Professional Cycling - your thoughts on lance

hi. i just read some tread that stated that he just dont wanted lance´s victory. the discussion started but i really want to know about your true feelings for the tdf... will he win? will he loose? against who?´i would like to read yoru toughts... not what you would like but probabilities? hmmm thanks.

Another Armstrong thread. Why not?

My personal take on this: I don't particularly want him to win #7, but I don't think that Armstrong cares.

On a more serious note, I think that it's a little early in the season to make educated guesses about his chances, and those of his contenders.

And... what do you think?

Will Armstrong be kissing the podium girls after the Tour of Flanders?

I want him to race. I'd hate to see him lose. My preference would be for him to stop as a winner rather than have the title taken from him. I'm already fairly certain I won't see the six straight record broken in my lifetime.

He'll win, bank on it.

I really want to see a RACE. Not a total dominance by, obviously, one of the best athletes of all time.
I hope that he'll face real contenders, physically and mentally. Having said that, I really wish riders like Beloki, Basso, Vinokourov and perhaps Ulrich (doubt his prowess by now as a real contender against Lance), Mayo etc are in their best shapes of their lives, so we can see a real RACE.

Corsaire

I really want to see a RACE. Not a total dominance by, obviously, one of the best athletes of all time.
I hope that he'll face real contenders, physically and mentally. Having said that, I really wish riders like Beloki, Basso, Vinokourov and perhaps Ulrich (doubt his prowess by now as a real contender against Lance), Mayo etc are in their best shapes of their lives, so we can see a real RACE.

Corsaire

We had a real race in 2003 didn't we ??? 61 seconds ???
Lance was off his form.....
Can he help it if he corrected it in 2004 ????

Why don't the other guys just try harder ????? :rolleyes: ;) :p

We had a real race in 2003 didn't we ??? 61 seconds ???
Lance was off his form.....
Can he help it if he corrected it in 2004 ????

Why don't the other guys just try harder ????? :rolleyes: ;) :p

I'm not against Lance, I truly admire him, I'm glad he won TDF '04 in such a high fashion. But for the sake of the sport (I'm sure he wishes the same), we better have real contenders to make this 7th a tough bone to chew, if it gets chewed at all.
Basso better has been working in his TT skills.
Corsaire

I'm not against Lance, I truly admire him, I'm glad he won TDF '04 in such a high fashion. But for the sake of the sport (I'm sure he wishes the same), we better have real contenders to make this 7th a tough bone to chew, if it gets chewed at all.
Basso better has been working in his TT skills.
Corsaire


Well I'll say this....Lance annouced for the Tour earlier than I thought he would....I wonder if it had anything to do with Sheryl's slip of the tongue on that after show with Oprah (which I didn't see, just the regular show) But regardless, all his competitors now can plan & train as they like....the gauntlet has been laid down. :)

I don't see anyone beating him.

I don't mind if he wins. I'm an American, he's brought respectability to a sport where it was lacking (in the US).

I do want to see a race this year, '04 was so anti-climactic and boring. I hope Basso, Ullrich et al give him a run for his money. I just wanted it to be a good race, and a hard fought victory.

vive la Lance!

He'll win as long as some crazy fan doesn't punch him in the kidney.

If it weren't for an abundance of EPO, Lance wouldn't have even won 1 TDF. (I jest)

Seriously, I hope 2005 will be his 7th victory. And if he wins, I hope he retires for good. One of the saddest things to witness is when a formerly-great athlete comes out of retirement only to have his a-- whipped.

It's all about the team. Many of the big names (Ullrich, Basso, Mayo, etc.) could win possibly if was man against man, but Johan Bruyneel(sp?) and the folks over at Postal / Discovery put together such an amazing team. We haven't seen the new Discovery team in action but I'm sure they will put together another amazing team to bring Lance into Paris wearing yellow.

I want him to race until someone knocks him off of the top step of the podium. "Going out a winner." WTF is that? Why do people obsess over their hero "going out on top?" Athletes are people at the end of the day. They're no more deserving of deification than you or me.

Respect the athlete's passion for his sport and you'll respect the sport a lot more.

Lance going for #7 gives me more hope that he truly is clean.... After Tyler getting caught (or at least made to look guilty) if Lance had just sorta disappeared without any more tests, it would've looked suspicious....to me anyway...

