The Official LANCE ARMSTRONG Thread 2010-2011

[flicker]

Why????????

Tour fitness comparison amongst dopers/ tour contenders.

 

[this_is_edie]

It's is crucial for Armstrong to wear the number 11 or 111, tomorrow as stripes are slimming.

As to why he rides Flanders, as opposed the Fleche or LBL, is beyond me.
Unless it's to do with fulfilling people's expectations..........

Maybe because it's one race he's sure that Contador won't start?

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Usually rider numbers get done in alphabetical order, hence why Jose Azevedo wore no.1 at the 2006 Tour (so for me, where my surname starts with a 'W', I would be one of the last riders on a team's start list). Obviously they haven't done it on this occasion (what with Vaitkus ahead of Irizar).

Is it only at the tour where the GC rider gets the one, and then AFTER that it is alpha? Or is that a widespread practice?

 

[craig1985]

Is it only at the tour where the GC rider gets the one, and then AFTER that it is alpha? Or is that a widespread practice?

I think it applies to all races. When you look at Discovery's line-up at the 2006 Ghent Wevelgem, Fumy Beppu is given number 191:

191 Fumiyuku Beppu (Jpn)
192 Vladimir Gusev (Rus)
193 Stijn Devolder (Bel)
194 George Hincapie (USA)
195 Leif Hoste (Bel)
196 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus)
197 Benoit Joachim (Lux)
198 Matthew White (Aus)

link

 

[alberto.legstrong]

I think it applies to all races. When you look at Discovery's line-up at the 2006 Ghent Wevelgem, Fumy Beppu is given number 191:

191 Fumiyuku Beppu (Jpn)
192 Vladimir Gusev (Rus)
193 Stijn Devolder (Bel)
194 George Hincapie (USA)
195 Leif Hoste (Bel)
196 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus)
197 Benoit Joachim (Lux)
198 Matthew White (Aus)

link

When I look at that, every single team is in alpha, so unless each team's top rider happens to be first alphabetically (a very remote possibility), then my knowledge is still needing further ejumukashun.

Here is the 2009 tdf list. Note that each team's top bc guy gets the number 1, and then subsequent to him, it is alpha.

http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/RIDERS/us/partants.html

 

[alberto.legstrong]

I think it applies to all races. When you look at Discovery's line-up at the 2006 Ghent Wevelgem, Fumy Beppu is given number 191:

191 Fumiyuku Beppu (Jpn)
192 Vladimir Gusev (Rus)
193 Stijn Devolder (Bel)
194 George Hincapie (USA)
195 Leif Hoste (Bel)
196 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus)
197 Benoit Joachim (Lux)
198 Matthew White (Aus)

link

When I look at that, every single team is in alpha, so unless each team's top rider happens to be first alphabetically (a very remote possibility), then my knowledge is still needing further ejumukashun.

Here is the 2009 tdf list. Note that each team's top gc guy gets the number 1, and then subsequent to him, it is alpha.

http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/RIDERS/us/partants.html

 

[Ninety5rpm]

Not exactly the DNF the haters predicted.

Impressive, actually.

"Well, that is one hard f-ing race lemme tell ya. Felt better than expected and managed to stay up front. Very happy w/ the way it went."

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

 

[this_is_edie]

Not exactly the DNF the haters predicted.

Impressive, actually.

"Well, that is one hard f-ing race lemme tell ya. Felt better than expected and managed to stay up front. Very happy w/ the way it went."

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

you know I was ready to be an adult about this and say that I was wrong, but you had to be all infantile with the hater crap. yep you certainly haven't changed my mind on the LA fans

 

[Ninety5rpm]

you know I was ready to be an adult about this and say that I was wrong, but you had to be all infantile with the hater crap. yep you certainly haven't changed my mind on the LA fans

Yeah, right, because "hater" is so inaccurate.

hater: One who expresses unfounded or inappropriate hatred or dislike, particularly if motivated by jealousy.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hater

 

[this_is_edie]

I rest my case. Infantile.

 

[altark123]

Yeah, right, because "hater" is so inaccurate.



http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hater

Yeah I'm still waiting for Hogg and the others to step forward and eat their big, smelly plate of crow on this one.

 

[Publicus]

Yes it was pure hatred that caused many to question Armstrong's form coming into this race. Had nothing to do with his performances prior to today. Nope, nothing at all.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Not exactly the DNF the haters predicted.

Impressive, actually.

"Well, that is one hard f-ing race lemme tell ya. Felt better than expected and managed to stay up front. Very happy w/ the way it went."

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

Going by your logic - you must be a 'hater' then? As you posted this yesterday.

At Flanders Lance will ride hard for Grivko at some point, maybe early, maybe mid-race, and then will drop out once he has burned himself up.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah I'm still waiting for Hogg and the others to step forward and eat their big, smelly plate of crow on this one.

He finished 27th and couldn't have hung with Sparitcus if he had a motor on his bike. So really, you want to crow about it? Okay...I guess it is about the same as finishing 3rd in the Tour...

