Why I like George....

"Tim Mullin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

....better than Lance.

After today's PR, Hincape admits he just didn't have the
legs after making the break with Museeuw. No [censored]
excuses, just an honest admission of what every cyclist
knows--some days the other guy is just faster than you.

Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an excuse.
A hunger knock. The other guy warmed up in air
conditioning. Everything, it seems, this side of the Vast
Right Wing Conspiracy. Why can't he admit that--plain and
simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not
the hallmark of

a

Quoted message said:

great champion in my book.

Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something
stupid? When I heard him talk about it, I thought that's
what he was doing ... admitting he'd done something
boneheaded.

As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ...
show me where Lance ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil
said it. The media said it. But I think you're putting words
into Lance's mouth.

I don't think graciousness comes naturally to Lance. It
always seems forced. But I think he says the right thing.
He's always saying Ullrich is the better rider ... though
Lance has beaten him repeatedly. He always gives credit to
the strength of his team and acknowledges that he couldn't
do it without them.

I like George, too. You wanna talk gracious ... he called me
in the hospital after I got hit by a car. He didn't know me
from Adam, but he heard about me getting creamed, and he
called. It blew me away. What a special person to do a thing
like that!

But I think you're dissing Lance for stuff he never said and
you're attributing things the media said to Lance himself.

Bob C.

Thanks for sharing that comment! George always has struck me
as a classy guy from humble beginnings who quietly goes out
and does his best. Perhaps his best is not as good as it
should be but I'll keep rooting for him.

That's a great story about him calling you. Nice!

"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim Mullin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message ne-
ws:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

....better than Lance.

After today's PR, Hincape admits he just didn't have the
legs after

making

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the break with Museeuw. No [censored] excuses, just an
honest admission of what every cyclist knows--some days
the other guy is just faster than

you.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an
excuse. A hunger

knock.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The other guy warmed up in air conditioning. Everything,
it seems, this side of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.
Why can't he admit that--plain

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race?
Not the hallmark

of

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

great champion in my book.

Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something
stupid? When I heard him talk about it, I thought that's
what he was doing ... admitting he'd done something
boneheaded.

As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ...
show me where

Lance

Quoted message said:

ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil said it. The
media said it. But I think you're putting words into
Lance's mouth.

I don't think graciousness comes naturally to Lance. It
always seems forced. But I think he says the right thing.
He's always saying Ullrich

is

Quoted message said:

the better rider ... though Lance has beaten him
repeatedly. He always gives credit to the strength of his
team and acknowledges that he couldn't do it without them.

I like George, too. You wanna talk gracious ... he called
me in the hospital after I got hit by a car. He didn't
know me from Adam, but he heard about me getting creamed,
and he called. It blew me away. What a special person to
do a thing like that!

But I think you're dissing Lance for stuff he never said
and you're attributing things the media said to Lance
himself.

Bob C.

in article cVkec.113233$gA5.1457560@attbi_s03, Randy Walton at
[email hidden] wrote on 4/11/04 4:54 PM:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for sharing that comment! George always has struck
me as a classy guy from humble beginnings who quietly goes
out and does his best. Perhaps his best is not as good as
it should be but I'll keep rooting for him.

That's a great story about him calling you. Nice!

IMO Hincapie is many things:

- one of the most handsome guys in the peloton
- quiet, gracious and humane
- tough and determined
- a killer-good domestique

...He's just not there yet, in terms of winning the
classics. It looked to me like he lost RvV because he didn't
commit himself to the attack he started, and he lost Paris-
Roubaix because he invested too much in the wrong breakaway,
then didn't have anything left to join the right one.

Sometimes he's not willing enough to take charge when he
should, and other times he's too eager to assert himself and
burns himself out when he should be reserving himself and
waiting for the km markers to get low enough. The key thing
is that he tends to consistently choose the wrong one... his
racing behavior always seems a bit unusual. If he learned
how to do things normally he'd have more success, I think.

-Sonarrat.

