Lance Armstrong Takes Record 6th Tour De France

[DudeAsInCool]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/16/sports/s...ND-TOUR.html?hp

[Umma]

those shorts are almost as good as a kilt... ;)

[DudeAsInCool]

Armstrong Clears Path to Sixth Tour Title

Sat Jul 17, 7:09 PM ET

PLATEAU DE BEILLE, France - Start icing the champagne. Lance Armstrong cleared his path to a record sixth straight Tour de France crown, overpowering rivals to win the 13th stage Saturday. His two-day display of dominant mountain riding has all but decided cycling's showcase event even before it veers into the Alps next week.

Only Italian Ivan Basso managed to stay with the five-time champion on the devastating ascent to the Plateau de Beille, the last of seven climbs on a sun-baked, 127.7-mile trek through the Pyrenees.

As Armstrong and Basso rode through cheering crowds along the steep, snaking road, other riders scattered down the mountain, their hopes of dethroning the 32-year-old Texan evaporating with the sweat off their brows. Jan Ullrich, considered Armstrong's toughest rival, conceded defeat after the steep 9.9-mile climb mined with hairpin turns.

"I have rarely pushed myself so hard," said Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champ and five-time runner-up. "But after seven mountains and more than 200 kilometers under conditions that should really be ideal for me, I must admit: Lance appears to be unbeatable this year."Ullrich has finished second to Armstrong three times.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=...e_142&printer=1

[DudeAsInCool]

Armstrong Makes Ride Into Record Books Look Easy

By SAMUEL ABT

Published: July 26, 2004

PARIS, July 25 - Lance Armstrong broke one of the most revered records in cycling on Sunday, rolling into Paris as the winner of the Tour de France for the sixth time. That it was also his sixth successive victory was the icing on the cake.

Armstrong, the leader of the United States Postal Service team, made it look easy by going on a rampage in the final third of the three-week race. Since July 16, he finished second in one daily stage and first in five others, four of them in the Pyrenees and Alps and two of them in individual time trials.

He was nearly unbeatable on the most demanding terrain of the Tour, rising from second place over all to an unapproachable lead Sunday, finishing 6 minutes 19 seconds ahead of Andreas Klöden, a German with T-Mobile.

"Everything went perfectly," Armstrong said in French on the three-step victory podium. "The tactics, the training, everything. The team was the best one here."

Asked if he would be back next year, Armstrong replied, "I can't see myself not being in the Tour." Pressed to say that he would defend his championship, he answered only, "We'll see."

There is speculation that Armstrong, a 32-year-old Texan, is not planning to compete in the 2005 Tour but will shift his attention to other major races, partly out of respect to the four former riders whose record of five victories he broke Sunday. The difference in cycling between five and six victories is enormous, whereas six to seven is just another statistic and could be interpreted as a way of rubbing in his superiority.

Armstrong spoke after what has become a standard celebration: doffing his cap to the crowd, slipping into the final yellow jersey as the race's leader, accepting two trophies and a bouquet and listening to a French military band play "The Star-Spangled Banner." He also received a congratulatory phone call from President Bush.

Ivan Basso, an Italian with CSC, finished in third place, 6:40 behind Armstrong, having lost second place in a long time trial on Saturday in Besançon. Jan Ullrich of Germany, Armstrong's longtime rival and the leader of T-Mobile, was fourth, 8:50 behind. Armstrong respected custom for a champion Sunday by not seeking another stage victory. He demonstrated his status, however, by spending an early part of this 20th stage - 101 miles from Montereau to Paris - at the front of the 147 riders remaining of the 188 who set out on July 3 in Belgium.

While Armstrong was in front, Jimmy Casper, a Frenchman with Cofidis who was at the bottom of the overall standing, went ahead of Armstrong, pulled a small camera out of his jersey and took a photograph of himself leading the man in the yellow jersey. Casper then retreated deep into the pack.

Tom Boonen, a Belgian with Quick Step, sailed across the finish line with his arms up after the usual mass sprint on the Champs-Élysées. It was his second stage victory in this Tour.

Jean-Patrick Nazon, a Frenchman with AG2R who won the finale last year, was second in Sunday's stage. Danilo Hondo, a German with Gerolsteiner, was third. Robbie McEwen, an Australian with Lotto, was fourth. Casper finished sixth. They and nearly 100 other riders were timed in 4:08:26 as a huge crowd watched on a balmy day.

