Damn it's good to have some agressive racing at the Tour

To talk about.
I can't see any reason for T-Mobile to decide to pack it in yet, but
given past performance I wouldn't be completely shocked either. At
least managemant isn't saying that Lance can't be beaten yet...
I sure as **** hope they don't do that again unless Lance get's away
and puts 10 minutes into everyone.
This is exactly what I'd been hoping to see and if it keeps up this is
gonna be one hell of a dogfight, and if Lance still pulls it out in the
end then we've all got to bow to him.
I'm still pulling for one of those days where Lance cracks and Jan
rides away from everybody else though!
Bill C

Bill C says...

To talk about.

For sure. Seems like everyone wants to play the odds and try to find a strategy
that will crack Lance and in the process, the early/mid stages often bore me to
death. This had a bit of intrigue.

This is exactly what I'd been hoping to see and if it keeps up this is
gonna be one hell of a dogfight, and if Lance still pulls it out in the
end then we've all got to bow to him.

It's getting more complex, huh?

I'm still pulling for one of those days where Lance cracks and Jan
rides away from everybody else though!

I'm not betting the farm on it.

Mad Dog wrote:
Bill C says...

To talk about.

For sure. Seems like everyone wants to play the odds and try to find a strategy
that will crack Lance and in the process, the early/mid stages often bore me to
death. This had a bit of intrigue.

This is exactly what I'd been hoping to see and if it keeps up this is
gonna be one hell of a dogfight, and if Lance still pulls it out in the
end then we've all got to bow to him.

It's getting more complex, huh?
I think so. Looks like everyone wants to try and crack Lance in his
last Tour. I hope they stick with it.

I'm still pulling for one of those days where Lance cracks and Jan
rides away from everybody else though!

I'm not betting the farm on it.
No neither am I. Especially when Telekom in particular and a lot of
the other teams have decided to play it safe and race each other for
second really early in the race. I'm praying they don't do that again
if they can't crack Lance on the first day in the mountains, but I'm
afraid they just might.
Bill C

"Bill C" wrote in message
oups.com...


Mad Dog wrote:
Bill C says...

To talk about.

For sure. Seems like everyone wants to play the odds and try to find a
strategy
that will crack Lance and in the process, the early/mid stages often
bore me to
death. This had a bit of intrigue.

This is exactly what I'd been hoping to see and if it keeps up this is
gonna be one hell of a dogfight, and if Lance still pulls it out in the
end then we've all got to bow to him.

It's getting more complex, huh?
I think so. Looks like everyone wants to try and crack Lance in his
last Tour. I hope they stick with it.

I'm still pulling for one of those days where Lance cracks and Jan
rides away from everybody else though!

I'm not betting the farm on it.
No neither am I. Especially when Telekom in particular and a lot of
the other teams have decided to play it safe and race each other for
second really early in the race. I'm praying they don't do that again
if they can't crack Lance on the first day in the mountains, but I'm
afraid they just might.
Bill C


Don't you think they'll go home tonight excited about what they did? I
think they'll feel empowered and will be sitting at the dinner table
scheming. Meanwhile I hope the Discovery table doesn't have a buzz kill
reprimanding tone. That would be the beginning of the end of team morale
for them. Being treated like a child doesn't equate to feeling like an
empowered part of a team.

Fred says...

(snip)

Don't you think they'll go home tonight excited about what they did?

Maybe with some reservations. I'm not at all sure they pegged Lance all that
close to his limit. More like cat and mouse is the way it looked to me. This
kind of action has more impact when it is stacked day after day. That was a
component of what I was trying to get at when Vino attacked late into Nancy.
Like Chinese water tortu "We're coming after you, Lance". Drip, drip.

I think they'll feel empowered and will be sitting at the dinner table
scheming.

If they have a chance at all, the bulk of the scheming was done in advance and
now they tweak. I tend to wonder how much of the team plan has to pass the
"Vino filter" and the "Kloden filter"? I've been on a team where the leader was
in the process of losing command and it ain't pretty.

Meanwhile I hope the Discovery table doesn't have a buzz kill
reprimanding tone.

You never know and the truth may never come out. But if you believe the
comments made by current and previous riders, it's a fairly intelligent and
human brain trust. Like the interview Floyd gave recently - he looks back on
the Postal years fondly, a positive experience and apparently didn't take the
Tour of Georgia incident personally. Then again, he had plenty of time to get
to know Lance, if you know what I mean...

Being treated like a child doesn't equate to feeling like an
empowered part of a team.

No doubt. Dead end scenario.

Mad Dog wrote:

If they have a chance at all, the bulk of the scheming was done in advance and
now they tweak. I tend to wonder how much of the team plan has to pass the
"Vino filter" and the "Kloden filter"? I've been on a team where the leader was
in the process of losing command and it ain't pretty.

I'm just going to comment on this bit. I really think if Jan is going
to fade he'd work for his teamates in a heartbeat if they could do
well. It's going to be up to the team management to make the decision.
I just can't see Jan doing anything but throwing his efforts,
wholeheartedly, behind his teamates. He'd be incredibly disappointed,
but happy as hell if he could help a teamate win.
He could shock me, but I really just can't see it.
Bill C