Lance Armstrong will win stage 15...

[Martin318is]

I remember the ride onto the Champes a few years back when the peleton allowed Ekimov to lead the way and wave to the fans. I thought this was a great way for the riders to show Ekimov respect for his many years of racing.

If the group allows Armstrong to do the same, then we will have an indication that he is respected by his peers. If not, then we will have an indication that he as not well liked.

Sorry, thats a failed assumption there.

Have you considered the possibility that the peloton would let Lance ride out on his own in front of the bunch would be for the selfish reason that they don't want the rotten eggs and fruit to hit them?

 

[flicker]

Sorry, thats a failed assumption there.

Have you considered the possibility that the peloton would let Lance ride out on his own in front of the bunch would be for the selfish reason that they don't want the rotten eggs and fruit to hit them?

It is odd I have not heard such gibberish from any other professional riders. By the way which team do you ride for?

 

[mr. tibbs]

A fitting finale for Armstrong would be giving an address to the assembled crowd from the top step of the podium on the Champs-Élysées at the end of his seventh consecutive win and final Tour.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Sorry, thats a failed assumption there.

Have you considered the possibility that the peloton would let Lance ride out on his own in front of the bunch would be for the selfish reason that they don't want the rotten eggs and fruit to hit them?

Lance already had his farewell procession, back when he retired the first time. Maybe Moreau could be allowed to go out first, given that he's retiring, and for several years was always the highest placed Frenchman on GC.

 

[exeuropro]

LA is not winning anything, no presents in today's procycling. The riders will allow him to enter the Champs E Lycee ahead of the pack but that's it.

 

[Kodiak]

a fitting finale would be his arrest on the champs elysees. Preferably right in front of me so i can get a good view

Don't think it's going to happen. The French won't let a convicted child molester face the punishment he deserves why would they bother with him now.

 

[erader]

So much hatred out there. Not quite sure why people take this all so personally... It's just sports/entertainment.

there you go soundling like bradley wigans .

fan is short for fantatic.

ed rader

 

[SpartacusRox]

Why do you watch cycling? Oh I get it you have a reason to complain about something!

Ha ha you've got that right, Buckweat makes Lance look like a saint even when he's at his most nasty.

His big dilemma will be who he turns his poison on to when LA is gone. I'm picking Cav will be a good bet. Guys like Buck don't like winners, they remind them of their own shortcomings...the sad little man.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Nobody remembers Jordan for his Washington failures. It's all about his individual greatness and 5 (and 1 NCAA) championships. The Washington years were just a blip.

Same thing with LA. Nobody (except folks like us) will remember him for this year's tour failure. Of course getting convicted will change all of that.

his airness won 6 nba championships:
91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98

no I'm not from Chicago I guess I'm just of the right age to care about MJ.

As for LA's legacy in the eyes of casual cycling fans, I don't think it matters. A nonfan I was watching today's stage with had to ask me what peloton meant... if his opinion defines one's legacy then I say legacy shmegacy.

 

[leftover pie]

Love him or hate him wouldn't this be a very fitting finale for him

wasn't winning number 7 a fitting finale?

how many fitting finales does one man need?

 

[SpartacusRox]

I think putting Armstrongs name next to Casartelli's (or any classy champion) is disrespectful to Casartelli.

He will not win.

A good finale? To come clean about...well...you know what

Iv'e seen some dumb comments on here but this is right up there with them. Amusing how you name yourself after a rider who himself won his tours doped and yet you are happy to make Armstrong out to be some sort of monster.

7 time TdF winner not a champion? Not classy? I don't particularly care what you think about him as a person, sport is not a popularity contest and plenty of 'never were's' like yourself despised Merckx and Hinault in their day. But as a rider during his heyday Lance was the best rider in the worlds biggest race. The biggest winner of the biggest race and the most dominant rider in the world's biggest race. Tactically he and JB made other teams look like amateurs. Thats what makes him a champion...results.

To say that he is less of a champion because he may have been doping is total hypocrisy. even if he was doping he won against a whole bunch of other guys who were doping so the best rider still won. I know it rankles people like you that he won't admit to doping (has Jan ever publically admitted??) but he who asserts must prove and I haven't seen him being banned for failing tests so why should he.

