norton

Amen....

Laggard

And Boonen get's his second stage!

rich007

Yep, Tom Boonen did it again (Damn, how many wins he has already this season???)... Popo was third...

But the most mindboggling fact of the stage (at least for me) was the average speed: 46.5 kms in 53'31", that's over 52 kmph, or over 32 mph!!! Wow...

Brillig

Double amen. Roll is constantly slipping in awesome insights, clever word plays and plain old humor, often disguised behind silliness and deliberate mispronunciations to fool the casual listener into thinking he's a buffoon. But the joke's on them.

The guy rocks.

brent_dube

When it's cold, you want to get out of there ASAP!

Maybe, maybe not. Definetly not if he had the same style that he actually had when he raced. But there are so many variables and unknowns - it's so so different that you can't really say without just making huge assumptions on limited knowledge.

True. Everything was so different. I doubt any of them came to the TDF with the same peak fitness levels that the riders have today.

Well it all ends up being personal opinion over what is most important. The racing styles in different types of races at different times of the year are so unique now that it's like apples and oranges. Not that it was ever wasn't, but I think now moreso than ever.

DXchulo

Boonen is on fire so far this year. You've just got to love a guy with hair like that.

Maybe I'll cut my hair like that and see if I do better in my race this weekend.

gcasillo

That's it: I've decided to grow a Boonen mullet. I'll destroy the local competition this year if I grow one, I'm sure of it.

It's gotta be the mullet!

oneradtec

Lance is the best cyclist riding today. The reason is...You have to be an complete cyclist to win the tour. Obviously Zabel, Rebellin, Petacchi are all missing something because they will never win the Tour. Lance could have been a great classics rider had he not put all his energy in winning the tour. Besides...it takes a very special cyclist to win the world's at age 21. It will be an awfully long time before we see that happen again. When Lance won world's at age 21 we should have all been put on notice that here is going to become one of the greatest cyclists ever! We just should of known it then because 21 year old kids never win Worlds. That never happens! Looking back in hindsight you can see that all the clues were there....but at the time no one had any idea that this guy would one day win 6 or 7 consecutive Tours. Next time you see a 21 year old kid win worlds...watch out!

oneradtec

Cipollini seems to be on good form this year. It will be great seeing Petacchi, Cipo, and Boonen sprinting in the Tour this year. Are they all racing the giro?

Laggard

There are so many things wrong with these two sentences. I'm too tired to point them out.

ed073

Many, many things.

fight or flight

I don't know about everyone else, but i'm dying to have you point them out!!!!

2Rodies

Does every thread that involves racing have to degenerate into Lance is great/Lance sucks debate. Can't you people just talk about the race? Boonen is emerging as the "big" sprinter on the block and looks like he may no longer be the "Lion Cub". There are lot's great bike riders on the ProTour and every race will not be one that Lance can or will want to try to win. For all of you who just can't accept Lance for Lance go start another thread where you guys can bash and praise him to your hearts content.

Brillig

That's a bizarre thing to say. You don't have to be a "complete cyclist" to win the Tour, you need to be a strong time trialist and climber.

Sprinters will never win the tour. It's not because they are less of a cyclist, it's because a long tour doesn't play to their strengths. That's why there are stage wins, and one day races. And track cycling.

Different races for different riders.

hair07

good point. sorry if i started some crap. boonen rocks. i still can't get over the avg speed of 32 mph in the 2nd stage. amazing. i've not heard of the guy who won the 3rd stage. anyone know anything about him?

galen_52657

I am not an LA worshiper. However, he is obviously a superlative tour rider. His record for one-day events and tours other than the Tour de France is spotty at best, but then the previous repeat Tour winner’s records were similar. They all concentrated on 21 days in July and the rest of the season was not important to them. LA also took a grave situation – his cancer – and turned it around into something positive. For this alone, he should be commended. One interesting thing about LA’s career is that prior to cancer, his multi-day racing was nothing to brag about.

I think part of the disappointment and negative comments toward LA may stem from Sunday's OLN coverage. They built him up, over and over and give him way more screen time than anybody else in the race and then he comes in 140th.

If the coverage was more balanced, or if he had placed higher then the reaction may have been different.

sm266

Oh, my bad. I thought I was reading a thread about Paris-Nice, not Lance Armstrong. I'm so tired of reading about "Lance" Geez.

Laggard

It's amazing how fast these guys can ride their bikes.

Vicente Reynes? Don't know much about him other than he's 24, Spanish and this is his third year as a pro. His palmares is pretty empty.

Gustaf

Damn, Rodgriguez was down in third, it would have been cool to see him get the win

Ivan Hanz

[QUOTE=hair07]2 questions: would eddy merckx be able to win the tdf today if he were riding?"

No. He couldn't even finish. He's almost 60 years old, ferchrissake.

Geez you must be a Michigan student

brent_dube

Well, a lot of sprinters are less of a cyclist than the rest. All they can do is perform a huge sprint after cruising in the peloton for a while. They get nailed on basically ANY other type of racing. Including races as flat as Milan-San Remo.
Though all sprinters vary, and they aren't all like that. Zabel, for example, has shown in the past some very versatile skills.

You know, he did win a few other events besides the Tour. Numerous stage races. And he also raced before 1999, and won quite a few one-day events.
Unless you consider 'spotty at best' to mean 'regularily reach the podium of the most prestigious races in April'.

2Rodies

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm starting to hate Lance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a thread about the P-N not LA vrs everyone!!!!!!!

JoeOxfordCT

....Sung to the tune of Monty Python's Spam Song......

Lance, Lance, Lance, Lance
Lance, Lance, Lance, Lance

Lovely Lance !
Wonderful Lance !!

Brillig

Have you a thread without Lance?

Well, there's the Tour de France thread, that's not got much Lance in it.

I don't want ANY Lance!

Why can't you read the Paris Nice thread?

That's got Lance in it!

Hasn't got as much Lance in it as the Tour de France thread, has it?

Jim Bonnet

now that he's pulled out maybe we wont have to hear about him for awhile