Armstrong vs. Wiens, Take 2

[Eva Maria]

I saw that they are going to have a live webcast of the race for $5.95. I wonder how they are going to cover it? Helicopter?

 

[Captain Kirk]

I hope LA gets completly owned by Weins

............+10

 

[Ninety5rpm]

I hope LA gets completly owned by Weins

These are not the words of a fan of the sport. These are the words of a fan of, or a fan against, certain persons.

I honestly hope the best and strongest mountain biker wins.

 

[ProTour]

These are not the words of a fan of the sport. These are the words of a fan of, or a fan against, certain persons.

I honestly hope the best and strongest mountain biker wins.

Yeah, it's pretty sad when people's hateful obsessions cloud their enjoyment of the sport. But I guess some people just enjoy being hateful, for whatever confused reason.

Lance is definately going to be there, I just saw a picture on Twitter of the bike he is going to ride, and he's been talking about all the Leadville-specific training he's been doing.

I don't think Wiens will win, his gig is up I'm afraid. Lance probably should win, But I predict some less famous MTB'er wins it and steals the show from both of them.

 

[Ride24]

I hear that Tinker is racing as well

 

[Eva Maria]

Yeah, it's pretty sad when people's hateful obsessions cloud their enjoyment of the sport. But I guess some people just enjoy being hateful, for whatever confused reason.

So true.

All that hate for Lemond, Walsh, Anderson, Betsy, Frankie, Bassons, Simeoni, Contador, gets a bit old after a while. The obsession some have with protecting the myth is confused. They are clearly not fans of the sport.

 

[flyor64]

I hear that Tinker is racing as well

Gotta love Tinker...still rockin' the dreads (they are dreadlocks right? )

 

[stephens]

So true.

All that hate for Lemond, Walsh, Anderson, Betsy, Frankie, Bassons, Simeoni, Contador, gets a bit old after a while. The obsession some have with protecting the myth is confused. They are clearly not fans of the sport.

Perhaps they are fans of the sport that takes place on the road and are not obsessed about what men do to their bodies to get there? That would not be an unreasonable position to hold.

 

[ollievale]

Contenders

Floyd and Tinker not on start list.

NOTE: Jeremiah Bishop is--and he'll be a serious contender if he's had some time at altitude.

WISH: JOHN STAMSTAD COME OUT OF RETIREMENT!

 

[Turd Ferguson]

NOTE: Jeremiah Bishop is--and he'll be a serious contender if he's had some time at altitude.

I think Jerimiah would be a serious contender for sure but....remember he just crashed out of Intermontane with a 20% compression fracture to his T4 and T5 vertebrae so he might not to totally on form. It was only two days ago he was able to get back on the trainer. Got all this info off of monavie-cannondale.com

 

[ProTour]

This will be Lance's last chance for a victory this year, so you know he's going to be taking it seriously. He's pulling out all the stops, he's running SRAMs new XX 10 speed drivetrain. He recently said on Twitter it's the best MTB groups he's ever used.

It will be interesting to see if Lance uses his superior form to attack and get ahead on the first big climb. Doubtful. He would likely get reeled in later on the fireroad sections by others working in a group. So he'll likely just sit back and use his power in the last part of the race to pull ahead. A flat tire could put a serious kink in his plans, though, if a group of riders went ahead after he had to stop to fix it. Is this why he might have some type of teammate help? Possibly. Having a teammate could help him catch back onto the leaders on the fireroads, and if he was a good descender he could help pace him and lead him on the downhills.

 

[Animal]

An attack om the powerline ascent on the way back would work best. That's when the final few miles get really tough after the flat(ish) middle bit.

Armstrong just won at Snowmass, so he's training at altitude already. He'll be very hard to beat this year.

Stamstad could never win in the era when pro road riders started to enter Leadville. He's just too slow.

 

[DirtRoadie]

See this MTB News story about the 2009 Leadville 100 - a battle that seems to be shaping up between Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens.

What do you think? Who will win?

If it's close it'll only be 'cause LA wants some company to ride with. And the rumor is, he's bringing a domestique.
I can't see Wiens staying with the current version of LA.
Lance and a new course record seem highly likely.

 

[The GCW]

ollievale,

Stamsted was an interesting racer but if He came out He would not be a conteder in Leadville.

 

[The GCW]

If I were a gambin' man,

Lance in Leadville.

I like Dave, almost rather see Him win.

But I think Lance will pounce and dance.

 

[Animal]

At this time of the year, I really wish I was up there in the high country!

I just watched those vids at superhumanmag.com, and I recognized every patch of trail they showed.

 

[Robert Merivel]

I suspect Mr. Wiens has been training well and above how he prepared last year. He will have had to if he has any chance of winning. Mr. Armstrong lost to him by two minutes last year. Had Lance put in the training then? To a certain degree, yes, But compared to this year? Two major tours, yesterdays Colorado Championships, and everything else, not to mention, what did yesterdays second place racer say before the race? "Believe it or not, Lance is actually great on his mountain bike, even on a technical course."

So...I'd love to see a bunch sprint,

but if I was a betting man,

and had money on the line,

clearly,

Lance would get my vote.

 

[benpounder]

At this time of the year, I really wish I was up there in the high country!

Highs in the eighties and no humidity. The Kingdom of Breckenridge is celebrating its 150 years.

 

[Captain Kirk]

This will be Lance's last chance for a victory this year, so you know he's going to be taking it seriously. He's pulling out all the stops, he's running SRAMs new XX 10 speed drivetrain. He recently said on Twitter it's the best MTB groups he's ever used.

It will be interesting to see if Lance uses his superior form to attack and get ahead on the first big climb. Doubtful. He would likely get reeled in later on the fireroad sections by others working in a group. So he'll likely just sit back and use his power in the last part of the race to pull ahead. A flat tire could put a serious kink in his plans, though, if a group of riders went ahead after he had to stop to fix it. Is this why he might have some type of teammate help? Possibly. Having a teammate could help him catch back onto the leaders on the fireroads, and if he was a good descender he could help pace him and lead him on the downhills.

Your quoting a part owner of SRAM and Pro Roadie in reference to MTB components

 

[53 x 11]

Your quoting a part owner of SRAM and Pro Roadie in reference to MTB components

Dont worry its because he is quite obsessed with His Royal Lanceness. If Lances says it, it must be true.

 

[flyor64]

Good interview on Bikerumor with Dave Wiens:

http://www.bikerumor.com/2009/08/10/bikerumor-interview-dave-wiens-on-the-transalp-and-leadville-100/#more-7541

 

[Ride24]

Tinker may not be on the start list but he is saying that he is racing.

http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/2009/07/busy-rest-of-season.html

and according to Cdale Bishop is maybe...

http://monavie-cannondale.com/news/leadville-100-race-squad

It is to bad that there has been no word of Jeff Schalk and Chris Eatough racing. Josh Tostado is also great at altitude and it would be great to see what he could do.

 

[flyor64]

Tinker may not be on the start list but he is saying that he is racing.

http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/2009/07/busy-rest-of-season.html

and according to Cdale Bishop is maybe...

http://monavie-cannondale.com/news/leadville-100-race-squad

It is to bad that there has been no word of Jeff Schalk and Chris Eatough racing. Josh Tostado is also great at altitude and it would be great to see what he could do.

That Startlist is a monster! I gave up trying to find names I recognized and decided to only speculate and wait to see who shows up this weekend

Didn't JHK just win the Marathon Nat Champs, not to mention the XC jersey as well? How cool would it be to see him there? Bike skills/plus the engine...

 

[ProTour]

Yeah, JHK could definately win this race if he shows up with good legs. What if JHK has friends to help him, and Lance does also? Teams attacking each other? I'd take JHK because of his superior bike handling skills.

 

[big johnson]

The Leadville course is not a tech course at all. So MTB skills really won't play too much into the game. Besides LA has some serious skills off road. He just beat Jay Henry (Jay placed 5th in USA Nats last month) in the Colorado State Champs on a course that Jay called an 8 out of 10 on technical merit. Not bad for a roadie.

So yeah, Lance can off road with the best. And the Leadville Course is mostly all fireroad, gravel road and pavement. There is a rumor about a new singletrack section but I doubt it will play a part in the overall.