http://www.velonews.com/article/82892/sources-lance-armstrong-coming-back
I just wonder why he would leave to come back.
I just wonder why he would leave to come back.
I had a prediction...
- Thread starter loco-gringo
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They all do. Athletes or musicians, it doesn't matter.
I'm not sure how I feel about him as a rider, but god, I would love him to rub it in the French faces with a couple of good results...
I'm not sure how I feel about him as a rider, but god, I would love him to rub it in the French faces with a couple of good results...
I lose a lot of respect for Pro athletes that leave and come back. Not sure why.
Why?
He already has enough money, fame, and fortune to play around for the rest of his life. Is he returning because he feels as though he can still compete?
He already has enough money, fame, and fortune to play around for the rest of his life. Is he returning because he feels as though he can still compete?
I'm sure if he trained himself back into form he could still compete. I mean c'mon... it's freaking Lance Armstrong. The question is this: does he feel motivated enough to push himself to that level after taking this much time off?
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I can't help but think that he was on the verge of getting popped and stepped out. I have a hunch that there is some different plan that they will follow. I can't imagine why else he left. He seems arrogant enough that he wouldn't leave the spot light if he didn't have to. I have always thought that.
I suspect his training won't take much to be back on form. It sucks for Leipheimer and Contador though.
I suspect his training won't take much to be back on form. It sucks for Leipheimer and Contador though.
I'd like to see him focus on more of the Spring Classics, those were races he never really did anything with...
Holy ****, I think I agree with you. He bailed because he didn't want to get get caught with the dope. Things look clean now so he can come back and compete while clean. It is a win win situation for him.
smells like a PR scheme to me. he does all his testing and makes it all public to prove he's clean (and inbetween the lines, the sport is clean or can be) so he becomes the poster child for clean racers who can compete at the high level and win the big tours. only problem is.... what if he looses??? he's only going to be as good as his team is. if the team sucks so will he, as much as everyone thinks he's superman, he can't win a big tour on his own. i'm kinda getting tired of these guys who retire then come back to play. Favre is a good example, Jordan etc. it sounds rediculous when a guy says the body can't do it anymore blah, blah, blah then all of a sudden, they sign a new contract for a s**t load of cash!!! (insert Favre here) i just loose whatever little respect i have for them, go out with your head held high and be glad you were able to do what you did for as long as you did and make the amount of cash you did. stop being so full of yourself.
^^^ Fav-re is a poor example. I believe the main reason he originally retired was because he said his heart wasn't into it, the practices, the workouts, the film study, the sacrifices, etc. He loved the game, but not everything that came with it. Rumor has it he realized how much he still had for the game just a couple months after he announced his retirement. As for him coming back for the money, the Packers offered him millions to stay retired, more than he's currently making on the field.
Be like Barry. (Sanders)
Let's say he doesn't ride with Astana, as the Johan is being the clueless. Who picks him up?
It is highly unlikely that he is going to ride for anybody that doesn't ride Trek.
I'd be pissed if I was Contador.
Unless there are 5 TT stages I think Al could take him.
Yah, but to both be on the same team when Lance is teachers pet would be tough.
Lance barely broke a sweat in some of his tour wins......Team is not always a big factor, depends how it plays out. If the race is super close then team is huge. But when LA is putting 3-4 minutes into most of GC in ITT's and HC's it really doesn;t matter that much.......
Jan Ulrich almost won the tour on Bianchi a few years ago. That team was Putrid.....
Okay, so Astana.
How many Tours do you think Lance would have won if ASO had done away with the TTTs? I'd say the time gains from those stages were pivotal in his wins, and his results may have suffered had ASO done away with them during his stretch.
How many Tours do you think Lance would have won if ASO had done away with the TTTs? I'd say the time gains from those stages were pivotal in his wins, and his results may have suffered had ASO done away with them during his stretch.
Some years he would only have to put the hammer down on one climb. The rest of the time he was cruising. He had alot more to give in the mountains but didn't have to give it.....TTT's just took away alot of the drama. TTT's were a good thing, it was a bit perplexing how little most teams seemed unprepared for them though.....
I have never been a big LA fan but this comeback sounds exciting.
i miss the TTT, they are a pretty exciting part of the race. and i liked the way the Tour was run this year by taking out those bonus time points at the finish. i think that made guys race better, faster and smarter, plus the sprinters had a good time too. i found it interesting that the TdF organizers will welcome LA back to the race... as long as he followed the doping rules which shouldn't be a problem for him since he was the most tested guy in the TdF for all those years!! but would that mean that Astana gets the invite too if LA is back on the team?? they should with or without him, and i still think they got royally screwed this year. glad to see their doing well in the Vuelta. i just don't like the idea of him making the comeback. i can understand he wants to compete again, but that means one less spot on a teams roster because of him and that's the unfortunate part. he's not a shoe in for another TdF win, or any wins for that matter. if i were the guy getting the boot to make room for him, i'd be pretty pissed and hopefully would be abe to race against him to prove the team made the wrong decision. Astana has a lot of talent, don't know what would happen if LA gets back on the team. JB has a lot of work to do, a lot of thinking.
I had that thought myself when I saw all the doping controls and all the biggies getting busted the 2 years after he left. But you never know. He makes for exciting races though so I have to say that I'm glad he's back.
As for Contador and Levi... it's like this: The Boss is back, step and show your the better man or get the **** out of the way.
SInce him and Jan left there hasn't been a total package rider in the peleton... i.e. one who can will TT stages and also kill everyone in the mountains. If he gets back to form he will be winning again IMO.
The exact same number.
2005 they beat CSC (basso) by 2 seconds. He wins by 4 minutes.
2004 they beat t-mobile (Kloden) by 1:19. He wins by 6:19.
2003 they beat bianchi (Ullrich) by :43. He wins by 1:01.
2002 they lose to Once (Beloki) by :16. He wins by 7:17.
2001 they beat Telekom (ullrich) by :24 (they didn't win). He wins by 6:44.
2000 they beat Telekom (ullrich) by :40 (they didn't win). He wins by 6:02.
1999 no team time trial.
So 2003 is the only year it was close but still doesn't change it. Every other year wouldn't have mattered one way or the other.
But lance is coming back with no team salary and no bonuses for winning. I think the dude just wants to race again. A lot of these guys come back because they miss the competition. It's really hard for athletes to leave doing what they love and then watch from the sidelined knowing full well that, if they wanted they could still be in it. I don't think you know what you're talking about, either that or your not thinking about it from the right perspective.
Best answer yet.
so he's not getting paid, so what. i understand that these guys are competitive, and so am i. i'm starting to get arthritis in my right hip but that doesn't stop me from playing hockey and riding. pop a couple of advil and off i go. but i pay for it the next day. and the more i do it the worse it's gonna get so i know that in a couple of years i'll have to hang up the skates. and when i do, it's over. i can live with that, i've had fun over the years playing and yes i'll miss it, but i know that in the end it's better for me to stop. all i'm saying about these guys is that i really dont feel that they are doing any real thinking about their retirement, especially Favre. i just think that some of them like the idea of retirement but when it happens their bored out of their mind and/or their after sport job isn't what they expected it to be. the only perspective i need to think about it is from my own since i'm putting out my opinion. just like any arguement/conversation, there are 2 or more sides and not everyone will see the others. a guy like LA doesnt need to come back for any reason other than he wants to compete. adding the part that he wants to expand global knowledge on cancer is unneccessary. he's known for that already. i would like to see him race in other races either besides or in addition to the TdF. like the Giro, spring classics, the Vuelta. how bout going for the hour record.
Don't think that his idea of using this to promote his cancer cause is BS.
You watch... this will turn into a media freak out, he'll be all over talk shows and publications. I'd put money on the fact that he'll always turn the subject to cancer.
Basically the guys is going to have his freaking cake and eat it too. He'll be competing at the highest level again, making the nay-sayers eat sh!t, which will fuel his ego (which has its own gravitational pull BTW), and it will give him the opportunity to promote his cause (which is important as sh!t).
As for the whole he's getting old crap. That is in the eye of the beholder. In his article he says when he gets on the bike he feels as good as he ever did. If he wants to come back and be the boss again he will, unless he fails. But it's what he wants to do and it will be entertaining to watch... so why sit around and be Dick Pound, only negative things to say... Just watch, it will be entertaining, win or lose.
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I'm looking forward to it....I do wish Contador and Levi were on a different team, because it would be one hell of a battle. The amount of media attention this garner over the next year will be amazing. It wouldn't surprise me if a major network tries to purchase the rights to the Tour. With all of the bad press cycling has received since he left, this will give racing a much needed boost and some positive press time.
i'm sure this will turn into a huge media circus. he's not getting paid so i think that will take some pressure off him to get wins. but his ego (with it's own gravitational pull!! love that one!!) will get the best of him and he will try to win. i'm sure he'll mention cancer whenever he can fit it in (probably have some people doing subliminal stuff in the background), which will get boring after... oh say the second interview. i'm not against the message of cancer, just the delivery. let him ride across the world to spread his message, now that would be cool. he can ride road and mtb to do it.
http://www.velonews.com/article/83021/armstrong-to-race-12-hours-of-snowmass
Armstrong to ride 12 hour MTB race, on a 3 person team. What a pussy, go solo.
Armstrong to ride 12 hour MTB race, on a 3 person team. What a pussy, go solo.
Thats becuase no stage of the Tour is 12 hours, they are all around 4 :biggrin: