SHACK ATTACK: Radioshack fail dismally!

[BroDeal]

You mean right after Popo had ridden himself into the ground for 15k trying to get Armstrong reconnected with Contador?

Maybe I missed it, but did Armstrong even take a pull while Popo was there?

 

[danjo007]

oh no, another thread full of stupid comments. on par for this site!

 

[metaCYCLE]

oh no, another thread full of stupid comments. on par for this site!

i'm really glad you contributed with yours.

 

[ManInFull]

Maybe I missed it, but did Armstrong even take a pull while Popo was there?

I am watching it now. I don't think Lance did a pull at all.

 

[Siriuscat]

Okay, so Lance buried himself today trying to get back on but couldn't, I personally can't stick the man and wish he'd disappear up his own ar$e at some point, preferably soon, but chapeau for today, gutsy performance.

HOWEVER, the Shack as a team blew it. Their sole aim today was to put big time into Berto and they failed miserably. You fanboys can blame bad luck but that's a nonsense, look at the stats:

Armstrong 32nd
Horner 42nd
Brajkovic 44th
Lumphammer 64th
Klodi 78th
Popovych 90th
Paulinho 127th
Rast 136th
Murayev 138th

For team aiming to rattle Contador and take advantage of a stage they blew it!

 

[Boeing]

LA was unlucky that he got a puncture but he really was not looking good anyway and probably would of been fished straight out the back of that group as they were going pretty well.

another dogmatic statement.

 

[BroDeal]

another dogmatic statement.

Armstrong was riding at the front of his group but was still caught by Contador. That says something. I don't know how significant it is.

 

[Boeing]

Armstrong was riding at the front of his group but was still caught by Contador. That says something. I don't know how significant it is.

what exactly is it saying

 

[Ferminal]

what exactly is it saying

I don't know, but it's saying something.

It could be saying something about those in the Armstrong group or those in the Contador group.

 

[M Sport]

What it's saying is Pharmstrong is past his use by date.

 

[Boeing]

I don't know, but it's saying something.

It could be saying something about those in the Armstrong group or those in the Contador group.

like what? lance sucks...blah blah blah


what exactly is it saying. Contador Bridged the gap?

I only saw what VS had. Did Alberto bridge that group before the LA flat? I thought I saw LA make the second split as fit as the others in that group.

I am not intending to fan boy but the old phuck rode his ahrse off from my vantage point before and after

once he was forced to push a bigger gear as Popo bonked he seemed to go better actually.

Elite Pro Sports and events of this magnitude require athletes to make adjustments. my limited view suggests that the move to a bigger gear came too late. he was bouncing like a marble down the steps sitting on the saddle and spinning that 100RPM He adjusted too late. fail perhaps

Why the deep section rims though? I saw that early at the start and thought right away pinch flat on the cobbles.


That's a little different than the dogmatic one beating chest saying "he didn't look good anyway" according to me blah blah

 

[Boeing]

What it's saying is Pharmstrong is past his use by date.

really? wow you are so gifted

 

[Publicus]

like what? lance sucks...blah blah blah


what exactly is it saying. Contador Bridged the gap?

I only saw what VS had. Did Alberto bridge that group before the LA flat? I thought I saw LA make the second split as fit as the others in that group.

I am not intending to fan boy but the old phuck rode his ahrse off from my vantage point before and after

once he was forced to push a bigger gear as Popo bonked he seemed to go better actually.

Elite Pro Sports and events of this magnitude require athletes to make adjustments. my limited view suggests that the move to a bigger gear came too late. he was bouncing like a marble down the steps sitting on the saddle and spinning that 100RPM He adjusted too late. fail perhaps

Why the deep section rims though? I saw that early at the start and thought right away pinch flat on the cobbles.


That's a little different than the dogmatic one beating chest saying "he didn't look good anyway" according to me blah blah

Alberto bridged that gap BEFORE the flat. With a broken spoke in his rear wheel.

And since when did "bouncing like a marble down the steps" constitute looking good on the cobbles? That's exactly why I thought he didn't look that great on the cobbles. And his comment after the stage that he was on his rivet/limit, explains why he was rocking such a small gear. He definitely rode his a$$ off to limit his losses, but I think you are being a bit disingenuous to suggest that he didn't look like crap on the fourth section of cobbles.

The stage wasn't anything he predicted (or needed) it to be. Psychologically he got his ar$e handed to him just like on Verbier last year. It will be interesting to see how he responds over the next few days.

EDIT: Here's the quote I was referencing above:

“Everbody thought the climbers were going to lose minutes today, but they're the ones at the front,” said Armstrong.

“You can't simulate the effort it requires to get to the front,” he added, referring to his relatively lowly position entering the critical section four, as he admitted that he struggled over the cobbles, despite extensive recce-ing of the stage.

“Andy [Schleck] was in the front, but he had a great team and he didn't have to do anything,” Armstrong continued. “He went in completely rested and we were just fighting for their wheel. When we hit the key sections - I can't lie, I was on the limit. So it was a lot different to training.”

 

[Anonymous]

Alberto bridged that gap BEFORE the flat. With a broken spoke in his rear wheel.

And since when did "bouncing like a marble down the steps" constitute looking good on the cobbles? That's exactly why I thought he didn't look that great on the cobbles. And his comment after the stage that he was on his rivet/limit, explains why he was rocking such a small gear. He definitely rode his a$$ off to limit his losses, but I think you are being a bit disingenuous to suggest that he didn't look like crap on the fourth section of cobbles.

The stage wasn't anything he predicted (or needed) it to be. Psychologically he got his ar$e handed to him just like on Verbier last year. It will be interesting to see how he responds over the next few days.

+1
This night Lance is trying to decide if a top 5 finish is possible or which stage to pull out of.

