kicks off today - who'll win this years race?
tour de france
- Thread starter mu77
- Start date
Forza Jan!
Jens said:
kinda feel for the guy - but he's won one before.
armstrong looked ready in the prologe. nice to see a first time tour rider win today.
I come from a cycling background and have watched the tour since i was a kid. I still say the year Roach won it (87 i think), when he cased down (or should say up) Laurant Fignion (excuse spellings) on the side of a foggy mountain is still some of the best sport i have watched.
But I am afraid i feel the whole sport has been devalued by the drugs; how many more times will we see the best riders fail tests.
riders are also now dying due to the stain for certain substances on the heart - see Marco Pantani.
I wish i could still get excited about it but i can't.
Having said that, i think Lance Armstrong is probably the most inspirational sports men in the world.
But I am afraid i feel the whole sport has been devalued by the drugs; how many more times will we see the best riders fail tests.
riders are also now dying due to the stain for certain substances on the heart - see Marco Pantani.
I wish i could still get excited about it but i can't.
Having said that, i think Lance Armstrong is probably the most inspirational sports men in the world.
It's easier to enjoy it when you think that they're all on drugs anyway and therefore it's still a level playing field.
And Pantani died from a cocaine overdose not from sporting drug use. Shame - he was a great cyclist who deservedly won a Tour of his own.
Armstrong will probably win again this year - difference between him and Merckx, Hinault and Indurain is that he's got a strong team. The US Postal team is one of the strongest in the Tour, even without Roberto Heras.
USP's climbers who shoulder out the other contenders and lead Armstrong up the slopes, you can bet on that. And they rule the time trials! After the first time trial today you can see it already. First 4 or 5 places - US Postal. Awesome.
Cyclists are probably strong contenders for hardest sportsmen of them all - I still can't believe that Tyler Hamilton finished 4th with a broken collarbone last year.
And Pantani died from a cocaine overdose not from sporting drug use. Shame - he was a great cyclist who deservedly won a Tour of his own.
Armstrong will probably win again this year - difference between him and Merckx, Hinault and Indurain is that he's got a strong team. The US Postal team is one of the strongest in the Tour, even without Roberto Heras.
USP's climbers who shoulder out the other contenders and lead Armstrong up the slopes, you can bet on that. And they rule the time trials! After the first time trial today you can see it already. First 4 or 5 places - US Postal. Awesome.
Cyclists are probably strong contenders for hardest sportsmen of them all - I still can't believe that Tyler Hamilton finished 4th with a broken collarbone last year.
Jens said:
T-Mobile is too weak
Erik Zabel is the only sprinter of note I believe
spinoza said:
Sprinters won´t help you in the mountains and that´s where the tour is decided. The T-Mobile team is up there with USP.
Don't forget that T-Mobile will have to match US Postal in the time trials too. What did they do - 4th today or something? Can't match USP with one fast rider. It's a real shame Vinokourov is missing too - they would match USP better in the mountains otherwise.
And Armstrong has picked some pretty good climbers although Roberto Heras is gone. Beltran and the other guy whose name starts with C did as well as Heras in the mountains last year and Armstrong is no mean climber himself. I don't know much about Heras's replacement (some Portuguese bloke - Azvedo or some such) but if he's a good replacement he can climb too.
And the Basque team - they will give T-Mobile and USP a good fight in the mountains. If they had recruited Beloki they would have blown everyone else away in the climbs... I rather suspect that they will come between T-Mobile and USP, but I'm not very familiar with the T-Mobile riders except for Ullrich and Zabel.
And Armstrong has picked some pretty good climbers although Roberto Heras is gone. Beltran and the other guy whose name starts with C did as well as Heras in the mountains last year and Armstrong is no mean climber himself. I don't know much about Heras's replacement (some Portuguese bloke - Azvedo or some such) but if he's a good replacement he can climb too.
And the Basque team - they will give T-Mobile and USP a good fight in the mountains. If they had recruited Beloki they would have blown everyone else away in the climbs... I rather suspect that they will come between T-Mobile and USP, but I'm not very familiar with the T-Mobile riders except for Ullrich and Zabel.
spinoza said:
Where did you hear this? I read in the guardian that it was heart failure due to use of EPO, in the same piece it gave the names of around 16 other riders (one was just 16) that have died because of this in the last 18 months or so. That stuff puts massive strain on the heart.
As far as i have heard the only drugs found near Pantani were anti-depressants.
Wolfboy said:
Obits in the FT and the Economist if I remember aright.
He may well have used EPO and other stimulants throughout his career and therefore weakened his heart, but the direct cause of death was snorting one line too many.
All of them use it. It's a level playing field...
I wonder when Armstrong will attack the yellow jersey again. Surely he can't be waiting for the mountains.
spinoza said:
why not? that is the best place and then cement any gains in the final time trial
GO Team CSC 
- Can't believe how many km's Piil have been going for a win now, without getting it
- Feel sorry for the lad though...
