Beloki must feel like such a plank

paulcuthbert

There's now a road sign where he crashed to point the direction he should have gone...



Oops!

Incidentally, the arrows show where Armstrong went. You can see the little dip down into the field. Although looks like he'd have struggled any other time cos that field's been ploughed since!

emadden

Always feel like they elevate Lance's cross-field trip to some sort of walking on water miracle... It was a bloody field with short grass ffs ... even David Duffield on his tricycle could have ridden through that field without difficulty

rjh299

They showed the path he took in a close up on ITV during tour. The jump from bank to bank with his bike is impressive enough. The Ligget, Sherwen commentary does make it though.

emadden

rjh299 wrote:

The Ligget, Sherwen commentary does make it though.

For these guys it was a jizz in the pants, walk on water moment

Can you imagine if lance took up cyclocross? My god. He would be the only man on a bike ever to ride up a non-paved hill or bunny-hop over a step

rjh299

emadden wrote:

rjh299 wrote:

Can you imagine if lance took up cyclocross? My god. He would be the only man on a bike ever to ride up a non-paved hill or bunny-hop over a step

Yes, but it would be Lance doing it. That's the difference

disgruntledgoat

As I recall they started blathering about his experience in cyclocross...

Then Boulting asked him "as a former mountain biker..." afterwards. I remember thinking at the time that they'd just made up those facts to suit.

Monty Dog

For those that actually witnessed the event in 'real time' it was actually Vino's attack and the exceptionally hot conditions / melted tarmac that promulgated Beloki's crash - just that fanboys seem to think it was some sort of miracle that no other rider of reasonable skill could attain e.g. Riding Paris-Roubaix in any conditions typically requires more skill and bike handling abilities - but just as it happens, there's a distinctive gap in a certain rider's race history - and when he did ride a couple of sectors, he was distanced due to a weak team and poor judgement

thomasmc

The 2003 tour was probably my favourite (along with 87), Lance was pushed all the way. This was certainly one of the moments that stick out along with LA's climb to Luz-Ardiden.

Kléber

Apparently there's more than a road sign now, there's actually a small plaque to commemorate the event.

inkyfingers

Have to say it was funny that when Armstrong was asked whether being a former mountain biker had helped he replied that being a farmer helped more! (not an exact quote but close enough....before the Lance police come for me)

Gazzaputt

emadden wrote:

Always feel like they elevate Lance's cross-field trip to some sort of walking on water miracle... It was a bloody field with short grass ffs ... even David Duffield on his tricycle could have ridden through that field without difficulty

They showed the filed and the drop on ITV4 and believe me it was far from easy to do on a road bike.

Percy Vera

He should have been disqualified for taking a short cut!

emadden

Kléber wrote:

Apparently there's more than a road sign now, there's actually a small plaque to commemorate the event.

Yup it reads:

Here in 2003 the Almighty Lance (Praise be upon Him) rode his bicycle on grass - a feat never accomplished before or since. Please kneel and pray.

Percy Vera

emadden wrote:

Kléber wrote:

Apparently there's more than a road sign now, there's actually a small plaque to commemorate the event.

Yup it reads:

Here in 2003 the Almighty Lance (Praise be upon Him) rode his bicycle on grass - a feat never accomplished before or since. Please kneel and pray.

Did he actually ride on the grass or float over it?

avoidingmyphd

emadden wrote:

Always feel like they elevate Lance's cross-field trip to some sort of walking on water miracle... It was a bloody field with short grass ffs ... even David Duffield on his tricycle could have ridden through that field without difficulty

I think it would be easier on a tricycle than a road bike, even for David Duffield.
Lance's path across the field was paved with decking for this year's stage (just in case?) and I was willing him to ride down it.

greasedscotsman

Kléber wrote:

Apparently there's more than a road sign now, there's actually a small plaque to commemorate the event.

It's not very impressive though, not quite the Coppi/Bobet memorial on the Izoard...



Think that Armstrong was quite lucky more than anything else, if the crash had occured a couple of metres further up or down the descent he wouldn't have been able to take the small ramp into the field. There's quite a step into it, he would have probably crashed along with Beloki. And as you can see, there were crops in the field when I was there...

paulcuthbert

rjh299 wrote:

They showed the path he took in a close up on ITV during tour. The jump from bank to bank with his bike is impressive enough. The Ligget, Sherwen commentary does make it though.

The path the people had marked out was wrong. They'd shown a straight line when he had had to turn his bike.

If I go on that road next year I might try and mimick it for YouTube, haha

moray_gub

Monty Dog wrote:

For those that actually witnessed the event in 'real time' it was actually Vino's attack and the exceptionally hot conditions / melted tarmac that promulgated Beloki's crash -

I cant recall anyone thinking otherwise and that includes those that didnt witness the event in real time.

moray_gub

Percy Vera wrote:

He should have been disqualified for taking a short cut!

Thats pathetic as that would disqualify half the peleton in any raceas how many have jumped up a pavement or went the wrong way round a roundabout and gained a few meteres here and there .WTF was he supposed to crash ? to keep the haters happy :roll:

moray_gub

Percy Vera wrote:

emadden wrote:

Kléber wrote:

Apparently there's more than a road sign now, there's actually a small plaque to commemorate the event.

