stosh said:
DAMMIT
Spoiler *Caution TdF Stage 17 Inside*
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DAMMIT
Before the race, they all think, "This year! This is gonna be the year I/we take down Lance and the USPS team..."stosh said:
And during the beginning of the race they think, "...or not, but at least I'll come damn close and give him a good run for his money..."
And during the end of the race they think, "...sh*t."
I like how when Cheryl Crow made some comment about how she like to ride because she can eat Krispy Kremes afterwards, all these media people jumped in saying how Lance was not eating right, not training properly, and saying this was the year he would crack 
Oh and didn't they say he was using drugs or something pre race?Echo said:I like how when Cheryl Crow made some comment about how she like to ride because she can eat Krispy Kremes afterwards, all these media people jumped in saying how Lance was not eating right, not training properly, and saying this was the year he would crack
Only like every day.stosh said:
Some local sports talk show asswipe was talking smack yesterday how it's so wrong that so many people accuse Bonds of doing steroids, but they give Lance the benefit of the doubt. He was saying that if you suspect Barry, you have to suspect Lance, because they're in the same boat.
Sure, except Lance has passed about 200 drug tests in the last year.
Man, Landis was simply awesome today. His pace really put the damper on anyone trying to attack in the final stages of todays stage. It was just a relentless pace.
LA? Whatelse needs to be said? The guy is absolutely on another planet!!
Does anyone know what was said between LA and Ulrich after the last climb? During the post race interview, LA only spoke of telling Landis to go like he stole it.
That thing they ran over was one of those thunderstick thingies.
Anybody catch how many riders were taking drinks of the water being given to them by the fans today? (Check the replay tonight. Most notable in the last 45 minutes of the stage.) I can understand using it to pour on themselves to cooldown, but to drink from it? VERY questionable.....
LA? Whatelse needs to be said? The guy is absolutely on another planet!!
Does anyone know what was said between LA and Ulrich after the last climb? During the post race interview, LA only spoke of telling Landis to go like he stole it.
That thing they ran over was one of those thunderstick thingies.
Anybody catch how many riders were taking drinks of the water being given to them by the fans today? (Check the replay tonight. Most notable in the last 45 minutes of the stage.) I can understand using it to pour on themselves to cooldown, but to drink from it? VERY questionable.....
I imagine he was telling Ullrich to DO SOMETHING.surfinguru said:
"Dude, are you just going to chase me this whole tour or make a move sometime?"LOL
I too was shocked to see some of them drinking the handouts. SHADY
Kings Of The Mountains
Moments after Lance Armstrong claimed his fourth successive mountain stage win in the 2004 Tour de France he echoed the sentiment offered to him on the podium by Bernard Hinault. Perfect! No gifts. Thats what one of the five five-time Tour champions told the rider who is about to win a sixth title. The Texan had been asked if thought he deserved to inherit the moniker of The Cannibal, the nickname given to Eddy Merckx who had an insatiable appetite for victories. And Lance was quick to respond, No. But that doesnt mean hes prepared to offer any other riders the chance to win a stage thats within his reach.
Ive given gifts in the Tour de France and very rarely has it ever come back to help me. This is the biggest bike race in the world, said Armstrong. And I want to win. No gifts. One rider, however, was given the go-ahead to try as hard as he could to win the stage. Floyd Landis is the masters apprentice. And today The Boss as Armstrong has become known over the past five years wanted the 28-year-old to enjoy the sweet taste of success at the Tour. Even if Floyd was able to achieve that, it could not have been called a gift.
Since joining the US Postal team at the start of 2002 Landis has demonstrated that hes a capable team player. Hes usually strong on the early sections of the high mountains and is then content to get to the finish as best he can. His job description isnt to be in front at the top of vicious climbs like the Col de la Forclaz or the Col de la Croix-Fry the two which were tackled by the peloton in the final 50km of stage 17 but thats where Floyd was. As he led an elite group of five over the final summit, Armstrong turned to Landis and asked, How bad do you want to win a stage of the Tour de France?
Real bad, came Floyds reply.
How fast can you go down a hill?
Real fast!
So, concluded Armstrong, run like you stole something!
Landis didnt need any more prompting. Like a bullet out of a gun he was gone. Real fast was no exaggeration. But, alas poor Floyd, hes not the only one who had the nerves and the energy to ride that way. On a day that concluded with a 13 kilometer descent Jan Ullrich was another man who doesnt believe that theres any place for gifts in the Tour. The German was part of the five man crew that crested the Croix-Fry climb ahead of a peloton that had been shredded from the first of the five mountains in the 204.5km stage.
