Lance Armstrong to Race Hawaii Ironman 2011

[Nick777]

.. and wants to win it.

http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5984&CAT=24&xref=xx

 

[anubisza]

*yawn*. I hear he's going to pull a sled in Iditarod in 2012, with Bruyneel as the musher.

 

[BroDeal]

Must be nice to get an entry without the bother of qualifying.

Looks like Dr. Ferrari won't be able to end his season after July like normal.

 

[Nick777]

Must be nice to get an entry without the bother of qualifying.

Looks like Dr. Ferrari won't be able to end his season in July like normal.

Actually, you raise a good point. Udo Bolts did the same thing a few years ago, and didn't have to qualify. I'd hate to be the one to miss out because of it.

 

[gregod]

*yawn*

+1

move along, now. nothing to see here.

 

[Cerberus]

Must be nice to get an entry without the bother of qualifying.

Sports events are businesses, LA will bring far more publicity and money than whatever guy won't get a spot because of this. Besides it's not like there's any doubt he can qualify. If Tom Cruise got a spot for free then I'd get the complaint, but asking one of the worlds top endurance athletes to qualify would just be pointless waste of time. I'm no LA cheerleader, but winning 7 Tours really is all the "qualification" he needs. Same principle applies to Udo Bolts though not to the same degree.

 

[Anonymous]

*yawn*. I hear he's going to pull a sled in Iditarod in 2012, with Bruyneel as the musher.

I hear he is also planning a series of workout videos like the one he did last year that all of the fanboys downloaded. This time he will also invite special guests to join him in the taking off of the shirt and getting all glistening and huffy and puffy.

 

[anubisza]

I hear he is also planning a series of workout videos like the one he did last year that all of the fanboys downloaded. This time he will also invite special guests to join him in the taking off of the shirt and getting all glistening and huffy and puffy.

I wonder if Matthew McConaughey will be on hand to give him a rub down after.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

.. and wants to win it.

http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5984&CAT=24&xref=xx

Ya suppose he has to qualify like everybody else or......

 

[Cerberus]

Ya suppose he has to qualify like everybody else or......

as I said:

1) Everybody else won't bring in tons of publicity.

2) Everybody else isn't one of the worlds top endurance athletes.

There are many examples of celebrities getting preferential treatment for all sort of things, but complaining that athletes get special access to athletic events is like complaining that actors get special access to movie premiers.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Would it necessarily be Lance or Udo in and someone else out?

Considering the organization has enough discretionary power to waive the qualification process for some, could they have the discretionary power to invite a few extra people?

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Would it necessarily be Lance or Udo in and someone else out?

Considering the organization has enough discretionary power to waive the qualification process for some, could they have the discretionary power to invite a few extra people?

They can do whatever they want. This is for $, publicity. Do ya really think a 41(?) year old can win Ironman Hawaii? No more than he will have won the 2010 TdF. It must be on his bucket list, NYC marathon, IronMan Hawaii, have lots of kids with a variety of women, open a bike shop less than a mile away from another Trek store, you know.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

They can do whatever they want. This is for $, publicity. Do ya really think a 41(?) year old can win Ironman Hawaii? No more than he will have won the 2010 TdF. It must be on his bucket list, NYC marathon, IronMan Hawaii, have lots of kids with a variety of women, open a bike shop less than a mile away from another Trek store, you know.

Maybe they'll invite Robin Williams too. I'd love to see what he's like all looped-out from the heat and dehydration. Would he start talking like a normal human being??

 

[Cerberus]

They can do whatever they want. This is for $, publicity. Do ya really think a 41(?) year old can win Ironman Hawaii? No more than he will have won the 2010 TdF. It must be on his bucket list, NYC marathon, IronMan Hawaii, have lots of kids with a variety of women, open a bike shop less than a mile away from another Trek store, you know.

He'll be 39-40 depending on the time of year. As to whether he'll win probably not, but I'm pretty sure that he'll do better than the person he might or might not replace.

Seriously, how is this some big outrage?

 

[Ferminal]

as I said:

1) Everybody else won't bring in tons of publicity.

2) Everybody else isn't one of the worlds top endurance athletes.

There are many examples of celebrities getting preferential treatment for all sort of things, but complaining that athletes get special access to athletic events is like complaining that actors get special access to movie premiers.

Is he? I mean, are pro road cyclists peak endurance athletes?

