Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

It is clear now. Iban Mayo is the only threat to LA. After what
happened at L'Alpe d'Huez and the stage yesterday, the contenders and
pretenders have been revealed. Ullrich doesn't look to be able to
keep up with the big boys in the steep climbs and I never considered
Beloki to be a serious threat to LA. It had to be a challenger who
was new and whose abilities weren't fully revealed in previous Tours.
A revelation. This is the guy. Mayo has already proven that he can
beat LA in a prologue in the Dauphine, and shattered him on that climb
up D'Huez. This guy is young, climbs like a fiend, and isn't too
shabby on the TT. The only thing that might hurt him is the fact that
this Tour (those TdF idiots) is probably the easiest of the Tours
since Lance started winning. Hardly any mountain top finishes, 2 TTT
and 1 ITT instead of just 1 TTT and 2 ITT. This could really hurt
Mayo as his team is nothing compared to Postal. I don't see Mayo
winning unless he takes 2 minute chunks out of LA in the Pyrenees, and
that will be hard to do without mountaintop finishes. Its a shame,
the Tour committee was trying to design an easier course to make it
more difficult for Lance to win his 5th, but in the process, they've
made it easier for him as his main contender is a better climber. The
irony of it all, the foolishness of the French.

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

How 'bout the guy who won the stage yesterday, and is only 21" back
from Lance?

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David N. Welton
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Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

Norm T wrote:
It is clear now. Iban Mayo is the only threat to LA. After what
happened at L'Alpe d'Huez and the stage yesterday, the contenders and
pretenders have been revealed. Ullrich doesn't look to be able to
keep up with the big boys in the steep climbs and I never considered
Beloki to be a serious threat to LA.

Yah, right, now you tell us.

... Hardly any mountain top finishes, 2 TTT
and 1 ITT instead of just 1 TTT and 2 ITT. This could really hurt
Mayo as his team is nothing compared to Postal.

2 TTTs? That would really suck for the three Fassa guys.
Norm, you are going to have to train harder to top your 2001 Tour when
you attempted to predict the entire Tour from the prologue. But you
will always be a legendary dumbass. RBR 2002 was not the same without
you - where were you anyway, knee injury, suspended for X?

I don't see Mayo
winning unless he takes 2 minute chunks out of LA in the Pyrenees, and
that will be hard to do without mountaintop finishes.

As long as we're candyassing near-obvious statements, here's my
prediction: What has been remarkable about LA is his recovery
abilities, even his bad days have seen only small losses. If his
form improves over the next week and a half, he wins, if it
declines, he loses.

I think he wins, but proves the axiom that it is physiologically
impossible to win six Tours.

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

In , Benjamin Weiner typed:

... Hardly any mountain top finishes, 2 TTT
and 1 ITT instead of just 1 TTT and 2 ITT. This could really hurt
Mayo as his team is nothing compared to Postal.

2 TTTs? That would really suck for the three Fassa guys.
Norm, you are going to have to train harder to top your 2001 Tour when
you attempted to predict the entire Tour from the prologue. But you
will always be a legendary dumbass. RBR 2002 was not the same without
you - where were you anyway, knee injury, suspended for X?

There is only 1 TTT and 2 ITT this year just as there are every other year.

Peter Smyth

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

There is only 1 TTT and 2 ITT this year just as there are every other
year.


Perhaps the original poster saw that OLN's stage preview (on OLN.com) says
stage 19 is a TTT but they are wrong. It's individual. I'd expect that from
CBS but I'll cut OLN some slack.

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

Get your facts right. It's one TTT and two ITT.

you also forget Vino, and don't count Ullrich out just yet. Friday
through Monday are BIG.

(Norm T) wrote in message om...
It is clear now. Iban Mayo is the only threat to LA. After what
happened at L'Alpe d'Huez and the stage yesterday, the contenders and
pretenders have been revealed. Ullrich doesn't look to be able to
keep up with the big boys in the steep climbs and I never considered
Beloki to be a serious threat to LA. It had to be a challenger who
was new and whose abilities weren't fully revealed in previous Tours.
A revelation. This is the guy. Mayo has already proven that he can
beat LA in a prologue in the Dauphine, and shattered him on that climb
up D'Huez. This guy is young, climbs like a fiend, and isn't too
shabby on the TT. The only thing that might hurt him is the fact that
this Tour (those TdF idiots) is probably the easiest of the Tours
since Lance started winning. Hardly any mountain top finishes, 2 TTT
and 1 ITT instead of just 1 TTT and 2 ITT. This could really hurt
Mayo as his team is nothing compared to Postal. I don't see Mayo
winning unless he takes 2 minute chunks out of LA in the Pyrenees, and
that will be hard to do without mountaintop finishes. Its a shame,
the Tour committee was trying to design an easier course to make it
more difficult for Lance to win his 5th, but in the process, they've
made it easier for him as his main contender is a better climber. The
irony of it all, the foolishness of the French.

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

Norm T schrieb:

The only thing that might hurt him is the fact that this Tour (those
TdF idiots) is probably the easiest of the Tours since Lance started
winning. Hardly any mountain top finishes,

There are still two mountain top finishes left: Plateau de Bonascre
and Luz Ardiden, both 1st categorie climbs. Should be sufficient for
Mayo to catch up his 1:02 gap on Armstrong.

This could really hurt Mayo as his team is nothing compared to Postal.

Euskaltel wasn't that good at the TTT but they have excellent
climbers. They faired better at L'Alpe d'Huez than USP:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/othe..._8/default.stm

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

watch tyler fly in those TT's
jc

Iban Mayo is LA's only challenger
 

In article ,
(otto) wrote:

Get your facts right. It's one TTT and two ITT.

you also forget Vino, and don't count Ullrich out just yet. Friday
through Monday are BIG.

We've forgotten that Ullrich is former world TT champ and Olympic TT medalist.