Quoted message said:

Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an excuse.
A hunger knock. The other guy warmed up in air
conditioning. Everything, it seems, this side of the Vast
Right Wing Conspiracy. Why can't he admit that--plain and
simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not
the hallmark of

a

Quoted message said:

great champion in my book.

With Lance's book of excuses, I couldn't believe he used
the brake rub one. If I used that one on a Fred ride,
I'd get funny looks.

Kinda makes you wonder what someone like Bjarne Riis could
do with him...

"Sonarrat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in article cVkec.113233$gA5.1457560@attbi_s03, Randy
Walton at [email hidden] wrote on 4/11/04
4:54 PM:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for sharing that comment! George always has
struck me as a

classy

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

guy from humble beginnings who quietly goes out and does
his best.

Perhaps

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

his best is not as good as it should be but I'll keep
rooting for him.

That's a great story about him calling you. Nice!

IMO Hincapie is many things:

- one of the most handsome guys in the peloton
- quiet, gracious and humane
- tough and determined
- a killer-good domestique

...He's just not there yet, in terms of winning the
classics. It looked

to

Quoted message said:

me like he lost RvV because he didn't commit himself to
the attack he started, and he lost Paris-Roubaix because
he invested too much in the

wrong

Quoted message said:

breakaway, then didn't have anything left to join the
right one.

Sometimes he's not willing enough to take charge when he
should, and other times he's too eager to assert himself
and burns himself out when he

should

Quoted message said:

be reserving himself and waiting for the km markers to get
low enough.

The

Quoted message said:

key thing is that he tends to consistently choose the
wrong one... his racing behavior always seems a bit
unusual. If he learned how to do

things

Quoted message said:

normally he'd have more success, I think.

-Sonarrat.

Quoted message said:

Kinda makes you wonder what someone like Bjarne Riis could
do with him...

Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two) somewhere
past the first 50km of the race... The most striking thing
in that Nike video a few years back (the one that focused
on Lance's preparation for the TDF, including riding up
that mountain until the snow blocked the road, and then
some) was the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard
on the radio, wondering where his guys were, asking for a
bit of help.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

If George and a team mate or two with him, he wouldn't have
had to expend all that energy watching and covering evry
serious break. Maybe he wouldn't have run out of gas or rely
on luck to be in the right break at the end. When I saw
Boonen take off without Museeuw, I had the feeling that it
was intended to draw as many suckers as possible.

The rider who impressed me the most was PVP. Impressive
effort. Too bad he ran out of road.

Sonarrat said:

in article cVkec.113233$gA5.1457560@attbi_s03, Randy
Walton at [email hidden] wrote on 4/11/04
4:54 PM:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for sharing that comment! George always has struck
me as a classy guy from humble beginnings who quietly
goes out and does his best. Perhaps his best is not as
good as it should be but I'll keep rooting for him.

That's a great story about him calling you. Nice!

IMO Hincapie is many things:

- one of the most handsome guys in the peloton
- quiet, gracious and humane
- tough and determined
- a killer-good domestique

...He's just not there yet, in terms of winning the
classics. It looked to me like he lost RvV because he
didn't commit himself to the attack he started, and he
lost Paris-Roubaix because he invested too much in the
wrong breakaway, then didn't have anything left to join
the right one.

Sometimes he's not willing enough to take charge when he
should, and other times he's too eager to assert himself
and burns himself out when he should be reserving himself
and waiting for the km markers to get low enough. The key
thing is that he tends to consistently choose the wrong
one... his racing behavior always seems a bit unusual. If
he learned how to do things normally he'd have more
success, I think.

-Sonarrat.

Callistus Valerius said:

With Lance's book of excuses, I couldn't believe he
used the brake rub one. If I used that one on a Fred
ride, I'd get funny looks.

But then, you get funny looks just walking down the
street...

Good point. I would have expected Cruz or Van Heeswijk to at least be
there. This caption says it all...
cyclingnews.comindex.phpOpen ↗

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Kinda makes you wonder what someone like Bjarne Riis
could do with

him...

