fatandfast said:One thing is for sure the next director of the team will know who the leader of the team is before they start the tour.
Publicus said:he had every opportunity to assert himself on Arcalis or Verbier, but couldn't--nobody was holding him back in either instance (LA was already not listening to JB at Arcalis (it wasn't just AC)) . I won't bring up the subsequent stages because he was never in a position to assert himself or put more time into AC's skinny **** (hard to do that when you are riding behind someone).
But next year . . . .
derailleur said:I believe AC eventually had to ride counter to JB's plan because he started to perceive that JB and LA might betray him in the race. He took off on Arcalis because he needed to assert the claim that he was the leader, even though JB would have wanted him to save it for later. It was blatant petulance, and reminiscent of LA attacking with unnecessary abandon in his early career.
But LA, in addition to not being ready to follow him, wasn't in a position to do so. He had to stay back and mark the Schlecks. If he'd tried to bridge, they would have come right along, and wasted AC's attack entirely. That almost certainly involved some input from JB, who would be reacting to what AC was doing to the GC gaps.
Without tapes of the radio chatter, I can't say if this is exactly accurate one way or the other, but it's what I saw going on.
I haven't seen anything of JB stating that LA wasn't listening to him. I have seen him discussing AC's actions in puzzled terms.
His quote, every year, is "the strongest rider will win the race" and I don't think anyone thought LA would be the strongest this year. But, as you say, next year...
derailleur said:Without tapes of the radio chatter, I can't say if this is exactly accurate one way or the other, but it's what I saw going on.
franciep10 said:I once thought that guys like BPC/sprocket were the worst on this forum, but guys like derailleur and mitchman are by far the worst, to think that one athlete is bigger than the sport is ridiculous, the probably haven't watched cycling since 2005.
I mean seriously either they're trolls or idiots.
derailleur said:Armstrong/Nike/Trek/Oakley/Michelob/Shack could buy the entire sport of professional road cycling. Outright. Run it like NASCAR. And all it would take is for LA to say to the CEOs of those companies, "how would you like to make some money at this?"
Do you see that there might be a slight contradiction in your two paragraphs?derailleur said:Armstrong/Nike/Trek/Oakley/Michelob/Shack could buy the entire sport of professional road cycling. Outright. Run it like NASCAR. And all it would take is for LA to say to the CEOs of those companies, "how would you like to make some money at this?"
When LA is in cycling, America forgets it exists. Walk up to a random person on the street and say "who is Floyd Landis?" and they'll say "didn't he walk on the moon?" Do the same with "Lance Armstrong" and most will tell you he's a bike racer. Don't even try "Fausto Coppi" or "Eddy Merckx."
Sprocket01 said:On Armstrong. As someone mentioned right at the top of the thread, Armstrong will have a better mentality for training this year. He thrives on grudges and the hatred expressed against him, so the bust up with Contador, the drug allegations, the media pressure and the array of haters out there mocking his defeat, couldn't be better for him. The striking thing about LA for most of this year, before the tour, is how laid back he was. He was distracted looking. We didn't see glimpses of the old Lance until the Giro when he fell out with the press, but his training plan had already been compromised by then and there was no specific enemy. This year he'll have a really good focus right through the whole year. That can only work to his favour.
derailleur said:Armstrong/Nike/Trek/Oakley/Michelob/Shack could buy the entire sport of professional road cycling. Outright. Run it like NASCAR. And all it would take is for LA to say to the CEOs of those companies, "how would you like to make some money at this?"
When LA is in cycling, America forgets it exists. Walk up to a random person on the street and say "who is Floyd Landis?" and they'll say "didn't he walk on the moon?" Do the same with "Lance Armstrong" and most will tell you he's a bike racer. Don't even try "Fausto Coppi" or "Eddy Merckx."
Who was Honoré Barthélemy?
derailleur said:Armstrong/Nike/Trek/Oakley/Michelob/Shack could buy the entire sport of professional road cycling. Outright. Run it like NASCAR. And all it would take is for LA to say to the CEOs of those companies, "how would you like to make some money at this?"
