manufanatic said:
and today hes in the final sprint and comes from 1 hundred yards back in the last 100 yards un believable again he has no equal....
tour de france
- Thread starter mu77
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and today hes in the final sprint and comes from 1 hundred yards back in the last 100 yards un believable again he has no equal....
mu77 said:
let's not forget the man is a physical anamoly - freakishly large heart and lung capacity. he's passed every drug test known. i understand that the sport is littered with doping, but still, what does a guy have to do to clear his name?
more classy stuff:
Kevrockcity said:
Change his nationality?
mathiaslg said:
sad but true.
manufanatic said:
i think it's got a lot to do with it. his team is one of the strongest i've ever seen. and i've watched a fair few T de F's in my day.
mu77 said:
no doubt. landis was particularly good today.
US Postal has the guys that step up when needed. If it's not Avecedo it's Landis, etc. Lance is great but I feel his team (and Lance does acknowledge it) is the main reason he is leading.
Also, I hope to God that he's not doping, but as mentioned by you guys if he was French they'd be busy wetting themselves silly over him.
as for some of the unpleasantries on the Alp d'Huez: it's unfortunate that some people can't take their drink.
did you notice some of the guys just wearing speedos running alongside the riders. Scary!
Also, I hope to God that he's not doping, but as mentioned by you guys if he was French they'd be busy wetting themselves silly over him.
as for some of the unpleasantries on the Alp d'Huez: it's unfortunate that some people can't take their drink.
did you notice some of the guys just wearing speedos running alongside the riders. Scary!
manufanatic said:
thats just one of the reason why the guy has no friends at all.
theres unwritten rules who armstrong ignores all the time. today was just another example. armstrong did no work for the peloton at all, has the yellow and probably the tour wrapped up so why not let some young lad win his first stage ever? todays just one of the many reasons why armstrong will never be referred to in the same sentence like true tour greats like merckx, indurain and others. winning six tours takes some talent, granted, but you can win with style and thats not what armstrong is doing. there´s a reason why he was booed at the winning ceremony today.
Jens said:
yep it's called alcohol. and he tried to give the stage win to his teamate (landis). that wasn't gonna happen. the man in front wasn't paying attention and got beat to the line - feck him , he should've stayed awake.
can't blame Lance either for taking that stage win yesterday. it was Landis that did all the work. he was the only one in that group that deserved more than anyone else. Kloden held back and then sped his way to the front near the end. was that wrong? no! but neither was Lance's burst at the line. Kloden will know better the next time to be more vigilant.
utdalltheway said:
don't fret - jens sounds bitter that lance left JU in the dust and taking Kloden at the line , being champion of germany and all , has to be bad for him.
euro's hate lance because he's won 5 on the trot - one yr he hadn't won many stages the euro's gave him stick for that. now he wins stages and the give him stick. oh well get used to it.
Jens said:
To be fair to Armstrong it's not the job of any team leader to help the peleton. That's the domestiques job. Team leaders race each other.
With regard to letting others win stages Armstrong's excuse is that when he gave a victory to Marco Pantani at the summit of Mont Ventoux in 2000, I think, the Italian to accused him of condescension, so Armstrong said 'last time'. So one ungrateful competitor has soured Armstrong.
Another contributory reason given for the anti-Armstrong feeling is apparantly as a backlash to the over enthusiastic American supporters who linie the route. Traditionally spectators cheer and encourage the Pelaton riders, irrespective of nationality. The Americams tend to have a narrower view and only cheer Lance and US Postal. Over the last few years this increasingly vocal break with tradition has, it's said, annoyed the traditionalists.
Jens said:
As I recall others feel no need to obey the unwritten rules with Armstrong either.
Didn't he get attacked while wearing the yellow jersey after he had been crashed into a few years ago? The unwritten rules are that you don't attack the yellow jersey if he's in trouble not of his own making, after all.
I can't remember if it was Beloki or Ullrich who did that.
Face it Jens - the Europeans aren't that nice either. If Virenque was caught in that Festina thing he shouldn't even be on the Tour, much less chasing his 7th King of the Mountains.
