TopCat
06-23-2005, 01:07 PM
Sorry to keep posting Tour threads, but the race is kind of like March Madness to me. When you get into cycling and really follow the sport, the Tour is an amazing sporting event since it's essentially 21 seperate races packed into a single event. It looks like a sport focusing on individual athletes, but in reality it's a team event with an amazing amount of strategy and team tactics which shape the results of the overall race. The amount of athletic commitment and endurance required to compete in the event dwarfs the physical output of any other sporting event. And at the end, in the decisive moments, it becomes a psychological mono y mano duel to try and physically and mentally destroy your rivals.
This is the last time to watch Lance Armstrong compete in a world class cycling event. This guy may very well be the most underappreciated athlete America has ever produced. To survive cancer and come back to dominate the Tour de France is truly miraculous. What's amazing is how little fan fare his sport gets in the US, even though millions of Americans cycle for recreation.
Anyway, for those of you who are not already interested in the sport, or are curious about it, check out OLN's coverage of the Tour de France throughout the month of July. They do an incredible job of covering the event with camera coverage right in the middle of the event. Very few sports are you able to watch from inside the action, giving the Tour de France a unique perspective.
Latest News
Lance Armstrong
After a seemingly subpar buildup to the Tour, Lance looks to be heading into the Tour in peak form again. He's an older rider now who looks to tactically maximize his race, rather than purely rely on his dominant power and conditioning. He rides extremely stratigically and only expends serious energy at the most decisive moments.
A few months ago I thought it was highly unlikely that he would be able to win the Tour again. He compressed his training into a very short window, but his coach and the people around him are now confident that he's hitting his peak form and will be the man to beat in the Tour. Already he's playing cat and mouse with his main rivals, having shown his strength in the Dauphiné without ever giving maximum effort. In one of the moutain stages recently he let one of his chief rivals go out on an attack, only to calmly reel him back in. Definitely a Lance Armstrong style psychological message. The word from the other riders in the Dauphiné is that Armstrong looks as strong as ever.
Team Discovery
In the man's own words: "I think we have fielded our strongest team ever with this formation," said Armstrong. "It has many consistent elements from years past, like the Spanish armada for the climbs, strong guys like George, Pavel and Benjamin, the Giro winner in Savoldelli plus a guy like Popo (Popovych) with a very bright future. I look forward to leading this team and attempting to give the great folks at Discovery a yellow jersey. I'm more motivated than ever."
With all due respect to T-Mobile, CSC and Phonak, Team Discovery is clearly the most dominant team in the Tour with the best team director in the sport, Johan Bruyneel. Armstrong and Bruyneel use the team to protect Lance, control the race, and destroy the field in the mountains. Unlike T-Mobile or Phonak, who have each have a couple options for lead rider, Discovery is completely built around Lance Armstrong, and the team is absolutely devoted to protecting him.
Rivals
Jan Ullrich
Always named as the rider Armstrong most fears, Ullrich has dedicated himself to preparing specifically for the Tour this year. It's his last chance to beat Armstrong, and Jan himself is nearing the end of his career. That gives him huge motivation to try and knock the Texan off his throne.
Word out of the Tour de Suisse regarding Jan's form has been mixed at best. He clearly showed that he is at the top of his form for the Time Trails, but was dropped in the definitive mountain stage. It seems clear that Jan is determined to take time out of Armstrong in the time trails and hopes to survive in the Pyrenees. Ullrich's critical weakness has always been the Pyrenees, whose steep slopes have never suited Ullrich's big ring style. He lacks the acceleration to attack Armstrong in these stages and it appears he's not been successful at addressing that weakness. Most experts feel the Pyrenees will decide this year's Tour, and if that's true, it doesn't bode well for Jan Ullrich.
Ivan Basso
This guy has looked the best of all the challengers, and is clearly the next dominant rider in cycling. Last year he was with Armstrong at the top of every mountain stage, but faltered badly in the time trails. Judging by his results in the Giro, he's more than addressed that weakness. He's become an all around solid rider and his climbing ability will keep him at the front of the Tour contenders.
Two big questions arise when talking about Basso. Does he actually believe he can beat Armstrong, and has he recovered from his effort in the Giro? Most people think it was a mistake for him to ride the Giro, so it will be interesting to see how his form is towards the end of the Tour when the legs are weary from the mountains and the miles. If he rides the way he did at the Giro, Basso is a serious threat to win the Tour. He has a solid team that's dedicated to supporting him and it's just a matter of time before he wins the Tour de France. Will it be this year?
Alexander Vinokourov
Another T-Mobile ride who's approaching the end of his career. Vino looked really good in the Dauphiné and has the best season of any of the T-Mobile riders. He won the stage to Mount Ventoux, which was the big mountain test in the Dauphiné. Vinokourov could likely pose a more serious challenge than Ullrich, since the rider from Kazakstan is known for his ferocious attacking style. Vino is not a guy who rides in the shadows of others in the mountains. He goes off on attacks and tries to shatter his rivals.