That said I'm rooting for Jan, Ivan, and Floyd. :)

Lance is the man and he will get his 7th......can't wait

I just hope, we don't have Lance overlaod on OLN this year.

Will Armstrong be kissing the podium girls after the Tour of Flanders?

Hell I just wanna see him RIDE the Tour of Flanders. . .
I didn't see that on his schedule.

Marty

I just hope, we don't have Lance overlaod on OLN this year.



We will.....anyone who doesn't actually ride, doesn't care about anyone or anything in the peleton other than lance.

We will.....anyone who doesn't actually ride, doesn't care about anyone or anything in the peleton other than lance.

Why do you hate Lance so much? The dude survived cancer!

Hell I just wanna see him RIDE the Tour of Flanders. . .
I didn't see that on his schedule.

Marty

Marty, according to CyclingNews (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/feb05/feb16newsflash) Armstrong will have a go at Flanders:



Following Paris-Nice, Armstrong will take part in the 89th edition of the Tour of Flanders, one of Europe's most prestigious Spring Classics, on April 3. Armstrong last raced in the Tour of Flanders in 2002, finishing 59th in support of his team's leader.

The reality is that Lance and the team out-train every other team in the pack. Also Lance will not ride if he hasn't prepared.

I'm based in the Pyrenees and if I see Basso, Beloki, Kloden or Vinokourov out doing what's necessary I'll let you guys know. (I'm sure Ullrich hasn't got the appetite for the training - just natural talent.)

The riders you mentioned all work as hard as Lance. It's unfair and wrong to say that they don't. Just because you don't see them in your neighborhood doesn't mean that they aren't training hard. It's quite possible that instead of training specifically for the TDF they may instead actually be (gasp!) racing. Imagine that.

Why do you hate Lance so much? The dude survived cancer!


I can't tell if this is sarcasm.... I don't hate Lance, I just like other riders more ;)

I think getting fourth last year will give Ullrich the motivation (at least I hope) to prepare better this time around.... I would LOVE to see him in Yellow riding into Paris..

He'll have to race a hell of a lot more earlier in the season and especially after the Tour when he traditionally hangs 'em up. Guys like Bettini, Rebellin, Friere, Valverde, and Zabel will accrue more points simply because they race anywhere, anytime.

Lance will win.

That being said, if he is going to be beaten I certainly hope it is Ullrich who pips him. Think about it, coming in 4th was an off year for this guy. He's classy and strong, hopefully he gets another yellow jersey before his time is done.

It's not just Lance that will win I think. It's his team that will win. If you put Lance on Credit Agrigole or almost any other Pro Team he may not win. I think a lot of people give Lance too much credit. Don't get me wrong, he is the man. But his team is THE TEAM.

I think Lance will probably win because of his stable team but there are a lot of great riders out there who will give him a run for his money...ex: Damiano Cunego, Tom Danielson,Alejandro Valeverde....

Who cares. They are all on drugs, and with silly UCI rules, arn't riding the best bikes. Bit contentious but I can't take seriously a sport that has such an ambivilant attitute towards drugs. The madness of it all is that the UK's cycling hero, somebody or other Simpson, died when he was wacked out of his body on drugs. Why is he a hero?

Maybe they should change the rules and just say drug taking is fine. Who cares who wins until this lot is sorted out.

with silly UCI rules, arn't riding the best bikes.

Huh?

Is there anything in the Pro Tour rules that would keep LA from showing up at the start line, riding along for a few hours and then abadoning the events?

Is there anything in the Pro Tour rules that would keep LA from showing up at the start line, riding along for a few hours and then abadoning the events?

No. But what would be the point?

It's not just Lance that will win I think. It's his team that will win. If you put Lance on Credit Agrigole or almost any other Pro Team he may not win. I think a lot of people give Lance too much credit. Don't get me wrong, he is the man. But his team is THE TEAM.

Yes but is it THE TEAM because Lance is THE MAN? It is a Chicken and Egg thing. At some point he gets the credit for assembling THE TEAM and for those riders wanted to ride for him. If you don't think Lance has his hands in the pick of every rider on his squad you are fooling yourself.

Bikes have to be made of tubes, no monoques, there is a minimium weight restriction and dimensional restrictions. You couldn't race a recumbent for instance. If these rules where not in place the bikes that we ride on the street would would be total different and better. Chuck the rules away, let design and innovation flourish.

My guess is the UCI wants to keep the sport from turning into a competition based on technology.

That is just daft, it already is. The moment you put sports people together with equipment unless it is standard issue equipment, technology will become important. Just look at the technical innovations to get round the UCI rules already. It just increases the cost of finding ways to get equipment advantage and my big beef means that this filters into the commercial market giving us bikes that are less than the best and more expensive for a given performance than they have to be.

Bikes have to be made of tubes, no monoquesTell that to these guys (http://www.credit-agricole.fr/partenariats/cyclisme/equipe1-sommaire.shtml). Most of that team's members ride this bike (http://www.lookcyclesusa.com/f-kg486.htm) which is full monocoque.

Technology and legalese turned the America's Cup into a debacle. I'd rather the UCI keep a firm handle on what is and isn't legal to race.

Lance is an American icon..We all want him to win...But he has set a record already..My question.."It is about the bike."? He is doing what he loves. RIght. Some young stud comes along..Sooner or later one is gonna knock you out..Muscles age with age...That is why we have categories in bike races for those over 40..
Is it a crime to be best in your age group...Cunego is a boy wonder for his age. Who knows what will happen. I am countin on Lance doing it..But what is so magic about 6/7? Bet no one will top Lance record in our time.

Win or lose he's still the greatest. Most of the guys aren't young enough to even think about breaking Lance's record. I wonder how that feels ;)

Thats the point. Monocoque made to look like tubes. They are off down the America's cup legalease route. What is the point of designing a monocoque bike to look like tubes. From the other side how far can you distort tubes to make it resemble a compact monocoque design.

Why is 7 so magical? So what if that is the record. He rides to win no matter what the record is (was).

Did Cal Ripken stop playing once he broke Lou Gehrig's record? No because he plays because he loves the game and not to break a record.

Go Lance.

I don't think 7 is a magical # but he seemed to hint on Oprah that his age may be a limiting factor. He might have other things that he is passionate about that he wants to do. Dunno. I hope he keeps on going but only because he wants to.

I thought when LA won his last tour, he might be satisified because he probably has a record for maybe this century..Maybe another will give added insurance...
Was there not hints that he might try the Vuelta or Giro..Never once has he competed in either....Winning the Giro...be photographed in a pink jersey...But Italian podium girls are hottest....Question...Which climbing is worse...Italian Alps or French...?

i think you can only strongly factor the team in his fifth (2003) win. in 1999-2001 postal was by no means the dominant team. in 2002 they were arguably the top team but lance was so dominant that year it didnt realy matter. only in 2003 when lance was off did they realy come through for him. think about it, his 61 second winning margin was LESS than the time postal put over ulrich's bianchi squad in th TTT. ulrich dominated the first TT while lance looked plain sick, and lance wouldnt have had a chance of saving face in the mountains if it wasnt for heras killing himself to keep the other riders in check.

that said. i think lance will win this year becuse he has shown he knows how to prepare for and strategize the tour better than any other man alive. lance will have to be noticably off or have some very bad luck to win. however i hope its a much scrapier fight this year than last, it was so dissapointing to see the big names (mayo, heras, hamilton, ulrich, beloki) either not enter, drop out, or just be off form last year. in 2004 you knew that lance could (and usualy did) win every day he got on the bike. this year i hope he looses a few battles becuse he just couldnt pedal any harder--not because it was tactically adventageous or even polite to let the other guy win-- but still wins the war.

The riders you mentioned all work as hard as Lance. It's unfair and wrong to say that they don't. Just because you don't see them in your neighborhood doesn't mean that they aren't training hard. It's quite possible that instead of training specifically for the TDF they may instead actually be (gasp!) racing. Imagine that.

If they're out racing, then they aren't working as hard for a Tour de France win.


It's not just Lance that will win I think. It's his team that will win. If you put Lance on Credit Agrigole or almost any other Pro Team he may not win. I think a lot of people give Lance too much credit. Don't get me wrong, he is the man. But his team is THE TEAM.

Over-hype about the team. Really, could you give any reasons for that assumption?



Was there not hints that he might try the Vuelta or Giro..Never once has he competed in either....

Huh? He has finished 4th in the Vuelta.

I hope that Lance loses in a close race, then comes back and wins in '06.

Is there a time where lance won with a crappy team? If not then I wanna see lance win with a crappy team....

Is there a time where lance won with a crappy team? If not then I wanna see lance win with a crappy team....

Don't hold your breath. He, his coach and his team director are just too smart to try something that stupid.