Armstrong finished the stage in 114th place, a safe 19 seconds behind the tumult of the mass sprint. His overall time for the 2,107-mile race was 83 hours 36 minutes 2 seconds, an average of 25.2 miles an hour.

The standard of five victories was established in 1964 by Jacques Anquetil, a Frenchman. He declined to seek a sixth triumph.

Eddy Merckx, a Belgian, matched the record in 1974 but failed to break it the next year when a French fan injured him with a punch in the liver.

Bernard Hinault, a Frenchman, won his fifth in 1985 and was second the next year, his final Tour. Miguel Indurain, the Spaniard who won five straight Tours, faltered in the rain and cold in 1996 and retired at the end of that season.

At a news conference Saturday, after he won the long race against the clock in Besançon, Armstrong said of his success: "It's a full-year commitment. That's the secret. The answer is total, full commitment and hard work."

Jean-Marie Leblanc, the Tour director, said that Armstrong's meticulous preparation, including long training on the race's mountains, had changed the contenders' strategy.

"More and more riders have adopted Armstrong's method of reconnoitering stages and his higher standards of professionalism," Leblanc said Saturday.

For Laurent Fignon of France, who won the Tour in 1983 and '84, the second time in a performance as dominating as Armstrong's, another reason was the quality of the opposition this year.

"His adversaries weren't at Armstrong's level," Fignon said.

One major contender, Alexandre Vinokourov, a Kazakh with T-Mobile who finished third last year, could not race in this Tour because he was badly injured two weeks before the race. Another, Tyler Hamilton, the leader of Phonak, was hurt in a crash and had to withdraw.

Two Spaniards, Roberto Heras of Liberty Seguros and Iban Mayo of Euskaltel, failed to perform well and also dropped out. Another Spaniard, Joseba Beloki, who has finished second and third in the Tour, was without a team because of injuries and lack of form.

Ullrich, who has won the Tour once and finished second five times was so far below his usual performance that he failed to make the victory podium for the first time.

Fignon also praised the support of the United States Postal Service team and the way Armstrong used it. "He played his role perfectly," Fignon said.

For Bobby Julich, an American with CSC and a former teammate of Armstrong's going back to their days on the United States national team more than a dozen years ago, the answer lies in Armstrong's physical preparation.

Discussing Armstrong's second-place finish in the Tour prologue on July 3, when he finished ninth, Julich said: "I seriously have to wonder if there were any pedals left on his cranks or any cranks left on his bike. He looked as if he was just ripping 'em off.

"The prologue has a lot to say about your form, the condition that you're in. That all goes into his preparation. He's put so much effort into getting that ball rolling that now it looks as if it's just rolling by itself."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/26/sports/o...rts/26tour.html

[Shawn]

More than half the coverage the National news from CTV gave Armstrong tonight was discussing the allegations about him doping. I hope it turns out to be false, it lessens some of the inspiration of the story.

[DudeAsInCool]

My bet is the allegations are false and will be proven untrue. And when that happens, you wont hear the press apologize for their false remarks..

[Shawn]

Well, they were reporting the statements as allegations. (Not their fault if they're wrong that way right? ;) )

[method77]

I watched the tour on some French channel and couldn't understand a word. Congrats to Lance Armstrong and I hope he doesn't use that extra help.

Unlike the US track and field athletes like Marion Jones or Tori Edwards to name a few

[Kooperman]

I've been suspicious for quite some time about the Babe Ruth of posters, the Dude. Not making any accusations, mind you, but somebody with that many posts more than everybody else just MIGHT be on the posting juice, know what I mean? In America, if you're lapping the field it's gotta be the juice....

[Shawn]

It's occurred to me too Koop. He was away for a few days a few months back, and when he returned he was posting noticably faster. You might claim he was taking a typing class, but more likely he was visiting the black market 'typing tutor'.

[Umma]

that would explain it... that and he's stealing Shawn's post count ;)

[DudeAsInCool]

I've been suspicious for quite some time about the Babe Ruth of posters, the Dude. Not making any accusations, mind you, but somebody with that many posts more than everybody else just MIGHT be on the posting juice, know what I mean? In America, if you're lapping the field it's gotta be the juice....

lol - Im on a natural high

[DudeAsInCool]

Well, they were reporting the statements as allegations. (Not their fault if they're wrong that way right? ;) )

Wrong. I think its absolutely disgusting. You have a guy who beats cancer. Then he goes on to outperform any cyclist in history. His reward, unsubstantiated media allegations about whether he used drugs to enhance his performance. Even worse, some Germans and French even spat on him. I think crap like this is vile and against the human spirit. It's blatant hatred 'cause the guy is an American. I wouldnt be caught dead with any of these loser pigs anywhere, anytime.

