Predict in April: Will Armstrong ride in the Tour?

[Ninety5rpm]

See the poll, which remains open through the end of April.

 

[theswordsman]

Is it May somewhere already?

I've been saying since February that LA would keep people, especially the media, thinking he will race the Tour to win, but find some type of excuse near the last minute to keep from racing and being shown up. It would have to be something that would let fans say that he would have won if he had been there, and earn him a bit of sympathy at the same time. But his people tend to use the media as focus groups for things, so there could be a couple of variations put forward before they settle on one. I think the Pinewood Derby was a test of that, and by the way, it's the same time as last year so it could have been fit into a race schedule. After the trip to South Africa, I thought malaria might be a good fit. Now I'm thinking that maybe they'll have his private plane go missing until the race has started, then turn up at a five star resort in Fiji or somewhere else not on the way from the U.S. to France.

I do feel sympathy for fans planning there vacations to see him race and the schedule keeps changing, or he's a DNS.

Edit: If the title didn't originally say May, please disregard everything I said, as usual

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't get why he wouldn't be?

 

[Highlander]

If he isn't then there is no guarantee that RadioShack will be around by August.

 

[rides like a girl]

I hope he races. I hope his "stomach" issues get fixed,worried they won't.

I'm spending all sorts of money on a trip to watch the tdf in person. Hoping to watch AC or (insert name) beat LA. My trip will be fun if he isn't there...just not the epic trip I was hoping for when he announced his comeback..I grew so tried of his childish behavior last year and want to see karma get him in 2010.

 

[Inner Peace]

I'm spending all sorts of money on a trip to watch the tdf in person. Hoping to watch AC or (insert name) beat LA. My trip will be fun if he isn't there...just not the epic trip I was hoping for when he announced his comeback..I grew so tried of his childish behavior last year and want to see karma get him in 2010.

It is sad that you have planned and are spending money on a trip with the hope that someone get beaten by 'Karma'. That's sick in the head really. You know if you believe in Karma, then odds are you are due for bad Karma because you wished bad things on someone?

Maybe your bad Karma will be that Armstrong does pull out and that you don't get to see your fantasy of watching (insert name) beat LA.. MInd boggling isn't it, this Karma stuff

 

[BroDeal]

Armstrong's ego is too big to bail out. It's probably even too big to take the obvious easy way out by riding for a teammate. Last year Kloden was the strongest Astana rider other than Contador, and he had to sacrifice his chance of riding high in the standings to support Armstrong.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I hope he races. I hope his "stomach" issues get fixed,worried they won't.

I'm spending all sorts of money on a trip to watch the tdf in person. Hoping to watch AC or (insert name) beat LA. My trip will be fun if he isn't there...just not the epic trip I was hoping for when he announced his comeback..I grew so tried of his childish behavior last year and want to see karma get him in 2010.

His stomach issues would be eradicated if the AFLD would only accept a donation to help fight doping.

 

[Hotbrakes]

Has anyone seen Planet Armstrong on Eurosport? He looks defeated already. I'm not ready to right him off just yet, but it does not look good for the cheeky Texan. He will be in the mix at the Tour, but a 5 - 10 placing looks about all he can do at this early stage.

 

[Oldman]

Armstrong's ego is too big to bail out. It's probably even too big to take the obvious easy way out by riding for a teammate. Last year Kloden was the strongest Astana rider other than Contador, and he had to sacrifice his chance of riding high in the standings to support Armstrong.

I'm still betting on the high-drama injury and some heroic will to continue during the Tour...where he will be lionized by the Vs. commentators for his selfless dedication to his leading teammate. Whoever that person might be. He's not going to fade away quietly.

 

[BroDeal]

I'm still betting on the high-drama injury and some heroic will to continue during the Tour...where he will be lionized by the Vs. commentators for his selfless dedication to his leading teammate. Whoever that person might be. He's not going to fade away quietly.

This would not exactly surprise me. Remember in 2003 when he had a different excuse every day just in case he did not pull out the win against Ulle. It was everything from dehydration to new shoes to a crook back to a crook hip to personal problems that would be revealed after the Tour. The list goes on and on. It was like listening to George Bush explain the need to invade Iraq.

 

[knewcleardaze]

This would not exactly surprise me. Remember in 2003 when he had a different excuse every day just in case he did not pull out the win against Ulle. It was everything from dehydration to new shoes to a crook back to a crook hip to personal problems that would be revealed after the Tour. The list goes on and on. It was like listening to George Bush explain the need to invade Iraq.

Spin and grin, kaching kaching. Hey, I'm a poet!

 

[python]

if the question was ‘should he ride the tour or shouldn’t’ id vote. will or will not is a speculation i don’t care about atm.

but I will say this. trending the events this year (reschedules, illnesses, cancellations…) and comparing them to his previous winning years, shows something seriously out of whack.

a worried, nervous increasingly out of control man comes out. it looks all downhill - from the indestructible winning machine in 99-05, to expiring yet kicking stallion in in 2009 to almost haphazard maneuvering of a fugitive who is trying to keep his pursuers (real or imagined) unawares in 2010.

don’t know but i don’t think armstrong anticipates smelling french sunflowers come july.

if he doesn’t why should we ?

 

[Oldman]

if the question was ‘should he ride the tour or shouldn’t’ id vote. will or will not is a speculation i don’t care about atm.

but I will say this. trending the events this year (reschedules, illnesses, cancellations…) and comparing them to his previous winning years, shows something seriously out of whack.

a worried, nervous increasingly out of control man comes out. it looks all downhill - from the indestructible winning machine in 99-05, to expiring yet kicking stallion in in 2009 to almost haphazard maneuvering of a fugitive who is trying to keep his pursuers (real or imagined) unawares in 2010.

don’t know but i don’t think armstrong anticipates smelling french sunflowers come july.

if he doesn’t why should we ?

Not after two mountain stages.

 

[ingsve]

Time for a conspiracy theory:

Armstrong never intended to ride the Tour, he knows he's over. The entire Radioshack team was created to steal all the best riders from Astana so that someone else would have a chance of beating Contador. This is to stop Contador from eventually beating Armstrongs GT records.

 

[Spare Tyre]

I think LA will pull out prior to the tour rather than perform badly or ride in the role of domestique. I just don't see his ego letting him take on either of those options.

So I'm expecting something along the lines of recurring bouts of gastro (or other kind of illness/circumstances which don't need to be proven) to affect his preparation ...... to the point where participation would mean he was taking a team place from a more deserving RS rider. Thus LA can withdraw from the race regretfully, the victim of unfortunate circumstances, and even be seen as a 'hero' for having surrendered his place on the team to someone else.

 

[Ibanez]

He better be, I'm going to be roadside on the Madeleine and if I don't get to run scream at Lance it won't be the same. Anyway, it's costume suggestion time.

edited by mod

 

[pugdog]

@Ibanez
Hopefully this will inspire you:

 

[Big GMaC]

Time for a conspiracy theory:

Armstrong never intended to ride the Tour, he knows he's over. The entire Radioshack team was created to steal all the best riders from Astana so that someone else would have a chance of beating Contador. This is to stop Contador from eventually beating Armstrongs GT records.

Nice Theory!

 

[ChrisE]

This would not exactly surprise me. Remember in 2003 when he had a different excuse every day just in case he did not pull out the win against Ulle. It was everything from dehydration to new shoes to a crook back to a crook hip to personal problems that would be revealed after the Tour. The list goes on and on. It was like listening to George Bush explain the need to invade Iraq.

There was obviously something wrong with him that year, else he would have kicked everybody's a$$ by 5+ minutes just like his other wins.

If I was one of his competitors I would really feel bad I got beaten by a dehydrated crippled guy with bad fitting shoes, who was not even mentally into the a$$ kicking he doled out due to immenent divorce.

 

[ErmOkk]

He'll attend imo, he's just too stubborn to admit he's too old to win... He'll retire after the tour though.

 

[WonderLance]

edited by mod

 

[scribe]

He better be, I'm going to be roadside on the Madeleine and if I don't get to run scream at Lance it won't be the same. Anyway, it's costume suggestion time.

edited by mod

Not sure you'll make the tv, but it sounds like a fine idea.

 

[icefire]

Not sure you'll make the tv, but it sounds like a fine idea.

He can always get someone with a hand-held video cam and upload it to youtube

 

[thehog]

This would not exactly surprise me. Remember in 2003 when he had a different excuse every day just in case he did not pull out the win against Ulle. It was everything from dehydration to new shoes to a crook back to a crook hip to personal problems that would be revealed after the Tour. The list goes on and on. It was like listening to George Bush explain the need to invade Iraq.

One might also remember the 2000 Olympics as well. He got done over by Ullrich, Kloden and Vino in the road race then smashed up by Ullrich in the time trial. The fact that it was the first international event to use the new EPO had nothing to do with his form as he later complained about "cracked vertebrae" supposedly sustained in a training accident... nudge nudge.... he never rode the Olympics again.