 seconds on his main opponent and is playing the political game much better than his main opponent, but it isn't for the lack of trying by his main opponent. I thought the lowest elapsed time wins this thing and past history shows sometimes it comes down to as little as 8 seconds. As AC's main opponent has pointed out, "Every Second Counts."

Obviously Merckx is the greatest ever by light years but that counts for just about nothing with Lance's fan base on twitter. Mention the name Merckx to them and they'll think it's a symptom of cancer or a drug company.

Fact is, Eddy's star(as well as that of his son) is attached to Armstrong's success, which is why he's hitched his wagon to LA's nonsense about the team. Like Merckx ever held back because of these ridiculous considerations. Hello, his nickname is the "Cannibal." When the heck did he start engaging in this phony bs civility.

Contador needs a mentor more than any of the other GC contenders. It became obvious during Paris-Nice. His own team director essentially said that in so many words. He is a strong rider but not always the most brilliant. Perhaps his max VO2 is higher than his IQ? As far as being without class, maybe not. But, it was not the most intelligent move yesterday. Bruyneel had instructed the team not to take the jersey & let Nocentini have it. Bruyneel was hoping that Nocentini would have it by a couple minutes even. I believe Bruyneel was being politically correct today by saying he told the boys it was ok to attack, but talk to the others first. It was obvious Contador hadn't. Perhaps Bruyneel took him in the back of the bus last night & put him in his place. There is no room on a team for anyone who doesn't follow the DS's orders. However, Bruyneel is going to be very tactful about airing any dirty laundry.

It wasn't Contador's attack which made the difference of a couple minutes. This happened in the opening kms of the hill. Astana didn't want to drag back the break, but they wanted to control the peloton. These two goals are at odds with each other as their competitors will want to ratchet the speed up and Astana will be forced to match if they want to keep in control.

Contador probably attacked when he heard that he was within a handful of seconds to the jersey. I'm sure Lance would have done the same thing, but deferred to Contador. They've already blow the goal of not having to defend; might as well have the yellow outright and all the rigamarole (prize money, etc.) that goes with it.

Besides, it was a good move. Instead of having Lance be ~10sec back and Contador being ~30s back from the yellow, they have Contador 6s back and Lance 8s back. For Astana as a team, one of these situations is better than the other. Care to guess which? You build a fortress bit by bit, brick by brick, second by second. You can't rely on being strong enough to gain the lead in one fell swoop.

I don't get it. Why in the world would it be better to have one guy on the cusp of the race lead than have two guys on the cusp? Options, people! Astana has options! How can this be bad?! It is quite apparent that Lance is the veteran and Contador is the star. Lance deferred the attack and didn't chase, meaning he respects Contador's place on the team. As far as those of you who think Lance couldn't attack... I saw him bridge a couple attacks, leading Contador back up to the attacker. That means he was strong enough to attack.

AC put on a show for his native countrymen. That's all.

It wasn't Contador's attack which made the difference of a couple minutes. This happened in the opening kms of the hill. Astana didn't want to drag back the break, but they wanted to control the peloton. These two goals are at odds with each other as their competitors will want to ratchet the speed up and Astana will be forced to match if they want to keep in control.

Contador probably attacked when he heard that he was within a handful of seconds to the jersey. I'm sure Lance would have done the same thing, but deferred to Contador. They've already blow the goal of not having to defend; might as well have the yellow outright and all the rigamarole (prize money, etc.) that goes with it.

Besides, it was a good move. Instead of having Lance be ~10sec back and Contador being ~30s back from the yellow, they have Contador 6s back and Lance 8s back. For Astana as a team, one of these situations is better than the other. Care to guess which? You build a fortress bit by bit, brick by brick, second by second. You can't rely on being strong enough to gain the lead in one fell swoop.

I don't get it. Why in the world would it be better to have one guy on the cusp of the race lead than have two guys on the cusp? Options, people! Astana has options! How can this be bad?! It is quite apparent that Lance is the veteran and Contador is the star. Lance deferred the attack and didn't chase, meaning he respects Contador's place on the team. As far as those of you who think Lance couldn't attack... I saw him bridge a couple attacks, leading Contador back up to the attacker. That means he was strong enough to attack.

Who did Bruyneel chew out during their team meeting on Saturday morning? I doubt it was anyone other than Contador. Did you see the interview with Bruyneel on VS? Contador attacked against his direct orders from his team director. Now he's been put on a short leash & been told to talk to his teammates before doing it again.

Who did Bruyneel chew out during their team meeting on Saturday morning?

Dunno. I'll bet you don't either.


I doubt it was anyone other than Contador. Did you see the interview with Bruyneel on VS? Contador attacked against his direct orders from his team director. Now he's been put on a short leash & been told to talk to his teammates before doing it again.

Yes, because the soundbite interview told me. :thumb:

[QUOTE=Brian Ratliff;9270831]Dunno. I'll bet you don't either.


Not for sure, but Contador was the only one who was tense in Saturday's team meating according to Bruyneel. He disobeyed Bruyneel's directive on Friday. Easy to guess from there.