Also, Method, Americans arent the only athletes who have been caught taking drugs--hell, the Russians had a whole program going for many years. I'm not a big nationalist, but I refuse to see a few spoil sports be chosen to represent this country. We should be praising the individual effort, not where someone hails from.

[method77]

Also, Method, Americans arent the only athletes who have been caught taking drugs--hell, the Russians had a whole program going for many years. I'm not a big nationalist, but I refuse to see a few spoil sports be chosen to represent this country. We should be praising the individual effort, not where someone hails from.

I'm referring to the Americans cause Lance is one. Also, the American track and fiels team is in the news now cause of the latest scandals.

I know many, many athletes from around the world use drugs.

[DudeAsInCool]

The problem is perception - Im concerned many European's anti-American bias comes from political matters, and ironically, Im in agreement on a lot of the same issues. But when they start lumping American and all Americans on all issues, then I have a BIG problem. It seems to me that if people want a better world, they are not going to get it by spreading hate and mistrust. It's wrong any way you want to slice it

[Shawn]

Wrong. I think its absolutely disgusting. You have a guy who beats cancer. Then he goes on to outperform any cyclist in history. His reward, unsubstantiated media allegations about whether he used drugs to enhance his performance.

Aye, if it's not true then he has been done a disservice. And clearly spitting on anyone is childish and only serves to debase your own standing. However... the argument that it was anti-Americans claiming he is doping is false. One of his former teammates is raising the issue as well since Armstrong returned faster than he was pre-treatment.

I'm not saying that's true or not, truth be told I prefer the idea that he's clean, but the allegation is not anti-American.

[DudeAsInCool]

I stand corrected... You would think the media would be more responsible and do a bit of homework and investigation, instead of just throwing it out there with the rest of the hyper-gossip, but then again, serious journalism is something that is mostly a thing of the past in the popular press. Be curious to see if the teammate is on to something, or if its just a sour grudge. I would be willing take bets from all comers its the latter... :strumma:

[Shawn]

Be curious to see if the teammate is on to something, or if its just a sour grudge.

I wonder that myself.

[method77]

The problem is perception - Im concerned many European's anti-American bias comes from political matters, and ironically, Im in agreement on a lot of the same issues. But when they start lumping American and all Americans on all issues, then I have a BIG problem. It seems to me that if people want a better world, they are not going to get it by spreading hate and mistrust. It's wrong any way you want to slice it

Dude relax

I'm not trying to bash America. The discussion is about an American and the American track and field team lost a few metals due to drugs the past week. If the same happened to the English, Greek or Onduran team then I would have a problem to mention that. I'm a huge fan of track and field and I always admired all great athletes and didn't care where they came from.

Athletics and Politics are a totally different thing.

[DudeAsInCool]

Dude relax, I'm not trying to bash America.

Im not worried about you. Im worried about the perception the the Bush Administration has sent to the rest of the world that is clouding the view about the real America and real Americans

[method77]

I don't mind a few America vs Europe fights once in a while

hehe

[method77]

Im not worried about you. Im worried about the perception the the Bush Administration has sent to the rest of the world that is clouding the view about the real America and real Americans

btw it's the same way around.

Americans hate Europeans so it's partly your fault.

You think you rule the world, violate world treatys and consider the rest of the world a bunch of gay, smelly people. Am I wrong?

I am not referring to you as a person but as a general American opinion

[Kooperman]

I don't mind a few America vs Europe fights once in a while

hehe

If Bush stays in 4 more years you'll probably get your wish....

[method77]

I don't mind a few America vs Europe fights once in a while

hehe

If Bush stays in 4 more years you'll probably get your wish....

you are absolutelly right. During the Bush years, the anti-americanism has reach the maximum levels. It wasn't the same during the clinton administration

[Kooperman]

btw it's the same way around.

Americans hate Europeans so it's partly your fault.

You think you rule the world, violate world treatys and consider the rest of the world a bunch of gay, smelly people. Am I wrong?

I am not referring to you as a person but as a general American opinion

You couldn't be more wrong....the perception you have is due to the awful job the Bush administration has done of world diplomacy. There's been no attempt to have friendly relations with the world...hell, there's been no attempt at friendly relations with the MAJORITY of American voters from the last election here.