Armstrong and the TdF

[Noodley]

...and I'll follow you, red rubber pants and all.

I'll be crossing my fingers that Cuddles finally pulls it off.

With you in red rubber pants I'm sure he'll pull something!

 

[cedfromfrance]

Contador, without a doubt. Armstrong will do all right though, again.

Having follow the Criterium du Dauphine 2 weeks ago, I would still put my money on Contador, he didn't come here to win it, but just get stronger. He's now practising around Madrid and will be as strong as ever in 2 weeks when they reach the Alps. I think Andy will still be the main threat and possibly Kreuziger. Lance won't reach the podium (I would like to though)

 

[just jim]

Lance's last tour. What next? Politics maybe?

 

[John the Monkey]

Lance's last tour. What next? Politics maybe?

Directeur Sportif, then big cheese at the UCI. Possibly buying ASO along the way somewhere.

 

[Chuffy]

Love the Freudian slip there from Big Tex - "And yes, this will be final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to three great weeks,"
No Lance, no Tour. The end of cycling itself is surely close behind.

 

[yello]

Is he expecting some kind of party or something? Has it been renamed The Farewell Lance Tour. It really does speak volumes about the man's arrogance self belief doesn't it!

 

[Blue]

Putting such anti LA venom into opinions about the meaning of what was probably an innocent statement shows one thing very clearly.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Putting such anti LA venom into opinions about the meaning of what was probably an innocent statement shows one thing very clearly.

And assuming it must be an innocent statement shows another thing very clearly!

(Seriously, of course you can over-interepret and we all add our biases eo things, but people's offhand comments can say a lot about them, especially when we already have a context - one of reasons why social psychology is so interesting - and I don't think even Lance's biggest fans would deny he was pretty arrogant and self-centred, would they?)

 

[raindog]

Whether one likes or dislikes Armstrong I think it can be safely understood that he meant his last TdeF and not the last TdeF.

 

[yello]

Indeed raindog, I'd agree with you.

I have made an assumption (I must admit) that people have read an article that I read recently. Believe me, I'm not just making my comments on the quoted remark. In that article, LA really does come across as believing he IS the tour, that it somehow owes him something. Without denying his achievements, the TdF is about way more than any one cyclist.

If I can remember where I read it (and it was probably online) then I'll post the link.

 

[Chuffy]

Haters 1 Fanboys 0
It's shooting fish in a barrel season again!

 

[John the Monkey]

I do think his recent troubles have shown how reliant parts of the bike industry have become on him though (or how reliant they believe themselves to be on him, perhaps).

 

[stavros]

Alberto all the way way to Paris, partly 'cause he's not an unpleasant t**t like Armstrong but he's poetry to watch! NB no I'm not female.

 

[montage]

I've not followed Alberto much this year....but I've heard he has been off the mark. Lance, hate it or not, is in amazing condition - rumoured to nearly have hit the record time climbing the Col de la Madone only a couple of days ago whilst training. He also has what can be argued to be the strongest team there. I don't think the 9/1 odds the bookies are offering does him much justice!

 

[lukesdad]

I ll be interested to see how Saxobank play it. If they re on the front driving to the climbs as in previous years then the odds are the Shlecks ll be on form, and the old codgers at the shack can forget it! It ll play nicely into Berties hands,and Vino will add his twopence worth for old times sake.