dsut4392 said:
Dude! He has won P-R three times, Flanders twice, the WC RR once, plus he has a metric buttload of other wins. What more could anyone want?
Despite everything, he won P-R this year.
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Dude! He has won P-R three times, Flanders twice, the WC RR once, plus he has a metric buttload of other wins. What more could anyone want?
Despite everything, he won P-R this year.
Throwing the cat among the pigeons, what about LA?
Promising classics rider and WC winner, then showed everyone how to win the tour. But for the rest of time there will always be the "LA was the greatest" fans, and the counterargument of "he rode everything except the tour as a training ride, unlike Mercxx etc etc".
Where are his Giro-Tour doubles, or Giro-Tour-Vuelta hat tricks? Where are his hour records? Or even the attempts at such?
Could have been "the greatest", but never even tried to prove it...what a waste
Promising classics rider and WC winner, then showed everyone how to win the tour. But for the rest of time there will always be the "LA was the greatest" fans, and the counterargument of "he rode everything except the tour as a training ride, unlike Mercxx etc etc".
Where are his Giro-Tour doubles, or Giro-Tour-Vuelta hat tricks? Where are his hour records? Or even the attempts at such?
Could have been "the greatest", but never even tried to prove it...what a waste
Tom Boonen is way off. He did the Flanders-Roubaix double and was World Champ, plus 2 Tour stages all in the same year. Yes, he's tapered off a bit since then. Only one victory in Flanders, two in Roubaix, a green jersey in the Tour (plus two stages) since.
Sure he was better in '05 than he is now, but it's not like he never fulfilled the talent he had, he just did it a bit better back then.
Sure he was better in '05 than he is now, but it's not like he never fulfilled the talent he had, he just did it a bit better back then.
Timmy-loves-Rabo said:
One of the french teams claimed he was the next big thing and made him think that but other than the past 2 years he has really has been a waste of space.
Americans...and others
Tyler Hamilton anyone?? I mean after his LBL victory, that is. But, of course, he did it to himself, right?
Floyd Landis? Great domestic record, but again, he did it to himself...
And what about:
Tadej Valjavec
Roman Kreuziger
and if not for the his win in Flanders: Stijn Devolder
Tyler Hamilton anyone?? I mean after his LBL victory, that is. But, of course, he did it to himself, right?
Floyd Landis? Great domestic record, but again, he did it to himself...
And what about:
Tadej Valjavec
Roman Kreuziger
and if not for the his win in Flanders: Stijn Devolder
kukiniloa said:
I think Valjavec hasn't had a wasted tour as he is more a super domestique. He has rode in the top 10 in the tdf twice. roman kreuziger is definetly not a wasted talent he has won many races and is only 25. He is going to be one f the new gc contenders in the next 5-7 years.
BroDeal said:
A bit of self respect would be a good start.
I know the palmares, and already said it's great - he's a massively talented bike rider.
But he could also have won the points jersey at the tour last year, and been a challenger this year.
Instead, he threw it away in a haze of alcohol, cocaine and whining. The same actions seriously and permanently tarnished his public image, and probably similarly dented his sponsorship value.
How is that not a waste?
------
If you're a hard-partying playboy, why not man up and admit it? How many guys would not be subconsciously thinking "you go son, enjoy the spoils of victory!"? Instead we get a mummy's boy spinning a series of witless søftcøck denials - no respect.
The horse is dead, but let's beat it anyway.
Right on! His whole strategy was to generate as big a name for himself in the USA, since the Tour de France is the only bike race that matters - to Americans.
Apart from the Tour de France, Lance's major Continental palmares are:
World Cycling Champion (1993)
Clásica de San Sebastián (1995)
La Flèche Wallonne (1996)
Tour de Suisse (2001)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (2002, 2003)
He rode the last two as training for the Tour. So, it's clear that after his cancer recovery he only cared about the Tour. Being an American the Tour victories translated into $$$ more directly than would have any other wins. It's a business, so judge that as you will, but:
It's so very disappointing.
I mean, in comparison, Andy Hampsten's Giro win in 1988 was positively heroic!! But who has heard of Andy Hampsten anyway??!! Did he ever win the Tour? (this is sarcasm, for the humor impaired).
dsut4392 said:Throwing the cat among the pigeons, what about LA?
Promising classics rider and WC winner, then showed everyone how to win the tour. But for the rest of time there will always be the "LA was the greatest" fans, and the counterargument of "he rode everything except the tour as a training ride, unlike Mercxx etc etc".
Where are his Giro-Tour doubles, or Giro-Tour-Vuelta hat tricks? Where are his hour records? Or even the attempts at such?