Sure they have to ride 8 hours uphill at times in certain races, but it's not like a marathon which you can't exactly repeat the next day... Cyclists do it 3 times in a week during Spring. GTs are torture, but recovery is what's most important.

I don't think cyclists get tortured the same as Triathletes or marathon runners. Maybe it's just their plasma fetish. I doubt Lance (or any other professional cyclist) would finish top50 in Hawaii without years of preparation. What's the science behind it, is the muscle use from Swimming/Running a lot more taxing than Cycling?

(I'm not discounting his inclusion - it's a no brainer, just raising a point)

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Seriously, how is this some big outrage?

I doubt that it is. Just one of the many Fanboy/Counter-Fanboy showdowns around here.

 

[sgreene]

Must be nice to get an entry without the bother of qualifying.

Looks like Dr. Ferrari won't be able to end his season after July like normal.

Ha Ha -- this is awesome - something new for the haters to hyperventilate about...

 

[Cerberus]

Is he? I mean, are pro road cyclists peak endurance athletes?

Sure they have to ride 8 hours uphill at times in certain races, but it's not like a marathon which you can't exactly repeat the next day... Cyclists do it 3 times in a week during Spring. GTs are torture, but recovery is what's most important.

I don't think cyclists get tortured the same as Triathletes or marathon runners. Maybe it's just their plasma fetish. I doubt Lance (or any other professional cyclist) would finish top50 in Hawaii without years of preparation.

(I'm not discounting his inclusion - it's a no brainer, just raising a point)

Well cycling certainly is an endurance sport of a kind, I think the repeatability in cycling comes from the lack of impacts that you have in running, not from lower intensity. Whether a good performance in cycling translates directly to a good performance in an Ironman is a question you have to ask a better sports physiologist than me.

 

[forty four]

a pro cyclists workload far exceeds that of a triathlete in amount of high intensity racing. most tour level cyclists after retirement have done very well in ironman and thats past there prime anyway. besides la use to be a triathlete anyways like in the tour he may not win but he wont do poorly either.

 

[krebs303]

Laurent Jalabert
. In January 2007, he competed at Ironman Switzerland and finished with 9 hours 12 minutes. He exited the water in 1:16, which put him 966th after the swim. Once on the bike he made up significant ground with a 4:39 bike split, which allowed him to climb to 91st overall at the run transition. A 3:11 marathon was enough to gain an additional 69 places and finish 22nd of 1,850 participants. After Switzerland he qualified for the Ironman World championship in Kona, Hawaii, finishing in 9:19 and 76th overall.[3] In June, 2008, he finished 12th overall at Ironman France in Nice, improving his swim time to 1:06 and having the second fastest bike split.
Ironman

22nd Ironman Switzerland (2007)
76th Ironman World Championship (2007)
12th Ironman France (2008)

 

[Sprocket01]

I guess this means he defo won't be hanging around for the 2011 ToF?

 

[Rupert]

the Usual Grousing

Must be nice to get an entry without the bother of qualifying....

Nailed that one. Although it took 3 comments to get there. But, as with Tour of the Gila and the Leadville 100, I will be surprised if any of the complaints come from the event sponsors or the serious competitors. As usual, there will be a lot of noise from the peanut gallery (reporters, pack fill, and "non-fanboy" bloggers) but the competitors will be thrilled to have a chance to beat him and the sponsors will love the extra attention he brings to their event (not that Ironman really needs it). Lots of discussion on this previously on another thread, but outside the (uninformed) mainstream press I doubt anyone reallys sees Armstrong as a potential winner.

 

[amp300]

As a tri fan, this might be good. I have been writing e-mails to nbc to do two ironman shows (not really expecting anything). One that has the sappy feel good inspirational stories, and one that focuses on the racing without that dip**** announcer. But I don't expect that to happen, and whoever commentates will have it in their contract that they must mention the words; Lance, cancer, tour de france, comeback, and the phrase never-tested-positive at least once every three minutes. This could be a good drinking game.

At least this will settle many of the letsrun.com (for those familiar) threads on how Lance would do.

 

[Anonymous]

As a "hater" of Tri, I hope he goes there and stays in the sport for the remainder of his midlife crisis.

 

[On Yer Bike]

As a "hater" of Tri, I hope he goes there and stays in the sport for the remainder of his midlife crisis.

What a surprise, Thoughtforfood hates Tri as well as LA..."Curmudgeon" springs to mind.

I guess the only thing you like is writing on forums judging by the number of your posts being splattered all over every thread (...the ones relating to LA, at least...)?