Sour grapes LeMond

[tigerboy]

Gentleman we have a sport with a history of doping. Whether we like it or not every great effort, every reussite, will come with the shadow of suspicion.

Is there a shadow over any achievement? Yes there is. Are they guilty? We don't know and we hope not.

Frankly that is where we are and the rest is hot air.

 

[md2020]

What I find amazing, is that "all these new champions are dopers", but even with the advances in aerodynamics and the time they spend in the wind-tunnel, none of them can match his TT from '89 tour.

So, he, au naturale, could best all them even with their alleged doping and very real techincal advantages? C'mon, get real.

You're forgetting that LeMond had many of the biggest aerodynamic advantages back then (aero bars, disk wheel, aero helmet). He just didn't have it as finely tuned as they do now. That might not be worth as much time as you think.

Also, the Versaille-Paris ITT was pretty short at just under 25K and had a net elevation loss of 75 meters. Not only that but I think during the TV coverage they mentioned that there was also a tailwind. I'm pretty sure that if they ran that same course today his time wouldn't stand.

Oh yea, it's not the fastest anymore either. Dave Z beat it in the 2005 prologue.

 

[issoisso]

You're forgetting that LeMond had many of the biggest aerodynamic advantages back then (aero bars, disk wheel, aero helmet). He just didn't have it as finely tuned as they do now. That might not be worth as much time as you think.

Also, the Versaille-Paris ITT was pretty short at just under 25K and had a net elevation loss of 75 meters. Plus, I think during the TV coverage they mentioned that there was a tailwind. I'm pretty sure that if they ran that same course today his time wouldn't stand.

Yes, tailwind + downhill most of the way + short course.

And yes, Zabriskie also beat it, thus getting the fastest time trial stage in Tour history.

This does not count prologues, of which quite a few have been much faster.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Gentleman we have a sport with a history of doping. Whether we like it or not every great effort, every reussite, will come with the shadow of suspicion.

Is there a shadow over any achievement? Yes there is. Are they guilty? We don't know and we hope not.

Frankly that is where we are and the rest is hot air.

While I agree with all your points, are you saying that we just ignore it?

There have been some suspicious achievements throughout this Tour and they should be rightly questioned.

Unfortunately we cannot have faith in a system run by the UCI - I for one am delighted that someone is asking questions.

 

[AAMilne]

Your points above have been well discussed in the 'decline of Lemond" thread in the clinic.
However point no 2 is something I have not seen before- do you have a link or do you remember where this was said or discussed?

here is the link, is stated iron deficiency, but i wonder...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cycling/1998/tourdefrance/tourdefrancearchive/tour2.html

 

[wigglytoes]

Yeh, but is he wrong

Do we have to read LeMond's latest sour comments!? He was dropped by Trek partly due to his sour, "half-empty" attitude and he continues to smear it onto cycling whenever he can. Let's collectively forget about him. He's the dope in cycling.

I noticed that most of the replies to this post either blast LeMond or blast anyone who disagrees.

I ask the question; is LeMond wrong?
Little mountain goat beats all the big men in the TT.
Contador is doping his *** off.

 

[AAMilne]

Your points above have been well discussed in the 'decline of Lemond" thread in the clinic.
However point no 2 is something I have not seen before- do you have a link or do you remember where this was said or discussed?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cycling/1998/tourdefrance/tourdefrancearchive/tour2.html

 

[Dr. Maserati]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cycling/1998/tourdefrance/tourdefrancearchive/tour2.html

Thank you for that - I actually had read that before. The original poster made it sound a lot more suspect with his 'magic potion' comment.

 

[VanceNichols]

it was an iron injection, he was coming back from being shot and losing a ton of blood, of course he is going to be low on iron. i heard he looked like a menstruating women.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I would encourage anyone to watch this interview with Lemond after the 2006 Tour and tell me he's wrong in his views, and filled with "sour grapes" and bitter.