***Official Le Tour De France Thread***

[NJFINSFAN1]

Best form, and most impressive. Well last year was awesome! But I go with 2002. I race (Mountain Biking), and it is way harder to come from behind then to hold the lead. And man was he way behind in 2002. It is just so much more work coming from behind, you use so much more energy!

 

[NaboCane]

Armstrong Keeps Lead at Tour De France

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cyc_tour_de_france;_ylt=AqKSyDzxu064CnOlXFY2MWzNaMYA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

MENDE, France - Lance Armstrong easily retained his overall lead after a tricky 18th stage of the Tour de France, won Thursday by Spain's Marcos Serrano.

Armstrong finished in a group with Ivan Basso of Italy, Jan Ullrich of Germany and Cadel Evans of Australia. The six-time champion's lead over Basso, his closest challenger, remained unchanged at 2 minutes and 46 seconds.

The only surprise for Armstrong came at the end of the stage, when he was given a drug test.

The four riders broke away from other challengers with a burst of speed during a brutal final ascent in south-central France, though they still finished more than 11 minutes behind Serrano.

Mickael Rasmussen is still third, but he was slower up the last climb and finished behind Armstrong's group. He is now 3:46 behind Armstrong, who is on course to win his seventh straight Tour before his retirement.

Ullrich is still fourth, 5:58 behind Armstrong. But by making time back over Rasmussen, the 1997 Tour winner improved his chances of being able to overtake the Dane in the time trial on Saturday, the penultimate day of the three-week race.

 

[NaboCane]

Lance is probably the greatest athlete I've ever seen.
That being said, he doesn't surround himself with great teams every year. Johan Bruyneel is the one who's assembled a team year after year, going back to his US Postal days, to help Lance. He should get the credit for that and not Lance.

I missed this before Dove...how much input do you think then that Armstrong has in choosing who the team goes after?

 

[NJFINSFAN1]

I missed this before Dove...how much input do you think then that Armstrong has in choosing who the team goes after?

I would say all the input! Dove sounds like she/he knows what she is talking about. But If I'm the 6 time champion, I have a big say!

 

[Pink_Dove]

I missed this before Dove...how much input do you think then that Armstrong has in choosing who the team goes after?

No doubt Lance has a big say about who he wants riding by his side.
Lance is the King, and I imagine he gets to OK Johan's selections.

That being said, in terms of recruting riders and finding the right mix, mountain climbers, sprinters, and riders who are willing to play second fiddle to a legendary figure instead of challenging him and getting a bigger payday (not to mention possible glory) is no easy thing to do.
But IMO the most impressive thing has been Johan’s ability to find character guys.The man has an incredible eye for talent, but also for judgment of character.

Take Tyler Hamilton. As soon as he started getting a big head, and started reading his paper clippings, US Postal let him walk, even though he was a great rider. Where is he now ? You got it. Busted for doping.

Year after year, Lance has had guys that could arguably win the Tour by his side. And it's not my opinion, most opposing team directors say it after every stage. I kind of see Bruyneel as Lance's Belichik. Chris Carmicheal is another guy who had a huge imput on Lance's life and riding.

This is great article on him.
The snippet on his legendary 2001 maneouver is especially something !!! (gave me chills)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53251-2004Jul15.html

 

[NaboCane]

No doubt Lance has a big say about who he wants riding by his side.
Lance is the King, and I imagine he gets to OK Johan's selections.

That being said, in terms of recruting riders and finding the right mix, mountain climbers, sprinters, and riders who are willing to play second fiddle to a legendary figure instead of challenging him and getting a bigger payday (not to mention possible glory) is no easy thing to do.
But IMO the most impressive thing has been Johan’s ability to find character guys.The man has an incredible eye for talent, but also for judgment of character.

Take Tyler Hamilton. As soon as he started getting a big head, and started reading his paper clippings, US Postal let him walk, even though he was a great rider. Where is he now ? You got it. Busted for doping.

Year after year, Lance has had guys that could arguably win the Tour by his side. And it's not my opinion, most opposing team directors say it after every stage. I kind of see Bruyneel as Lance's Belichik. Chris Carmicheal is another guy who had a huge imput on Lance's life and riding.

This is great article on him.
The snippet on his legendary 2001 maneouver is especially something !!! (gave me chills)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53251-2004Jul15.html

I like the Bruyneel - Belichik analogy. Quite appropriate.

And that story rocked, thanks.

 

[NaboCane]

Bruyneel the man behind Armstrong's Tour success

This is for you, PInk Dove:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&e=6&u=/nm/20050722/sp_nm/cycling_tour_bruyneel_dc

PARIS (Reuters) - Chance brought them together, but attention to detail turned Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel into one of the most successful rider and coach partnerships in cycling history.

Would Armstrong have been able to line up a record seventh consecutive Tour de France triumph on Sunday without Bruyneel? Probably not...

They bumped into each other in Barcelona, where the two men were attending a meeting of the riders' union. Bruyneel had been shortlisted to become one of the leading riders' spokesmen because of his experience and his ability to speak six languages.

But Armstrong decided that the Belgian, who finished seventh in the 1993 Tour, was exactly the sort of adviser he needed to help the Texan re-start his career.

"When I met him, he was just happy to be back. He was ready to focus on the spring classics. If I hadn't met him, I would not have been a team director. I wasn't planning on being a team director," Bruyneel said.

