93 & 94 Tour de France - Why did LeMond and Armstrong DNF?

[Polish]

Neither Greg or Lance could manage to finish the 1993 or 1994 Tour de France.

For Greg it seems the reason was that many Teams/Riders were on the HOTSAUCE?

Banesto/BigMig, Carrera/Cappachino&Pantani, d'Ax/Bugno, Once/Jaja&Zulle,
Mapei/Rominger, Ariostea/Riis, Gewiss/Ugrumov, and Festina/Virenque&Leblanc

In hindsight it would have been nice if Greg had managed to finish those races. He would have been 20-30 minutes down of course, and it is so easy for me to say "I wish he finished them" but still....


Now how about Lance? If the hardened 3 Time Tour Winner Greg could not finish, how would a rider in their neo-pro and second year do?

Not so hot either lol. For the same reason as Greg and then some?

Remember, it was unconventional to start a Tour in your first and second years back then. Eddy, Hinault, Greg - they did not race the Tour their first or second years.

They were nurtured and nourished for a couple years before making their Grand Appearance at the TdF.

Not Lance - he was thrown right into those EPO Infested Waters.
Sink or swim young man.

 

[scribe]

They both shoulda focused on classics.

 

[erader]

lemond was physically finished and the rap on armstrong was "he'll be a great classics rider but he'll never win the TDF".

erader

 

[MacRoadie]

Sink or swim young man.

Lance proved to be remarkably bouyant. Must have been his tri experience...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Think erader pretty much said it. Greg was clean in an EPO world, and physically done. Lance was young, a classics like rider, and not on the same program at all that some of the riders you mention were.

I like Greg, but even I think had there been no doping, he probably would have been upended by some of the younger riders anyway by 1993 or so. One could even argue that he would have lost a "clean" 1991 to Mottet. By '93 or '94 riders like Indurain, Rominger, Delion, Zülle, Breukink and others would have likely topped him. Of course, that's just my opinion. We'll never really know.

 

[pmcg76]

Think erader pretty much said it. Greg was clean in an EPO world, and physically done. Lance was young, a classics like rider, and not on the same program at all that some of the riders you mention were.

I like Greg, but even I think had there been no doping, he probably would have been upended by some of the younger riders anyway by 1993 or so. One could even argue that he would have lost a "clean" 1991 to Mottet. By '93 or '94 riders like Indurain, Rominger, Delion, Zülle, Breukink and others would have likely topped him. Of course, that's just my opinion. We'll never really know.

+1 LeMond was on the slippery slope from 91 on, the EPO just accelerated his decline.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

I don't recall Lemond starting the '93 Tour. He doesn't appear in the start list for GAN that year either.

http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1978_2005/tdf1993.php

 

[Polish]

I don't recall Lemond starting the '93 Tour. He doesn't appear in the start list for GAN that year either.

http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1978_2005/tdf1993.php

I think you are right.

Greg was a DNF in 1992 at 31 years old and in 1994 at 33 years old, and a DNS in 1993.

Do not remember why Greg did not start in 1993....

 

[pmcg76]

I don't recall Lemond starting the '93 Tour. He doesn't appear in the start list for GAN that year either.

http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1978_2005/tdf1993.php

He didnt start in 93 and should not have started in 94 either, he just wasnt in the shape.

 

[King Of Molehill]

The plan from the start of the 93 Tour was to pull Lance a bit early because he was saving himself for the World RR that year (which he won). The only reason I know this is because I actually met both Lance and Phil Anderson for a Q/A session that they were kind enough to give our little bike tour group during the 93 Tour and asked this very question.

And here's a picture from that day... Not taken by me but by one of our group:

 

[robow7]

Later on he would soon learn that the testosterone patches worked much better in that area and save the "hot sauce" for injections.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

I think you are right.

Greg was a DNF in 1992 at 31 years old and in 1994 at 33 years old, and a DNS in 1993.

Do not remember why Greg did not start in 1993....

Not sure either. Vague recollection of him having tendon problems in a leg... but can't verify.

 

[luckyboy]

I love repetition.

