Favorite quotes from the peloton

[Vanderaerden's perm]

Just thought of another:

Mario Cipollini was once asked (during the Giro I think) whether cyclists miss the, ahem ,"closeness" of their wives company during a grand tour. His reply was;

"Do you know what the second thing is that I'll do when I get home? Put my suitcases down!" Awesome!

 

[richwagmn]

"I race to win, not to please people."
~Bernard Hinault

Applaud. Sounds like the philosophy of a rider named Alberto.

 

[manolo]

Tesh: "Willl you ever ride it again?"
De Rooy: "Sure, it's the most beautiful race in the world!"

Beautiful! Thanks!

 

[scribe]

Applaud. Sounds like the philosophy of a rider named Alberto.

Plus, he's got all of those nifty 2 finger gestures for the number of TdF wins that he must put to good use. I hear he is drawing up a 3 fingered cap as we speak.

 

[Anonymous]

"Just so you know, Lance doped"
Floyd Landis

 

[LaBici]

I remember first reading this passage and deciding then and there that I have no respect for Bob Roll. He's persuaded a whole generation of American cycling fans that the French hated Lemond like they hate Armstrong.

amen. I think he is a colorful guy but i have no respect for him due to his partisanship commnets . Cycling is about the sport, not about which country you come from. Andy Hampsten and greg LeMond are not like that. Greg speaks very good french and Andy lives most of the time in Italy. These cyclists i have great respect for. Bobke could learn from these two.

And what a dweeb he was in his over-the-top Lancing in this years' TdF

 

[jamfra67]

Phil Ligget at 1988 tour in the pyrenees " the race is no respect of reputations your as only as good as now" Much more objective Phil back then

 

[LaBici]

"Perhaps the single most important element in mastering the techniques and tactics of racing is experience. But once you have the fundamentals, acquiring the experience is a matter of time."
Greg LeMond

 

[jamfra67]

"Because I'm not stupid."
-- Bernard Hinault, asked why he didn't work with Davis Phinney in a stage of the 1985 Coors Classic (which he won).

The badger is a real classic

 

[LaBici]

"I don't want to get into an argument, but for me Armstrong is nothing special."
Marco Pantani

 

[LaBici]

"I'm not going to say it, but if you (journalists) want to call me the best sprinter in the world, that's fine by me."
Robbie McEwen

 

[TrudyTas]

“Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.”

~Fausto Coppi

Glad it didn't prove to be true in TDF v.2009 - but it was tried!

 

[Boeing]

"the last climb was hard, I could feel the saddle further and further up my @rse"

Cav

 

[jamfra67]

regarding the spread of doping in the peleton,

“When I saw riders with fat asses climbing like aeroplanes, that’s when I knew,” said Columbian climber Luis Herrera.

love that one

 

[danyela]

After the tour stage where Frank Schleck and Andy move up he is shown the GC:

"What do you think, Frank?"

"The numbers 1,4 and 5 are great champions." (Contador, Armstrong, Wiggins)

"What about the numbers 2 and 3?"

"Oh, we're just regular boys from the neighborhood."

 

[TrudyTas]

Johan Van Summeren after failing in his breakaway attempt Stage 11, TDF 2009:
"I did enjoy it. And as most combative rider of the day, I had the pleasure to kiss Gert Steegmans' girl, she is an hostess with the sponsor of that challenge."

A Sherwinism: Reporting on Leipheimer's broken wrist and abandonment of the tour:
"He broke the scapula in his wrist."

 

[ggusta]

A wonderful LA comment pinched from the pumpkin heart thread:

"I produce a lot less than most people, which is not necessarily a great thing but lactic acid is certainly the enemy. It's like when you run uphill and all of a sudden your legs stop, it's because you're lactating."

Really, lactating? I don't generally stop halfway up a hill because I've suddenly started producing milk...

OK that's funny. My knees prevent me from running, but I have got to try it at least once. I don't remember this happening when I was younger. Maybe it was before puberty. You'd think I'd have recalled this type of event.....

 

[ggusta]

Glad it didn't prove to be true in TDF v.2009 - but it was tried!

Treachery abounded in 2009, perhaps there are enough good writers left to squeeze a good book out of this year's tour. Let's see what it has up its sleeve in 2010.

It's almost 3 weeks since Verbier and I am still staring at frame by frame replays on youtube like the effing Zapruder film. ....and it wasn't even the most remarkable stage (until the dog was up on the podium.)

 

[jamfra67]

Memorable quotes for 2009 tour

Andy Schleck: We will continue to attack even if we die in the process

Lance Armstrong: There is no point messing around. I gave everything i had and i wasn't the best.
When Alberto went he showed he is the best rider.
I'm going to do my best and be a solid teamate
I suffered. It was hard. I was a little bit on the limit at the bottom,i think everybody was a bit on the limit. Andreas tried to limit the losses,but i suffered

Alberto Contador: For me it's an honor that he said what he did. He's a professional. Now everyone in the team for the one same goal

 

[jamfra67]

Quotes of my two favourite former tour winners for 2009

Pedro Delgado: I think that the fear the others had of Armstrong is gone. That respect that they had of him is no longer there. When you saw the attacks coming,everyone was attacking him one after the other. You never saw that before. That is a problem,because all the little dwarfs started to beleive in themselves,enemies were coming out of the woodwork. If one goes,then another, and suddenly Armstrong looks beatable. It wakes everyone up.

The Badger on breaking Astana's stronghold: Attack! It's necessary to attack. there are not 36 solutions,just attack!

The badger on the return of Armstrong to the Tour:But what is his motive? Is it to win? To fight cancer or something else in the future? To one day become the governor of texas? I think at the moment the tour serves him more than what he serves the tour

 

[jamfra67]

The Badger: There is nothing but brute force that can win a race. The only thing the head is good for is to help endure the elements,because there are some riders who are not so strong in the head and not so good at that

 

[issoisso]

The Badger: There is nothing but brute force that can win a race. The only thing the head is good for is to help endure the elements,because there are some riders who are not so strong in the head and not so good at that

This from a guy whose philosophy was: when feeling weak, attack. He stuck to it quite rigidly, too! (I can't think of a single occasion when it worked, to be fair)

 

[jamfra67]

The Badger to those who criticise Evans attack on the stage to Arcalis as not being intelligent:

They should all go home! It's not them who pays his salary. He is paid to race. Thats all. there is no question. If that annoys them then they should stay at home! I have always said that someone who wants to attack should attack and then afterwards we'll see. He tried. Thats his role. he's leader of the team. He's not there to follow others. He has to keep on trying.

The badger on the Armstrong Contador Battle for leadership: No matter what happens it's not the team manager who races the race. It will be riders who decide and who can smash the pedal the hardest

 

[jamfra67]

This from a guy whose philosophy was: when feeling weak, attack. He stuck to it quite rigidly, too! (I can't think of a single occasion when it worked, to be fair)

His professional record don't lie. The records are there to prove it buddy. History never lies

 

[jamfra67]

The Badger on Greg Lemond: He was a good racer, but not an attacker. He was unable to make tactics by himself. In 1986, i kept my promise to help him win the tour. Me? I just wanted to have fun.