The trick with Vinokourov is that he's a solid but not spectacular time trialer, and his frequent mountain attacks produce inconsistent results in the mountain stages. He may win one stage with a freocious effort, and then get dropped by two minutes on the next. He'll need to ride a much more tactically savvy race if he wants to beat Lance. To beat Lance you have to be consistent over 21 days, not just one or two days in the mountains. Still, Vinokourov is a serious threat.
The Best of the Rest
Of the other riders, you have to take a look at American riders Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis, as well as Landis's Phonak teammate Santiago Botero. Botero has looked exceptionally dangerous. He's a world class time trialer and displayed excellent climbing skills in the Dauphiné. This guy is a legitimate podium threat and one that Team Discovery will need to mark at all times. especially riding with a very strong Phonak squad. Leipheimer has a weak team, but is definitely a Top-5 type rider. Levi is looking for a podium finish, but realizes that winning the event is probably not a realistic goal.
Some of the other usual suspects haven't looked good at all so far. Andreas Klöden, who finished second last year, has looked terrible all season. Iban Mayo, the Spanish climbing sensation, along with fellow Spanish climbing ace Roberto Heras haven't offered an impressive demonstration of any kind. I suspect that Heras is targeting the Vuelta de Espana and does not consider himself a major player for the Tour de France. Those guys would have to perform unbelievably in the mountains to offset their lack of time trialing ability.
There are a number of other threats from guys who have shown good form in the lead up races, so Team Discovery is going to really have to mark a number of riders to make sure someone doesn't sneak away and grab 10 minutes on a flat stage. There are definitely some up-and-comers who could steal a Tour win if the top teams aren't allert to their tactics.
Conclusions
This Tour will definitely not be a walkover like last season, where every main threat to Armstrong collapsed at some point during the race. Basso is stronger, Vinokourov is back, and Ullrich looks focused. T-Mobile, CSC and Phonak all look like strong, capable teams. And Armstrong himself is not as clearly dominant as he was three years ago.
The general consensous among the experts is that Armstrong is showing enough to win his 7th Tour de France. But it will be a very difficult race, and the results in Paris should see a very close finish. What can never be discounted is the heart of a champion. Somebody would need to step up with a huge effort to knock Armstrong off the top rung of the podium. So, barring a crash or an injury, this year's Tour de France should be a spectacular finish to the career of one of the United States' greatest champions!
Armstrong on the fastest bike in the World - Trek TTX
http://img122.echo.cx/img122/5091/lance7pb.jpg
:cheers:
This is the last time to watch Lance Armstrong compete in a world class cycling event. This guy may very well be the most underappreciated athlete America has ever produced. To survive cancer and come back to dominate the Tour de France is truly miraculous. What's amazing is how little fan fare his sport gets in the US, even though millions of Americans cycle for recreation.
Anyway, for those of you who are not already interested in the sport, or are curious about it, check out OLN's coverage of the Tour de France throughout the month of July. They do an incredible job of covering the event with camera coverage right in the middle of the event. Very few sports are you able to watch from inside the action, giving the Tour de France a unique perspective.
Latest News
Lance Armstrong
After a seemingly subpar buildup to the Tour, Lance looks to be heading into the Tour in peak form again. He's an older rider now who looks to tactically maximize his race, rather than purely rely on his dominant power and conditioning. He rides extremely stratigically and only expends serious energy at the most decisive moments.
A few months ago I thought it was highly unlikely that he would be able to win the Tour again. He compressed his training into a very short window, but his coach and the people around him are now confident that he's hitting his peak form and will be the man to beat in the Tour. Already he's playing cat and mouse with his main rivals, having shown his strength in the Dauphiné without ever giving maximum effort. In one of the moutain stages recently he let one of his chief rivals go out on an attack, only to calmly reel him back in. Definitely a Lance Armstrong style psychological message. The word from the other riders in the Dauphiné is that Armstrong looks as strong as ever.
Team Discovery
In the man's own words: "I think we have fielded our strongest team ever with this formation," said Armstrong. "It has many consistent elements from years past, like the Spanish armada for the climbs, strong guys like George, Pavel and Benjamin, the Giro winner in Savoldelli plus a guy like Popo (Popovych) with a very bright future. I look forward to leading this team and attempting to give the great folks at Discovery a yellow jersey. I'm more motivated than ever."
With all due respect to T-Mobile, CSC and Phonak, Team Discovery is clearly the most dominant team in the Tour with the best team director in the sport, Johan Bruyneel. Armstrong and Bruyneel use the team to protect Lance, control the race, and destroy the field in the mountains. Unlike T-Mobile or Phonak, who have each have a couple options for lead rider, Discovery is completely built around Lance Armstrong, and the team is absolutely devoted to protecting him.
Rivals
Jan Ullrich
Always named as the rider Armstrong most fears, Ullrich has dedicated himself to preparing specifically for the Tour this year. It's his last chance to beat Armstrong, and Jan himself is nearing the end of his career. That gives him huge motivation to try and knock the Texan off his throne.
Word out of the Tour de Suisse regarding Jan's form has been mixed at best. He clearly showed that he is at the top of his form for the Time Trails, but was dropped in the definitive mountain stage. It seems clear that Jan is determined to take time out of Armstrong in the time trails and hopes to survive in the Pyrenees. Ullrich's critical weakness has always been the Pyrenees, whose steep slopes have never suited Ullrich's big ring style. He lacks the acceleration to attack Armstrong in these stages and it appears he's not been successful at addressing that weakness. Most experts feel the Pyrenees will decide this year's Tour, and if that's true, it doesn't bode well for Jan Ullrich.
Ivan Basso
This guy has looked the best of all the challengers, and is clearly the next dominant rider in cycling. Last year he was with Armstrong at the top of every mountain stage, but faltered badly in the time trails. Judging by his results in the Giro, he's more than addressed that weakness. He's become an all around solid rider and his climbing ability will keep him at the front of the Tour contenders.
Two big questions arise when talking about Basso. Does he actually believe he can beat Armstrong, and has he recovered from his effort in the Giro? Most people think it was a mistake for him to ride the Giro, so it will be interesting to see how his form is towards the end of the Tour when the legs are weary from the mountains and the miles. If he rides the way he did at the Giro, Basso is a serious threat to win the Tour. He has a solid team that's dedicated to supporting him and it's just a matter of time before he wins the Tour de France. Will it be this year?
Alexander Vinokourov
Another T-Mobile ride who's approaching the end of his career. Vino looked really good in the Dauphiné and has the best season of any of the T-Mobile riders. He won the stage to Mount Ventoux, which was the big mountain test in the Dauphiné. Vinokourov could likely pose a more serious challenge than Ullrich, since the rider from Kazakstan is known for his ferocious attacking style. Vino is not a guy who rides in the shadows of others in the mountains. He goes off on attacks and tries to shatter his rivals.
The trick with Vinokourov is that he's a solid but not spectacular time trialer, and his frequent mountain attacks produce inconsistent results in the mountain stages. He may win one stage with a freocious effort, and then get dropped by two minutes on the next. He'll need to ride a much more tactically savvy race if he wants to beat Lance. To beat Lance you have to be consistent over 21 days, not just one or two days in the mountains. Still, Vinokourov is a serious threat.
The Best of the Rest
Of the other riders, you have to take a look at American riders Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis, as well as Landis's Phonak teammate Santiago Botero. Botero has looked exceptionally dangerous. He's a world class time trialer and displayed excellent climbing skills in the Dauphiné. This guy is a legitimate podium threat and one that Team Discovery will need to mark at all times. especially riding with a very strong Phonak squad. Leipheimer has a weak team, but is definitely a Top-5 type rider. Levi is looking for a podium finish, but realizes that winning the event is probably not a realistic goal.
Some of the other usual suspects haven't looked good at all so far. Andreas Klöden, who finished second last year, has looked terrible all season. Iban Mayo, the Spanish climbing sensation, along with fellow Spanish climbing ace Roberto Heras haven't offered an impressive demonstration of any kind. I suspect that Heras is targeting the Vuelta de Espana and does not consider himself a major player for the Tour de France. Those guys would have to perform unbelievably in the mountains to offset their lack of time trialing ability.
There are a number of other threats from guys who have shown good form in the lead up races, so Team Discovery is going to really have to mark a number of riders to make sure someone doesn't sneak away and grab 10 minutes on a flat stage. There are definitely some up-and-comers who could steal a Tour win if the top teams aren't allert to their tactics.
Conclusions
This Tour will definitely not be a walkover like last season, where every main threat to Armstrong collapsed at some point during the race. Basso is stronger, Vinokourov is back, and Ullrich looks focused. T-Mobile, CSC and Phonak all look like strong, capable teams. And Armstrong himself is not as clearly dominant as he was three years ago.
The general consensous among the experts is that Armstrong is showing enough to win his 7th Tour de France. But it will be a very difficult race, and the results in Paris should see a very close finish. What can never be discounted is the heart of a champion. Somebody would need to step up with a huge effort to knock Armstrong off the top rung of the podium. So, barring a crash or an injury, this year's Tour de France should be a spectacular finish to the career of one of the United States' greatest champions!
Armstrong on the fastest bike in the World - Trek TTX
http://img122.echo.cx/img122/5091/lance7pb.jpg
:cheers: