Incredible - Five Times!

[Wannaplan?]

Lance Armstrong wins record-tying fifth Tour de France title

PARIS (AP) -- Sipping champagne to celebrate, Lance Armstrong won his hardest but sweetest Tour de France title Sunday -- a record-tying fifth straight victory that places him alongside the greatest cyclists ever.

The 31-year-old Texan and Spanish great Miguel Indurain are now the only two riders to win the sport's most grueling and prestigious race five times in a row -- a record Armstrong plans to break next year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap-tourdefrance&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[Jeff]

....and Katie Couric jumps on the bandwagon at 7 am EST this morning. God I hate her.

 

[donk]

is it me, or does that picture look photoshopped?

Hopefully next year no one will get hurt (hamilton/beloki) and ullrich will have a real team.

 

[Jeff]

....and then the streak will be over. LA is just too lucky. He was clearly not the best rider out there this year, just the luckiest. But that is all you need sometime.

 

[DecaturHawk]

....and then the streak will be over. LA is just too lucky. He was clearly not the best rider out there this year, just the luckiest. But that is all you need sometime.

Mike, you gotta be kidding me. When was it, Thursday, when he was knocked down by that spectator (bad luck), got up, powered past Ullrich and the rest, and won the stage? That wasn't luck, that was pure power, guts and skill. This guy is a stud, a man's man, and while getting number 6 might be beyond him, there is no tougher athlete on the world stage right now. Lance is da man.

 

[Jen]

Yeah!

So what's his deal with mouthing the trophy girls on the podium? Lance was all over those girls kiss kiss kiss kiss smack lick and kiss. Proving another side to his studliness?

 

[Jeff]

Jan Ullrich ... no team, crashes on the final TT, forced to wait for LA after his crash for fear of not living up to the dumb European cycling courtesies.

Tyler Hamilton ... busted up on day 1

Joseba Beloki ... crashed and forced to abandon

Alex Vinokourev ... no team support because he is the one supposed to be supporting Zabel


Not to take anything away from LA, but everyone keeps hooraying about overcoming a crash and winning the stage. He crashed going up at mountain, probably 15 mph at most, and he knew it was coming. Little kids crash their bikes at that speed and get up again.

Now Ullrich's crash on Saturday....that is something to get up and ride away from.

 

[Jeff]

Yeah!

So what's his deal with mouthing the trophy girls on the podium? Lance was all over those girls kiss kiss kiss kiss smack lick and kiss. Proving another side to his studliness?

If you notice there were only 3 podium girls on the Champs Elysses (sp?). 1 was kicked off the Tour for giving out too many kisses to a rider who never came close to wearing yellow.

 

[Richmond Jake]

I have a difficult time understanding why riding a bicycle is considered a sport.

 

[donk]

RichmondJake quipped

I have a difficult time understanding why riding a bicycle is considered a sport.

Because golf and figure skating are.

Hope you were kidding.

 

[Richmond Jake]

RichmondJake quipped

Because golf and figure skating are.

Hope you were kidding.

I wasn't kidding....and don't put the knock on golf, dude.

 

[BKM]

Richmond Jake. . ..

Them are fighting words! (You do understand the incredible pain and strength involved in climbing a 10%+ grade at 20 mph?)

For the same reason that standing around scratching yourself on a grassy field and occasionally throwing and hitting a small round ball is.

Or breeding steroid enhanced monsters and sending them crashing into each other while drunks rain beer on each other in the stands.

And, I'm sorry, Golf is a GAME. It is not a sport!

 

[Richmond Jake]

Re: Richmond Jake. . ..

And, I'm sorry, Golf is a GAME. It is not a sport!

Unless you've played the "game" under a competitive situation, you'll never understand.

 

[donk]

Unless you've played the "game" under a competitive situation, you'll never understand.

Cycling is the same way.

 

[NHPlanner]

I agree with both donk and richmandjake:

Cycling is absolutely a sport. So is golf.

 

[Jeff]

I have a difficult time understanding why riding a bicycle is considered a sport.

That's quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Why are childrens games, i.e. basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc considered sports?

I challenge you to ride your bike to work 1 day, and then come back and criticize a sport which puts on races covering 2,500 miles through the Alps and Pyrenees.

 

[Cardinal]

Re: Richmond Jake. . ..