The Belgian initially thought Armstrong had wanted him to become his team's press chief.

Yet right from the start, their relationship was special. Bruyneel believed the American could become a great Tour rider if he lost a little weight and changed his pedalling frequency.

\

 

[Pink_Dove]

This is for you, PInk Dove:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&e=6&u=/nm/20050722/sp_nm/cycling_tour_bruyneel_dc

\

:up: Am I the only one who thinks Lance could be Directeur Sportif in 2, 3 years. ? He's going to miss the Tour tremendously and he's such a smart and dedicated rider I could see him coming back as D.S in a couple years.

I also wonder if Lance will have a say in his replacement. I'm sure Johan will ask for his opinion. As of today, I believed Vinokourov was the front runner until I read this:

Alexandre Vinokourov told T-Mobile today he's leaving the team at the end of the year.

Vinokourov wants to be a team's Tour captain, and will sign with a new team once the Tour finishes.

Eurosport tags Credit Agricole as the Kazakh's likely destination. They already have one strong Kazakh, Andrey Kashechkin, currently 2nd in the white jersey competition.

Another possibility: AG2R, likely to make the jump into the ProTour next season.

Discovery's Johan Bruyneel threw cold water on the possibility that Discovery will sign Vinokourov:

"He is definitely one of the most talented and intelligent riders of the peloton," the Belgian technician admitted. "But I don't think he'll ever be capable of winning the Tour de France."

 

[NaboCane]

Guerini outwits break companions for stage win

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&e=5&u=/nm/20050722/sp_nm/cycling_tour_friday_dc

LE PUY-EN-VELAY, France (Reuters) - Italian Giuseppe Guerini used his experience to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France from Issoire to Le Puy-en-Velay Friday.

Guerini, who had won a Tour stage in l'Alpe d'Huez in 1999, outwitted his three breakaway companions in the 153.5-kms race to claim his second victory.
He finished ahead of France's Sandy Casar, fellow-Italian Franco Pellizotti and Spain's Oscar Pereiro.

Six-times champion Lance Armstrong, who finished with the main pack 4-1/2 minutes behind Guerini, retained his 2:46 overall lead over Italian Ivan Basso. Dane Michael Rasmussen remained third, a further minute adrift.

 

[NaboCane]

Armstrong scores last win in Tour time trial

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&e=1&u=/nm/20050723/sp_nm/cycling_tour_saturday_dc

ST ETIENNE, France (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong completed a near-certain seventh Tour de France victory in style Saturday when he won a 55.5-kms individual time trial in the 20th and penultimate stage of his final Tour.

With an overall lead of four minutes and 40 seconds over Italy's Ivan Basso and 6:21 over German Jan Ullrich, only an absolute nightmare on the last day would stop the American six-times champion from adding a final jewel to the crown.

In one hour 11 minutes 46 seconds and at an average speed of almost 46 kph, the Discovery Channel team leader beat Ullrich by 23 seconds with Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov taking third place in 1:13.02. It was Armstrong's first 2005 Tour stage success...

Three weeks ago, Armstrong had lost out in the opening time trial in Noirmoutier to fellow American David Zabriksie but he set the record straight in his usual devastating fashion.

After emotional embraces with his mechanics and crew, the American took to his special time trial bike for the last time and soon settled into an impressive pace to score his ninth victory in a Tour time trial.

 

[cnc66]

dominating the second guy in the stage by more than four mins., so cool, and Trek is made in the USA wooooo woooo !

 

[NaboCane]

Armstrong Ends Career With 7th Tour Win

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cyc_tour_de_france;_ylt=Aj.o_rjh2njtqtyjnL1WrEuMKsMA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

PARIS - Lance Armstrong closed out his amazing career with a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory Sunday  and did it a little earlier than expected.

Because of wet conditions, race organizers stopped the clock as Armstrong and the main pack entered Paris. Although riders were still racing, with eight laps of the Champs-Elysees to complete, organizers said that Armstrong had officially won.
The stage started as it has done for the past six years  with Armstrong wearing the race leader's yellow jersey. It ended the same way, too  with him celebrating, this time by a comfortable margin of more than 4 1/2 minutes.

One hand on his handlebars, the other holding a flute of champagne, Armstrong toasted his teammates as he pedaled into Paris to collect his crown. He held up seven fingers  one for each win  and a piece of paper with the number 7 on it.

When it was over, Armstrong saluted the race he's made his own.

"Vive le Tour, forever," he said.

The 33-year-old Texan choked up on the victory podium as he stood next to his twin 3-year-old daughters  dressed in bright yellow dresses, appropriately  and his son. His rock star girlfriend Sheryl Crow, wearing a yellow halter top, cried during the ceremony.

"This is the way he wanted to finish his career, so it's very emotional," she said...

7 TIMES BABY!!!

 

[Jt0323]

Congrats Lance!

 

[RWhitney014]

Lance Armstrong is amazing.

 

[phunwin]

"One hand on his handlebars, the other holding a flute of champagne, Armstrong toasted his teammates as he pedaled into Paris to collect his crown."

Does anyone else think auto racing would be a lot more fun if they were allowed to do this sort of thing? "Dale Earnhardt Jr. just popped open his celebratory bottle of Cristal...and oh, no, now he's swerving all over the track!!!"

Anyway, way to go, Lance!