Lance goes for Seven

b_baka wrote:
Bob wrote:
jj wrote:

You heard it here first! (as told to Oprah, 2/11/05)

jj


This is hardly news. News would be if he announced that he WON'T
try
for seven. I mean, name even *one* world class athlete that has
ever
quit while still at the top of their sport. That just doesn't
happen.
The same overriding need to be "Number 1" that drives those at the
very
top of their field, athletic or otherwise, makes voluntarily
walking
away while at their peak virtually impossible for them.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Bob,
Michael Jordan! Gotcha.
And Lance did say he will have a lot of time on his hands in a few
years
so I am betting on this year. If he doesn't nail it this year he may
try
one more time and then retire.
Bill Baka

Bill,
You must define "peak" differently than I do because I was actually
thinking of the NBA's Michael Jordan when I wrote my post. Even he
would admit that he was at least two seasons past his peak the *first*
time he retired. He discovered when he returned from his first
retirement that while he was still a "franchise player" he could no
longer dominate the game as he once did. Why? Because he was past his
peak or his peak was past. Take your pick. :-)
Regards,
Bob Hunt

I'll venture a guess that- right or wrong- Armstrong will eventually
supplant Merckx as the "greatest cyclist ever" just because Armstrong's
name is easier to spell for most of us.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

(Sorry, Guy. I couldn't resist. g)

I don't know, you could be right. He was a little before my time and
I've never been a huge fan of spectator sports anyway. So name TWO...
:-)

Regards,
Bob Hunt

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 11:45:02 -0500, "Roger Zoul"
wrote in message
:

Wow....they keep changing the rules to prevent Lance from
winning.

Or maybe to make life a little fairer for those who do more
than one
race per season. How do you think Lance would fare against
Eddie
Mercx, with the same racing schedule?

Wouldn't that be something to see!
(if it were possible)

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 17:34:57 -0500, "Matt O'Toole"

wrote in message :

I think the level of performance required to win any major
event has increased
so much since Eddie's day that no one can sustain it over a
whole season.

Which is chicken, though, and which is egg?

Perhaps more importantly, where is the wallet?

Didn't Merckx have to be in so many races partly because the
purses were so small?

With bigger purses, and with endorsement deals much more
available if you can be sold as a "star", it makes more sense
now to concentrate on a smaller number of events in which you
can do very well. Better to show up at 4 events and get 3
podiums than show up at 13 events and get 1 podium, for
example.

Still, it's hard to argue that anybody else was ever better
than Merckx. Armstrong included.

"Dan Cosley" wrote in message
...
In article
. com, Bob
wrote:

This is hardly news. News would be if he announced that he
WON'T try
for seven. I mean, name even *one* world class athlete
that has ever
quit while still at the top of their sport.

Jim Brown.

Michael Jordan, the first time.

Michael Jordan, the second time.

(but not Michael Jordan, the third time.)

Mike Kruger wrote:
"Dan Cosley" wrote in message
...
In article
. com, Bob
wrote:

This is hardly news. News would be if he announced that he
WON'T try
for seven. I mean, name even *one* world class athlete
that has ever
quit while still at the top of their sport.

Jim Brown.

Michael Jordan, the first time.

Michael Jordan, the second time.

(but not Michael Jordan, the third time.)

Not to beat a dead horse, but I think that he retired three times
proves my point.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Bob wrote:
b_baka wrote:

Bob wrote:

jj wrote:


You heard it here first! (as told to Oprah, 2/11/05)

jj


This is hardly news. News would be if he announced that he WON'T

try

for seven. I mean, name even *one* world class athlete that has

ever

quit while still at the top of their sport. That just doesn't

happen.

The same overriding need to be "Number 1" that drives those at the

very

top of their field, athletic or otherwise, makes voluntarily

walking

away while at their peak virtually impossible for them.

Regards,
Bob Hunt


Bob,
Michael Jordan! Gotcha.
And Lance did say he will have a lot of time on his hands in a few

years

so I am betting on this year. If he doesn't nail it this year he may

try

one more time and then retire.
Bill Baka


Bill,
You must define "peak" differently than I do because I was actually
thinking of the NBA's Michael Jordan when I wrote my post. Even he
would admit that he was at least two seasons past his peak the *first*
time he retired. He discovered when he returned from his first
retirement that while he was still a "franchise player" he could no
longer dominate the game as he once did. Why? Because he was past his
peak or his peak was past. Take your pick. :-)
Regards,
Bob Hunt

I would attribute a lot of his diminishing performance to lack of
continuous training during his 'retirement' period. When he first
retired it was because of his father being murdered, not because he was
beyond his peak. At that point he was more mentally demoralized than
physically past his peak. People peak at between 30 and 35 for a lot of
things physical, and I have seen 35 year old make 25 year olds look like
amatuers on some occasions, not that I can remember which. Lance should
be 33 by the time the TdF starts, so I will leave it up to him to prove
that point. I remember at 30 I could run circles around most of the
younger people I played baseball with, but I may have been the exception
there. Ran around a large shoolyard with multiple baseball fields until
my friends started showing up on Sunday mornings, some hung over.
That's as far as I go on this.
Bill Baka

On 12 Feb 2005 16:04:24 -0800, "Bob" wrote in
message .com:

I'll venture a guess that- right or wrong- Armstrong will eventually
supplant Merckx as the "greatest cyclist ever" just because Armstrong's
name is easier to spell for most of us.

And because of "not invented here" syndrome :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 19:43:31 -0600, "Mike Kruger"
wrote in message
1108259096.301c70507122c906d343b4df2355e34e@teran ews:

How do you think Lance would fare against Eddie
Mercx, with the same racing schedule?

Wouldn't that be something to see!
(if it were possible)

Ho yus. Imagine the fantasy race of your dreams. Who would be in
that?

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound