The Official le Tour de France - Go Lance Thread

[#41]

lance is just too dominant..this tour is over, but today I didn't like the fact he and Basso didn't take lead on the final kilometers and just went by the tired Ullrich and Klöden, who did all the work. Armstrong is still "victory-horny" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Caliente]

Lance Armstrong earned his 61st yellow jersey as overall leader today, third-most in Tour history.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: #41
Armstrong is still "victory-horny" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

LOL!

Victory Horny.....greatness.

[#41]

But Armstrong will never reach Eddie Merckx with 98 yellow jerseys...

[u2sarajevo]

At the 9.5km checkpoint Armstrong is smoking his competition. He has 5km to go and is currently 40 seconds faster than his closest competitor, Ullrich.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: #41
But Armstrong will never reach Eddie Merckx with 98 yellow jerseys...

I guess he will "just" have to settle for an unprecedented six consecutive Tour victories with 7-8 possible. I bet he is really bummed about not getting those yellows and just having to fall back on the Tour wins.

[img]i/expressions/anim_roller.gif[/img]

[Drbio]

What Lance is doing is easily the sports story of the year. Maybe even the decade. It is a shame that he isn't receiving the praise he deserves but rather ESPN and others are choosing to show Lemond and others talk about EPO and other negative issues.

[u2sarajevo]

The top 5 from todays time trial:
1- 001 ARMSTRONG (USA, USP) 00:39:41.450
2- 011 ULLRICH (GER, TMO) 00:40:42.480 at 01' 01"
3- 017 KLÖDEN (GER, TMO) 00:41:22.990 at 01' 41"
4- 002 AZEVEDO (POR, USP) 00:41:26.530 at 01' 45"
5- 023 GONZALEZ (ESP, PHO) 00:41:52.323 at 02' 10"

Ivan Basso lost 2:22 to Lance Armstrong today, bringing his total deficit to 3:47. The crowds were intense today, and on OLN it looked like Lance was riding into a wall of spectators. There were many spectators that tried cute antics like jumping out of the way at the last minute and running along side of Lance. Several times Lance could be seen yelling at a spectator standing in his way. Obviously it didn't deter him from winning this stage and gaining considerable time on any of the close competitiors.

[u2sarajevo]

The top 10 after todays stage overall:
1. Lance Armstrong (USP) 2,802.1km in 67h53'24" (41.265km/h)
2. Ivan Basso (CSC) at 3'48"
3. Andreas Kloden (TMO) at 5'03"
4. Jan Ullrich (TMO) at 7'55"
5. Jose Azevedo (USP) at 9'19"
6. Francisco Mancebo (IBB) at 9'20"
7. Georg Totschnig (GST) at 11'34"
8. Carlos Sastre (CSC) at 13'52"
9. Pietro Caucchioli (ALB) 14'08"
10. Levi Leipheimer (RAB) at 15'04"

[Drbio]

It is rediculous that the Tour allows fans that close. It will result in a tremendous injury (and probable fight) one fo these days. Totally rediculous.

[Caliente]

Tour director says fans spat at Armstrong
Wed 21 July, 2004 19:44

L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France (Reuters) - Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has admitted he had seen fans spit at five-times champion Lance Armstrong during the 15.5-km time trial to L'Alpe d'Huez.

Leblanc also said the swarming crowds on the twisting climb on Wednesday had frightened him as riders, including Armstrong, were forced to weave through excited fans who jumped out on to the road.

"I was scared too and I felt relieved when we reached the section with barriers," Leblanc told Reuters after stage winner Armstrong described the stage as a "bad idea" and hit out at some German fans.

"Until this morning, everybody thought this time trial was a good idea and now we realised it was not so.

"There were lots of aggressive fans surrounding the riders and I even saw two idiots spit at Lance Armstrong."

"Unfortunately I doubt you can put barriers on the 14 kilometres of the climb," he added.

Armstrong, who stormed to victory nearly a minute ahead of his closest challenger Jan Ullrich and now looks set for a record sixth Tour win, urged organisers to think seriously about holding another time trial at the ski resort.

"I don't know if that's such a good thing for the Tour de France. I don't think it's safe. I think organisers should watch out," said the American.

[dude1394]

Show 'em where they can stick it lance!!

[twelli]

for someone who is about to achieve what no other rider has ever achieved, Lance deserves only but respect

it is kind of frightening, though, how dominant he is

Ullrich is just not good or smart enough to make the best out of his talent


btw. I believe all riders experience with drugs, one way or another, and I can't blame them, doing professional cycling is bad for your health anyway

[Drbio]

That guy in the orange needs to have his ass kicked.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: Drbio
That guy in the orange needs to have his ass kicked.

