Armstrong was really good today

Airwave

Perhaps LA has found his true place in the peleton now he's riding clean

RichN95.

micron wrote:

the sweetest words in the French language are 'Armstrong lache' (Armstrong dropped)

I prefer 'bière gratuite', but each to their own

paulcuthbert

Sad to see. He was unlucky today. But I reckon he'll bounce back to be a great domestique for Leipheimer...

gattocattivo

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari?

I wouldn't go that far. Chemically assisted, extremely likely, but so were all his rivals at the time. Given that, he was still an extraordinary rider. It's not the doping so much, more the active hampering of the fight against doping (allegedly).

paulcuthbert

gattocattivo wrote:

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari?

It's age. He's past it

gattocattivo

^ that was me quoting someone else, not my comment

paulcuthbert

gattocattivo wrote:

^ that was me quoting someone else, not my comment

So? I'm disagreeing with the statement, whether you said it or my dog said it

gattocattivo

paulcuthbert's dog wrote:

So? I'm disagreeing with the statement, whether you said it or my dog said it

It was the 'gattocattivo wrote' bit I wasn't a fan of.

lucybears

He got a watch for his retirement present, what more does he want ?

psiturbo

The guy did better than Contador in the TT, the in, people ahead of him were Cancellara and Martin and are way younger than the american. :shock:

He is still clean, people can say whatever they want, you have all the right o do so, the same as me. Anyway, that is old story and its time to stop stirring the shyt.

I just hope Andy wins the tour, enjoyed every minute when Contador got dropped by Saxo Bank!

:roll: Andy is the new Lance! LOL

paulcuthbert

psiturbo wrote:

:roll: Andy is the new Lance! LOL

Except he can't time trial..

lucybears

“The Tour’s finished for me,” Armstrong said, according to a taped interview sent to media by his RadioShack team. “But I can stay in the race, try and win stages, help the team.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-1 ... nders.html

too little, too late to make me a fan, even if it happens

CTL

So no body has mentioned it, if this Tour becomes a total wash for Lance, despite him saying this would be his last Tour, maybe he might change his mind.

dave_1

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

micron wrote:

And with saddle sores too!!! (Hope he hasn't mislaid that 1999 backdated TUE )

I think you're not going to be very happy by the end of the weekend ...my hunch is LA is much better than 2009..

Nice one Dave. I'd guess Micron hasn't stopped laughing yet. 8)

yes, I look silly now...I tried to edit my post to you yesterday to say LA was either not feeling good or really was...was wondering if he was tricking us by riding on the front two days back. How much was crashes or form probs? 7 TDFs must soften any dissapointment though

BikingBernie

paulcuthbert wrote:

I reckon he'll bounce back to be a great domestique for Leipheimer...

Which just goes to show how little you understand Armstrong's 'personality'. More likely he will expect everyone on the team to work for him so he can save face by getting a stage win.

dave_1

micron wrote:

When even France 2's number one fanboy Thierry Adam can't stop himself snickering at the the third 'crash' then the game is clearly up. The ultimate insult to injury may have been the fact that France 2 cut away to 10+ minutes of ads and puff pieces before Armstrong crossed the line.

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari? Now maybe he'll finally go home, go home to the kids and the gf, enjoy life, actually do something for raising cancer awareness (he could try talking openly to the media for a start and not through soundbites on a laptop). Just seems like a hard - and unnecessary way - to learn your lesson.

Though the sweetest words in the French language are 'Armstrong lache' (Armstrong dropped) there's no point in gloating because he was found out on the road - that happens. But I will be delighted when he is brought to book in the federal investigation.

Ferrari's client list is so big that you are saying many of the greats were a fraud. I really hate people portraying the sport as a fraud. Can you take up another hobby per chance?

BikingBernie

paulcuthbert wrote:

gattocattivo wrote:

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari?

It's age. He's past it

He only twelve months older than last year when, seemingly with the help a reasonably modest blood-doping program, he came in third.

To be honest I am surprised by his performance, last year he was only jacking his haemocrit up to 48% - far short of the 58% Prentice Steffen (USP's former team doctor) talked about as being the norm for a big mountain stage back in the 'old days'. I had expected a more comprehensive 'program' this year but if he is on one it doesn't seem to be working.

We also need to remember that even when he was young - back in the days before he teamed up with Ferrari - he was hopeless as a Tour rider, packing in his first two Tours and coming in one and half hours down in his third.

The reality is that it is almost impossible to judge the true worth of a rider once doping is factored into the equation. However, there is every reason to believe that without the Epo and blood doping Armstrong would never have 'won' seven Tours.

BikingBernie

Dave_1 wrote:

I really hate people portraying the sport as a fraud.

Well, Armstrong's Tour 'wins' were a fraud, Riis' Tour 'win' was a fraud, Landis' Tour 'win' was a fraud. I am sure that many others could be added to the list.

Among the e-mails is one that Landis sent directly to Armstrong on May 5, calling the Tour de France races Armstrong won in 2002, 2003, and 2004 - the three races in which Landis was one of Armstrong's supporting teammates - a "fraud perpetrated on the public"

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_ ... 1&page=all

kozzo

BikingBernie wrote:

paulcuthbert wrote:

I reckon he'll bounce back to be a great domestique for Leipheimer...

Which just goes to show how little you understand Armstrong's 'personality'. More likely he will expect everyone on the team to work for him so he can save face by getting a stage win.

Of course you uderstand perfectly;
I'm sure you have won so many races, investigated so many doping affairs,
managed so many teams that in fact you could tell us results of all future races five years in advavce...

I'm rally impressed!

Monty Dog

Well, thankfully the train crash that we were all waiting to happen has passed and we can get back to watching decent bike racing and not some Hello-style media love-in.
I'm awaiting the post that predicts a Lazarus-like resurrection for Tuesday's stage where he'll take off early and gain 20 minutes, to take the stage and yellow - just like Landis in 2006. Guess it depends on whether the guy on the motorbike with refrigerated panniers can sneak past the media and WADA observers?

BikingBernie

kozzo wrote:

I'm rally impressed!

I take it that you mean 'really impressed'? Thanks.

Perhaps I will be proved wrong and we will see Armstrong spending the rest of the race dropping back to the team car for water bottles for everyone else on the team. I can't really see that happening though.

dave_1

BikingBernie wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

I really hate people portraying the sport as a fraud.

Well, Armstrong's Tour 'wins' were a fraud, Riis' Tour 'win' was a fraud, Landis' Tour 'win' was a fraud. I am sure that many others could be added to the list.

Among the e-mails is one that Landis sent directly to Armstrong on May 5, calling the Tour de France races Armstrong won in 2002, 2003, and 2004 - the three races in which Landis was one of Armstrong's supporting teammates - a "fraud perpetrated on the public"

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_ ... 1&page=all

clear off then and find another sport to whinge about will you please!

moray_gub

micron wrote:

When even France 2's number one fanboy Thierry Adam can't stop himself snickering at the the third 'crash' then the game is clearly up. The ultimate insult to injury may have been the fact that France 2 cut away to 10+ minutes of ads and puff pieces before Armstrong crossed the line.

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari? Now maybe he'll finally go home, go home to the kids and the gf, enjoy life, actually do something for raising cancer awareness (he could try talking openly to the media for a start and not through soundbites on a laptop). Just seems like a hard - and unnecessary way - to learn your lesson.

Though the sweetest words in the French language are 'Armstrong lache' (Armstrong dropped) there's no point in gloating because he was found out on the road - that happens. But I will be delighted when he is brought to book in the federal investigation.

Lots of bile being spewed forth over an ageing cyclist losing 10 mins on a stage.

dave_1

BikingBernie wrote:

kozzo wrote:

I'm rally impressed!

I take it that you mean 'really impressed'? Thanks.

Perhaps I will be proved wrong and we will see Armstrong spending the rest of the race dropping back to the team car for water bottles for everyone else on the team. I can't really see that happening though.

correcting people's spelling pag. You're a bit petty. Well said kozzo!

CTL

Splottboy wrote:

Apparently, he stated he would like to win/be competative, but also promote the Cancer thing. So, for what he's achieved so far - time trail - not bad.
3 crashes and he was shagged out on the last but one climb.
Hey, that's racing...

Unless he can recover well, then don't know whether he'll be in Paris.
Probably not. Possibly 1 race too many.

" The King is dead. Long live the King !!! "

But... there are worse "Celebrities" around at the moment.
Ask Mel Gibsons agents, who have just dropped him.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."

That's the quote you want!

jamlala

Airwave wrote:

Perhaps LA has found his true place in the peloton now he's riding clean

Careful making potentially false allegations!

blazing_saddles

You have to give it to Armstrong, though.
He picks the day of the WC final to have his mare.
Result? Amazingly, it doesn't get a single mention on the BBC! :roll:

Anyhow, to what extent he recovers, remains to be seen.
I posted this on the stage thread. I might as well post it here.
Video of his ONLY crash, yesterday.
Quite nasty, although it didn't stop the French filmer celebrate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHBftK8okyA

jamlala

BikingBernie wrote:

paulcuthbert wrote:

gattocattivo wrote:

I just wonder if this is perhaps the rider we would have seen 99-05 without the intervention of Dr Ferrari?

It's age. He's past it

He only twelve months older than last year when, seemingly with the help a reasonably modest blood-doping program, he came in third.

To be honest I am surprised by his performance, last year he was only jacking his haemocrit up to 48% - far short of the 58% Prentice Steffen (USP's former team doctor) talked about as being the norm for a big mountain stage back in the 'old days'. I had expected a more comprehensive 'program' this year but if he is on one it doesn't seem to be working.

We also need to remember that even when he was young - back in the days before he teamed up with Ferrari - he was hopeless as a Tour rider, packing in his first two Tours and coming in one and half hours down in his third.

The reality is that it is almost impossible to judge the true worth of a rider once doping is factored into the equation. However, there is every reason to believe that without the Epo and blood doping Armstrong would never have 'won' seven Tours.

Do you have evidence for this? I am surprised at the allegations that individuals are putting their name to on this (and many other) forums. It amazes me how few people understand the the phrase ' libel.'

dave_1

Blazing Saddles wrote:

You have to give it to Armstrong, though.
He picks the day of the WC final to have his mare.
Result? Amazingly, it doesn't get a single mention on the BBC! :roll:

Anyhow, to what extent he recovers, remains to be seen.
I posted this on the stage thread. I might as well post it here.
Video of his ONLY crash, yesterday.
Quite nasty, although it didn't stop the French filmer celebrate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHBftK8okyA

Reading Horner's blog...it looks like the crash did affect him quite a bit. You must have been happy :!:

BikingBernie

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Video of his ONLY crash, yesterday.
Quite nasty, although it didn't stop the French filmer celebrate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHBftK8okyA

They did sound rather over-excited, even before the crash. And they did send him off with a few shouts of encouragement. I was sat in the crowd in front of big screen at Avioriaz and most people seemed rather non-plussed about the whole thing.

By the way, how do you know that they guy with the camera was French and not Swiss, or Belgian?