 

[Race Radio]

Iv'e seen some dumb comments on here but this is right up there with them. Amusing how you name yourself after a rider who himself won his tours doped and yet you are happy to make Armstrong out to be some sort of monster.

7 time TdF winner not a champion? Not classy? I don't particularly care what you think about him as a person, sport is not a popularity contest and plenty of 'never were's' like yourself despised Merckx and Hinault in their day. But as a rider during his heyday Lance was the best rider in the worlds biggest race. The biggest winner of the biggest race and the most dominant rider in the world's biggest race. Tactically he and JB made other teams look like amateurs. Thats what makes him a champion...results.

To say that he is less of a champion because he may have been doping is total hypocrisy. even if he was doping he won against a whole bunch of other guys who were doping so the best rider still won. I know it rankles people like you that he won't admit to doping (has Jan ever publically admitted??) but he who asserts must prove and I haven't seen him being banned for failing tests so why should he.

You are confused (again).

People don't like Wonderboy because he is a douchebag. The doping is only a small part of the story.

 

[theswordsman]

Ah, the explainers are getting ready. It doesn't matter if he doped, it doesn't matter if he lied to make millions of dollars and live the lifestyle of a celebrity. It wouldn't matter if he committed crimes, because he got away with it and that's something we should respect and aspire too?

Cheaters have been ahead of tests for years. I won't make this a Clinic thing, but a guy could have transfused his own blood on every race day he ever had and not gotten caught. Clean tests mean nothing - that's why the very expensive Biological Passport exists, and it means next to nothing, because cheaters can manipulate their values so they are consistent.

Back on topic, I don't expect Lance to do anything in the race, but the prediction here seems kind of random. The Sunday stage is killer, and a lot of guys might finish twenty minutes back without resting up. To do that, and win the stage the next day would be unbelievable. Literally. I watch lots of cycling, and if Armstrong wins a stage here, I'm done with it forever. But Stage 15 has an Hors Categorie climb, then a descent that a lot of people say is so dangerous that it would be a good place to bear Contador (and I guess Andy, who isn't as good a descender, and asked Alberto to slow it down the other day because he'd rather lose a few seconds).

So you think that Lance will be the first man up an HC climb on a key stage, and descend as well as anyone in the peloton? I'm enjoying the race a lot, but part of me will be relieved eleven days from now when the story has been written and the 2010 reality revealed. I hope you enjoy the Leadville 100 MTB.

 

[SpartacusRox]

Ah, the explainers are getting ready. It doesn't matter if he doped, it doesn't matter if he lied to make millions of dollars and live the lifestyle of a celebrity. It wouldn't matter if he committed crimes, because he got away with it and that's something we should respect and aspire too?

Cheaters have been ahead of tests for years. I won't make this a Clinic thing, but a guy could have transfused his own blood on every race day he ever had and not gotten caught. Clean tests mean nothing - that's why the very expensive Biological Passport exists, and it means next to nothing, because cheaters can manipulate their values so they are consistent.

Back on topic, I don't expect Lance to do anything in the race, but the prediction here seems kind of random. The Sunday stage is killer, and a lot of guys might finish twenty minutes back without resting up. To do that, and win the stage the next day would be unbelievable. Literally. I watch lots of cycling, and if Armstrong wins a stage here, I'm done with it forever. But Stage 15 has an Hors Categorie climb, then a descent that a lot of people say is so dangerous that it would be a good place to bear Contador (and I guess Andy, who isn't as good a descender, and asked Alberto to slow it down the other day because he'd rather lose a few seconds).

So you think that Lance will be the first man up an HC climb on a key stage, and descend as well as anyone in the peloton? I'm enjoying the race a lot, but part of me will be relieved eleven days from now when the story has been written and the 2010 reality revealed. I hope you enjoy the Leadville 100 MTB.

I agree on one thing. The thread is pretty random. Actually make that two because i don't think Armstrong will be allowed to ride away on stage 15 even if he could.

I am not explaining anything, I am merely pointing out the inconsistencies of accusations. On these forum it doesn't matter if you dope as long as you are nice guy like Jan. In his case he can lie and make millions as you describe but thats fine because he is a 'good bloke'

The point I was making was that to say that Armstrong disqualified from being a champion because he doped and then did not admit to it, means that every winner since Antequil (though he doped and did admit to it) also cannot be considered champions because they all probably doped in one form or another, even 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' Greg.

