Armstrong to ride Giro
Comments
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Perhaps Lance is figuring he can do the Giro instead of the Tour.
After all Ricco passed the dope tests at the Giro... :twisted:0 -
now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.0
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singlespeedexplosif wrote:now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.
Lol ........there are very few riders capable of that lot .Seems the peleton is full of not so decent riders.
cheers
MGGasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
not only is he riding the giro, but he said: "could be that I'll go to Italy to win and the Giro will be my main three-week stage race of the year"
are they messing with Bertie? Or is LA accepting (in private) that he won't be the main man in France?
I'd love to know what's going on behind the scenes at Astana.0 -
Moray Gub wrote:singlespeedexplosif wrote:now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.
Lol ........there are very few riders capable of that lot .Seems the peloton is full of not so decent riders.
cheers
MG
but...but...he's the greatest cyclist ever, isn't he? Better than that Merckx chap, or so some would have us believe.0 -
singlespeedexplosif wrote:Moray Gub wrote:singlespeedexplosif wrote:now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.
Lol ........there are very few riders capable of that lot .Seems the peloton is full of not so decent riders.
cheers
MG
but...but...he's the greatest cyclist ever, isn't he? Better than that Merckx chap, or so some would have us believe.
He HAS won the worlds, and a couple of classics. But I agree with the sentiment that him riding some of the other big races would be refreshing.
Singlespeed, you main motive is mischief, no? :PLegs, lungs and lycra.
Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.0 -
singlespeedexplosif wrote:Moray Gub wrote:singlespeedexplosif wrote:now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.
Lol ........there are very few riders capable of that lot .Seems the peloton is full of not so decent riders.
cheers
MG
but...but...he's the greatest cyclist ever, isn't he? Better than that Merckx chap, or so some would have us believe.
Only someone with the intellectual capacity of an amoeba would think he was better than that Merckx chap. But to say or rather imply he is not a decent rider because he has not won the Vuelta or Giro is nonsensical
cheers
MGGasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
Depends on what meaning you give to 'decent'0
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andy_wrx wrote:After all Ricco passed the dope tests at the Giro... :twisted:
Not strictly true - his results were non-positive under the current WADA definition. However they were abnormal, which is why the Giro authorities tipped off the Tour ans AFLD and why Ricco was targetted with the new CERA test which the Giro testers didn't have at the time.0 -
Moray Gub wrote:singlespeedexplosif wrote:Moray Gub wrote:singlespeedexplosif wrote:now that's more like it. If he can win the Giro and the Vuelta, and the Worlds, and some of the other jerseys in the GTs, then I'd accept that he's a decent rider.
Lol ........there are very few riders capable of that lot .Seems the peloton is full of not so decent riders.
cheers
MG
but...but...he's the greatest cyclist ever, isn't he? Better than that Merckx chap, or so some would have us believe.
Only someone with the intellectual capacity of an amoeba would think he was better than that Merckx chap. But to say or rather imply he is not a decent rider because he has not won the Vuelta or Giro is nonsensical
cheers
MG
You are absolutelly rightIf you like Flandes, Roubaix or Eroica, you would like GP Canal de Castilla, www.gpcanaldecastilla.com0 -
didn't he say he was going to ride the Giro in his last season but then changed his mind and did the TdF instead? If I was Contador I really wouldn't be holding my breath. Also love the assumption that he could go to Italy and win - as if the Giro is just a jaunt round Italy and not arguably the hardest of the GTs.
More Armstrong/Bruyneel MFing, surely? But it will be interesting to see how/if he copes with the Giro climbs that really don't suit his style. Astana will need a damn sight stronger team than they sent with Contador. Which begs the question as to who will then support Contador in the Tour? Seems like he could get shafted either way.0 -
I think its quite positive for LA to ride the Giro. It'll get wider global recognition which it deserves as a great race.
Importantly it will also focus anti-doping on the Giro, which can only be a good thing considering it is currently behind the TdF testing.
And winning the Giro would be a great asset for LA, perhaps more so than another TdF.
Everybody wins!
And Contador would have won the tour in Cadel Evans' shoes, so the team thing isn't much of an issue at all.Legs, lungs and lycra.
Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.0 -
I think there should totally be an armstrong - cunego showdown! That way, cunego could take revenge for all those nasty comments armstrong made about him before the tour this year.0
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If the organiser Zomegnan personally invited him, as was reported, then I suppose the course will also have been selected to give him at least a sporting chance of victory. Unless it's really some kind of set up - remember that Merckx claimed his positive was a conspiracy.0
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There's also the intriguing possibility of an Armstrong v Simeoni rematch. Simeoni is, after all, the Italian champion...0
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He won't ride the Giro. He's just drumming up publicity.It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0
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Timoid. wrote:He won't ride the Giro. He's just drumming up publicity.
I think in the same wayIf you like Flandes, Roubaix or Eroica, you would like GP Canal de Castilla, www.gpcanaldecastilla.com0 -
Agreed - he's all about the TdF and if Ventoux is really the penultimate stage, you think he'll want to miss out on the win?0
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he could drop out of the giro with some kind of illness/injury with time to recover for the tour. kind of use it as a race prep training cycle?--
Obsessed is just a word elephants use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com0 -
I don't know I sense some strangeness in the air
the truth will out
I'm not convinced he will even start the giro"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
I too find it hard to believe he's ever going to be serious about the Giro given his previous obsession with the Tour and indeed the marketing reach of it amongst the consumers his products (or those with his name attached) are aimed at. Oh, and for raising awareness of the LAF.
We are going to be subjected to another 9 months of this sort of press release/rummour/suggestion from the Armstrong/Bruyneel camp. He's got magic wheels! He's got superdooper shoes! His VO2 Max is astronimical! Armstrong trained on Thanksgiving and Christmas day! He cycled up an Alpe when it was snowy! His training camp was soooo interesting, here's a 4 page report on it! Armstrong for the Hour on a foldup velodrome! He can fly! His power output is so big Contador had better toe the line or be publicly belittled for several months about how he's not a team player and not in as good shape as Armstrong. Shut up Alberto! Piano Alberto!
We are going to have to accept it. It'll be hard to ignore as all the magazines and webshites will shout about him in their headlines, as they already have done this last month no matter how slight or obscure the connection might be...'we road test the same wingnuts that Lance uses on his special climbing bike, built specifically for Ventoux the stage Armstrong really wants in the 09 Tour"0 -
Cycling Weakly has just reported that Armstrong intends to give the other Giro riders a one hour head-start to "make it more interesting".
If (and it's a big if) Armstrong rides the Tour de France, he intends to target the title of 'Lanterne Rouge'. "I'm the kind of guy who likes a challenge. Well, I've already proved that I can ride faster than everyone else. Now I want to see if I can ride slower than everyone else and still keep my balance." There was no official response from the ASO, but unofficially, it was stated that "Armstrong est un fils - d'une - chienne - s'il pense qu'il peut jouer avec notre course, il obtiendra une surprise méchante!" - "Armstrong is welcome to ride any way he likes - we just LOVE the guy!"0 -
The one thing that may be overlooked. Is even the professionals look at the Giro as a race not as hard as the Tour. Contador won the Giro with only a weeks notice. Many racers take months to prepare for this event and not finish on the podium. I am not saying the Giro is easy. All I am saying is a guy with a weeks notice won the race and the pre race favourite Danilo Di Luca finished 8th 7 minutes down. The last rider that had a chance to win the Giro and the Tour was Basso. however, with his doping allegations we can't say he wasn't riding with an edge a few years ago.
Armstrong has been out of racing for 3 years. I can see him racing to get into shape for the tour. He'll need more race miles in his legs then training miles for this up coming tour. I think Contador is a great rider and the best cyclist on the planet right now. However, Armstrong is the best TDF rider of all time. We can all agree that the elite riders of the Grand tours have taken a step back in performance from the armstrong era. We can argue the fact doping may have helped with these performances. However, Armstrong never tested positive and their is only speculation from Newspapers that Armstrong was dirty. When an article in a newspaper is grounds that can convict someone of cheating and has no proof other then heresay then you have to assume innocent until proven guilty. Armstrong has never tested positive of any drugs, and will make all his upcoming test results public.
Contador Knows he has NO chance beating Armstrong in the tour if Lance comes back in top form. Even if Lance Armstrong comes back a 90 percent form he will still be able to handle Contador in time trials. It's going to be an exciting racing season in 2009 and I can't wait to see this!!!0 -
Im sorry, the automatic assumption that Contador cant beat LA is a funny one. I reckon whatever condition LA is in Contador could definatley give him a run for his money. Lancey boy is actually in a position that he hasnt had to deal with. His in a team where theres a guy that can beat him and given the chance will try too beat him. Every team Lance has been on he has owned, you dont beat the boss. Astana isnt his team.Take care of the luxuries and the necessites will take care of themselves.0
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richard wants a baum wrote:Im sorry, the automatic assumption that Contador cant beat LA is a funny one. I reckon whatever condition LA is in Contador could definatley give him a run for his money. Lancey boy is actually in a position that he hasnt had to deal with. His in a team where theres a guy that can beat him and given the chance will try too beat him. Every team Lance has been on he has owned, you dont beat the boss. Astana isnt his team.
I'm with you Richard - I think Contador would more and match LA. If I were Lance, I reckon I would be hedging my bets and first see what type of route TdF organisers drum up.
For instance if the ITT are short(ish), Lance's big advantage is reduced, IMO since I think Alberto is more than capable of holding his own in the mountains.
I'm not an Astana fan, but I really hope that when Alberto races next July he goes on the attack and be aggressive as he was in the 07 TdF.
Obviously due to limited preparation his Giro win was pretty conservative, as one his Veulta title.
Bring it on I say - Andy vs Alberto with LA thrown in for good measure too.0 -
richard wants a baum wrote:Im sorry, the automatic assumption that Contador cant beat LA is a funny one. I reckon whatever condition LA is in Contador could definatley give him a run for his money. Lancey boy is actually in a position that he hasnt had to deal with. His in a team where theres a guy that can beat him and given the chance will try too beat him. Every team Lance has been on he has owned, you dont beat the boss. Astana isnt his team.
Contador is crap compared with Lance....full stop, he cant climb nearly aswell....in fact 90% of Contadors attacks are very short lived as he can't keep it going....his Time trialling is in minor league on comparison...and his whole mindset isnt in the same ball park as Armstrong....in fact I'd say Ullrich / Basso etc are tons better than Contador nevermind Lance.......I like Contador but reality must prevail....like or Loathe LA...it don't matter...if that guy turns up with 80% of his previous abilty then Contador will be dust. Its like comparing a Hinault / Merckx / Indurain etc with a Rominger......Lance is a unique human being....you cannot compare him with a someone such as Contador....different worlds.0 -
RICHYBOYcp wrote:richard wants a baum wrote:Im sorry, the automatic assumption that Contador cant beat LA is a funny one. I reckon whatever condition LA is in Contador could definatley give him a run for his money. Lancey boy is actually in a position that he hasnt had to deal with. His in a team where theres a guy that can beat him and given the chance will try too beat him. Every team Lance has been on he has owned, you dont beat the boss. Astana isnt his team.
Contador is crap compared with Lance....full stop, he cant climb nearly aswell....in fact 90% of Contadors attacks are very short lived as he can't keep it going....his Time trialling is in minor league on comparison...and his whole mindset isnt in the same ball park as Armstrong....in fact I'd say Ullrich / Basso etc are tons better than Contador nevermind Lance.......I like Contador but reality must prevail....like or Loathe LA...it don't matter...if that guy turns up with 80% of his previous abilty then Contador will be dust. Its like comparing a Hinault / Merckx / Indurain etc with a Rominger......Lance is a unique human being....you cannot compare him with a someone such as Contador....different worlds.
There are 2 things that link the following riders, can you spot them?
Ullrich
Basso
Beloki
Mayo
Vino
Zulle
Pantani"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Well, I foreget his name, but Lance has already received some flack by the Tour organizers regarding his possible entry in the race next year. Could be that the welcome mat from the Giro boss was too much to overlook. In addition, if he rides the Giro to win, skips the tour and rides the Vuelta, it will eliminate any internal problems within the Astana team regarding Contador as team leader for the tour.
Lance has 7 years worth of powerfile data to know exactly how many watts per KG he will need before the Giro or Tourto stand atop the podium baring sickness or injury. He has many of the best coaches that will know exactly now to train him to get back to the level required to win and he has the determination and fortitude to get it done in trainng and with race miles in his legs.
I say, if he has the proper form to win the Giro when he arrives at the start and (in particular) later in the race when the mountains come into play) he will ride the Giro to win and maybe skip the tour. If he is not at the level he needs to win the Giro, he will ride some or all of the Giro to train his body to reach the level he will need to win the Tour. Then there could be an issue with an unhappy contador.
In any case, nothing will be left to chance or second guessing. If Armstrong has equivalent numbers to what he had in the past and Contador does not, there will be no questions as to who the team leader will be. The team may say one thing to the press, but the team will know who the leader is and Armstrong won't accept any pouting about the job each team member must do to support him as team leader. End of story.0 -
As a MBer I don't normally come around these parts but Lance Armstrong was guest speaker at a conference I was at this week. Here are a few things he said:
"You may have read in the press that I may not compete in the Tour, believe me, I will be there"
"I'm not sure if I can win the Tour at 38, in fact I'm not sure I care if I don't win"
"I wan't to ride in as many countries as possible and spread the word about cancer"
"I told the guy from nike the yellow band was a rubbish idea, we have now sold more than 70m"
Bottom line is he seems more interested in his Livestrong foundation than notching up more victories.0 -
Looking back at the performances in the last three Tours. I Really think Lance Armstrong could come back to the event at 75-80 percent of past fitness levels and win the tour with a minute or so advantage. This is why I think this. Looking at all the top favourites of the past three tours. Evans, Sastre, Damiano Cunego, Levi Leipheimer, Oscar Pereiro, Andreas Klöden, Alberto Contador and a few others. The only rider that has been pushing Armstrong in any phase in his 7 wins was Klöden. Being on the same team that has tactics and team work Klöden won't attack his team leader like he did while on T-mobile.
Another thing to look at is the past three races have had slower times then the 5 past armstrong won tours. Now I know distance has alot to do with the overall time. However, looking at the 2007 race that was at 3569.9 km raced at 39.23 km/h the 2005 tour went 3607 km and had a speed of 41.65 km/h only 37.1 km longer (which isn't anything). Riding 2.42 km/h faster does say something.
Looking at were the last two winners finished in the 2005 tour Carlos Sastre 34.24 minutes back of Armstrong and Alberto Contador Finished 1:03.25 in 31st place. I think at 70 percent of his fitness level he would be able to win over Contador and Sastre. in 2005 Sastre Lost 3:10 to Armstrong in the Final TT and Contador lost 6.12 to Armstrong. I don't think The abilites of these riders have gotten better. Lance may have gone down to these riders. Even Cadel Evans lost over two minutes to armstrong on the Final TT of 2005. Lance will probably win any Grand Tour he rides in.0