Lance to ride tour again. can he make 7?

[stcanard]

That is the reason I don't think Lance can be considered the greatest bicycle racer of all time. Others may not have as many overall Tour wins but I'm more impressed the riders who have gone out an won the Tour the Giro and the World Championships in a single year.

IMO the problem is it's now impossible. With the "peaking" theory employed in sports nowadays, you cannot time the peaks to match these schedules. Especially with the way the races have been rescheduled to be too close together.

Even Eddie couldn't do it these days, and that's why you can't compare accomplishments accross eras.

 

[aloofman]

I don't see how he can not be considered the favorite. Each of the last few years people said someone would have his number and they were wrong. It might finally be time to assume he will win and then revel in the drama if he doesn't.

 

[ziwi]

More power to him. If he can continue to perform at this level - then keep it up. Maybe he is just doing it to impress Sheryl

 

[jxyama]

lance is the greatest Tour de France rider of his generation. that's about all you can say about him.

i can think of few others who can be argued to be more accomplished cyclists than lance in this generation: virenque, zabel, ullrich... going a bit older, indurain, zulle, cipo... on and on...

ullrich, if you can look "past" numerous TdF 2nd place finishes, has won the TdF, the vuelta, World TT and Olympic Road Race...

this is sort of like saying pete sampras was the best tennis player ever because he's won more majors than others. however, we can make a very strong argument that agassi is up there with him because he's a rare talent who's won all four majors.

 

[miloblithe]

"lance is the greatest Tour de France rider of his generation. that's about all you can say about him."

Completely agree. It is usually difficult or impossible to compare athletes across generations. Armstrong was making that point himself, arguing that in today's cycling world cyclists have to be entirely specialized to be competitive in what they do. He'll never compare directly to Merckx, whom Amrstrong was positing as the greatest ever, because he has to specialize more than Merckx did. It's also difficult to compare because cycling is (in the events that it is) a team sport, even if it is highlighted by individual winners.

 

[xsedrinam]

I still think Ullrich/Kloeden blew it last year by essentially competing against each other. Had one of them sacrificed himself for the other, the way Hincapie/Eki etc do for Armstrong every year the race would have been far more interesting.

Instead they gave him another easy victory.

No such thing as "another easy victory" especially with the Tour de France; not with standing morons from the crowd who would sabotage a cyclist. I wish Lance all the best, come June.
X

 

[wdlove]

Go Lance! If he still has the stamina, then there is no reason to not try. Hopefully he will know when the time is wright. Would prefer to see him retire on top of his sport.

 

[Don't panic]

That is the reason I don't think Lance can be considered the greatest bicycle racer of all time. Others may not have as many overall Tour wins but I'm more impressed the riders who have gone out an won the Tour the Giro and the World Championships in a single year.

then you're hard to impressed because it only happened twice...

 

[jxyama]

then you're hard to impressed because it only happened twice...

sure, but the thing with lance is that he doesn't even try - he only competes in TdF. i think that was the point of the post, not necessarily being that specific. post cancer, lance has never ridden the giro or the worlds and olympics and vuelta just once. he hardly competes in the classics in the spring.

sorry to keep on referring back to tennis, but if pete sampras only focused on the wimbledon and treated all other tournaments as preparations, i don't care how many times he wins the wimbledon, i wouldn't consider him the greatest tennis player.

 

[KCK]

sure, but the thing with lance is that he doesn't even try - he only competes in TdF. i think that was the point of the post, not necessarily being that specific. post cancer, lance has never ridden the giro or the worlds and olympics and vuelta just once. he hardly competes in the classics in the spring.

sorry to keep on referring back to tennis, but if pete sampras only focused on the wimbledon and treated all other tournaments as preparations, i don't care how many times he wins the wimbledon, i wouldn't consider him the greatest tennis player.

Exactly. I wish there wasn't so much of an emphasis on just one race each year. This is one reason I think the concept of the ProTour is moving in the right direction. At least make teams take part in the 30 ( or what ever) largest races each year. Give the fans more chances to see the top riders each year. The only reason why you need to specialize in order to win the Tour is because a number of top riders started doing this in the past. I think LeMond was one of the first top riders who basically specialized for the Tour de France and this was the start of a negative trend in Pro racing.

 

[MemphisSoulStew]

Exactly. I wish there wasn't so much of an emphasis on just one race each year. This is one reason I think the concept of the ProTour is moving in the right direction. At least make teams take part in the 30 ( or what ever) largest races each year. Give the fans more chances to see the top riders each year. The only reason why you need to specialize in order to win the Tour is because a number of top riders started doing this in the past. I think LeMond was one of the first top riders who basically specialized for the Tour de France and this was the start of a negative trend in Pro racing.

