Lance is holding third place in the Tour of Switzerland. Tuesday is a mountain time trial (rare) that Lance should win based on past performance. I don't think he is trying to win the race, he is just using the mountain stages and time trials to prepare for the Tour de France. Any cycling fans here? (sound of crickets chirping) ------------------ The Rocket Guy "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Armstrong
I'm chirping! The TT is short, but the last half is uphill. I'm thinking that Lance will take the stage and show why he's the favorite to 3-peat in the TdF - but not after a fight from Wladomir Belli. He's gotta take something out of his failed Giro D'Italia, and the TdS is the 4th biggest stage race in the world, so it's not a bad consolation prize. He only has 1 second on Simoni and 25 on Lance, though, and it'll be a struggle for him to keep the leader's jersey. But that doesn't matter - go Lance! ------------------ [This message has been edited by mfclark (edited June 26, 2001).]
...and I was expecting a thread about Lance Berkman. Dang it. The guy's simply amazing. I guess Lance Armstrong is cool, too . ------------------ Newbiehad... coming to a bbs near you, October 31st.
I cycle, so call me a fan...go Lance! ------------------ Squatting on old bones and excrement and rusty iron, in a white blaze of heat, a panorama of naked idiots stretches to the horizon. Complete silence-their speech centers are destroyed-except for the crackle of sparks and the popping of singed flesh as they apply electrodes up and down the spine. White smoke of burning flesh hangs in the motionless air. A group of children have tied an idiot to a post with barbed wire and built a fire between his legs and stand watching with bestial curiosity as the flames lick his thighs. His flesh jerks in the fire with insect agony.
Lance HAS to win the TdF. He and his wife are expecting twins! And twins are expensive... If you want to read an inspiring book, "It's Not About the Bike" is excellent. Also, many people don't know this but cycling (in races like the Tour de France) is considered by many to be the most gruelling of all sporting events. It's also a lot more strategic than just who crosses the finish line first. ------------------
<A HREF="http://www.lancearmstrong.com/" TARGET=_blank>6/26 - New Stage 7 - The Mountain Time Trial: Lance wins the stage in 47'18" (19.8 mph) - and takes over the GC lead by 1'01" as well!</A> Hmmmmm...not bad for a "tuneup!" BTW did anyone see The Road To Paris this past weekend? Theres also a sight: http://www.roadtoparis.com/ ------------------ mr0ily's Shot in the Dark:Mock Draft 2001
Ullrich has his own problems asthma. What he said about Lance is pretty flattering though. STUTTGART, Germany, June 18 (AFP) - Germany's 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich said Monday that he was considering legal action against ex-Festina masseur Willy Voet for his claim on television here that all winners of cycling's premier event in recent years had been doped. Voet, the man who sparked off the 1998 Tour de France scandal after being picked up by customs officers on the Franco-Belgium border with a bootload of drugs, said that to his knowledge in the past 30 years no winner had not been guilty of using performance-enchancing drugs. "For all of us and particularly for me this is a serious slur on my reputation," said Olympic champion Ullrich. "If we can take action against such statements through the courts, I'll do it," said Ullrich. Voet, who wrote a book Massacre a la Chaine (Breaking the Chain), about how Tour de France riders willingly took part in doping programs, received a one-year suspended prison sentence by a French court for his part in the affair. And the 27-year-old Ullrich said that the subject of doping was getting on his nerves. "It really irritates me that it is highlighted so much. We don't deserve that," said Ullrich. "For me everything has been said. They have only found products which are registered on my medical record," added the German, who suffers from asthma. Ullrich, currently training in the Alps and the Pyrenees for July's Tour de France, said he considered two-time champion Lance Armstrong of the United States as the big favourite. "I'm only a challenger," he added I didn't have this link at work otherwise I would have posted it. This is great for daily updates of all cycle racing. The Daily Peleton ------------------ mr0ily's Shot in the Dark:Mock Draft 2001 [This message has been edited by mr_oily (edited June 26, 2001).]
Thanks for the links, and BTW, I second that recommendation for "It's Not About the Bike". ------------------ The Rocket Guy "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Armstrong
Oh yes in the Road to Parissight they list what these guys eat in a race. ITS CRAZY!!! 2 Panini Sandwiches 1 Peanut butter and Banana Sandwich 1 Ham and cheese 1 Cliff Bar 1 Luna Bar 2 Cliff Shots 3 Freddy cakes Half Rice cake 1 Frangipani 1/2 Apple cake Lance also gets 2 honey cookies, his favorite! ------------------ mr0ily's Shot in the Dark:Mock Draft 2001 [This message has been edited by mr_oily (edited June 26, 2001).]
And second place was Tyler Hamilton, USPS teammate. That bodes well for the Tour de France... Hamilton leading Armstrong into those mountain stages and then Lance taking them over. How has Jan Uhlrich (spelling?) looked so far this season? Is there anyone who can challenge Lance? He's too powerful.
Look at these HONEY COOKIES!! Lance Armstrong (C) of the United States is kissed by former Miss Switzerlands Tanja Gutmann (L) and Anita Burri (R) on the podium after the seventh stage mountain time-trial at the Tour of Switzerland cycling race in Crans-Montana June 26, 2001. The victory means Armstrong takes the overall lead from Italian Wladimir Belli. REUTERS/ARC/Denis Balibouse [This message has been edited by rockHEAD (edited June 27, 2001).]