(You do understand the incredible pain and strength involved in climbing a 10%+ grade at 20 mph?)

Six cylinders, leather seats, A/C, CD player... not at all painful, even at 60 mph.

 

[el Guapo]

I'm hooked.

This was the first TdF that I watched from start to finish. I learned so much about the sport that I never even would have guessed existed prior to my becoming more involved with cycling. I was simply amazed at the conditioning and strategy the sport requires. These riders have my respect, especially the domestics. The commentary by the staff of OLN was also very informative. They took the time to explain the subtleties of the sport in a way that novices like me could comprehend. It was a fun month and I look forward to next year's TdF.

 

[Tranplanner]

"Incredible - Five Times!"

Funny, that's what my wife said last night...

 

[donk]

El Guapo,

You've joined the dark side. Next year we'll have to do a tour pool. Stay tuned for teh Tour of spain in the fall. You may want to book at rip to Hamilton for World's too. (The world's biggest sporting event of the year)

next you'll know what a domestique and a stagiaire are, then you'll be looking for a C40 and shaving your legs.

Plus they do make gun racks for bicycles.

 

[Habanero]

But Lance isn't getting any special privledges like that golfer guy that is getting to ride his cart while the other golfers walk. Sorry, but I don't consider golf a sport, it's a game, and a lot of the time it's a competitive drinking game.

 

[JNA]

I agree with donk & richmondjake

Cycling - when i lived in Colorado, there was the Coors Tour, seen in the movie American Flyer and there is still the Denver Post Ride the Rockies. Try any of those mtn. climbs!

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

But it's a game, and a lot of the time it's a competitive drinking game.

Competitive Drinking IS A SPORT!

There is the Beer Blader Bust

 

[Richmond Jake]

That's quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Why are childrens games, i.e. basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc considered sports?

I challenge you to ride your bike to work 1 day, and then come back and criticize a sport which puts on races covering 2,500 miles through the Alps and Pyrenees.

When weather permits, I ride my bike to work twice a week. And I didn't criticize, I only questioned if it were bona fide a sport.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

Most alcahol consumed

Best 12 oz can sculpture

Fastest 1 Ltr beer chug

Fastest upside down chug

Most inocuous but inapropriate grope of a server!

 

[michaelskis]

is it me, or does that picture look photoshopped?

Yep, I think it was.... The guy in the pink.. well... a few things are just not right.

 

[SW MI Planner]

And, I'm sorry, Golf is a GAME. It is not a sport!

Serious question - what's the difference between a game and a sport? What makes a game a sport?

 

[The Irish One]

Golf and biking are sports.

Lance rocks, he will win 6 (if his wife lets him)

The OLN guys were great -they always are and they're never pretentious about the sport -something cyclist suffers from IMO. Atleast the local kooks around my parts.

I love it when the podium girls get up and kiss kiss. There is something so attractive about it.

They should have a Tour America and we would be the perfect people to plan it. Geographer/ Bicyclist.

 

[Jeff]

They should have a Tour America and we would be the perfect people to plan it. Geographer/ Bicyclist.

We have the "Tour of Georgia" the "Redlands Classis" "San Fran Gran Prix" "Philly Classis" "NYC Criterium" ....

plus many others which are on the NRC (National Road Calendar). Bike racing is getting bigger and bigger every year in the US, and as sponsors keep coming on board, you will see it promoted more and more. Probbaly never on the Euro level though.

Now Guap....be sure to go to clifbar.com to vote for your Most Valuable Domestique....

And staye tuned for the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) it blows away the TdF and now that your hooked stick around for the Tour of Italy next May.

BTW every Thursday on OLN has a race o' da week.

 

[donk]

There used to be the Tour DuPont, fizzled out due to lack of sponsorship. It was starting to attract the euros.

There was a Tour de Canada, until fianancial and legal problems stopped it.

the biggest problem facing competitive cycling in NA is getting the top euro teams to come over due to the costs (paid by the race organizer) and the lack of communty support (Hamilton has had a hell of time and there are numerous threats of legal action for lost business).

With the UCI changind the rules related to sanctioning events, hopefully racing will get better here.

I won't even get into the recent problems USA Cycling has had.

 

[donk]

OT but this is teh best place to put it.

If you want a cycling jersey from your alma mater here are a few

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?brand=5128&init=y