Could have been "the greatest", but never even tried to prove it...what a waste
Right on! His whole strategy was to generate as big a name for himself in the USA, since the Tour de France is the only bike race that matters - to Americans.
Apart from the Tour de France, Lance's major Continental palmares are:
World Cycling Champion (1993)
Clásica de San Sebastián (1995)
La Flèche Wallonne (1996)
Tour de Suisse (2001)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (2002, 2003)
He rode the last two as training for the Tour. So, it's clear that after his cancer recovery he only cared about the Tour. Being an American the Tour victories translated into $$$ more directly than would have any other wins. It's a business, so judge that as you will, but:
It's so very disappointing.
I mean, in comparison, Andy Hampsten's Giro win in 1988 was positively heroic!! But who has heard of Andy Hampsten anyway??!! Did he ever win the Tour? (this is sarcasm, for the humor impaired).
Iban Mayo has been a big dissipoinment for me. After he ran away from the field on the Alp d huez in the TDF 6 or 7 years ago I thought hed be a consistent GC man. he looked like a true natural climber
kukiniloa said:
I believe he is currently serving a 2 year banned from when he tested positive 2 years ago with Saunier at the TDF (If memory serves me right)
kukiniloa said:
Tadej Valjavec took July off to hang out with his new born child, that's the sort of thing that impresses rather than disappoints me. A certain American rider that shall not be named could learn something from him.
Kreuziger is still in the rapid learning curve part of his career, he'll only enter the disappointment list if he doesn't improve from here.
And Devolder won Flanders, enough said.
Jonathan said:
bs-myths?
so i'm making up the fact that he started several tours while he styill had to lose weight?
don't think so...
it's about wasted talents, not losers. but reading seems to be hard for you.
Mark Scanlon....for sure....I was told by a friend of mine when Scanlon was a schoolboy to keep an eye on him as he was special..... i didn´t take much notice until i rode against him in a stage race(which he won)..he was a first year junior....pure class...1998 Valkenberg junior world champion(ahead of Posatto).
gert steegmans could be added for now. together with boonen he destroyed everyone before turning pro. was a great lead-out for mcewen before getting snatched by lefevere.
really high expectation there, was thought to be next top sprinter.
did pretty ok in boonens shadow before going to katusha.
stories are he can't handle pressure of being team captain.
now he is going to ride some kermiskoersen for a private sponsor until the end of the year.
really high expectation there, was thought to be next top sprinter.
did pretty ok in boonens shadow before going to katusha.
stories are he can't handle pressure of being team captain.
now he is going to ride some kermiskoersen for a private sponsor until the end of the year.
Not wasted, but racing career tragically cut short before his potential could be realized: Saul Raisin.
From the site linked above:
"At twenty-three years old Saul Raisin had already proven himself as one of America's most promising road cyclists. The Dalton, Georgia native had already won the Best Young Rider jersey at the Tour de Georgia, won the toughest climbing stage of the Tour of Langkawi, turned in the strongest American performance at the 2006 World Championships, and captured ninth place overall at the incredibly difficult and prestigious Tour of Germany. Within a month he would be riding in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, but on April 4, 2006 his concentration was on completing Stage One of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Three kilometers before the finish line disaster struck...."
Saul worked hard to attempt a comeback, but it was not to be. No one will ever know how far he could have gone.
--Summit
From the site linked above:
"At twenty-three years old Saul Raisin had already proven himself as one of America's most promising road cyclists. The Dalton, Georgia native had already won the Best Young Rider jersey at the Tour de Georgia, won the toughest climbing stage of the Tour of Langkawi, turned in the strongest American performance at the 2006 World Championships, and captured ninth place overall at the incredibly difficult and prestigious Tour of Germany. Within a month he would be riding in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, but on April 4, 2006 his concentration was on completing Stage One of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Three kilometers before the finish line disaster struck...."
Saul worked hard to attempt a comeback, but it was not to be. No one will ever know how far he could have gone.
--Summit
thehog
BANNED
Summit said:
Potential as a water carrier. The guy would have amounted to nothing. This not get all teary eyed about it.
Hog...wash!
Like I said--we'll never know, unfortunately. I'm not sure why anyone would express an opinion based on something you cannot know. Oh, wait--this is the Internet, isn't it....
--Summit
Dr. Maserati
BANNED
Digger said:
I think what you mean is he wasn't prepared to join the "arm's race"?
Scanlon was an excellent cyclist - look at how his career went as opposed to Pozzato, who he beat in the Juniors in 98.
If people wonder why I am so strongly against doping this would be an excellent case study.
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