"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Armstrong to decide in May on Tour de France

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lance Armstrong will decide in May whether he will race in this summer's Tour de France, which he has won the last six years.

He said in Wednesday's Austin American-Statesman he will ride for another two years, but he's still unsure where to focus his 2005 schedule - the European spring classics or Tour de France.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3230162

Race, Lance, race!!

*skeptically*

Like he's not going to train for it until May? I think he's going for it and for whatever reason, just isn't saying.

Koffee

*skeptically*

Like he's not going to train for it until May? I think he's going for it and for whatever reason, just isn't saying.

Koffee

Jeez, did you even read the article?
I t doesn't say anything about not training...LOL


Armstrong will leave his Austin home in mid-March and spend six weeks in Europe racing. When he returns home in May, he'll decide on the Tour de France

I read the article. But training for one day races is not the same as training for the Tour. And he has a specific single-mindedness and manner that he uses when he trains for the Tour. I think we'll figure out pretty early if he's going to race. If he goes to France at all to ride out any of the routes, he'll be racing. And if he's racing, he'll be in France BEFORE May. So why wait until May? We'll know as soon as March, I think, for sure.

Koffee

Based on the way Lance won stages in this past Tour my gut tells me that he will be going for the classics. On the other hand I did hear a rumor (only one place from someone with loose connections with trek) that Lance will be going for the hat trick this year: Giro, Tour, and Vuelta. As cool as it would be I'll have a hard time believing it until I see it.

-Matt-

Apparently only 28 riders have actually completed all three grand tours in one calendar year. I remember reading the list once; almost none of them are big names like Lance or Eddy Merckx. One of them is still around, I can't remember who, but I think he's spanish or basque.

I think this no anouncement has more to do with money then with his decision. Say the week after the tour or right after the route anouncement he says he is or he is not. The story is over in the AP at that point. Now everytime he wants to make media coverage he says something like I am not sure what i am doing, I will anounce in May or whatever and the AP picks it up. Not that I blame him for this but I think that is why we have not heard.

I think this no anouncement has more to do with money then with his decision. Say the week after the tour or right after the route anouncement he says he is or he is not. The story is over in the AP at that point. Now everytime he wants to make media coverage he says something like I am not sure what i am doing, I will anounce in May or whatever and the AP picks it up. Not that I blame him for this but I think that is why we have not heard.


yep, for sure he is having fun with the suspense.
There is the slight possibility he wants to meake sure he feels up to it,
but I think it's a way for him to not show his hand and get more mileage out of his participation

*skeptically*

Like he's not going to train for it until May? I think he's going for it and for whatever reason, just isn't saying.

Koffee

I figure he will try to get his fitness ready for May, as per usual. And then may decide whether or not to race based on how he feels.
Or maybe he is planning on racing it, and just doesn't want the pressure. He obviously appears to be very relaxed with having the options.

Yeah, I can see that Brent. And I can also see that he wouldn't want to tip his hand too early. But when he trains for the Tour, he usually runs through at least some of the stages. If he's thinking about it, I think he'll know before May, because he'll be running through some of the more difficult stages. I don't think he can get away with not training through the stages, unless he thinks the Tour will be easy for some reason. If he waits as late as May, and he plans on doing the Giro, I don't see how it's possible for him to do the Tour without running through the stages.

It would be interesting to follow his training schedule and see where he goes and what he's doing.

Koffee

Yeah, I can see that Brent. And I can also see that he wouldn't want to tip his hand too early. But when he trains for the Tour, he usually runs through at least some of the stages. If he's thinking about it, I think he'll know before May, because he'll be running through some of the more difficult stages. I don't think he can get away with not training through the stages, unless he thinks the Tour will be easy for some reason. If he waits as late as May, and he plans on doing the Giro, I don't see how it's possible for him to do the Tour without running through the stages.

It would be interesting to follow his training schedule and see where he goes and what he's doing.

Koffee

Yep, we should be seeing him train in the mountains, how soon before the tour, I am not sure.

I guess I assume he will try to go for the Giro. If he does, he'll need to be training in the mountains by April, the latest. He'll need to train for the Giro and the Tour, and he won't be able to do it in June if he does the Giro. And if he does the Giro, I would think he'd be training in Italy in May. Which leaves April. :-/

At what point would he discuss his full schedule for racing?

Koffee

It is hard for me to believe that Disc.Channel would jumped on board if they could ride the wave to #7.

We should keep in mind that in earlier eras--including Merckx's--winning all three big tours in the same year was essentially impossible because the Vuelta was run in the spring, alongside the Giro.

A carefully drawn up training calendar might enable winning all three. But there would be little room for distracting events like a cold or a crash in training. The gamble that Armstrong would be taking is that, by trying to win all three, he might jeopardize winning any of them, in particular the TdF. He surely won't enter the TdF, unless he feels good enough to win. Having won 6, he has to either really try to win 7 or not try at all. If he lost, the winner would go into history as the man who stopped Lance Armstrong. LA can't have that.

His talk about winning some classics may indeed be a bait-and-switch routine to keep the media from hyping up the expections.

Cheers,
Jamie

Lance really can't reconnoiter the high TdF mountain stages until the snow melts in May and June, so I guess that's why he can postpone the announcement.

He's already committed, or nearly so, to Flanders and a couple of other Classics. Considering that it was common for him a couple of years ago to race and perform well in the Classics and win the TdF (2nd at Amstel, for example, twice I think), I don't think racing the Classics precludes him from contending the TdF.