Quoted message said:

Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two)
somewhere past the first 50km of the race... The most
striking thing in that Nike video a few

years

Quoted message said:

back (the one that focused on Lance's preparation for the
TDF, including riding up that mountain until the snow
blocked the road, and then some)

was

Quoted message said:

the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard on the
radio, wondering where his guys were, asking for a bit
of help.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two)
somewhere past the first 50km of the race... The most
striking thing in that Nike video a few years back (the
one that focused on Lance's preparation for the TDF,
including riding up that mountain until the snow blocked
the road, and then some) was the Paris Roubaix coverage,
where George is heard on the radio, wondering where his
guys were, asking for a bit of help.

I like George too. But this stuff rings particularly
hollow after a race where guys like Hammond and Backstedt
did just fine with no teammates and Backstedt was able to
finish it off.

Really, there is no reason to believe that having teammates
there would have made the difference for a guy that doesn't
yet appear to have that special quality to win on a weekend.

Being alone makes it harder, for sure. Backstedt had to read
the race exactly right with no room for error. He might miss
it 9 times out of 10, but he got it right on Sunday and he
made it count. We are still waiting for George.

Bob Schwartz [email hidden]

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two)
somewhere past the first 50km of the race...

He probably would've finished about 8th.

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard on the
radio,

wondering

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

where his guys were, asking for a bit of help.

I like George too. But this stuff rings particularly
hollow after a race where guys like Hammond and Backstedt
did just fine with no teammates and Backstedt was able to
finish it off.

One could reasonably wonder what would have happened had he
not tried to ride away from t-mobile and lotto just as
easily as if he had more teamates!

Quoted message said:

We are still waiting

Quoted message said:

for George.

He's a good man and should get his big sunday just like
mickelson finally
did.

Quoted message said:

Bob Schwartz [email hidden]

Tim Mullin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

....better than Lance.

After today's PR, Hincape admits he just didn't have the
legs after making the break with Museeuw. No [censored]
excuses, just an honest admission of what every cyclist
knows--some days the other guy is just faster than you.

Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an excuse.
A hunger knock. The other guy warmed up in air
conditioning. Everything, it seems, this side of the Vast
Right Wing Conspiracy. Why can't he admit that--plain and
simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not
the hallmark of a great champion in my book.

I also like George.

Tha may come as a surprise, given how hard I have been on
him in this newsgroup. But really, when I do that, it's not
as much him I'm making fun of as the people who think that
he is the American Museeuw.

As I was out riding yesterday I was thinking how
unexpectedly cool it would be if I got on the computer and
found out he'd won. Then I reminded myself that wouldn't
happen. And it didn't.

-RJ

"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something
stupid? When I heard him talk about it, I thought that's
what he was doing ... admitting he'd done something
boneheaded.

As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ...
show me where Lance ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil
said it. The media said it. But I think you're putting
words into Lance's mouth.

You're right on this point, but Armstrong and Carmichael did
blame the poor performance on dehydration (see
lancearmstrong.com for reference). Hunger knock, as you
said, admitting he'd done something boneheaded. The same for
dehydration. The same for the rubbing brake. In each case,
Lance, in effect, is saying, "He didn't beat me I did
something stupid and beat myself." Whether intentional or
not, it has the effect of deminishing the winner's
accomplishment. It's petty, it's sad, and it says a great
deal about Armstrong's character.

"Tim Mullin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something
stupid? When I heard him talk about it, I thought that's
what he was doing ...

admitting

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

he'd done something boneheaded.

As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ...
show me where

Lance

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil said it. The media
said it. But

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

think you're putting words into Lance's mouth.