Yup it reads:

Here in 2003 the Almighty Lance (Praise be upon Him) rode his bicycle on grass - a feat never accomplished before or since. Please kneel and pray.

Did he actually ride on the grass or float over it?

Grass ? :roll:

rjh299

paulcuthbert wrote:

rjh299 wrote:

They showed the path he took in a close up on ITV during tour. The jump from bank to bank with his bike is impressive enough. The Ligget, Sherwen commentary does make it though.

The path the people had marked out was wrong. They'd shown a straight line when he had had to turn his bike.

If I go on that road next year I might try and mimick it for YouTube, haha

Yea but the trench runs alongside the whole field where he jumped over so doesn't really matter about the path he took across the field.

Why do I keep replying to this thread? I'm not even bothered. Oh yes, i'm bored, but i'm holding you to that video though. I want yellow jersey and orgasmic commentary aswell, otherwise it will just be you doing some cyclocross!

paulcuthbert

Does it count if it's my own commentary overdubbed at a later stage?

OR... I could learn Sherwen's monologue and reel it off AS I'm going through the field..

No_Ta_Doctor

Oh. My. God.

Having given up watching cyling after Festina I'd never seen that before. Sherwen is surely reaching rthe vinegar strokes there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtZhG2kWVLY

For the record, do an overdub using Sherwen's jizzing commentary, but just stick your own name in there, in a flat monotone, instead of Armstrong :-)

You also need to find someone willing to wear a pink cycling top and fall off in front of you.

dennisn

Monty Dog wrote:

For those that actually witnessed the event in 'real time' it was actually Vino's attack and the exceptionally hot conditions / melted tarmac that promulgated Beloki's crash - just that fanboys seem to think it was some sort of miracle that no other rider of reasonable skill could attain e.g. Riding Paris-Roubaix in any conditions typically requires more skill and bike handling abilities - but just as it happens, there's a distinctive gap in a certain rider's race history - and when he did ride a couple of sectors, he was distanced due to a weak team and poor judgement

I really don't think that the "fan boys" are calling it any more than it was. As I saw it Beloki went down really hard and Lance swerved to miss him, which forced him to go through a sloping grassy field until he met up with the road again. He got lucky and didn't hit any obstacles. The other possibility is that, in his pact with the Devil, there was a clause requiring said Devil to help LA through any really tough situations, such as that off road adventure. Easy enough for the Devil to arrange.

secretsqirrel

dennisn wrote:

I really don't think that the "fan boys" are calling it any more than it was. As I saw it Beloki went down really hard and Lance swerved to miss him, which forced him to go through a sloping grassy field until he met up with the road again. He got lucky and didn't hit any obstacles. The other possibility is that, in his pact with the Devil, there was a clause requiring said Devil to help LA through any really tough situations, such as that off road adventure. Easy enough for the Devil to arrange.

Very unlikely. The Devil was always a T-Mob fan

disquieting_museeuws

If you look at the right place on Google street view, you can see the remains of the 'Passage Armstrong Chute Beloki' sign in pieces on both sides of the road. It's quite easy to line up Armstrong's route with reference to the telegraph poles; the yellow path lined up for this year's stage had it nearly right except Armstrong rejoined the road below the far pole, not above it. I know, I'm a terrible nerd regarding topography!

It was an amazing moment, arguably summing-up two careers in a few seconds. I read a local club re-enacts it each year!

afx237vi

disquieting_museeuws wrote:

It was an amazing moment, arguably summing-up two careers in a few seconds. I read a local club re-enacts it each year!

Wow, that's fairly tasteless. What are they going to do for the 10th anniversary? Invite Beloki back to the scene to recreate the moment? "Hey, Joseba, could you just do a bit more agonized whimpering, we're not quite getting it..."

mrushton

Hindsights marvellous! People mock but it was a heart-stopping moment on that race. Lance was at his peak and the race was full on. Beloki went down hard and Armstrong who was close on the wheel had to make a split second decision. He didn't know about the field or what was in it, he just went for it. Sure the fanboys rave about it but considering what happened to him this year then you can see Luck was on his side.

paulcuthbert

No tA Doctor wrote:

For the record, do an overdub using Sherwen's jizzing commentary, but just stick your own name in there, in a flat monotone, instead of Armstrong :-)

That is a genius idea. And shall be done!

Just had a thought... I wonder will the farmer mind? Haha

dulldave

I think some of you are being a little unfair. It was quite impressive riding and I don't think anyone's suggesting that Beloki suffered his fate through lack of skill.

If it had been this year and Cancellara who did it we'd all be jizzing over it.

mrushton

That crash killed off Beloki's career as he was never the same rider yet cemented the Armstrong myth. I remember even cynical journalists at the time writing of witnessing a moment of sports history. It was the same after the Luz Ardiden crash and the 2005 TT where Armstrong blazed past an in-form Ullrich. Was it 2004 that Ullrich was on the verge of toppling Armstrong but crashed on the wet roundabout or what about Mayo, supposedly the top Spaniard just swatted.It was like a story was being written around Armstrong with riders who were the best seemingly brushed aside. Armstrong wasn't Merckx or Hinault because they made their own luck, Armstrong just seemed to dominate with no apparent effort and rewriting the (unwritten) rule book. No wonder Phil/Paul were jizzed.