Red_Molly said:
the number one thing that has caused the traditionalists to be annoyed is that an american is winning it and doing that it's pissed them off. because there were no american riders. i think that what you've pointed out here , something that means absolutely sweet fcuk all at the end of the day , proves that point. i've seen more orange shirts out there for team support than any other and the tour has always been like that (support a team that has your national rider in it). your last parargraph just outlines the depths that euro's (press and fans) have reached in the hunt for armstrong. and remember "random testing" means armstrong in france.
spinoza said:
and when la mond "gave" BH a tour win and the badger said "next yr i'll help you win it". then he turned around and tried to beat his teammate. nah there's no unwritten rules that apply when you're trying to win.
and no team leader "helps" the peleton - if they did they're way behind and aren't in the lead group that has a chance to win it. the peleton is there to "help" their team and their best rider win the T d F.
When's this crap end?
I've got a series of certain bets on it and want to collect the cash and free up my accounts...
I've got a series of certain bets on it and want to collect the cash and free up my accounts...
mu77 said:
You can't random test for EPO, the drug of choice in endurance cycling. Not that I'm saying Armstrong has used EPO. I hope he is clean. And as a Brit I hoped Millar was clean.
Red_Molly said:
i know i was kidding. it's an expression his team mgr uses.and it's not just in how many times he's been "randomly" selected for drug tests but they can randomly weigh a bike.
Jens said:
Jens WTF are you on about? The stage win put him even further ahead of Basso and Ulrich and KLoden because of the time rewards. 20 seconds for first 12 for second. He effectively killed off the rest of the tour with that win. Look I have many family members in europe (belgium and Germany) but your attitude toward armstrong is appalling. Winning in style? He is in a frecking race the oppourtunity was right there and he took it and BTW in that stage he and those others at the finish destroyed the peloton. Was he supposed to stay with the peloton when Basso and Ulrich and Kloden all attacked.. Get real and admit that you and all of Europe cant handle an American Dominating this event.
mu77 said:
True this years team is very strong but he has won this event before fending for himself many times.. Look there is one time trial left. He already destroyed the field up the l alp duez that was by himself without his teamates at his side. Saturday he probably will see what the others do and ride accordingly but if the win is available he will take it and not do a JENS and let some rider who has never won a stage win. This is a race after all.
mu77 said:
What about Lipenheimer and Hamilton before he got hurt. I think it would be fair to say that if Hamilton was still in the race that 3 americans would have finished in the top 10. Maybe 2 in the top 5
i love that he reeled in simeoni. he tried to catch the break away group -armstong went after him. the lead group then told simeoni he was not welcome. LOL there is the real story. then simeoni went and gave this interview.
"armstrong demonstrated to the entire world what type of person he is" - "it is not reasonable that a great champion doesn't give a chance to a small rider like me and others... i suffered an injustice from him while everyone was watching."
what simeoni doesn't say is the reason lance went after him - he fingered a doctor who he says dispenced drugs to riders.
he also went on to say "when i understood that armstrong would stay there because i was there , out of respect for the other riders , i sat up and went back."
in reality the other riders congradulated him for doing in simeoni. and by the way a spainard won the day - a "small rider" his first stage win. and there is no doubting if he wanted to lance would have and could have won the stage. and there's a great photo of him and JU laughing during the race.
"armstrong demonstrated to the entire world what type of person he is" - "it is not reasonable that a great champion doesn't give a chance to a small rider like me and others... i suffered an injustice from him while everyone was watching."
what simeoni doesn't say is the reason lance went after him - he fingered a doctor who he says dispenced drugs to riders.
he also went on to say "when i understood that armstrong would stay there because i was there , out of respect for the other riders , i sat up and went back."
in reality the other riders congradulated him for doing in simeoni. and by the way a spainard won the day - a "small rider" his first stage win. and there is no doubting if he wanted to lance would have and could have won the stage. and there's a great photo of him and JU laughing during the race.
Simply awesome again today. Blazed ahead early and then just keep going he is one of a kind. Congrats to him and his USPS teamates.
Has to be considered one of the greatest feats in the history of individual Sport - comparable, if not greater, to Borg's 5 consecutive Wimbledons.
unbelievable!!
I have to add that it was great TV coverage of this event in the US by OLN.
I have to add that it was great TV coverage of this event in the US by OLN.
congratulations to armstrong ... still think hes an asshole tho
I would too, if he thrashed my local cycling hero 6 years on the trot.
Raoul said:I would too, if he thrashed my local cycling hero 6 years on the trot.
ullrich didnt take part in every tour lancey won .... and lancey is disliked in other countries as well
just takin the piss Jens.
Raoul said:just takin the piss Jens.
i never know with you, raoul ...
ullrich´s a bit of a waster ... armstrong´s ambition and ullrich´s talent and you´d have the perfect rider ... ullrich is not as ambitious as armstrong and doesnt take his job as seriously