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Is Lance riding clean(er)?

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Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

Mar 11, 2009
10,526
3,139
28,180
Crashes or no crashes, he looked washed up and it's likely he would have been shelled off the back anyway. At best he could have finished in the group with Wiggins. Possibly where LL Sanchez or Vino were, some 3:00 back. Equally possibly, back with Casar, Garate and others 6 minutes back.

Keep in mind his best asset last year was that he was on a very powerful team that won the TTT, and his teammate didn't attack him, instead helping him finish on the podium. I expect LA to lose more time on Tuesday, and more in the Pyranees. Not 12 minutes, but 3-4 on most mountain stages. Maybe 7+ on one, and he may get in a break, but that's it.

Agree that he's riding cleaner, everyone is. He probably came to the Tour supercharged. But it would be an enormous risk to refill during the Tour in France, and if he was willing to consider it before, it isn't likely to happen now.
 
L

Lady Luck

BANNED
Jul 11, 2010
62
0
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Crashes or no crashes, he looked washed up and it's likely he would have been shelled off the back anyway.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. When you blow it can look amazing that you were even able to start the stage in the first place, but that is misleading. He also sat up and was chatting, clearly deciding all GC ambitions were over, so it's clear he was not dsigging deep to limit it, hence the huge time lose. That disappointed me because he might have been able to limit it, and if AC is clean this year then who knows what might happen to him or anybody else. It could be a whole new ball game where everybody blows up at some point.

"I expect LA to lose more time on Tuesday, and more in the Pyranees. Not 12 minutes, but 3-4 on most mountain stages. Maybe 7+ on one, and he may get in a break, but that's it."
Click to expand...

Now he is domestiging I think he will lose much more time than that. Once he's done his job he will be off the back. He will also likely be looking to save himself for a stage win - a great way to finish off. I think he could be hours down by the end of the tour.
 
B

Beech Mtn

Oct 6, 2009
5,270
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TeamSkyFans said:
I think lance is so self obsessed he will ride to Paris, and go up and down the champs taking all the plaudits and trying to turn the final stage into a lance armstrong worshipping ride rather than a celebration of the tour that it really should be.
Click to expand...

I could totally see this happening. Turn the TdF into a Farewell Tour like he's an aging rock star at his last concert. Make some money off the farewell - have Watson and Kreutz take photos and sell another coffee table book. Carry on about his various injuries from the assorted falls. Fetch bottles for Levi a time or two when there's a camera nearby to capture the moment. Try to pass himself off as "one of the boys" who was a good teammate, fun to be around, will be missed, etc.

Meanwhile sabotage Contador if the chance arises, and continue to put off dealing with the Novitzky investigation by claiming he must focus on the race instead. Make the Tour his last hurrah and sell t-shirts saying something like "Thanks for the Memories, Lance" which the fanboys will buy up in droves.

Get all the attention and cash he can before everything comes crashing down.
 
Cobber

Cobber

Jun 18, 2009
1,086
1
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Crashes or no crashes, he looked washed up and it's likely he would have been shelled off the back anyway. At best he could have finished in the group with Wiggins. Possibly where LL Sanchez or Vino were, some 3:00 back. Equally possibly, back with Casar, Garate and others 6 minutes back.

Keep in mind his best asset last year was that he was on a very powerful team that won the TTT, and his teammate didn't attack him, instead helping him finish on the podium. I expect LA to lose more time on Tuesday, and more in the Pyranees. Not 12 minutes, but 3-4 on most mountain stages. Maybe 7+ on one, and he may get in a break, but that's it.

Agree that he's riding cleaner, everyone is. He probably came to the Tour supercharged. But it would be an enormous risk to refill during the Tour in France, and if he was willing to consider it before, it isn't likely to happen now.
Click to expand...

This is still the $1000000 question for me. What is the more powerful force in Lance's mind - a rest day refill to fuel an ego-boosting stage win, or the fear of getting busted? We all know he thinks he is bigger than the sport. What does he want his legacy to be? Lance Armstrong the unbeatable, or "Lance-ern Rouge"? [I think I might copyright that last phrase :D]
 
C

Cloxxki

Mar 19, 2009
2,819
1
11,485
Let's hope than that the gerdarmes have a helicopter waiting for him at the finish line in Paris. Handcuffed. To take him safely to a place where they can get his take on some of he latest news items.
 
S

santacruz

Apr 27, 2010
343
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Did Lance never get into accidents back when he was the most juiced rider in the peloton, because he had so much confidence and knew he was so much better than everyone else? Now that he is mortal, he is too nervous to keep his bike upright?
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

Jun 14, 2010
34,930
60
22,580
Le breton said:
I am not far from sharing your point of view after watching yesterday and today's stages.

Today Schleck climbed Morzine-Avoriaz ( the last 13.8km) in 34:30 more or less.
That's 1:30 slower than Hinault in his winning TT that started in Thonon and finished in Avoriaz ( was in 78 or 79)

It is also about 3:00 slower than Ugrumov on the 94 TT that started in Cluses and ended in Avoriaz.
( And it's only 8:00 faster than me when I was about 50 years old :))
Click to expand...

Congratulations. Doesnt that mean that at 50 you climbed it faster than la did today?
 
D

D Avoid

Sep 23, 2009
409
0
0
Cobber said:
This is still the $1000000 question for me. What is the more powerful force in Lance's mind - a rest day refill to fuel an ego-boosting stage win, or the fear of getting busted? We all know he thinks he is bigger than the sport. What does he want his legacy to be? Lance Armstrong the unbeatable, or "Lance-ern Rouge"? [I think I might copyright that last phrase :D]
Click to expand...

Yes, it's almost on a par with my Yeah-Hello Jersey.
 
B

Beech Mtn

Oct 6, 2009
5,270
2
0
Now that LA has no chance of winning, I think all of RSH will ride the rest of the race clean (whatever they may have done or not up to now). Is it worth it to Johan and Lance to take a chance on getting caught by the French police just so Levi can top up on blood and try to podium?

I think while LA/JB might have been willing to take chances having blood and drugs transported to the Tour for the huge payday that an LA victory would have been, they wouldn't risk it for Bottle.
 
B

Beech Mtn

Oct 6, 2009
5,270
2
0
Cobber said:
This is still the $1000000 question for me. What is the more powerful force in Lance's mind - a rest day refill to fuel an ego-boosting stage win, or the fear of getting busted? We all know he thinks he is bigger than the sport. What does he want his legacy to be? Lance Armstrong the unbeatable, or "Lance-ern Rouge"? [I think I might copyright that last phrase :D]
Click to expand...

You should try to get the chalkbot to put it on the roads of France. :p
 
P

ProfTournesol

Mar 10, 2009
140
0
0
DarkWing said:
Lance dropped time on purpose today just to one up Landis on Tuesday and do an even bigger comeback than Landis did in 2006 :D
Click to expand...

he can borrow some of Floyd's old blood bags. Floyd has been watching the freezer for him:)

Maybe he can say that the positive steroid test will come from the steroids he
s using on his saddle sore:)
 
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