One good forearm from Lance when he is traveling about 35mph should do the trick. Might hurt Lance's arm a little, but .................as long as he has a good enough lead.............

[u2sarajevo]

Top 10 in todays stage:
1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 6h 11' 52"
2 017 KLÖDEN Andréas GER TMO at 00' 00"
3 011 ULLRICH Jan GER TMO at 00' 01"
4 061 BASSO Ivan ITA CSC at 00' 01"
5 006 LANDIS Floyd USA USP at 00' 13"
6 185 MERCKX Axel BEL LOT at 01' 01"
7 151 LEIPHEIMER Levi USA RAB at 01' 01"
8 067 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 01' 02"
9 158 RASMUSSEN Mickael DEN RAB at 01' 02"
10 081 TOTSCHNIG Georg AUT GST at 01' 02"

Lance wins another stage!!!

Top 10 overall after stage 17:
1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 74h 04' 56"
2 061 BASSO Ivan ITA CSC at 04' 09"
3 017 KLÖDEN Andréas GER TMO at 05' 11"
4 011 ULLRICH Jan GER TMO at 08' 08"
5 002 AZEVEDO José POR USP at 10' 41"
6 071 MANCEBO Francisco ESP IBB at 11' 45"
7 081 TOTSCHNIG Georg AUT GST at 12' 56"
8 067 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 15' 14"
9 151 LEIPHEIMER Levi USA RAB at 16' 25"
10 134 CAUCCHIOLI Pietro ITA ALB at 16' 33"

Lance is dominating everything this year. He put on quite a show of force in the final 25 meters overtaking the leader Kloden and riding to yet another stage win.

Up next Stage 18, Annemasse to Lons-le-Saunier, the final mountain stage. After this stage is the time trial on Saturday and the march to Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday. Lance sitting with a 4 minute lead and another time-trial ahead doesn't bode well for the rest of the competition. It looks as if the only drama left in this years tour is will Lance actually ride for a seventh win in next years Tour.

Lance is a stud.

[Drbio]

I bet he can challenge for 8 Tour victories, although Basso and Kloeden will have a lot to say about it I am sure. He is in such amazing shape, both physically and mentally.

[dude1394]

WOW....I mean WOW..

[twelli]

Originally posted by: Drbio
I bet he can challenge for 8 Tour victories, although Basso and Kloeden will have a lot to say about it I am sure. He is in such amazing shape, both physically and mentally.

I bet he is retiring. He's nothing more to prove, has enslaved and punished himself for years to achieve what he has achieved, and he is human after all. He is human, is he? How should he motivate himself after winning 6 and after Ullrich faded away. You either need a record to break or a bitter rival to get V-horny again. I think, Lance making sure to win those last mountain stages all by himself is proof that this might be his last tour. He doesn't like France that much either...

[MavKikiNYC]

Armstrong Will Not Return to Tour de France, Official Says
By SAMUEL ABT

Published: July 23, 2004


LE GRAND BORNAND, France, July 22 - A high-ranking official among the organizers of the Tour de France said this is the last time Lance Armstrong will compete in the race.

If he wins for a record sixth consecutive year Sunday, as seems very likely, Armstrong will not return next year, the official said, but will instead focus 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.

That assertion was denied Thursday by Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's agent and the chief executive of Tailwind Sports, which owns Armstrong's Postal Service team.

"We haven't even discussed that yet," Stapleton said in a phone interview before the 17th stage Thursday. "No decisions have been made.

"It would be definitely incorrect to say he won't be back next year."

Dan Osipow, communications and events director for Tailwind, also denied the report.

"It's way too early now to speculate on what Lance's schedule will be next year," he said in a phone interview Thursday. "A lot depends on the final result in this race."

Osipow added that, under the new sponsorship by Discovery Channel next year, the team was obligated to ride in the Tour de France, although he was unsure whether Armstrong was.

Johan Bruyneel, the sports director of the Postal Service team, said Thursday: "He's going to race, but we didn't decide on a program. A lot of things can change, a lot of things can happen."

Armstrong was not available for comment. He has often said that he will compete for at least another year.

Explaining why he said Armstrong, 32, will not ride in the Tour again, the official said Armstrong saw no point in going for a seventh victory, especially out of respect for the four other riders who have won five times.

Armstrong wants to set a record for Tour victories, the official said, but he does not want to appear to be rubbing in any superiority over the feats of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

The official added that Armstrong also wants the opportunity to participate in the Pro Tour, a reorganized calendar of major races that will begin next year.

