The Official LANCE ARMSTRONG Thread 2010-2011

[thehog]

Radio Shack's sponsorship deal runs through 2012.

Incorrect. The ProTiour licence runs until 2012. The sponsorship runs out when's there no money or the sponsor pulls out. Which they can under the T&C's.

 

[Publicus]

Incorrect. The ProTiour licence runs until 2012. The sponsorship runs out when's there no money or the sponsor pulls out. Which they can under the T&C's.

The pro tour license expires at the end of the 2013 season.


For some reason I recall the sponsorship deal being only 2 years, but I haven't been able to corroborate my recollection. The 2012 number surprised me, but it's only 1 year longer than my (faulty) recollection.

http://tinyurl.com/27q48ur

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Perfectly timed, as most of its riders will be eligible for Social Security by then.

They will also be in their prime demographic of dementia patients who don't know that two double A batteries don't cost $6.95.

 

[theswordsman]

I predicted in February that Lance won't ride the Tour. (At the same time, he was so messed up that I suggested Britney Spears dad should make all his decisions) But the question was, how could he get out of it while making his fans love him even more, and say that he WOULD have won had he raced.

I was just having a top secret twitter conversation, and it hit me, final answer. My official prediction is that a few days before the Tour de Suisse, Lance will announce that he's entering special rehab for people who care too much.

 

[altark123]

A blog by Carmichael explaining Lance's prep thus far....

we have discussed Lance's prep and fitness in depth, so here is a blog posting by Carmichael with his point of view: http://www.facebook.com/mastertheshift?v=app_122134447813895

A few relevant sections:

"...and his early-season racing results were right where we wanted him to be. He had a strong performance at the Tour of Flanders and was looking forward to some additional race days after that, until he came down with a stomach bug. The bug was pretty bad, but the timing made the impact on his training even greater. He missed a few races that were necessary for gaining the fitness to achieve subsequent goals. If he had gotten a stomach bug during a long block between races, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal"

"So Lance returned to the US, recovered from the stomach bug, and we reformulated his Tour preparation to include more time at altitude and another trip to Gila."

"I’ve had plenty of questions about Lance’s performance at Gila, which was notable because he wasn’t with the leaders on some of the bigger climbs. He was at the end of a big high-altitude training block and he had great fitness, but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs. As expected, following some recovery after the race, that fatigue melted away and his recent performance tests show that his power numbers are actually ahead of this time last year, when he was just returning to competition following the broken collarbone."

"Lance’s personal goal is to see a positive adaptation during the race itself. He’ll be good at the beginning and much better by the end. The TOC is not as long as the Tour of Italy, but we’re looking for a significant bump in Lance’s power numbers as a result of 8 days of hard racing."

 

[Publicus]

we have discussed Lance's prep and fitness in depth, so here is a blog posting by Carmichael with his point of view: http://www.facebook.com/mastertheshift?v=app_122134447813895

A few relevant sections:

"...and his early-season racing results were right where we wanted him to be. He had a strong performance at the Tour of Flanders and was looking forward to some additional race days after that, until he came down with a stomach bug. The bug was pretty bad, but the timing made the impact on his training even greater. He missed a few races that were necessary for gaining the fitness to achieve subsequent goals. If he had gotten a stomach bug during a long block between races, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal"

"So Lance returned to the US, recovered from the stomach bug, and we reformulated his Tour preparation to include more time at altitude and another trip to Gila."

"I’ve had plenty of questions about Lance’s performance at Gila, which was notable because he wasn’t with the leaders on some of the bigger climbs. He was at the end of a big high-altitude training block and he had great fitness, but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs. As expected, following some recovery after the race, that fatigue melted away and his recent performance tests show that his power numbers are actually ahead of this time last year, when he was just returning to competition following the broken collarbone."

"Lance’s personal goal is to see a positive adaptation during the race itself. He’ll be good at the beginning and much better by the end. The TOC is not as long as the Tour of Italy, but we’re looking for a significant bump in Lance’s power numbers as a result of 8 days of hard racing."

Interesting*. The only thing is that I highly doubt he will have 8 days of hard racing. Yesterday wasn't hard and so far today is proving to NOT be too difficult as well. Maybe he will get 5 days of hard racing out of the ToC, but that's better than nothing.


*I say interesting because Carmichael seems to gloss over the near panic that set in after the Tour of Murcia, pulling out of MSR with a mysterious, but very short-lived stomach ailment, and Criterium International. Not to mention that despite the second stomach bug, nothing prevented him from staying in Europe to race the Ardennes Classics. He was perfectly fine the week before Amstel Gold (based on twitter), but certainly Fleche-Wallonne and L-B-L were doable. But I digress.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Interesting*. The only thing is that I highly doubt he will have 8 days of hard racing. Yesterday wasn't hard and so far today is proving to be too difficult as well. Maybe he will get 5 days of hard racing out of the ToC, but that's better than nothing.