One definitely has to wonder how he could come back so quickly after sucking only a week before? Packed cells seems the obvious choice, but I am sure you will say he rediscovered his immaculate spinning technique. One also has to wonder how he lost the fat so quickly...I mean, he is noticeably thinner than even 3 weeks ago. Water loss after a steroid regimin ended?

 

[altark123]

And seems to be in better shape....

where is the gut?

 

[peloton]

Colour me surprised. This looks like the old LA prior cancer, who was a very promising one day rider.

Props to the old boy, he did very well today.

 

[Anonymous]

where is the gut?

Precisely the question I was asking. Where is it? It was there, and now magically it is gone. A deflation after using designer steroids or something? You know those things make you gain water like a mad man, but the after affects are amazing.

 

[Publicus]

He finished 27th and couldn't have hung with Sparitcus if he had a motor on his bike. So really, you want to crow about it? Okay...I guess it is about the same as finishing 3rd in the Tour...

One definitely has to wonder how he could come back so quickly after sucking only a week before? Packed cells seems the obvious choice, but I am sure you will say he rediscovered his immaculate spinning technique. One also has to wonder how he lost the fat so quickly...I mean, he is noticeably thinner than even 3 weeks ago. Water loss after a steroid regimin ended?

He had a dramatic improvement in a very short week.

 

[peloton]

He had a dramatic improvement in a very short week.

Probably had a meeting with his good friend Dr. Ferrari.

 

[Berzin]

He finished 27th and couldn't have hung with Spartacus if he had a motor on his bike. So really, you want to crow about it? Okay...I guess it is about the same as finishing 3rd in the Tour...

A place he would not have attained had it not been for him having a whole squad devoted to his every move. Left to his own devices he was mediocre, whereas Contador had to ride on his own with hardly any help from his team.

One definitely has to wonder how he could come back so quickly after sucking only a week before? Packed cells seems the obvious choice, but I am sure you will say he rediscovered his immaculate spinning technique. One also has to wonder how he lost the fat so quickly...I mean, he is noticeably thinner than even 3 weeks ago. Water loss after a steroid regimen ended?

If you need an explanation for this, please refer to the veiled, devoid-of-any-facts responses by the people in his camp.

The whole bloated look he spent so much of the early season sporting was nothing more than a successful form of camouflaging a great rider's form to throw his rivals off track.

 

[kurtinsc]

He finished 27th and couldn't have hung with Sparitcus if he had a motor on his bike. So really, you want to crow about it? Okay...I guess it is about the same as finishing 3rd in the Tour...

One definitely has to wonder how he could come back so quickly after sucking only a week before? Packed cells seems the obvious choice, but I am sure you will say he rediscovered his immaculate spinning technique. One also has to wonder how he lost the fat so quickly...I mean, he is noticeably thinner than even 3 weeks ago. Water loss after a steroid regimin ended?

Of course he's not going to hang with Spartacus.

But you have to give him credit... he's a stage race GC guy who's able to hang with a group who's first rider was 6th overall, with cobbled riders like Hincappie, Hammond, Breschel, Burghardt, Chavanel, Langeveld, Eisel, Hoste and Flecha... 25 seconds off the podium.

I'm not going to go into the why... because I really don't care. The doping discussion isn't supposed to be on this board anyway.

 

[Captain_Obvious]

A place he would not have attained had it not been for him having a whole squad devoted to his every move.

You must have been watching a different race. From about 110km to go onwards I didnt see Armstrong getting much help at all, infact i saw him leading the group a few times. I think you're wrong on this one for what todays race is concerned.

 

[Cerberus]

Of course he's not going to hang with Spartacus.

But you have to give him credit... he's a stage race GC guy who's able to hang with a group who's first rider was 6th overall, with cobbled riders like Hincappie, Hammond, Breschel, Burghardt, Chavanel, Langeveld, Eisel, Hoste and Flecha... 25 seconds off the podium.

I'm not going to go into the why... because I really don't care. The doping discussion isn't supposed to be on this board anyway.

Breschel had a defect with a really horrible bike change, Finishing in the same group as him doesn't indicate anything beyond Breschels bad luck. Got a point about the other cobbles guys.

 

[Wallace]

As much as I hate Armstrong--and yes, I am, proudly, a hater (ever read Hazlitt's On the Pleasures of Hating? One of my favorite books)--anyone paying attention to the race has to acknowledge that Armstrong rode well today. He was at the front of his group a few times, worked hard, and finished well in a brutal race. And if you use that as a yardstick to measure his progress against where he was last year, you can see how his admirers have every right and reason to start thinking that he's going to be a lot more powerful at this year's Tour than he was last year.

I'd still say that finishing well at Flanders isn't nearly as good a result at winning Paris-Nice, and that since Contador is improving too, I still would be astonished--and suspicious--if Lance turned into a serious contender for the Tour overall. But you can't take today's result away from him.

 

[thehog]

I said I would if he finished. Naked photo of myself. Armstrong will win the Tour.