Donga wrote:
>
> On Jul 26, 1:54 am, Patrick Turner <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Cadel shows he's right amoung the best by his rides in the mountains!
> >
> > There hasn't been another aussie like him for a heck of a long time
> > if ever.
> >
> > Patrick Turner.
>
> C'mon, how can you ignore Robbie's palmares over so many years? OK,
> sprinter not GC, but one of the greatest riders ever, worldwide. Only
> two weeks ago, Michael Rogers was a favourite for the GC and
> tragically crashed out - three world TT champs? Stewie is a first-rate
> champion too. Comparisons are odorous.
Comparisons may seem to be odourous, and can have a pong about them.
But by what measure can we be impressed by anyone's efforts?
or even our own? its by means of damned comparison.
I was very saddened to see Rogers out, and Stewie out,
it could have been a very different Tour with Aussie dominance for a
change.
I remember Rogers when he first raced here in the ACT at age 9, just a
little kid,
and who would have thought he'd make it good enough for the TDF?
If we could turn the clock back and dial in Anderson to the present,
it could have been a heavenly aussie fantasy.
But that Rassmussen etc is out, it makes Cadel look even better.
I've heard ppl that drugs are inevitable, so why worry,
let them all use them.
But there are severe health risks associated with prolonged performance
enhancing drugs.
Allowing drugs would turn the whole of sport into a farce, about who
has the best recipes and cocktails, and riders would be zombies,
and with many dying in their efforts. It would not be about who can
remain pure,
and train and compete naturally as gentlemen.
And if you are competing without such artificial aids
it seems equivalent to having to race against an opponent with an
emergency
clip on petrol motor that gives them just the lift they need to get a
large
financial reward for pedling to a win.
You wouldn't have a boxing match where one man is allowed in the ring
with an invisible suit of armour, and a knuckle duster?
So I say lets all be very hard on drugs in sport. If its just one more
hurdle for sportsmen
to climb over in their life, so be it!!
In my estimation, the modern TDF
competitor has it real easy since the time when Hubert Oppermann raced
in the TDF
in the 1920s. In those days the roads were attrocious, stages far
longer,
there was NO outside assistance given, and gears were NOT allowed,
so all you could have was two one speed freewheel cogs on each side of
the back wheel
so you'd stop to swing the wheel before a big climb.
Boy, they sure sorted out the men from the pansies back then!!
I'd quite like to see several stages of the TDF run on dirt tracks with
mountain bikes.
When you know someone else has that strap on motor and you have not got
one,
then all you want is to see the ******* disqualified.
I've even played speed chess against guys who didn't like losing to me,
and that's a joke, because my chess rating if I had one would be around
1500 only,
and off they go to the loo, and come back with eyeballs popping out of
their head,
and they start winning, because the cocain or speed or whatever has
improved their
perception of patterns so necessary to success at chess.
But sometimes it didn't work too well.........
Anyway, it was only informal cafe chess and I didn't care about it,
but I would have cared if I was a professional master.
Patrick Turner.
>
> Donga