When LA is in cycling, America forgets it exists. Walk up to a random person on the street and say "who is Floyd Landis?" and they'll say "didn't he walk on the moon?" Do the same with "Lance Armstrong" and most will tell you he's a bike racer. Don't even try "Fausto Coppi" or "Eddy Merckx."
I've got nothing else to say to it just proves that you're bothan idiot and a lightweight troll
Who was Honoré Barthélemy?
derailleur said:Armstrong/Nike/Trek/Oakley/Michelob/Shack could buy the entire sport of professional road cycling. Outright. Run it like NASCAR. And all it would take is for LA to say to the CEOs of those companies, "how would you like to make some money at this?"
When LA is in cycling, America forgets it exists. Walk up to a random person on the street and say "who is Floyd Landis?" and they'll say "didn't he walk on the moon?" Do the same with "Lance Armstrong" and most will tell you he's a bike racer. Don't even try "Fausto Coppi" or "Eddy Merckx."
derailleur said:Who was Honoré Barthélemy?
Sprocket01 said:But I'm saying that I have a theory that Contador has already made the leap that other riders do slightly later, therefore he won't improve by that much. The other riders around him could well have a better chance of improving than he does.
Obviously his age is a concern, but he will only be one year older than he was this year, which was his first year back and he finished 3rd. We know it usually takes a year or two to get back up to that high level of form that it takes to do well in GC, so he is likely to be better, providing no more injuries. The problem for him is its a moving target where other riders are likely to improve as well.
pmcg76 said:You guys realise that without the TTT this year, Lance would have finished behind both Wiggins & F.Schleck and take out the time he gained on the sneaky break and he would have been barely in front of Nibali. There is no TTT next year. I would estimate Lance needs a 10 minute improvement at least, that means finishing ahead of AC and the others in the mountains and TT by a long distance.
No TTT which is a bummer for @teamradioshack. I suspect the strength of our team will be a benefit in the 1st week tho.
derailleur said:Most Improved.
Thoughtforfood said:3rd is an improvement from winning? Well, that is one take on it... Oh, you mean because he had only done some running with his shirt off since retiring? Well, I am guessing here, but I would suggest that the narcissistic personality of Mr Armstrong would not view 3rd as anything but failure. It will be fun to watch him suffer that humiliation once again next year provided all of the major players are there.
jpmcmahonjr said:Your obsession with Lance is truely scarey. Almost to the point of stalking. Does it bother you knowing he is on your mind that much. Especially with your hate for him?![]()
jpmcmahonjr said:Your obsession with Lance is truely scarey. Almost to the point of stalking. Does it bother you knowing he is on your mind that much. Especially with your hate for him?![]()
Sprocket01 said:Well you might have a point, but you can't really say that. If it was a different race then they would have used different tactics. For instance I thought LA looked pretty comfortable on the Mont Ventoux. But by that time second place was out of his reach so he just chose to mark Frank Schleck. He still dropped Wiggins near the end. If he went earlier he could have put more time into him. And so on. You can only race the race you are given.
If the TTT was an individual time trial then Contador would still probably have won it, but he would have put less time into some of his other rivals.
jpmcmahonjr said:Your obsession with Lance is truely scarey. Almost to the point of stalking. Does it bother you knowing he is on your mind that much. Especially with your hate for him?![]()
Hugh Januss said:Once again a post solidly on topic from jr. TFF was merely pointing out the obvious that going from 1st to 3rd in what were for him consecutive tours is hardly grounds for most improved. If it was he would be a shoe in to be "most improved" again next year when he winds up 5th -8th which is as well as he will do.
Mellow Velo said:Fact:
(Version 1)
Anti-Armstrong = Hater, obsessional, jealous, sad, anti-US, lacking evidence a life and a bike.
Pro-Armstrong = Entusiastic, heathly interest, rational, calm, Mom's apple pie, loads of evidence, a career and a Trek.
(Version 2)
Anti-Armstrong = Sane, logical, analytical, evidence rich, rides and follows pro cycling regulary .
Pro-Armstrong = Dillusional, irrational, hysterical, evidence phobia, rides a couch and follows whats in the headlines.
Take your pick.![]()