You're right on this point, but Armstrong and Carmichael
did blame the poor performance on dehydration (see
lancearmstrong.com for reference). Hunger knock, as you
said, admitting he'd done something boneheaded. The same
for dehydration. The same for the rubbing brake. In each
case, Lance, in effect, is saying, "He didn't beat me I
did something stupid and beat myself." Whether intentional
or not, it has the effect of deminishing the winner's
accomplishment. It's petty, it's sad, and it says a great
deal about Armstrong's character.

When Gino Bartali lost a few minutes to Robic and Coppi in
the first mountain stage of the Tour of '49 because of
serious stomach troubles, a journalist said to him: "But it
wasn't your own fault, you were sick". Bartali answered: "Of
course it was my own fault. When a rider gets sick, it means
his preparation wasn't good enough".

Benjo Maso

Tim Mullin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

....better than Lance.

After today's PR, Hincape admits he just didn't have the
legs after making the break with Museeuw. No [censored]
excuses, just an honest admission of what every cyclist
knows--some days the other guy is just faster than you.

George is very dedicated classic's and domestique rider.
George conducts himeslf in a very professional manner as
well. George is the type of rider who can win a few stages
and the occasional classic. As for Paris-Roubaix, something
always seems to trip George up for some reason.

Quoted message said:

Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an excuse.
A hunger knock. The other guy warmed up in air
conditioning. Everything, it seems, this side of the Vast
Right Wing Conspiracy. Why can't he admit that--plain and
simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not
the hallmark of a great champion in my book.

Unless there's an obvious physical advantage, the difference
between a five time champ and a 5 time runnerup is that the
champ thinks he's the best and it's his to loose. Maybe it
makes us feel better to see a loser play nice, but it's
hypocritical. I'd rather the guy tells us what he feels and
believes than the usual sports cliche pap.

Tim Mullin said:

"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something
stupid? When I heard him talk about it, I thought that's
what he was doing ... admitting he'd done something
boneheaded.

As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ...
show me where Lance ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil
said it. The media said it. But I think you're putting
words into Lance's mouth.

You're right on this point, but Armstrong and Carmichael
did blame the poor performance on dehydration (see
lancearmstrong.com for reference). Hunger knock, as you
said, admitting he'd done something boneheaded. The same
for dehydration. The same for the rubbing brake. In each
case, Lance, in effect, is saying, "He didn't beat me I
did something stupid and beat myself." Whether intentional
or not, it has the effect of deminishing the winner's
accomplishment. It's petty, it's sad, and it says a great
deal about Armstrong's character.

I hear what you are saying about excuses but Eddy the
greatest of all time had alot of them the few times he got
his ass kicked.

trg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Callistus Valerius said:

With Lance's book of excuses, I couldn't believe he
used the brake rub one. If I used that one on a Fred
ride, I'd get funny looks.

But then, you get funny looks just walking down the
street...

"Randy Walton" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:Y%wec.19716$wP1.38863@attbi_s54:

Quoted message said:

Good point. I would have expected Cruz or Van Heeswijk to
at least be there. This caption says it all... www-www-Open ↗
.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/apr04/roubaix04/index.php?id-
=rac eday/dsc_0091

Actually, it only tells us about George -- to really say it
all, you would need similar photos for, say, the first 4
guys who rode into the velodrome with comments about their
teammates.

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Kinda makes you wonder what someone like Bjarne Riis
could do with

him...

Quoted message said:

Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two)
somewhere past the first 50km of the race... The most
striking thing in that Nike video a few

years

Quoted message said:

back (the one that focused on Lance's preparation for the
TDF, including riding up that mountain until the snow
blocked the road, and then some)

was

Quoted message said:

the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard on the
radio, wondering where his guys were, asking for a bit
of help.

I didn't see that video. Was it filmed the year George went
head first into the ditch, and his helper Boonen had to go
on and take George's spot on the podium? Oh, and I can't
recall, but didn't George have teammates with him that day
when Johann just motored away from them all with about 30 k
to go? I recall Frankie being UP the road then.

Hey, I like George too and wish him the best of luck, but I
think you're going overboard in making excuses or trying to
stack the deck in his favor.

NS