Will lance win again?

[BoliverAllmon]

who thinks he will win again and why?

[Dazzer]

who's lance?

[joachimf]

Ditto. And what may he win?

[pianonut]

you don't know lance armstrong?  he is the best and the cutest.  he is my bicycling hero.  he must win.  may the force be with him, and may the winds guide him.  may he never fall down.  and, may his stamina hold up (despite his advancing age) against much younger cyclists.  if he doesn't win, i will be sooo disappointed, but will think at least he didn't give up and probably will place in the finals.  maybe he'll give it to someone else?  ha.  no. he's too much of a competitor and the prize is probably his salary (unless he does something else, too).  must win.

[wintervind]

I hope he does! I'm here in France watching it live

[pianonut]

sigh

[Siberian Husky]

well people dont specify anything with these kinds of posts...like that dr beat thread..cuolda atelast posted a merchanside link with specs..or SOMETHIN..instead of...

"hey do ya think this?"

[m1469]

Lance Armstrong

Became a professional bicyclist at the age of 16 and trained with the US olympic team during his senior year in highschool.  Went on to win top honours in various competitions and was almost effortlessly rising in his field.  During what seemed like the top of his game, he was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.  He had less than a 50-50 chance of recovering but was determined and began a chemotherapy that allowed him to recover fully without loosing any lung capacity... and started to ride again.

In 1999, after having recovered from cancer, he took his first title in the Tour de France and has taken each title since.  This year he is competing for what would be his 7th title in a row.  He is currently in 2nd place overall and has put over a minute lead over his biggest competitors and is only about 2 seconds behind the first place person.  He surprised everybody through the sprints during the third stage, because he is supposedly stronger in the longer sections and through the hills.  There is still a loooong way to go.

What an inspiration, I am rooting for him 


m1469

[thalbergmad]

I had my doubts about the man until i saw the prologue. Surely not even the greatest of optomists would have predicted he would overtake Ullrich.

If he don't  fall off or screw up in the mountains, i can't see him getting beat.

2nd on the all time list to the cannibal.

[m1469]

Yeah, but Ullrich put his bare head through the back window of his own training car so I will be interested to see how he does as the days go on and that accident gets further behind him.


*YITTAH HEY !!  YITTAH HO !!  HIT THAT BALL AND GO, GO, GO !*  ooops, wrong cheer 


GO LANCE !!! whoot, whoot   


m1469

[thalbergmad]

Yeh, and he don't look overweight this year.

Going to be interesting this year.

[BoliverAllmon]

He is definately genetically gifted. He has the capabilities of a Heartbeat of 201, where most people max around 180. That plus his heart actually being enlarged give him the ability to pump faster and more blood to his muscles. This keeps him less tired. I find it amazing that these guys all eat 9000 calories a day. He doesn't need his cycling winnings. He has endorsements. I think the last couple of years he gives the winnings to his team mates.

boliver

[dave santino]

I think that in all honesty, Armstrong and Ulrich are the two favourites, and Lance will probably come out on top. Neither of them can compare to Merckx tho!! Interesting facts: my maternal grandfather was the first Briton to win a stage of the Tour de France, and also held the record for the largest gap between the stage winner and the peloton for over 40 years.

[thalbergmad]

Would that be Brian Robinson 1958??

[BoliverAllmon]

lance is leading already. what was the record?

[Floristan]

Lance has the yellow jersey!  Go Lance!

[thalbergmad]

lance is leading already. what was the record?

At a guess, i think it could be Pantani's massive mountain escape in 1998.

[BoliverAllmon]

times please. I am really curious.

[Bouter Boogie]

who's lance?

OMG.. You don't know who Lance Armstrong is!?               

[llamaman]

who's lance?

*dies* You haven't heard of Lance Armstrong?!?!?!?!

I'm not sure if he will win, there are tons of other good cyclists n the competition, McEwen, Ullrich, Julich, Booner, Zabiskie, I just don't he can win against them. We'll see later on though, he only really starts getting competitive at Stage 10.

[BoliverAllmon]

He starts getting competitive in the mountains, but he already winning. Scary really. already a 55 sec lead.

boliver

[Kassaa]

He's going to quit after this tour, isn't he?

[mikeyg]

retire, yes

[BoliverAllmon]

is he retiring from cycling or just the tour de france? I thought he might still ride some of the smaller races.

[thalbergmad]

I think he will retire for good. In the past he has used lesser races to train for the Tour.

If he is not riding the Tour, he will have no need for them.

[llamaman]

It looks like he's going to win now. None of the other real threats can sprint as well as he can, but the time trial..............

[BoliverAllmon]

It looks like he's going to win now. None of the other real threats can sprint as well as he can, but the time trial..............

yeah it looks like it is over.

[llamaman]

There's always to see who gets the Green though. White, Yellow, and Polka-Dot have pretty much been decided already.

[BoliverAllmon]

not interested in the other jerseys really.

[Siberian Husky]

this guy is an inspiration..