- Can't believe how many km's Piil have been going for a win now, without getting it
- Feel sorry for the lad though...What's he now? 5th?
He's not a great climber or a great sprinter... And I bet he wants a good finish too.
Stage wins are for the riders without a hope
He's not a great climber or a great sprinter... And I bet he wants a good finish too.
Stage wins are for the riders without a hope
Lance armstrong made his move today and is now 2nd
He's only 22 sec behind the leader and Ulrich is 7 min behind.
this kid (basso) that's finish 1st and 2nd the last couple days looks good. lance may be looking at his successor. but not untill next yr. armstrong looks pretty good and has a very strong team in front of him. JanU better get ready for some tougher days - alp 'd huez is waiting for them all.
Does anyone on this forum think Armstrong has used performance enhancing drugs in the past or present?
Tour de Farce more like.
How many druggies have we uncovered up to know?
How many druggies have we uncovered up to know?
manufanatic said:Lance armstrong made his move today and is now 2nd
In fact he made his move over the two days in the Pyrenees. The first day he slashed Voeckler's lead by 4 minutes plus up to La Mongie, letting Basso win the stage. The second day he won the stage reducing Voeckler's lead to 22 secs.
forza klöden!
Jens said:
Forza?
What's that in German?
Just because italic languages seem to be fashionable lad, it doesn't mean that you have to use them.
Be Germanic!
Jens said:
Surprisingly at the moment Ullrich is climbing better than Armstrong... But the riders are not at the Cat 1 climb yet.
And Kloden looked extremely defensive on the telly last night, stating that he's still Ullrich's domestique.
that's that then. Lance is in Yellow and he wont be out of it again now.
6 on the bounce is bloody impressive.
6 on the bounce is bloody impressive.
MrMarcello said:
Yes, I don´t think he´d have survived his illness without that stuff.
Wolfboy said:
Unless Basso outclimbs him on the Alpe d'Huez
Sticking one of the time trials on the mountain may have partly neutralised US Postal's TT advantage
Raoul said:
Superb points, as usual. Im not even blaming him for that. The sad fact is that just about everyone is probably using "performance enhancing drugs" so I´d legalize it.
I'm sure they're all using drugs - but there are some cyclists who are better than others.
Ullrich for example, isn't fit enough to ride.
Iban Mayo could be ill, but he hasn't really made an effort since the team time trial either.
Ullrich for example, isn't fit enough to ride.
Iban Mayo could be ill, but he hasn't really made an effort since the team time trial either.
spinoza said:
Ullrich isnt fit enough to win it but hes fit enough to ride.
Jens said:
Well, yes
But he wants to win it again does he not?
So he should be trying to control his eating. I'm the last person worthy to criticise another for being a fat bastard, but it strikes me that if he wants to be a pro athlete, not to mention a multiple Tour de France winner, a little dieting discipline might be in order...
spinoza said:
He´s had weight problems for a while now. It just isn´t his year, looks like he´s missing Vinokourov more than we thought he would.
spinoza said:
No coming back from that then. what an awesome display.
Wolfboy said:
Truly awesome. Had to smile, though, at one of the painted slogans on the surface near the run-in in D'Huez, 'EPO Lance'. I wonder.
Red_Molly said:
yeah, that was almost as classy as the germans fans who spit on him.
Kevrockcity said:
Unfortunately cycling is heavily tainted by drug abuse. Asking athletes to perform at the level they do for the time they do makes it all the more tempting. David Millar is far from being an isloated example in the modern top echelon. I truly hope Armstrong is doing it all under natural talent and application. But these days every rider comes under suspicion. It's a shame, but like track and field, it makes you wonder.
Red_Molly said:
he gets tested more than any other rider. if lance is guilty ever rider is on drugs then - doesn't change that he's the best rider in the world right now. it's so obvious that he trains hard than these guys he competes against - especially JU who has been in lance's shadow. the phycological advantage is also huge - he knows he'll win the others are shooting for the 2nd spot.
i also think it's because he's a yank in a euro sport. endurain never had to stand up to this type of inqusition.
mu77 said:
That was before the Festina scandal and the cycling world stopped sweeping it under the carpet.
The French are inconsistent (as usual). Wasn't their local hero Richard Virenque caught up in the Festina thing as well?
spinoza said:
i hear ya. endurain was never questioned about anything. 5 on the trot and he was "just training more than anyone else". oh ok.
lance has had a strong team around him which has helped him win.
mu77 said:
of course its helped him but he stamped his unbelivable class on the field at l alp duez with that blazing acent up the mountain. A full minute up on JU and decimating the rest of the field including probably the second best in the world ivan basso.
Tour de lance part 6