*I say interesting because Carmichael seems to gloss over the near panic that set in after the Tour of Murcia, pulling out of MSR with a mysterious, but very short-lived stomach ailment, and Criterium International. Not to mention that despite the second stomach bug, nothing prevented him from staying in Europe to race the Ardennes Classics. He was perfectly fine the week before Amstel Gold (based on twitter), but certainly Fleche-Wallonne and L-B-L were doable. But I digress.

They've got so much spin out there that regardless of any outcome, he can point to them having discussed it beforehand. Just yesterday he was saying he isn't where he needs to be and his TT'ing ability needs to come way up.

A career in politics would be the next logical step. That's where all the really cool narcissists hang out (well, there and Hollywood.)

 

[thehog]

Interesting*. The only thing is that I highly doubt he will have 8 days of hard racing. Yesterday wasn't hard and so far today is proving to be too difficult as well. Maybe he will get 5 days of hard racing out of the ToC, but that's better than nothing.


*I say interesting because Carmichael seems to gloss over the near panic that set in after the Tour of Murcia, pulling out of MSR with a mysterious, but very short-lived stomach ailment, and Criterium International. Not to mention that despite the second stomach bug, nothing prevented him from staying in Europe to race the Ardennes Classics. He was perfectly fine the week before Amstel Gold (based on twitter), but certainly Fleche-Wallonne and L-B-L were doable. But I digress.

Agreed.

and

“He was at the end of a big high-altitude training block and he had great fitness, but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs.”

- This is just stupid. Even if fatigued. Which I guess happens a lot in 21 day Grand Tours he should still be able to ride with national riders on mountain stages. If there is any hope of riding with Contador then even when fatigued he should be up the front with a 2nd rate field. Do you think he meant fat and not fatigue. This kind of talk means one thing. Doping. And preparing to dope.

 

[frenchfry]

... but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs. As expected, following some recovery after the race, that fatigue melted away and his recent performance tests show that his power numbers are actually ahead of this time last year...

Guess that's why he works with Carmichael, who must have the secret on how to melt that fatigue right away.

 

[Publicus]

Agreed.

and

“He was at the end of a big high-altitude training block and he had great fitness, but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs.”

- This is just stupid. Even if fatigued. Which I guess happens a lot in 21 day Grand Tours he should still be able to ride with national riders on mountain stages. If there is any hope of riding with Contador then even when fatigued he should be up the front with a 2nd rate field. Do you think he meant fat and not fatigue. This kind of talk means one thing. Doping. And preparing to dope.

Yeah I found that explanation a bit laughable. Isn't that what most pros do? Train at altitude and then come back and race? Worked like a charm for Vino at Trentino and L-B-L.

The whole thing is just white noise....

 

[thehog]

Yeah I found that explanation a bit laughable. Isn't that what most pros do? Train at altitude and then come back and race? Worked like a charm for Vino at Trentino and L-B-L.

The whole thing is just white noise....

and of course the "numbers" are higher than the same time last year. To explain away any sudden “increases” in form. Not important racing hasn’t shown this but in training the “numbers” are high.

And very good... melt that fatigue away.. or did they mean fat?

 

[Dr. Maserati]

we have discussed Lance's prep and fitness in depth, so here is a blog posting by Carmichael with his point of view: http://www.facebook.com/mastertheshift?v=app_122134447813895

A few relevant sections:

"...and his early-season racing results were right where we wanted him to be. He had a strong performance at the Tour of Flanders and was looking forward to some additional race days after that, until he came down with a stomach bug. The bug was pretty bad, but the timing made the impact on his training even greater. He missed a few races that were necessary for gaining the fitness to achieve subsequent goals. If he had gotten a stomach bug during a long block between races, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal"

"So Lance returned to the US, recovered from the stomach bug, and we reformulated his Tour preparation to include more time at altitude and another trip to Gila."

"I’ve had plenty of questions about Lance’s performance at Gila, which was notable because he wasn’t with the leaders on some of the bigger climbs. He was at the end of a big high-altitude training block and he had great fitness, but he was also carrying a lot of fatigue and it showed in a lack of punch on the big climbs. As expected, following some recovery after the race, that fatigue melted away and his recent performance tests show that his power numbers are actually ahead of this time last year, when he was just returning to competition following the broken collarbone."

"Lance’s personal goal is to see a positive adaptation during the race itself. He’ll be good at the beginning and much better by the end. The TOC is not as long as the Tour of Italy, but we’re looking for a significant bump in Lance’s power numbers as a result of 8 days of hard racing."

They need to get their story right.

This is what RadioShack press officer Philippe Maertens said just before the Circuit de La Sarthe began.

"After Sarthe he will go back home to the United States to train and spend time with his family," said Maertens.

....he had already said he was not taking part in the Amstel Gold.

He 'gets sick' at the end of the first day of CdlS -doesnt start the foloowing stage and flys home the next day!

 

[Publicus]

Interesting article from Velonation.