Cycling in Europe doesn't depend on the TdF for survival, and the major teams already take part in every important race. The ProTour is a pointless exercise by the UCI and seems mainly aimed at forcing Armstrong to ride races he otherwise wouldn't bother with.

The TdF may be the most famous, most prestigious, and generally the most exciting major race, but if it wasn't there cycling in Europe would still be a strong sport. The Giro and Vuelta are just as tough, just as exciting, attract just as many rabid fans to the roadside, but just lack the TdF's fame. The shorter stage races - Paris-Nice, Switzerland, Dauphinee etc. - are all great events, that attract world class teams and riders. And the single day races can be incredibly exciting and moving to watch. Paris-Roubaix alone makes the sport worth following.

And can I just add that Armstrong's new team-mate Roger Hammond used to ride in my old cycle club as a junior which puts me just two steps away from Lance Armstrong (and so 3 steps from Sheryl Crow... oh, and 3 steps from G W Bush...)

 

[jxyama]

well, obviously, cycling in europe doesn't depend solely on TdF. there are many other great races, like you mentioned... i just wish lance would do the sport of cycling a little favor, or show some respect for it, so to speak, by not just "cherry picking" on its most visible stage, but to actually compete as a cyclist...

it sure makes for a great "show" in the U.S. since he dominates and shines on the most visible stage and americans love winners/inspirational stories, but i can completely understand why europeans resent him... and not just on irrational reasons based on him being an american or being dominant at TdF...

 

[KCK]

Cycling in Europe doesn't depend on the TdF for survival, and the major teams already take part in every important race. The ProTour is a pointless exercise by the UCI and seems mainly aimed at forcing Armstrong to ride races he otherwise wouldn't bother with.

True while cycling would continue without the Tour I think the Tour plays an overly important role in Pro racing. Look at the Pro teams that have lost their sponsorship and folded because their team wasn't selected for a coveted spot in the Tour. Also look at the fact that several very good riders have pretty much reduced their whole season to riding and trying to win the TDF. I think this is another indication of the over importance that has been attached to the TDF.

The TdF may be the most famous, most prestigious, and generally the most exciting major race, but if it wasn't there cycling in Europe would still be a strong sport. The Giro and Vuelta are just as tough, just as exciting, attract just as many rabid fans to the roadside, but just lack the TdF's fame. The shorter stage races - Paris-Nice, Switzerland, Dauphinee etc. - are all great events, that attract world class teams and riders. And the single day races can be incredibly exciting and moving to watch. Paris-Roubaix alone makes the sport worth following.

I don't think the TDF has been the most exciting race in quite a while. I think the combined problem of top riders basically making the Tour their whole season and the large teams that can control most of the stages ( ie the sprinter teams that can pull back just about any break on a flat stage) has taken a lot of the excitement out of the Tour. I think Armstrong would do cycling in general and the TDF a big favor by not doing the Tour again this year. VeloNews has a good column about this very idea.

 

[MemphisSoulStew]

well, obviously, cycling in europe doesn't depend solely on TdF. there are many other great races, like you mentioned... i just wish lance would do the sport of cycling a little favor, or show some respect for it, so to speak, by not just "cherry picking" on its most visible stage, but to actually compete as a cyclist...

it sure makes for a great "show" in the U.S. since he dominates and shines on the most visible stage and americans love winners/inspirational stories, but i can completely understand why europeans resent him... and not just on irrational reasons based on him being an american or being dominant at TdF...

I'm not disagreeing with you and I don't want to denigrate Armstrong in any way, but pro cycling doesn't need him as much as he needs pro cycling. The only benefit to having Armstrong compete in races apart from the TdF is that this would attract the US TV audience, which would be good for US TV stations and US advertisers, but possibly not of much use to an already healthy Euro-centric pro scene. You only have to watch coverage of one of the spring Classics, which Armstrong no longer rides, to see how popular the sport still is over here.

For the record I'm am Armstrong fan - seeing him glide up an Alpine climb is a thrilling sight and his courage and strength are incomparable - and it can't be denied that he is one of the greatest riders in the history of the sport, but he's only one rider.

 

[stcanard]

I think Armstrong would do cycling in general and the TDF a big favor by not doing the Tour again this year. VeloNews has a good column about this very idea.

I agree in principal, but the greedy part of me wants him to win the tour for many, many, more years.

Why? Because it's the only reason I am able to watch bike racing on TV. See, the only race OLN Canada plays is the TDF, and the only reason is because of Armstrong. They don't even bother with the taped classics like OLN US does.

If Armstrong stops winning, they'll probably drop even that and go back to the 10 year old re-runs of lumberjack/strongman contests that makes up the most of their schedule.

 

[MemphisSoulStew]

True while cycling would continue without the Tour I think the Tour plays an overly important role in Pro racing. Look at the Pro teams that have lost their sponsorship and folded because their team wasn't selected for a coveted spot in the Tour. Also look at the fact that several very good riders have pretty much reduced their whole season to riding and trying to win the TDF. I think this is another indication of the over importance that has been attached to the TDF.

I agree completely.

I don't think the TDF has been the most exciting race in quite a while.

I did say generally...

 

[KCK]

I agree in principal, but the greedy part of me wants him to win the tour for many, many, more years.

Why? Because it's the only reason I am able to watch bike racing on TV. See, the only race OLN Canada plays is the TDF, and the only reason is because of Armstrong. They don't even bother with the taped classics like OLN US does.

If Armstrong stops winning, they'll probably drop even that and go back to the 10 year old re-runs of lumberjack/strongman contests that makes up the most of their schedule.

I know there is one person who posts videos, recorded from live Euro TV in one of the binary usenet groups. This person has put up coverage of many of the Classics and a number of world cup Cross races.

To get your fix of great bicycle racing coverage you just need a Euro friend who will record the coverage and upload it for you. It also helps if you speak the language the announcers speak

 

[virividox]

to quote robbin williams

'lance takes drugs, its called, CHEMOTHERAPY!!!'

 

[absolut_mac]

How hard can it be to win Tour de France? Put me on a bike and I'll win it for as many times as I feel like it.

You do know that they mean a street bike and not that gym bike that you're thinking of, don't you?

As for Lance, a part of me dislikes him for having dumped his wife and young child for Sheryl Crow, but another part of me admires him for being able to do what he has done.

There are not too many people that have the determination to push themselves like that when your muscles are aching, your lungs are on fire and your body is screaming for you to quit. But instead of quitting, you ignore the pain and just push harder.

Of course you always regret it the next day when every muscle, bone and fiber in your body is in pain.

 

[Littleodie914]

no, you definitely DIDN'T have to say it. show me one test out of the thousands that Lance has taken that proves definitively that he has used performance enhancing drugs.

Amen! Lance Armstrong is a true hero, and doesn't have to cheat to be one.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

to quote robbin williams

'lance takes drugs, its called, CHEMOTHERAPY!!!'

hadn't heard that one before. pretty good

 

[stcanard]

hadn't heard that one before. pretty good

It's also one of the resaons the rumors won't die, because one of the components of chemotherapy is EPO (obviously to rebuild his red cell count from the damage done by the treatment), which is why he famously says "I've never failed a drug test" instead of "I've never taken these drugs".

Then the French press likes to pick apart that he's claiming a technicality ('I've never been caught!') conveniently ignoring that it's a known fact that he's taken these substances for the reasons they were invented.

 

[jxyama]

Amen! Lance Armstrong is a true hero, and doesn't have to cheat to be one.

i don't think i ever liked the idea of hoisting someone like lance as a "true hero." he's a great biker, successfully conquered cancer and made a very good life after overcoming cancer. he's very inspirational.

a lot of people fight cancer courageously and don't make it through - but in my book, everyone who has cancer and fights it for life, regardless of whether they beat cancer or not, whether they go on to win TdF or not, is inspirational and courageous.

to me, hero is someone like those firefighters on 9/11. they put their lives on the line to save others - that's hero to me. beating cancer was not solely his own doing. it took a lot of effort from others and also a great deal of luck. same for him after cancer in picking up his life and becoming a successful biker - it took a lot of effort and support from others and also a bit of luck.

i don't mean to say lance is not a hero. i just don't like to single him out and hoisting him as if only cancer survivors are heros, or that only champion athletes after cancer are heros.

 

[D*I*S_Frontman]

Armstrong may well be the most thoroughly drug-tested athlete on the planet. We're not talking about random testing like a sport like football. Continual urine tests looking for ANYTHING that might explain his dominance in this one particular event.

Here is your answer: IRON WILL.

When it is discovered that you have brain, lung, an testicular cancer--and then you not only overcome these conditions but win one of the world's most physically rigorous endurance events six times in a row, what you have does not come in a bottle.

BTW, the cameo Lance does in Dodgeball was hysterically funny, and certainly puts things into proper perspective!

 

[jayscheuerle]

Didn't they alter the Tour last year to make it more difficult for Lance?

Will they do it again?

The French appear to have great disdain for him...