However, performing well in the Classics and the Giro may be mutually exclusive. I'd bet on a TdF/Vuelta double before a Giro/TdF double. Another reason is the Vuelta is closer to his home in Gerona.

Anyone think he'll be racing in the fall? i.e. after the Vuelta? I'd gain so much respect for the celeb if he raced at Lombardy.

Anyone think he'll be racing in the fall? i.e. after the Vuelta? I'd gain so much respect for the celeb if he raced at Lombardy.
Thats what I was hoping for. The Final group in Lombardy this year had Cunego and Basso, Armstrong could easily be there. Why not throw in Worlds TT and the Vuelta..

He can do a lot of reconnoitering before May, because there aren't as many mountaintop finishes this year. I also don't believe he's going to do the Giro this year. Just a hunch. It would be great to see him ride Lombardia.

Based on the way Lance won stages in this past Tour my gut tells me that he will be going for the classics. On the other hand I did hear a rumor (only one place from someone with loose connections with trek) that Lance will be going for the hat trick this year: Giro, Tour, and Vuelta. As cool as it would be I'll have a hard time believing it until I see it.

-Matt-

if he goes to the Giro, though, won't he get arrested as he steps onto the runway at the airport?

if he goes to the Giro, though, won't he get arrested as he steps onto the runway at the airport?

THey'll probably wait until the last mountain stage and say he had a hematocrit over %50

Dude can't go wrong...........

If he races in Spring and wins a classic- it's one in the eye for the critics.

If he loses- Hey, it was training/helping George..........

No way he rides in Italy, with the risk of jeopardising his Tour chances and the anti-drugs hype that would envelop him there. Anyone remember the last time he raced in Italy?

Lance is a little pricked by the continuing criticism of his, errr......abbreviated race schedule but not enough to make him lose sight of the main goal. The Discovery Channel didn't pay for a Flanders win.

The Discovery Channel didn't pay for a Flanders win.Well, I know the Tour is the big stage, but what if he reels off several wins in the early part of the season? What if *gasp* he starts collecting enough points to contend for the WC?

I'd say Discovery would be reaping the dividends nicely. As long as his name is out front, it helps them. Doesn't have to all come from the Tour.

Like Flaneur I can't see Discovery paying the big $ and not getting a showcase on the Champs in July. They can't go wrong. He either wins the race that is the biggest (and the only one widely known in the US) or someone finally "knocks off the champ." Either way good ratings.

I'd love to see him in the Giro but I doubt Discovery sees much in it. Most viewers would want to know why he's not at le Tour. He wouldn't be making US history if he won it (Andy Hampsten's already got that covered) and he doesn't have enough years left to dominate the Giro the way he has TdF.

My one caveat would be if he's convinced the Discovery people he can pull the Giro-Tour double. That would be very cool and I can see some heay duty marketing behind that.

Nice thing is that we'll get definite answers soon enough.

:beer:

Lance is the king of the mind f@#!...that being said....you know his decision is already made. He's simply letting his competitors (Ulrich etc.) wallow in the unknown. He is tactically brilliant and is giving as little to his competition as possible in the form of preparation.....Regarding the Giro, Lance has said he fears arrest in Italy, don't think it will happen, but the Vuelta and Tour de Suisse....possibly.....

Lances race schedule last year was actually more extensive than Ulrichs....

.....Regarding the Giro, Lance has said he fears arrest in Italy.....
Sorry to bring this back up, but if LA is staying out of the Giro because of a fear of arrest, that says a lot about Simeoni's lack of character. Yes, LA was a bully, but Simeoni is acting like a spoiled schoolchild whining to mommy because he lost a race. Only someone without a respect for his sport would use the criminal justice system to make up for his lack of ability to win a race. I wish there were some way to sanction Simeoni. What he's doing is as bad for the sport as doping.

Also, both France and Italy are EU countries. Does anyone out there know if France would honor an Italian arrest warrant during the TDF?

It is hard for me to believe that Disc.Channel would jumped on board if they could ride the wave to #7.

I've wondered the same thing. Seems to me that Discovery would not have picked up the sponsorship if Lance wasn't planning on riding the Tour next year.

i hope lance skips the giro. send popovych instead. with the new team i think popovych can win it. he has podiumed with almost no team support up until now. besides popvych is discoveries future. let him get the experience.

i hope lance skips the giro. send popovych instead. with the new team i think popovych can win it. he has podiumed with almost no team support up until now. besides popvych is discoveries future. let him get the experience.

Sorry...Popovych will only ride the Tour day France....My guess is that given the current legal climate between Lance and the Italians, it will be a cold day before you see him in the Giro and the Italians have no one to blame but themselves.
Lance will ride 3 or 4 classics and maybe the Tour day France...what will be interesting is Popovych and Lance in the Tour, together with the rest of that cast of riders they have.

Many of you know, I work in the same building as Bill Stapleton (LA's agent). I asked him Wednesday of last week if he thought Lance would ride the tour. He him-hawed around a bit and basically said he didn't know, but said knowing Lance it was most likely. So there's a bit of insider info for ya.

You are aware that he wont tell you the exact answer.

Sure of course. But I figure he would know more than some cycling magazine that is just speculating. It comes down to who's opinion you trust more. LA's agent or the magazine?