[Damn True]

IMO in light of his performance in the last mountain stage AND his TT from today I think we have been witness to the ascencion of the next leader in American cycling.

Lance is and always will be king (with a reverant nod to Greg for leading the initial charge, despite his recent haterade consumption), but I think Floyd has shown himself to be ready to take the reins.

Anyone with me on this?

 

[McGRP01]

I'm with ya'. Domestique of the tour!

 

[Colin]

I'll third that!

 

[Silver]

I just got done watching the tt today (I love my Tivo) and I was going to post the same thing. I think Lance will be the man next year still, and maybe after that...but Landis looks like he could be the next one.

Former mountain biker too, isn't he?

 

[Colin]

Former mountain biker too, isn't he?

Sure is!

 

[LordOpie]

But Levi finished in the top 10 of the GC... isn't the GC where it's at?

Don't get me wrong, I like Floyd, seems like a good guy... just tossing Levi out there.

 

[Silver]

But Levi finished in the top 10 of the GC... isn't the GC where it's at?

Don't get me wrong, I like Floyd, seems like a good guy... just tossing Levi out there.

Yeah, but Levi is the leader of Rabobank, not a domestique. Floyd spent a LOT more time in the wind and pulling Lance up hills than Levi did.

 

[Ridemonkey]

How old is Floyd? Levi?

 

[Silver]

Landis is 28. Levi is almost 31.

 

[Wumpus]

How old is Floyd?

10-14-75

Levi?

10-24-73

 

[Damn True]

But Levi finished in the top 10 of the GC... isn't the GC where it's at?

Don't get me wrong, I like Floyd, seems like a good guy... just tossing Levi out there.

Levi is the #1 guy on Rabbobank, and Landis, a domestique that nobody thought of as a climber before this year, cracked him more than once.

Levi is no chump, but my $$ is on Landis.

...and gut feeling here, Lance will hang it up in a couple of days and go out as the greatest ever.

 

[wooglin]

http://www.swissmennonite.org/feature_archive/2002/200211.html

 

[Silver]

...and gut feeling here, Lance will hang it up in a couple of days and go out as the greatest ever.

I don't think he can. I heard that part of the Discovery Channel contract is that he has to race the tour next year.

 

[blue]

Nah, I think he might be done with the Tour, but he said he wants to win a bunch of classics and do the Giro before he retires.

 

[Wumpus]

Will Lance Armstrong stop at six Tours de France and concentrate on other races in what could be his last year in cycling in 2006? An article by Sam Abt in today's New York Times entitled, "Armstrong Will Not Return to Tour de France, Official Says" suggests that this could be the case, quoting a "high-ranking official among the organizers of the Tour de France."

The New York Times wrote, "If he wins for a record sixth consecutive year Sunday, as seems certain, Armstrong will not return next year, the official said, but will focus instead on at least one of the two other big Tours, the Giro d'Italia in May and the Vuelta a España in September, and several one-day classics...Armstrong, the defending champion, had already informed the Tour organizers of his plan, said the official, who did not want to be identified."

The rumour has been denied by Armstrong's team management, who have said that nothing has been decided yet. Nevertheless, none of them were able to give assurances that Armstrong will definitely be at the start of the Tour next year, suggesting that the outcome of this year's race may play a role.

Armstrong will be part of the new Discovery Channel cycling team next year, which has signed a three year deal to sponsor the team and will be part of the UCI's new Pro Tour. But the 32 year old, who is also looking to life after cycling, said that while he is still competing, "At some point I have to look at other races. There's still a lot of things I want to do in cycling."

US Postal team director Johan Bruyneel spoke to Cyclingnews before the start of today's 18th stage in Annemasse about the reports that Armstrong wouldn't be coming back. "Let's put it this way, we just haven't decided on a 2005 program yet," said Bruyneel. "We're still finalising the team and program, talking to our sponsors about what we're going to do next year. We do know that in the Pro Tour we'll be doing the three big tours but that's all we know now. We really haven't made any plans yet; we're just focusing right now on this Tour and getting to Paris. In August and September we'll sit down, finalise the team and look at the program for next year. So those reports are not accurate. We simply don't know yet."

However, as Angelo Zomegnan, La Gazzetta dell Sport's former cycling journalist, will take over the direction of the Giro d'Italia this September, his long time friendship with Lance Armstrong may seduce Lance to ride the Giro d'Italia next year. Italy is the country where Armstrong won his first pro race in Marostica 12 years ago.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php...ul04/jul23news2

 

[binary visions]

I kinda hope he goes all out and picks up another Tour victory next year. Everyone expects him to quit this year because this victory will be something nobody's ever done before, but to win 7 would just put it that much further beyond the grasp of the other mortals that ride it

 

[narlus]

...and gut feeling here, Lance will hang it up in a couple of days and go out as the greatest ever.

maybe greatest TdF rider ever, but greatest rider ever? i am not a road race follower at all, but it's pretty clear that lance focuses exclusively on the tour...for a different perspective, eddy merckx, between '69 and '73 won 250 of the 650 races he started (in '71 he won 54 of 120 races...talk about domination).