Seems as Bruyneel is trying to sow dissention between Vino and AC (IMO--could be wrong) and he's suing Astana--which I find pretty rich sense he was working for Radio Shack essentially after the TdF.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4207/Bruyneel-RadioShack-and-Astana-are-like-night-and-day.aspx

 

[thehog]

It would be interesting to see if they work terribly hard for him as USPS did or just sort of soft-pedal. "Carry your own fat @ss up this hill, Old Man!"

Or, just fake an illness and bail out of the tdf.

This is why you can understand why Popo is p1ssed. He can't ride the Giro and he had spent the entire year riding b-grade races at half speed waiting for Lance to catch up. In the races he has ridden without Lance no one gives a ****. There's no direction they set the team out to ride any way they like with no plan. Popo needs to get out and into a team that respects him.

50 days training and you to can win the Tour.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

They've got so much spin out there

Yeah, watch out for the spin.

 

[dickwrench]

This is why you can understand why Popo is p1ssed. He can't ride the Giro and he had spent the entire year riding b-grade races at half speed waiting for Lance to catch up. In the races he has ridden without Lance no one gives a ****. There's no direction they set the team out to ride any way they like with no plan. Popo needs to get out and into a team that respects him.
50 days training and you to can win the Tour.

Poppo was on a supposed team like that and he sucked. He should just ride with Radio Shack and not suck for whatever reason. It is obvious what he was doing before he came to USPS and he was able to learn then from the best team to become the future champion so he would not have to do that anymore. Then he ingrateful leaves and USPS and he starts sucking when his teamate gets busted for drugs.

Karma scoreboard so now he should be grateful the "Shack took him back". I'm a poet and didn't even know it.

 

[SpartacusRox]

This is why you can understand why Popo is p1ssed. He can't ride the Giro and he had spent the entire year riding b-grade races at half speed waiting for Lance to catch up. In the races he has ridden without Lance no one gives a ****. There's no direction they set the team out to ride any way they like with no plan. Popo needs to get out and into a team that respects him.

50 days training and you to can win the Tour.

Lol, I used to find your posts quite funny Hogman but I am getting an uneasy feeling that you actually believe what you write! Hopefully not...

By the way the 'old man' seems to have lost an inordinate amount of weight over the past three weeks since your fat posts. ****ed me off, the old fart even came in 15 minutes ahead Fabian, but I guess in your eyes FC is only a B grade rider rather than the worlds best as I view him.

And yeah I agree about Poppo, maybe he should head back to Lotto, he was a real success there

 

[BroDeal]

By the way the 'old man' seems to have lost an inordinate amount of weight over the past three weeks since your fat posts. ****ed me off, the old fart even came in 15 minutes ahead Fabian, but I guess in your eyes FC is only a B grade rider rather than the worlds best as I view him.

Clueless. Give us a ring when Armstrong beats Cancellara at Paris-Roubaix or Flanders.

 

[flicker]

How unfair that the shack is doing well. That is just...so unfair.

 

[Wallace]

How unfair that the shack is doing well. That is just...so unfair.

Is there anyone here who didn't expect the Retirement Shack to dominate this race? For the European teams it's a good training race between the classics and the Tour. For the American teams it's a major goal. the Shack is somewhere in between--a semi-European team (without any major European results, by the way) that takes this race very seriously. If Saxobank comes away from this race without any wins, it won't matter at all. Fabian C or Andy S. could give a flying $#@! about winning here. If Levi or Lance doesn't take the overall, it'll be a disaster for them.

 

[Publicus]

Is there anyone here who didn't expect the Retirement Shack to dominate this race? For the European teams it's a good training race between the classics and the Tour. For the American teams it's a major goal. the Shack is somewhere in between--a semi-European team (without any major European results, by the way) that takes this race very seriously. If Saxobank comes away from this race without any wins, it won't matter at all. Fabian C or Andy S. could give a flying $#@! about winning here. If Levi or Lance doesn't take the overall, it'll be a disaster for them.

I agree with most of what you wrote. But Radio
Shack did win the overall at Tour of the Basque Country. It's not on the level
of Paris-Nice or any of the Classics, but it is a major
European race.

 

[BikeCentric]

Interesting article from Velonation.

Seems as Bruyneel is trying to sow dissention between Vino and AC (IMO--could be wrong) and he's suing Astana--which I find pretty rich sense he was working for Radio Shack essentially after the TdF.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4207/Bruyneel-RadioShack-and-Astana-are-like-night-and-day.aspx

I can't figure out whether Bruyneel believes his own BS or if he's just constantly in spin mode.

 

[dolophonic]

That is a crazy article. JB is out to lunch.
This whole thing is creeping me out.

 

[Publicus]

I can't figure out whether Bruyneel believes his own BS or if he's just constantly in spin mode.

I think it's both.

 

[Eyjafjallajokull]

Armstrong seems pretty pleased with the "old man's" performance on stage 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m2H46ZIacU