can levi be the first american to win the giro? - Page 2

If Levi really wants good blood, he should make an appeal to The Cult. I'm sure all of them will be willing to sacrifice themselves for JB's cause. Blood donations from around here would be to sabotage him somehow - maybe spike your blood with drugs before drawing it out, or mislabel the blood group, or something like that. Unless classic's point about WBT is more important...

I don't know if LL was down a quart for the TdGa. I believe he would have finished much further back. I think the two on the podium above have some pedigree, and they're reasonably young. (Sidebar: I just read a nice piece in SI about Davis and Connie Phinney's son. It's quite an accomplishment winning World Cup track events at the age of 17. The storied played off his dad's battle with Parkinson's disease.)

Ref. Hampsten: I always thought his victory was storied rather than diluted, or at least it's become that way over time. Check Bro Deal's avatar. That's Hampsten coming over Gavia Pass. It started snowing. I don't believe Hampsten was leading at that time, but he was by the end of the stage over the likes of Zimmermann, Breukink, Chioccioli and Delgado. And, I can't believe anyone just gave up because they were uncomfortable. This was/is a GT.

Hampsten, next to Armstrong, is the best climber the US has produced. He is the only to win a road stage on Alpe d’Huez.

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"Bait in 08" --nns1400

I suppose that if anyone dismisses Hampsten's Giro win, they must also be idiotic enough to write off Hinault's Liege victory in 1980. Both are legendary bad weather races.

Jezus Christ what is it with you Yanks ? Hampsten didn't even win the stage of the Gavia. Breukink did ! the man you say he passed ! truth be known that the peleton agreed that there should be no attacks until relatively close to the stage finish. Hampsten ignored the agreement and attacked and Breukink followed. Hampsten stopped at the top of the Gavia to change his clothes and to have a thermos of hot tea. At this point Breukink in summer cycling gear went past and won the stage ! Read the European press and they talk of Breukink at the Gavia not Hampsten. But don't let the facts get in the way of a good story ! Christ.

For the record I want boof Hampsten. He reminds me a lot of Kloden. Slight in frame such a smooth peddler (the revolution kind not drugs) and somewhat mentally vulnerable. He was an amazing cyclist but just didn't cope in the mental crunches. Very good friends with Steve Bauer and Hampsten doesn't mind a puff on a J now and then.... true !

AH's palmares is very impressive : top GT rider in the Tour de France and Giro : excellent stage race rider.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Lim agreed. Feast your eyes on this vid from the 87 Tour of Switzerland....... great viewing espacilly the team breifing session before the final stage ! that time now is reserved for transfusing..... not drinking coffee and drawing x's on stage maps.....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JzPLdSGW-Vo

Dude, it's kinda hard to gloss over the fact that he won the Giro.

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"Bait in 08" --nns1400

agreed. The guy is a legend but he didnt win the stage of the Gavia. He would have won the Tour if he didnt mentally implode every time he rode it.

I don't think he could have won the Tour when he rode. Competition was too stiff during his time, he didn't have the TT ability, and his team was weak. He could've won the tour against the riders we've seen win in the last 2 tours.

Exactly. Plus there were only a few seconds between Breukink and Hampsten at the finish of the Gavia stage. Hampsten won that Giro because he was the toughest, smartest and best prepared on the stage that mattered.

a few seconds ? do you guys just make this stuff up ? Yes Hampsten won the Giro not because he was the toughest, smartest and best prepared on the shortest stage of the Giro but because we didn't better on the proceeding longer stages...... stop making this **** up..... it was a boring Giro and only exciting because organisers had taken a payment for the Gavia stage and were forced to run it albeit for about 60km.... most riders took their team cars to the finish ! you see Andy raced alone !

You are a deadset tool sometimes. Go back and look at the stage results and please apply yourself to getting the facts straight in future. The stage was about 120km with the Aprica thrown in for good measure. Breukink won the stage by 7 seconds.

what ****? whiteboytrash to much time on skateboard?

You have to realize that his British wit is broken....geeze. Leave the guy alone, his last great observation was when he realized that you should wash more than once per month if you want friends. He is also hampered by the fact that he has an IQ just high enough to keep him breathing. Really, people like WBT need our help......and a crash helmet.

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
-- Albert Einstein

ah was a legit badass....truth. he probably would have won the 89 giro too had it not been for the promoters shafting him.

that said, no way he was on the level of a roche or delgado at that time.

besides his relatively weak time trialing, here is what i believe the difference was....he rode a hell of a lot like charly mottet. these guys were awesome in the tour de france, but always fell apart on at least one or two stages. they were of the highest pedigree, but they simply couldnt keep it going for an entire 3 weeks. ill let you draw your own conclusions on what im trying to say.

7-11 was weak, but they werent that weak. greg lemonds 1989 tour team was worse than the 7-11 team by a lot imo. that said, lemond was the only tour champ that i can recall who won with a **** team.