fore0121

Loved his aggressiveness on the weekend. He gave all he had and proved that he was not merely content to follow Lance and wait for an opportunity. He pushed the pace to the best of his abilities and pushed Lance as much as anyone I've seen. Lance was certainly up to the task and matched any acceleration Basso made, but props to Basso for trying all he could to be the aggressor.

Also, props for doing all this after riding the Giro. I think we've seen the next Giro/Tour double winner. It'd be great to see him do it in the future. I think Pantani was the last in '97.

Props also to Lance for proving (not that he had any proving to do ) that he is more than just a follower of the Blue Train until the last climb of a mountain stage. He was truly pushed and tired, but he would not give an inch. I think he had a bit left if he really needed it, but he was thankful he didn't.
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va_cyclist

He's a great competitor and sounds like a classy guy too.

jbonus

I like Basso. He looks like the heir apparent!

oboeguy

Considering the way his TT appears to have improved, there's no reason to believe he can't win the TdF next year, unless poor Ulle finally gives-up on the chocolate.

simplyred

Basso's legs are my legs' idol...

spasticrobot

Basso looked good this year. I think he will be in a strong position to win the TdF next year. Honestly, I was hoping he would unseat the King this year but LA was just too damn strong. Also, I agree that he will be the next Giro/TdF double champ.

fore0121

I was hoping so too. He gave him a run, IMHO, with the exception of that first mountain stage. He let it slip there. And at least he continued to put the pressure on, lifting the pace as much as he could. Nobody else even tried it (or was capable of it).
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HJR

I've been a fan since last year's effort. I just like his riding style, quiet but powerful. I've always like that style in an athelete. My favorite basketball player in the Jordan Era was Clyde Drexler for the same sort of reasons. From what I've read as I try to catch up on my cycling knowledge, is that he idolized Indurain and that his style stems from that. I don't know for sure as I was not a cycling fan then (too busy playing hoops). Maybe some of the veteran cyclists can elaborate.

Anyways, back to this tour. I was a little frustrated early with CSC not attacking more, but Basso exceeded my expectations in the Pyrenees. I am still learning the sport and the different reasons people mentioned why he waited to the pyrenees makes sense. He was awesome on stages 14 and 15, and I just wish he had a little bit more to see if you could have attacked one last time, you never know when someone may crack. Both stages I was up at 4:30am to see them live and it was purely to see him attack. They had me on the edge of my sit and occassional screaming at the TV. I am not a big Lance fan, but from what I have read the speeds that Basso and T-Mobile set on those two stages were blistering and for him to fight them all off impressed me and it just goes to shows how hard Basso attacked at the tops of those climbs that he was dropping an aggressive Ulrich.

What ifs are boring, but I do wonder what could have been if he had not got sick during the Giro or just skipped it and done the tour only. But he won lots of respect from me for staying in the Giro after getting sick and he has won more for at fighting as hard as he did in 14 and 15.

Anyways, I am looking forward big time to next year. I hope he does both again. I am also looking forward to the next four or years to see what my new cycling/climbing idol can accomplish.

Lastly, I do have to admit that I was dissappointed in the OLN team. I understand that for them this is the Tour de LANCE, but even in the few moments they were not focused on LA, they were blathering on about Jan or Rasmussen or Vino with only the occassional mention of Basso. Even this morning, there was moment when Lance's group was dropping more riders and Basso was right on Lance's wheel and they made a comment about Lance and Jan (who was a few riders back) being the top men in this tour. I just shook my head in disbelief. I guess being damn goo and non-flamboyant doesn't pay when you are fighting for the spotlight.

fore0121

I'm the same way. I like someone who doesn't have to be a mouthpiece to show how good he is. Someone with quiet confidence who lets their ability speak for itself. That's Basso to a T, IMO. No chest pounding, just quite preparation and give your full effort on race day. Jerome Bettis, Heinz Ward in football, Jerome Iginla in hockey. Basketball, well, can't really think of one. They're all mouthpieces these days .

When I was a kid an expression that stuck with me was 'If you have to tell someone how good you really are, then you really aren't that good'. i.e. let your actions do the talking. That's Basso.




Totally agree about OLN, but that's Basso's personality also. He's never pounded his chest claiming to be ready to challenge Lance like the others, which would bring more spotlight to him. He just sits back and does his job. I think the last few days his actions warrant him getting more respect in the next few years. Lance v. Jan is/was the glamour matchup for the last 7 years, they needed to capitalize on that for the last time. They're the only two the non-cycling junkies can really relate to. Every popular sport has its rivals. Steelers v Cowboys, Leafs v. Canadians, Yankees v Red Sox, etc. Lance v Jan is the cycling equivalent to play up for the ratings.

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