[BoliverAllmon]

true he is an inspiration, but from what I hear he needs to learn some manners. quite the egomaniac.

[stormx]

Sorry guys, but i bet that Mr. Amstrong is NOT CLEAN. 

He was a normal cyclist, without a great palmares ...then he got testicle cancer, that almost costed his life..and after surviving it, he was not only able to return to the sport (what is already a big achievement) but he suddenly became the BEST in the world, winning a record 7 "Tour de France" in a row (already counting 2005).

Nice story, good for newspapers, but i dont swallow it 

PD: he is not the only doped, of course. Cyclism is probably the sport with more DOPING around there.

[m1469]

true he is an inspiration, but from what I hear he needs to learn some manners. quite the egomaniac.

Well, even if that's true, nobody's perfect.   The positive influence he has had on many idividuals outweigh his bouts with visible human struggle, imo.


m1469

[Aziel]

Sorry guys, but i bet that Mr. Amstrong is NOT CLEAN.  

He was a normal cyclist, without a great palmares ...then he got testicle cancer, that almost costed his life..and after surviving it, he was not only able to return to the sport (what is already a big achievement) but he suddenly became the BEST in the world, winning a record 7 "Tour de France" in a row (already counting 2005).

Nice story, good for newspapers, but i dont swallow it  

PD: he is not the only doped, of course. Cyclism is probably the sport with more DOPING around there.

Most people (including his fans) don't realize he takes a prescription testosterome enhancer.  This acts like a semi-steroid.  Sad thing is they allow him to race even with this drug (money does talk I guess), I mean come, there are the special olympics for a reason.  I'm not saying you shouldn't support him though...

But don't listen to me.  Look up the real facts yourself.

[m1469]

Most people (including his fans) don't realize he takes a prescription testosterome enhancer. 

How have you scored such secretive and elite information ? 

But don't listen to me.  Look up the real facts yourself.

Which are located... where ?

[BoliverAllmon]

even if he does take testosterone enhancer, the doctors give an amount that brings the testosterone levels up to normal levels. If they didn't then all of the special olympic records would be better than the normal olympics. THE REAL FACTS ARE THOUGH, the special olympic's records are slower and beneath the other olympics.

boliver

[prometheus]

Armstrong is by far the most professional cyclist. Most of them are all conservative and old fashioned. They didn't even stretch or warm up until recent. To me this is strange. The others don't even try to win. Armstrong lives for his sport. Ullrich doesn't. He always comes bad prepared and only gets in shape the last week, when he already lost.

Plus the whole T-Mobile strategy was a joke. CSC probably agreed to compete for number two only before they started. They apperently have friendly connections with Discovery.

Armstrong is just the smartest and the best prepared.

I have no idea which people use illegal performance enhancing drugs. I wouldn't be suprised if a lot of people, anywhere in the really competitive sports, use alot of illegal stuff or unfair stuff. I do wonder what influence his illness has had on his performance the last years.

But I don't see why he should be excluded from cycling if he has an advantage. There are people with rare genes so they have more red blood cells than normal people. Other people life in mountains so they have more red blood cells too.

Some people are build too big and strong to do well in the heavy mountains. People just aren't equal. Maybe you think he was 'lucky' to get cancer. I know some other cyclists that got cancer in their early 20's and they didn't recover, let alone get back stronger. They had to quit.

If Armstrong needs medice to stay healthy that also allow him to cylce faster that is ok to me. That's not cheating. It's not his choice.

I don't see why he would be egomaniac. The same thing happened with Michael Schumacher and other people that towered above the competition. They aren't well liked.   

And the special olympics, they will soon be able to design artificial sprinting legs that are way faster than natural evolved legs. So special olymics times will become faster in some  areas. I think the whole special olympics is stupid.

[xvimbi]

I don't see why he would be egomaniac. The same thing happened with Michael Schumacher and other people that towered above the competition. They aren't well liked.

No, this didn't happen to these people. It is the way they are. If you look at anybody who is extremely successful in what they are doing, it is usually because they are ultra-competitive and don't give a d*** about anybody who slows down their progress. This is true in business, sports or science. There are very few people who are both exceptional in their profession and decent people at the same time. If one wants to be better than everbody else, one has to be ruthless and egotistical; it's the definition of "competition".

Anyway, what Armstrong did is ineed exceptional. But it is exceptional only in his area. In a grander scheme of things, what he does is utterly and completely meaningless. Who cares if anybody can ride a certain distance in a certain time?

Does Armstrong have a positive impact? Yes, he does. He serves, as mentioned before, as an inspiration to others. This is a lot. Forget about the cycling aspect. Making other people's lives better (in whatever way) is a genuine accomplishment (IMO anyway).

However, if looked at closely, Armstrong certainly can't be considered a role model. For that, his human qualities are lacking tremendously. So, those who look at Armstrong for inspiration are misguided IMO, unless they value the competitive aspects more than human aspects. There are better choices available. I much rather prefer the neighbor down the street who overcame breast cancer while raising a family of four on low income, managing to hold her marriage together (something Armstrong was not able to do), at the same time teaching at elementary school and still able to smile at everybody (and as far as I know, she didn't use any banned substances). If we are talking about sports, I'd much rather prefer Tiger Woods or Steffi Graf over Lance Armstrong and Michael Schumacher. But then again, what all these guys did is completely meaningless.

[prometheus]

No, this didn't happen to these people. It is the way they are.

The thing that happened is that people started to dislike them when he began to win more.

I don't know anything about either Armstrong's or Schumancher's personal life. And I don't care either. I see them on TV. I can't say I like F1 so I don't watch it. But how on earth can I judge them as humans?

[thracozaag]

who thinks he will win again and why?

  What an AMAZING athlete, huh? 

koji

[c18cont]

Who Cares?

John

[BoliverAllmon]

amazing indeed. babe ruth of cycling.

[BoliverAllmon]

apparently you don't care.

[i_m_robot]

No, this didn't happen to these people. It is the way they are. If you look at anybody who is extremely successful in what they are doing, it is usually because they are ultra-competitive and don't give a d*** about anybody who slows down their progress. This is true in business, sports or science. There are very few people who are both exceptional in their profession and decent people at the same time. If one wants to be better than everbody else, one has to be ruthless and egotistical; it's the definition of "competition".

Anyway, what Armstrong did is ineed exceptional. But it is exceptional only in his area. In a grander scheme of things, what he does is utterly and completely meaningless. Who cares if anybody can ride a certain distance in a certain time?

Does Armstrong have a positive impact? Yes, he does. He serves, as mentioned before, as an inspiration to others. This is a lot. Forget about the cycling aspect. Making other people's lives better (in whatever way) is a genuine accomplishment (IMO anyway).

However, if looked at closely, Armstrong certainly can't be considered a role model. For that, his human qualities are lacking tremendously. So, those who look at Armstrong for inspiration are misguided IMO, unless they value the competitive aspects more than human aspects. There are better choices available. I much rather prefer the neighbor down the street who overcame breast cancer while raising a family of four on low income, managing to hold her marriage together (something Armstrong was not able to do), at the same time teaching at elementary school and still able to smile at everybody (and as far as I know, she didn't use any banned substances). If we are talking about sports, I'd much rather prefer Tiger Woods or Steffi Graf over Lance Armstrong and Michael Schumacher. But then again, what all these guys did is completely meaningless.

so's the rest of life

what meaning is there when one lies in bed at night

is that overwhelming feeling we get when we look to the stars really excitement or a realization of the truth of meaninglessness of it all

we are amazed by the incomprehendable

caged in shackles of our own subconscious

we look to art, media, atheletics and society to find our place

when it is all meaningless

oh yeah

and

little girls can come out of the tv screen too

[stormx]

Sports have rules.
If you break the rules, you are a cheater and you are out of the game.
Taking banned substances in forbidden. Amstrong takes them.

Enough said.

[pianonut]

i don't agree that people who are successful are always cut-throat.  it is actually quite amazing how many people who are successful have learned a lot from life and are quieter, think things through more, and generally humble.  they don't rush to decisions.  they don't follow a crowd.  they study a lot.  and, many are quite faithful to their friends.  just because lance armstrong's marriage didn't work out didn't mean that he didn't try.  i think it's hard for anyone to 'have it all.'  you take what works, and the gifts that are given to you - and you just work with it.  he has taken a gift and made it into inspiration for people who think about quitting.

here's a poem that reminds me of lance.  my grandmother had it in her bible.  can change the 'she' to 'he' to make sense for armstrong:

it couldn't be done

somebody said it couldn't be done
but she, with a chuckle replied
that 'maybe it couldn't, but she would be one
who wouldn't say so till she'd tried.
so she buckled right in, with the trace of a grin,
on her face.   if she worried she hid it.
she started to sing as she tackled the thing
that couldn't be done, and she did it.

somebody scoffed "oh, you'll never do that
at least no one ever has done it."
but she took off her coat and took off her hat,
and the first thing we knew she'd begun it,
with a lift of her chin and a bit of a grin,
without any doubting or quiddit,
she started to sing, as she tackled the thing
that couldn't be done, and she did it.

there are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
there are thousands to prophesy failure,
there are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
the dangers that wait to assail you.
but just buckle in, with a bit of a grin,
just take off your coat and go to it'
just start to sing, as you tackle the thing
that 'couldn't be done,' and you'll do it.

edgar a. guest

[BoliverAllmon]

Sports have rules.
If you break the rules, you are a cheater and you are out of the game.
Taking banned substances in forbidden. Amstrong takes them.

Enough said.

He is tested frequently and never fails.

[thracozaag]

Sports have rules.
If you break the rules, you are a cheater and you are out of the game.
Taking banned substances in forbidden. Amstrong takes them.

Enough said.

  LOL.

Enough said.

koji