 

[LaBici]

Opportunist

I have been following cycling since the sixties.

I lost respect for Lance when he decided to go beyound 5 TdF wins. He never raced as much an in as many grand tours as the other five big winners of the TdF: Merckx, Hinault, Anquetil and Indurain.

He was able to win 7 because he hid behind a team and a very selective racing schedule. Unlike the other great champions he was well funded to only train for the big event. Never won the Giro much less rode it. or the Vuelta. Or Milan-San Remo

So when he "broke" the record of 5 wins which only a select few had achieved by riders who competed in all the Classics plus the Grand tours, he devalued them and their achievements. He dis-respected them. His big machine and one race focus may have garnered him the record 7 for the TdF but he lost the right to sit on the same Cycling Pantheon as the five-time winners. For me he will always have an * asterisk by those 7 wins.

 

[The Hitch]

(has Jan ever publically admitted??)

Whoever still can't put one and one together about what happened in cycling is beyond my help- Jan Ulrich

 

[nowhereman]

Pardon me, I didn't read the rest of this thread. But just let me put my 2 cents in. LA ain't winning NOTHING in this, his last Tour de France. Or in any other european race for that matter.

 

[crispy]

There are those who might not think this possible (or advisable) but I neither love nor hate LA. But back to what I think was the original point of this thread, I don't think he has the legs to win a stage. He can't hang with the top climbers anymore and it's very doubtful he'd be let go in a break no matter how far down he is on GC. Stage 15 is either going to see a break eke out enough of a lead to stay away or a sprint amongst a very small handful of skinny climbers, Schleck & Contador included.

 

[scribe]

Whoever still can't put one and one together about what happened in cycling is beyond my help- Jan Ulrich

Let's keep this about Armstrong. The rest of cycling is clean.

 

[Denkoff]

Radioshak win cool!@!))

 

[HokieJoe]

And he'll soon be recognized as one of the greatest frauds in sport of all time.

Like Merckx and Indurain? If you tear down Armstrong, those guys are next on the list so have it.

 

[HokieJoe]

I have been following cycling since the sixties.

I lost respect for Lance when he decided to go beyound 5 TdF wins. He never raced as much an in as many grand tours as the other five big winners of the TdF: Merckx, Hinault, Anquetil and Indurain.

He was able to win 7 because he hid behind a team and a very selective racing schedule. Unlike the other great champions he was well funded to only train for the big event. Never won the Giro much less rode it. or the Vuelta. Or Milan-San Remo

So when he "broke" the record of 5 wins which only a select few had achieved by riders who competed in all the Classics plus the Grand tours, he devalued them and their achievements. He dis-respected them. His big machine and one race focus may have garnered him the record 7 for the TdF but he lost the right to sit on the same Cycling Pantheon as the five-time winners. For me he will always have an * asterisk by those 7 wins.

Yep, he has an asterisk alright. It's called cancer. Not something the other riders you cite had to contend with during their cycling career. So, you call it disrespect, I call it smart. He wanted to win the MOST prestigious race in cycling. Given his illness, and very personal experience with mortality, I don't blame him for doing what he did at all.

Like Indurain, Armstrong was a freak of nature in his prime so I'm not sure I get the 'his team did it for him' meme. Indurain had the same benefit. The point is, the days of someone like Merckx winning Classics and multiple grand tours is basically over beyond maybe the Giro + Le Tour; or Le Tour + the Vuelta IMO.

 

[rxgqgxnyfz]

the days of someone like Merckx winning Classics and multiple grand tours is basically over beyond maybe the Giro + Le Tour; or Le Tour + the Vuelta IMO.

Alberto says hi.
________
Suzuki Madura History

 

[scribe]

Alberto says hi.

Berto's got his bags packed for the beach. He'll see us all again next spring for a spring roll and possibly something in June before going for #4

 

[buckwheat]

Ha ha you've got that right, Buckweat makes Lance look like a saint even when he's at his most nasty.

His big dilemma will be who he turns his poison on to when LA is gone. I'm picking Cav will be a good bet. Guys like Buck don't like winners, they remind them of their own shortcomings...the sad little man.

Exactly, I hate excellence.