Spaceman Spiff Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 This is just sick... http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2005/news/story?id=2106026&num=0 Armstrong powers away from rivals on mountains Associated Press COURCHEVEL, France -- Lance Armstrong took a decisive step toward a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory, recapturing the overall leader's yellow jersey by blowing away his main rivals Tuesday on this year's first Alpine stage. Armstrong did the damage on the punishing 13.8-mile climb to the ski station of Courchevel, eating up the ascent with ease while Jan Ullrich and other challengers grimaced in pain behind. Spain's Alejandro Valverde won the 10th stage, just beating Armstrong to the finish line, but is not considered one of Armstrong's main rivals in this year's race. Valverde and Armstrong finished the 110.9-mile stage in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 35 seconds. Mickael Rasmussen is second in the overall standings, 38 seconds behind Armstrong. Ivan Basso, among the main challengers left behind by Armstrong on Tuesday's ascent, is third overall -- 2:40 behind the Texan. Valverde and Armstrong shook hands in the saddle after they crossed the line. "Today I had good legs," Armstrong said, praising his Discovery Channel team, which piled on the pace in the first sections of the ascent, whittling down the field. "It is a really tough team with a lot of pride." He also praised Valverde, who is racing his first Tour but already has been mentioned as a potential future winner. "Everybody has seen the future of cycling," Armstrong said. Armstrong headed into the first Alpine stage with a sizable, but not invincible, lead over his main rivals -- Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Kloeden of the T-Mobile squad, and Italian Ivan Basso of Team CSC. Armstrong used the mountains in previous Tours to power away from rivals, putting a grip on the race that he kept to Paris. An exception was 2003 -- when he struggled, but still found a way to win and match the then-record of five Tour victories. There was no ambiguity about his record sixth victory last year. He won all three Alpine stages as well as one of two in the Pyrenees, and topped off his domination by taking the final time trial. That left him free to sip champagne in the saddle as he rode into Paris to claim the winner's yellow jersey. This year, Armstrong appears determined to confound those who wonder whether he is too old or jaded at 33 to win again. He rode to a second-place finish in the opening time trial, building big time gaps over Ullrich, Basso and others. "That was scary," Basso's teammate Bobby Julich said. Such a strong start shows that "he's ready to rock some cages in the mountains." Armstrong's squad then delivered him the overall lead by winning the team time trial on Day 4. Armstrong wore the race leader's yellow jersey for the next five days and then tactically surrendered it on Sunday to CSC's Jens Voigt. Voigt is not a contender for the overall crown, so letting the German wear the famed jersey in the days preceding the mountainous stages was not a problem for Armstrong. Because of a protest at the start by farmers angry over wolf attacks on sheep and cows, organizers shortened the route by 8.7 miles, beginning the race just after the town of Froges, near the Alpine city of Grenoble. That cut the run to the ski station of Courchevel to 110.9 miles instead of 119.6-miles. The route included two major climbs, including a long uphill finish, that were expected to show which of the main riders are on top form and start separating pretenders from genuine contenders. Russian Evgeni Petrov was expelled from the race before Tuesday's stage after he failed a blood test. The Lampre cyclist was among 33 riders given a blood test Tuesday morning by cycling's governing body. All but Petrov were allowed to continue, organizers said. Organizers did not say which specific abnormalities were found in Petrov's test. Aside from his Lampre team, other squads tested were Team CSC, AG2R and Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel. The UCI, which governs cycling, regularly tests riders through the three-week race and bars those found to have abnormalities. Petrov was the first rider barred this year. He had been in 45th place overall. The key time gaps to watch in the three Alpine stages are those between Armstrong, Ullrich, Kloeden, Vinokourov and Basso and a few other riders, including former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis, who could still surprise. Vinokourov, the Kazakhstan champion who placed third in the 2003 Tour, is 1 minute and 2 seconds behind Armstrong. Basso, third last year, is 1:26 back. Ullrich, the 1997 winner and a five-time runner-up, trails by 1:36. Kloeden, last year's runner-up, and Landis are both 1:50 behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdowwe Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 USA USA USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 he gave up the jersey the other day to spend with his woman, if he is so much better then everyone else why quit after this year?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXREDSKINS44 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by jbooma he gave up the jersey the other day to spend with his woman, if he is so much better then everyone else why quit after this year?? Maybe he wants to spend more time with is Girlfriend!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDoyler23 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Tour de Lance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted July 12, 2005 Author Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by jbooma he gave up the jersey the other day to spend with his woman, if he is so much better then everyone else why quit after this year?? um...what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 What else does he have to prove? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by jbooma he gave up the jersey the other day to spend with his woman, if he is so much better then everyone else why quit after this year?? Henhh... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateCitySkin Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 whats the big deal with the leader jersey ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I am the "Lance Armstrong" of my neighborhood... None of the kids can keep up with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoCommiesGo Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I would like to spend some time with his girlfriend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSteve Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 The best drugged up Biker there ever was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLRedskins Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I have been in those mountains they are pretty steep and those are the small ones on tour . But they should really have the tour in my neck of the woods (Bavarian Alps) and then travel through Süd Tirol.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poidog22 Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Man, I gotta read these thread titles better....I thought the name of this thread was "Lance Crashes in the Alps"....maybe I just need to stop drinking before I get on here... :jk: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Originally posted by ChocolateCitySkin whats the big deal with the leader jersey ? Going through the Alps is typically when Lance Armstrong puts away the competition. He lost the overall lead for a day or two (no big deal in the grand scheme of things) and knew he'd reclaim it. I don't think they expected to reclaim it during the first mountain stage, though. I still can't tell if he's just really strong this year or if the competition has just taken a step back. When was the last time get even got the yellow jersey this early before getting to the mountain stages? Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMac Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 I have a question that has driven me nuts. I just read that Lance Armstrong is still in the overall lead by :38 What I dont understand is how come for the second day in a row his lead had not increased or decreased. I know he did not finish tied right next to Rasmussen today, so why doesnt the time change? Last year the very last day of the race Lance had a few minute lead and they kept saying it was just a mere victory lap for him and I was thinking, what if the guy behind him in second beat him by more than the overall lead? What am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 It's French math. When a group of riders all come across the finish line in a pack they all get the same time regardless of whether the person at the front of the pack comes across 10 seconds ahead of the person at the back of the pack. Thus it makes it very hard to make up time unless you blow somebody away. The leader will always make sure to not let the riders close to him in terms of overall time beat him by alot. He might lose a stage by 2 minutes, but he doesn't care if the winner of the stage is in 30th place overall. So he justs fends of his closest competitors. I agree though, it seems weird that you can lose various stages and still be ahead. As for your example of last year, it is very difficult to make up alot of time in certain stages such as time trials, because the difference between riders is so small. Mountain stages are the best for increasing your lead or catching up with someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 He continues to amaze after being so close to the Big Sleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsBry Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Originally posted by JMac Last year the very last day of the race Lance had a few minute lead and they kept saying it was just a mere victory lap for him and I was thinking, what if the guy behind him in second beat him by more than the overall lead? The last day is more of a nice bike ride. Nobody challenges the yellow jersey on the last day. If memory serves me correctly, there are sprint checkpoints on the last stage so anyone in contention for the green jersey will race for that, but not yellow. If Lance holds on to the yellow through the Pyrenees and the time trial, the tour is his but those stages are the key. He has to be near or at the front at the end of those stages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Originally posted by TheSteve The best drugged up Biker there ever was. :no: The French have made it their mission in life for years to prove this and they've come up with bupkis. Au naturale baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Originally posted by redman :no: The French have made it their mission in life for years to prove this and they've come up with bupkis. Au naturale baby! "He only 'az one testeecle! He eez more aerodynameek!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSteve Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Originally posted by redman :no: The French have made it their mission in life for years to prove this and they've come up with bupkis. Au naturale baby! As with Barry Bonds, Giambi, McGwire, it is only a matter of time before Armstrong is found out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 TheSteve, It could be that Armstrong is just better than everyone else. A physical bicycling freak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Tooth Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 so he has a minute lead right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westbrook36 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 You can put any 4-5 riders in Armstrong's position, with his team(s) and they would have won the same tours as he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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