 

[flicker]

Dr. Evil stole Greg and Lances mojo before the races.

 

[boardhanger]

Wily Voet the Festina pharmasist caught pre-1998 tour could tell you a thing or two about what he handed out. Narcotics, erythropoietin (EPO), growth hormones, testosterone and amphetamines.

 

[Anonymous]

Question

The plan from the start of the 93 Tour was to pull Lance a bit early because he was saving himself for the World RR that year (which he won). The only reason I know this is because I actually met both Lance and Phil Anderson for a Q/A session that they were kind enough to give our little bike tour group during the 93 Tour and asked this very question.

And here's a picture from that day... Not taken by me but by one of our group:

You're saying that photo was taken DURING the TDF, IN France? So the team imported "Old El Paso" salsa and "Eagle Brand" Corn chips( a brand owned by Anheuser-Busch) to France. Looks to this observer that the photo was taken in the US of A.

 

[MacRoadie]

You're saying that photo was taken DURING the TDF, IN France? So the team imported "Old El Paso" salsa and "Eagle Brand" Corn chips( a brand owned by Anheuser-Busch) to France. Looks to this observer that the photo was taken in the US of A.

The photo is from this website:

My Images from the 1993 Tour De France

and is captioned: "Lance Armstrong, Chips and Salsa. This was our gift to Lance for meeting with us. He tore into the bag like he hadn't eaten in weeks!"

 

[theswordsman]

The photo is from this website:

My Images from the 1993 Tour De France

and is captioned: "Lance Armstrong, Chips and Salsa. This was our gift to Lance for meeting with us. He tore into the bag like he hadn't eaten in weeks!"

Caption from another photo there:

As part of our tour, we had a chance to have a group sit-down with Lance and Phil before the final day in Paris. Lance had won the stage to Verdun (his first), and then abandoned on stage 10 per the plan since this was his first Tour. Anderson was riding what would be his final Tour, I believe.

 

[Anonymous]

The photo is from this website:

My Images from the 1993 Tour De France

and is captioned: "Lance Armstrong, Chips and Salsa. This was our gift to Lance for meeting with us. He tore into the bag like he hadn't eaten in weeks!"

that seems even stranger, that some American cyclists going to the TDF would pack easily damaged corn chips and mediocre Old El Paso salsa. Of all things to bring to France, chips and salsa?

Also note he isn't actually eating the salsa. The lid is still on the jar.

 

[hfer07]

that's really white trash food right there........

 

[MacRoadie]

Also note he isn't actually eating the salsa. The lid is still on the jar.

Yes, I couldn't help but notice that too. Very intriguing.

 

[ChrisE]

He didnt start in 93 and should not have started in 94 either, he just wasnt in the shape.

Really?

I thought he had some type of disease errrrrrrr had the best power numbers of his life errrrrrrrr was getting beaten by EPO drugged riders errrrrrrrr becuz he was clueless about PED use in the peloton. Or something like that. It is all so confusing.

 

[Nick777]

Really?

I thought he had some type of disease errrrrrrr had the best power numbers of his life errrrrrrrr was getting beaten by EPO drugged riders errrrrrrrr becuz he was clueless about PED use in the peloton. Or something like that. It is all so confusing.

I think you're confusing him with Armstrong.

 

[ChrisE]

I think you're confusing him with Armstrong.

No, that was one of the things he said. He just didn't know what was going on where he couldn't even hang in a peloton on the flats. Hell, a cat 4 can sit in a 150 man peloton going 28 mph. Now he is such an expert he knows details of Ferrari's pay structure 15 years ago.

He was clueless about all his doped competitors in the 90's while he did his cross country skiing and natural ability'd himself to victory.

 

[Nick777]

No, that was one of the things he said. He just didn't know what was going on where he couldn't even hang in a peloton on the flats. Hell, a cat 4 can sit in a 150 man peloton going 28 mph. Now he is such an expert he knows details of Ferrari's pay structure 15 years ago.

He was clueless about all his doped competitors in the 90's while he did his cross country skiing and natural ability'd himself to victory.

I think you will find that Armstrong was deliberately vague about the doping that was going on.