Floyd had never stolen anything. And in the end it was Ullrichs compatriot and team-mate, Andreas Kloden, who did attempt to pinch the victory. Sprinting ahead of Armstrong, Landis, Ullrich and Ivan Basso in the final kilometer the German champion held a solid lead with 100m to go. But Lance chased down that bullet and, with a matter of meters remaining, shot past Kloden to win a fine sprint.
Stage 14 might not have finished at the top of a climb, but it was certainly a tough day in the mountains. Armstrongs might have beaten Kloden may have been in a sprint but the victory set up on the cols of the Savoie. These factors are important to recognize because it means that Lance Armstrong has become the first rider in the history of the Tour to win four successive mountain stages. The Cannibal is a title he may deserve, but he cant take that from Merckx. Anyway, The Boss suits Armstrong. He dictates terms in the race he loves and the rest the peloton can sort out the minor prizes between them.
Richard Virenque did just that in the 2004 race. He began the event with the hopes of becoming the only rider to win seven King of the Mountains titles. The campaign was put into overdrive on Bastille Day and it ended today when he attained enough points in the climbing classification for him to be unbeatable. Richard has 226 points; Lance 168 and even if the rider in the yellow jersey wanted to emulate Merckxs achievements from 1970 and claim the polka-dot jersey as well, he no longer can. Theres just arent enough mountains left in the race.
There is, however, enough road ahead that an unpredictable event could see Lance lose some of the four minute nine second advantage he has over Basso in the general classification. And for that reason, the celebrations havent yet truly begun. There is one more road stage for the rouleurs to try their luck, a time trial that Armstrong surely wont give away easily and the procession to Paris on Sunday. The sprinters will determine the green classification that day, but right now its time to salute the King of the Mountains.
Moments after Lance Armstrong claimed his fourth successive mountain stage win in the 2004 Tour de France he echoed the sentiment offered to him on the podium by Bernard Hinault. Perfect! No gifts. Thats what one of the five five-time Tour champions told the rider who is about to win a sixth title. The Texan had been asked if thought he deserved to inherit the moniker of The Cannibal, the nickname given to Eddy Merckx who had an insatiable appetite for victories. And Lance was quick to respond, No. But that doesnt mean hes prepared to offer any other riders the chance to win a stage thats within his reach.
Ive given gifts in the Tour de France and very rarely has it ever come back to help me. This is the biggest bike race in the world, said Armstrong. And I want to win. No gifts. One rider, however, was given the go-ahead to try as hard as he could to win the stage. Floyd Landis is the masters apprentice. And today The Boss as Armstrong has become known over the past five years wanted the 28-year-old to enjoy the sweet taste of success at the Tour. Even if Floyd was able to achieve that, it could not have been called a gift.
Since joining the US Postal team at the start of 2002 Landis has demonstrated that hes a capable team player. Hes usually strong on the early sections of the high mountains and is then content to get to the finish as best he can. His job description isnt to be in front at the top of vicious climbs like the Col de la Forclaz or the Col de la Croix-Fry the two which were tackled by the peloton in the final 50km of stage 17 but thats where Floyd was. As he led an elite group of five over the final summit, Armstrong turned to Landis and asked, How bad do you want to win a stage of the Tour de France?
Real bad, came Floyds reply.
How fast can you go down a hill?
Real fast!
So, concluded Armstrong, run like you stole something!
Landis didnt need any more prompting. Like a bullet out of a gun he was gone. Real fast was no exaggeration. But, alas poor Floyd, hes not the only one who had the nerves and the energy to ride that way. On a day that concluded with a 13 kilometer descent Jan Ullrich was another man who doesnt believe that theres any place for gifts in the Tour. The German was part of the five man crew that crested the Croix-Fry climb ahead of a peloton that had been shredded from the first of the five mountains in the 204.5km stage.
Floyd had never stolen anything. And in the end it was Ullrichs compatriot and team-mate, Andreas Kloden, who did attempt to pinch the victory. Sprinting ahead of Armstrong, Landis, Ullrich and Ivan Basso in the final kilometer the German champion held a solid lead with 100m to go. But Lance chased down that bullet and, with a matter of meters remaining, shot past Kloden to win a fine sprint.
Stage 14 might not have finished at the top of a climb, but it was certainly a tough day in the mountains. Armstrongs might have beaten Kloden may have been in a sprint but the victory set up on the cols of the Savoie. These factors are important to recognize because it means that Lance Armstrong has become the first rider in the history of the Tour to win four successive mountain stages. The Cannibal is a title he may deserve, but he cant take that from Merckx. Anyway, The Boss suits Armstrong. He dictates terms in the race he loves and the rest the peloton can sort out the minor prizes between them.