 

[LordOpie]

that'd be great if Lance did other races... really boost those races in particular and help the sport in general. Right now, cycling *is* TdF to most people.

 

[NoRoadtrippin]

ya landis was totally amazing this year. he def came out of nowhere and was a clutch person for lance.

 

[Damn True]

maybe greatest TdF rider ever, but greatest rider ever? i am not a road race follower at all, but it's pretty clear that lance focuses exclusively on the tour...for a different perspective, eddy merckx, between '69 and '73 won 250 of the 650 races he started (in '71 he won 54 of 120 races...talk about domination).

Eddie was a man amongst boys to be sure but he did't win six in a row.

Good point though, and a tough call. We'll see if Lance goes after the Giro and Vuelta next year and seals the deal.

 

[Barbaton]

i dunno. how many other of lance's former teammates went to other teams just to become also-rans. tyler, roberto... hopefully FL will be able to keep it up when he gets out of lance's shadow.

 

[LordOpie]

Eddie... did't win six in a row.

well, you are correct. He "only" won five.

 

[Westy]

well, you are correct. He "only" won five.

And on his attempt for his 6th was attacked by a fan who broke 6 of his ribs.

 

[llkoolkeg]

And on his attempt for his 6th was attacked by a fan who broke 6 of his ribs.

I never heard the details of that story. Anyone have 'em handy?

 

[Westy]

I never heard the details of that story. Anyone have 'em handy?

Some crazed dude was sick of seeing Eddie win and punched him on a mountain stage breaking a few ribs. Merkx contiued on for a few stages but eventually had to drop out. He was never able to win a tour after that.

The guy who attacked him was arrested and jailed for assault&battery.

 

[golgiaparatus]

Levi is the #1 guy on Rabbobank, and Landis, a domestique that nobody thought of as a climber before this year, cracked him more than once.

Levi is no chump, but my $$ is on Landis.

...and gut feeling here, Lance will hang it up in a couple of days and go out as the greatest ever.

I doubt lance will hang it up anytime soon... he dominated man,
DOMI-muthaphukin-NATED. He's already talking about training specifically for some other races so he can whip them like he has done the tour.

 

[llkoolkeg]

Some crazed dude was sick of seeing Eddie win and punched him on a mountain stage breaking a few ribs. Merkx contiued on for a few stages but eventually had to drop out. He was never able to win a tour after that.

The guy who attacked him was arrested and jailed for assault&battery.

:mumble:

So instead of accomplishing anything your DAMN self, attack your better and prevent him from being able to. Was the assailant's name by chance Mark Chapman? The same mentality is alive and well among TdF spectators, who apparently like to spit on the it's greatest champion and throw $hit at him. They should have preceeded the first rider up L'Alpe d'Huez with a firetruck and blown all the debris off the side of the mountain.

 

[Echo]

They should have preceeded the first rider up L'Alpe d'Huez with a firetruck and blown all the debris off the side of the mountain.

:devil: By "debris", you mean spectators, right? That sounds like fun

 

[Wumpus]

I never heard the details of that story. Anyone have 'em handy?

http://home.pacbell.net/learnest/cyclops/tdf.75.htm

 

[chicodude]

can you imagine if someone were to attack lance. the would be about 200 pissed people beating the **** out of the attacker before the police get there

 

[Westy]

Lance claims his motivation for outsprinting Kloden at the finish of stage 18 was to piss off the German fans who were spitting on him the previous day.

 

[Wumpus]

Floyd, mo-fo of the mountains

Robin Williams and Floyd Landis have more in common than just a love of cycling. Both have an excellent sense of humour, although don't expect to see Landis earning his bread and butter on the standup circuit anytime soon. Before Stage 20 in Paris, Landis was sporting a gaudy, garish gold ring with a scary skull and we asked the USPS-Berry Floor rider where he got the thing. "Robin Williams gave it to me...he said I'm the motherf***er of the mountains! Ha!"

Landis told us he was "finally relaxed...I'm looking forward to getting on the plane Monday and going home." And at press time, Landis had reportedly restrained himself from performing wheelies on the Champs-Elysees during the team parade as he did two years ago.

 

[llkoolkeg]

http://home.pacbell.net/learnest/cyclops/tdf.75.htm

"Three stages later, Merckx was punched heavily in the back by a French fan as he neared the stage finish at the summit of the Puy de Dôme, where he conceded another 0:34 to Thévenet. After turning around and coasting down the mountain to identify his attacker, Merckx lingered in the riders’ room for half an hour after the stage was over, clutching his injured kidney. The timing of the blow could not have been worse: after a rest day and transfer to Nice came the race’s most daunting stage, 217.5 km long with climbs of the col St. Martin (Cat. 3, 1560 m), col de l’Couillole (Cat. 2, 1678 m), col des Champs (Cat. 1, 2191 m), col d’Allos (Cat. 1, 2250 m), and the mountaintop finish at Pra-Loup (Cat. 2, 1630 m)."

It figures that it was a Frenchie and not surprisingly, that it was a sucker punch thrown at the defenseless rider from behind. The attacker probably outweighed Merckx by a good margin, as well. No wonder the the TdF leader's jersey is yellow- it is the color most closely assciated with the French!