If he loses any more time to AC or AS he does'nt finish this tour, IMO.

 

[turtlesoup]

+1
This night Lance is trying to decide if a top 5 finish is possible or which stage to pull out of.

If he loses any more time to AC or AS he does'nt finish this tour, IMO.

He finished 3rd last year and shouldnt be disappointed if he does again, I think nonfanboys would be surprised if he finished top 5 before todays stage anyway. I think he will have a second bottle cage on his bike and offer the EPO ladened bidons to AC or AS. And as you said i doubt he finishes the tour, he'll make some grand speech about passing the torch to one of the other geriatrics on his team.

 

[MacRoadie]

I think he will have a second bottle cage on his bike and offer the EPO ladened bidons to AC or AS.

He only steals bottles...just ask Ivan Gutierrez...

 

[auscyclefan94]

Alberto bridged that gap BEFORE the flat. With a broken spoke in his rear wheel.

And since when did "bouncing like a marble down the steps" constitute looking good on the cobbles? That's exactly why I thought he didn't look that great on the cobbles. And his comment after the stage that he was on his rivet/limit, explains why he was rocking such a small gear. He definitely rode his a$$ off to limit his losses, but I think you are being a bit disingenuous to suggest that he didn't look like crap on the fourth section of cobbles.

The stage wasn't anything he predicted (or needed) it to be. Psychologically he got his ar$e handed to him just like on Verbier last year. It will be interesting to see how he responds over the next few days.

EDIT: Here's the quote I was referencing above:

Yes, Scott sunderland was saying that LA was a bit all over the place. He also goes onto say that AC could of avoided the puncture as in some points he rode in the rough parts of the pave. He still did say he did a good job.

 

[Maxiton]

Yes, Scott sunderland was saying that LA was a bit all over the place. He also goes onto say that AC could of avoided the puncture as in some points he rode in the rough parts of the pave. He still did say he did a good job.

It seemed to me that he was riding particularly well and strong - but also like someone who wasn't used to the cobbles. Should've raced Roubaix a few times - it's like nothing he knows (it isn't even like Flanders, where the cobbles are smoother). And clearly his selection of rims and tires was wrong - he'll maybe have figured that one out by now. Too bad he only gets this one chance.

I'm not too impressed with the behavior shown in the photo where Lance is screaming in Contador's face as he rides beside him. This image seems to have disappeared since it appeared earlier today. In any event, it looks like he's letting Contador have it with both barrels. In fact it looks like assault to me. Whatever it is, it didn't work.

EDIT: tires

 

[Cerberus]

It seemed to me that he was riding particularly well and strong - but also like someone who wasn't used to the cobbles. Should've raced Roubaix a few times - it's like nothing he knows (it isn't even like Flanders, where the cobbles are smoother). And clearly his selection of rims and wheels was wrong - he'll maybe have figured that one out by now. Too bad he only gets this one chance.

I'm not too impressed with the behavior shown in the photo where Lance is screaming in Contador's face as he rides beside him. This image seems to have disappeared since it appeared earlier today. In any event, it looks like he's letting Contador have it with both barrels. In fact it looks like assault to me. Whatever it is, it didn't work.

That's what it looks like yes, but you have to be really careful judging these kind of things from snapshots. It could have been absolutely nothing, like say Armstrong yawning or something.

 

[Dunedain]

They didn't fail too badly. Their "strongest team in the tour" are still 14th in the all important Team Classification, a mere 4:50 behind Saxo and only 2:27 behind the very weak Astana!

OK. You are on record as saying that, after just four days of the tour, including two crash marred stages, that Radioshack has failed. Of course you write that now and not after the prologue which they dominated. This is the worst kind of data mining. I realize that the cool thing to do on this forum is to pick on all things LA but I wish you could do so with more reason. Nonetheless, I predict the shack will place top three in team classification, and that they will place higher than both Saxo and Astana by the time they reach Paris. Do you seriously want to bet otherwise?

 

[Maxiton]

That's what it looks like yes, but you have to be really careful judging these kind of things from snapshots. It could have been absolutely nothing, like say Armstrong yawning or something.

True. And if there is anything to it, maybe we'll hear about it after the Tour.

 

[Publicus]

Yes, Scott sunderland was saying that LA was a bit all over the place. He also goes onto say that AC could of avoided the puncture as in some points he rode in the rough parts of the pave. He still did say he did a good job.

Actually someone crashed into AC's rear wheel during the Frank Schleck crash, which caused the spoke damage. That spoke damage was the cause of the flat.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Actually someone crashed into AC's rear wheel during the Frank Schleck crash, which caused the spoke damage. That spoke damage was the cause of the flat.

Okay, thanks for clearing that up. How did he keep going with the broken spoke or did the puncture gradually develop over time from the spoke being broken.

 

[Hugh Januss]

OK. You are on record as saying that, after just four days of the tour, including two crash marred stages, that Radioshack has failed. Of course you write that now and not after the prologue which they dominated. This is the worst kind of data mining. I realize that the cool thing to do on this forum is to pick on all things LA but I wish you could do so with more reason. Nonetheless, I predict the shack will place top three in team classification, and that they will place higher than both Saxo and Astana by the time they reach Paris. Do you seriously want to bet otherwise?

I think the point really was who cares about the team GC anyway.

 

[Publicus]

OK. You are on record as saying that, after just four days of the tour, including two crash marred stages, that Radioshack has failed. Of course you write that now and not after the prologue which they dominated. This is the worst kind of data mining. I realize that the cool thing to do on this forum is to pick on all things LA but I wish you could do so with more reason. Nonetheless, I predict the shack will place top three in team classification, and that they will place higher than both Saxo and Astana by the time they reach Paris. Do you seriously want to bet otherwise?

Is that what the Tour is about? Team Classification? Jeebus.