Saiz On Armstrong

Not well liked it appears.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...z_040702181108

B. Lafferty wrote:

Not well liked it appears.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...z_040702181108


Luis Ocana was a great cyclist. I find those old films of the tour
fantastic, even in the early 70s they were crossing unpaved road passes.

This year's cobbled section is about 2km.

It does seem that LA takes a lot from the sport. Maybe someone better
informed can tell me how much he is involved in his charity work, maybe
that is more important to him?

David Off writes:

It does seem that LA takes a lot from the sport. Maybe someone
better informed can tell me how much he is involved in his charity
work, maybe that is more important to him?

I think what they mean is that he's not present for a lot of big
events. His season is the tour, plus, maybe, a few classics. That
irks a lot of tradionalists... although it's hard to really fault him
unless someone who does the full season can beat him.

--
David N. Welton
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David N. Welton wrote:

David Off writes:


It does seem that LA takes a lot from the sport. Maybe someone
better informed can tell me how much he is involved in his charity
work, maybe that is more important to him?


I think what they mean is that he's not present for a lot of big
events. His season is the tour, plus, maybe, a few classics. That
irks a lot of tradionalists... although it's hard to really fault him
unless someone who does the full season can beat him.

It's the same story. If the TdF itself weren't by far the biggest jewel
on the calendar then Armstrong (and those to come) wouldn't concentrate
so heavily on it. If there were as much prestige to winning the Giro
and Vuelta and World Cup as there is to winning the Tour then this
problem wouldn't even exist. Who wants the TdF to be less important?

But Manolo's suggestion that Lance shouldn't break the TdF record
because 5 is some kind of holy number is just twaddle.

"David N. Welton" wrote in message
...
David Off writes:

It does seem that LA takes a lot from the sport. Maybe someone
better informed can tell me how much he is involved in his charity
work, maybe that is more important to him?

I think what they mean is that he's not present for a lot of big
events. His season is the tour, plus, maybe, a few classics. That
irks a lot of tradionalists... although it's hard to really fault him
unless someone who does the full season can beat him.


Drum roll......The Pro Tour!

Saiz needs a reality adjustment. This is a different era, like it or not.
How many of the real Tour contenders are showing up at many classics? The
Tour de France is so big and touch from beginning to end that it takes a new
breed of rider to win. I, too, think Eddy was the greatest but wonder how
he would do today if he caught a DeLorian ride from 1970 and dropped into
tomorrow's start line. I suspect he would not do too well until he adapted
to today's Tour style, at which case he would still be at the top IMO. I
would like to see more of the top guys in more of the races but suspect that
Tour victory would then be the first casualty. Funny how Ullrich, who shows
up less often than Lance, does not catch any criticism.

Tim McTeague

Well said...

"Tim McTeague" wrote in message
...
Saiz needs a reality adjustment. This is a different era, like it or not.
How many of the real Tour contenders are showing up at many classics? The
Tour de France is so big and touch from beginning to end that it takes a
new
breed of rider to win. I, too, think Eddy was the greatest but wonder how
he would do today if he caught a DeLorian ride from 1970 and dropped into
tomorrow's start line. I suspect he would not do too well until he
adapted
to today's Tour style, at which case he would still be at the top IMO. I
would like to see more of the top guys in more of the races but suspect
that
Tour victory would then be the first casualty. Funny how Ullrich, who
shows
up less often than Lance, does not catch any criticism.

Tim McTeague

On Fri, 2 Jul 2004 18:10:52 -0400, "Tim McTeague"
wrote:

Saiz needs a reality adjustment. This is a different era, like it or not.
How many of the real Tour contenders are showing up at many classics? The
Tour de France is so big and touch from beginning to end that it takes a new
breed of rider to win. I, too, think Eddy was the greatest but wonder how
he would do today if he caught a DeLorian ride from 1970 and dropped into
tomorrow's start line. I suspect he would not do too well until he adapted
to today's Tour style, at which case he would still be at the top IMO. I
would like to see more of the top guys in more of the races but suspect that
Tour victory would then be the first casualty. Funny how Ullrich, who shows
up less often than Lance, does not catch any criticism.

Tim McTeague


Ullrich has actually ridden much more than Armstrong,
year-by-year. Last year, Ullrich did not ride after the
Tour de France, but years before he rode a lot. I think
last year just meant that Ullrich's fitness base was a
kilometre wide but a decimetre deep.

Ullrich has definitely shown up more than Armstrong in the
in the last six years. Great rides (and some wins) in the
Vuelta, World Champs, Olympics, Zurich, Paris-Tours,
Luk-Cup, Hamburg, and so on....

But, you might suggest that Armstrong races before the tour
to prepare for the TdF, while Ullrich races after the tour
to salvage his season.

However, Ullrich definitely has better-rounded palmares than
Armstrong. He just has not beaten Armstrong in the Tour de
France yet.

steve

I think some of the dislike of Armstrong is from what seems to me to e
his brutal honesty. In his interviews he never seems to give the
typical athlete's answer that will please the crowd, but he gives
hisan honest answer. Most people really don't like this, they would
rather hear what they want to hear. For instance on OLN when asked by
Phil Liggett what Ullrich meant when he gave him his hand in the 2003
tour Armstrong said he didn't know, most people would have made
something up about sportmanship.

On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 19:56:46 GMT, "B. Lafferty"
wrote:

Not well liked it appears.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...z_040702181108

"B. Lafferty" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Not well liked it appears.

Neither Saiz or Armstrong have many good friends in the peloton.


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