By skipping the Tour and his arduous preparation for it, the official said, Armstrong will be able to compete in many races that do not fit into his schedule now.

[twelli]

I knew it! [img]i/expressions/sun.gif[/img]

Great! That gives Jan the chance..... to be second again, behind Klöden...[img]i/expressions/thumbsdown.gif[/img]

[Drbio]

twelli- you were correct. Lance will retire.

[twelli]

maybe he will be trying to win the Giro for a change?

[u2sarajevo]

Not so fast guys.... looks like nothings been decided..

Lance may skip '05, but wants to return

Associated Press
LONS-LE-SAUNIER, France -- Lance Armstrong will race again in the Tour de France, although maybe not next year. The Texan is on the verge of becoming the only rider to win the showcase event six straight times. He would like to focus on other races but is not prepared to turn his back on the 101-year-old Tour for good.

"I would do it. I'm not saying I'd never do it again," he said after Friday's 18th stage. "I'll do it again before I stop. It's a special race. It's everything. You can't have this intensity in any other event."

Asked if he would skip next year's Tour to focus on other events, Armstrong said: "It's too hard to say."

"I haven't made a schedule yet," he added. "It's fair to say there's still a lot of things I'd like to do in cycling, like the classics and the hour record, that require a different type of focus."

The key factor would appear to hinge on sponsor demands. Before the Tour, his team signed a three-year, multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with the Discovery Channel, which will replace U.S. Postal Service.

"I have to discuss it with them," he said. "If they give me the green light on something like that [riding in the classics and the hour record] I might do it. But if they say 'Lance, we'd like you to do the Tour' I understand that, too.''

The Tour's top three officials said they had not discussed Armstrong's 2005 plans with the five-time champion.

"He is doubtless the greatest rider ever in the Tour de France. He is proving that," said Patrice Clerc, president of the Tour. "Now does he want a seventh, or an eighth? I have no idea."

However, The New York Times reported Friday that this was the last time Armstrong would compete in the race. A high-ranking official among race organizers, who did not want to be identified, told the paper Armstrong already has informed the Tour of his plans.

According to the paper, the official said Armstrong saw no point in trying for a seventh title and that this was a gesture of respect for the four cyclists who have won five times.

Before the Tour, Armstrong had said he would race in the Tour in 2005. He also said this month he would be competing in 2005, although he didn't specify whether that would include the Tour.

Discovery spokesman David Leavy said from France on Friday that the network expects Armstrong to ride the tour in 2005.

"Right now, we're really focused on Saturday and Sunday and Lance winning this year," Leavy said. "From Discovery's point of view, we certainly hope he races next year and for years to come."

Former cyclist Johan Bruyneel, manager of Armstrong's team and a friend and mentor, feels the Texan may find the Tour too hard to resist.

"We haven't spoken about the program either with him or the other riders,'' Bruyneel told French television. "Personally, I think that for Lance it would be very hard for him to motivate himself without the Tour de France."

Dan Osipow, a spokesman for Tailwind Sports, which owns the team, said the team's schedule probably would be drawn up in December.

"To say he's out right now is way too speculative. He is going to race a full season, we just can't say what events they will be," he said.

"He's clearly insatiable. This race means more to him than anything [else] in sport," Osipow added.

Armstrong has outclassed his rivals as the race heads toward the finish Sunday in Paris. He won three consecutive stages for the first time and a total of four in this Tour, matching his best showing since he first won the Tour in 1999. Armstrong has long been criticized for concentrating almost solely on the Tour de France, neglecting classic races that form an important part of cycling tradition. He is now considering some classics and wants to go for the hour record, where cyclists try to ride as far as possible in one hour on a circuit.

"I think at some point, I have to start to look at other races in cycling. There's still a lot of things I want to do in cycling," Armstrong said.

Armstrong, the father of three children, also has acknowledged that the demands of training for the Tour have taken him away from his family.

"I'm more mentally than physically [tired],'' he said Friday. "Mentally I'm ready to go home and see my kids and relax."

He said two weeks ago he would skip the Athens Olympics because he wants to be reunited with his children. He has been accompanied in this year's Tour by rock singer Sheryl Crow, following a divorce last year from his wife, Kristin.

[u2sarajevo]

Top 10 in today's Time Trial:
1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 1h 06' 49"
2 011 ULLRICH Jan GER TMO at 01' 01"
3 017 KLÖDEN Andréas GER TMO at 01' 27"
4 006 LANDIS Floyd USA USP at 02' 25"
5 064 JULICH Bobby USA CSC at 02' 48"
6 061 BASSO Ivan ITA CSC at 02' 50"
7 069 VOIGT Jens GER CSC at 03' 19"
8 075 KARPETS Vladimir RUS IBB at 03' 33"
9 009 RUBIERA José Luis ESP USP at 03' 40"
10 002 AZEVEDO José POR USP at 03' 49"

Lance wins again!!! This was his personal best 5th stage win during a tour.