Richard Virenque did just that in the 2004 race. He began the event with the hopes of becoming the only rider to win seven King of the Mountains titles. The campaign was put into overdrive on Bastille Day and it ended today when he attained enough points in the climbing classification for him to be unbeatable. Richard has 226 points; Lance 168 and even if the rider in the yellow jersey wanted to emulate Merckxs achievements from 1970 and claim the polka-dot jersey as well, he no longer can. Theres just arent enough mountains left in the race.
There is, however, enough road ahead that an unpredictable event could see Lance lose some of the four minute nine second advantage he has over Basso in the general classification. And for that reason, the celebrations havent yet truly begun. There is one more road stage for the rouleurs to try their luck, a time trial that Armstrong surely wont give away easily and the procession to Paris on Sunday. The sprinters will determine the green classification that day, but right now its time to salute the King of the Mountains.
The thing between my legs!! 
The thing between my legs!!
j/k
seriously though these are thundersticks:
j/k
seriously though these are thundersticks:
Stosh- they are called this because when you slap them together it is really loud. Angels made them popular on their way to the World Series.
HOLY COW! I just got back from the gym where they had OLN on one of the monitors. That finish was crazy! They showed an aerial view of it, and Lance shot by Kloden like he was standing still...
Vive La Lance
i just watched it... OMFG. I had an erection at the end. Ok, not really.
But I'm confused... it seemed like Lance wanted Floyd to win the stage, but for some reason, Jan wanted it too... did Jan change his mind or did his engine give out? I think Kloden could've won it, but it seemed at the end that Jan jumped and Lance psuedo-said, "well, i'm not gonna let you have the win Jan and if you make me sprint, I'm taking it from your teammate too... so screw all y'all." Is that your assessment too?
I saw the interview with Floyd, that kid was shy and hesistant in his manner, but not his words... "...it seemed like Jan wanted it, but didn't want to work for it..." or something like that
!
But I'm confused... it seemed like Lance wanted Floyd to win the stage, but for some reason, Jan wanted it too... did Jan change his mind or did his engine give out? I think Kloden could've won it, but it seemed at the end that Jan jumped and Lance psuedo-said, "well, i'm not gonna let you have the win Jan and if you make me sprint, I'm taking it from your teammate too... so screw all y'all." Is that your assessment too?
I saw the interview with Floyd, that kid was shy and hesistant in his manner, but not his words... "...it seemed like Jan wanted it, but didn't want to work for it..." or something like that
!
Yeah Op, I think at one point Jan sort of sat up (probably for Kloden to catch back on) and that's when Lance said a few words to him. Jan and Team Mobile (Telekom before them) have never in my mind been the best on the road strategists. Like Heidi, I was kinda waiting for Ullrich or Kloden to make some kind of move on the last two climbs. But nothing! That is not the way to win the Tour. Except for Jan's attempt to get away on the Tourmalet last year (where he was eventually caught by LA) I've never really seen him attack the yellow jersey with authority. Maybe we could transplant Jacob Piil's or Vino's heart into his chest.
moment of sacriledge:
Kloden should have won it. If he hadn't broken what my my coaches used to call the number one rule of racing. they said this about running but i think it applies to bikes too: that is to never turn around to check on your opponent cause you slow down.
i think he would have won if he hadn't turned around to look when he heard Lance accelerate. he should have put on the gas when he heard it. these guys are turning and checking each other all the time during the stage, so maybe i don't know anything, but it seems dumb go do in the last 20m of a sprint.
Kloden should have won it. If he hadn't broken what my my coaches used to call the number one rule of racing. they said this about running but i think it applies to bikes too: that is to never turn around to check on your opponent cause you slow down.
i think he would have won if he hadn't turned around to look when he heard Lance accelerate. he should have put on the gas when he heard it. these guys are turning and checking each other all the time during the stage, so maybe i don't know anything, but it seems dumb go do in the last 20m of a sprint.
I agree and my coach said the same thing about running. Never turn around because you'll see your opponent gaining. Just know your reserves and start burning them when you know they'll carry you across the finish line. You end up with a better race time no matter what, and you might just keep that guy behind you from passing.Barbaton said:
It's a little different for the Tour because they have to go day after day, so they can't burn all of their reserves, but it's stupid to assume you've won before you've crossed the finish line. Especially at this level of competition.