The overall standings after Stage 19:
1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 79h 27' 17"
2 017 KLÖDEN Andréas GER TMO at 06' 38"
3 061 BASSO Ivan ITA CSC at 06' 59"
4 011 ULLRICH Jan GER TMO at 09' 09"
5 002 AZEVEDO José POR USP at 14' 30"
6 071 MANCEBO Francisco ESP IBB at 18' 20"
7 081 TOTSCHNIG Georg AUT GST at 18' 46"
8 067 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 20' 10"
9 151 LEIPHEIMER Levi USA RAB at 20' 31"
10 027 PEREIRO SIO Oscar ESP PHO at 23' 13"

With over 6:30 lead over his closest competitor and all that's left is the pomp and circumstance of the last stage (the race to Paris), barring a crash Lance has won his 6th consecutive Tour de France.

I'll hold off with sweet anticipation until tomorrow for the Congratulations!

[dude1394]

Boo Hoo Hoo....

Armstrong went tearing after him. When he and Simeoni caught the escape group, the riders there told Simeoni he was not welcome. They knew that their chances of winning the stage were nil if Armstrong stayed with them. Simeoni eventually demurred, breaking off his attack and returning to the main pack - with Armstrong.

"Armstrong demonstrated to the entire world what type of person he is," Simeoni said. "It is not reasonable that a great champion doesn't give a chance to a small rider like me and the others. ... I suffered an injustice from him while everyone was watching."

In a newspaper interview earlier in the Tour, Simeoni defended his testimony against Ferrari and said that Armstrong was giving him the cold shoulder. He also said Armstrong has called him a liar and because of that, he is suing him for libel.

"In the morning I look for him, I ride up to him, but he is cold, detached. He acts as if I don't exist," Simeoni told the French sports daily L'Equipe.

Sebastien Joly, a French rider who was in the escape group, said they asked Simeoni to leave them.

"When he let go, Lance had the kindness to do the same thing," he said. "I think it was a reaction of pride on Armstrong's part."

Maybe Schwarzenegger would have something to say about this comment.

[dude1394]

All Hail the King. Congratulations to Lance Armstrong, a great champion.

[u2sarajevo]

Lance Armstrong wins 2nd fastest tour!
The average speed for the 3,391.1km 2004 Tour de France is 40.553km/h. This is the second fastest in the 91 year history of the race. The fastest is the 2003 event (at 40.940km/h).

An official congratulations to the greatest cyclist in the Tour de France the world has ever known. I am hoping you go for a seventh, but if not thanks for the memories...

[ames7]

It's fantastic, isn't it? Congrats, Lance!

BTW, an update on the LAF's Live Strong wristband campaign I told you guys about:
It's sold out everywhere. Our website is backordered about a million, & virtually all the retail outlets are sold out too. We've already passed the $6mil goal for the Foundation. Thanks to everyone for their support.

[Waschdel]

Originally posted by: u2sarajevo
The average speed for the 3,391.1km 2004 Tour de France is 40.553km/h. This is the second fastest in the 91 year history of the race. The fastest is the 2003 event (at 40.940km/h).

An official congratulations to the greatest cyclist in the Tour de France the world has ever known. I am hoping you go for a seventh, but if not thanks for the memories...

Lance was amazing. He was in total control during the whole tour and I had the impression that he was even better than he was the last years. Doc is right when he says that Lance is one of the top sportsmen of the decade.
He has won the tour six times. I´ve really thought that Ulle might have a chance this year. But no one would have beaten Lance this year. I can´t understand why he does not get more publicity in the US. He is one of your best. Congrats Lance!

[Drbio]

Another great Tour. I can't wait to see if lance returns. Also, I cannot wait to see how Kloden and Basso (and Ulle) respond.

Next years Tour will be very interesting.


Wooo Hooo!!!! Way to go Lance!

[twelli]

Now Ulle is ripped by his own team for not being professional in training. Rumors have it that they want to get rid of him, now that they have another potential Tour winner in Kloeden. Telekom sucks. Ulle is a fine athlete. OK, he likes to eat from time to time and walk his Porsche, but hey, he is just one of those poor athletes that competes during a time when a super-human is around. Living in the shadow of Lance, Tiger, Michael Schumacher and other super-achievers must be really frustrating.

[#41]

Congrats to the tourminator!