"Kyle Legate" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> [email protected] wrote:
>> On Mar 13, 12:34 pm, "Clive George" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> "It was on an $8,500 carbon-fiber Madone model bike built by Trek that
>>> Mr.
>>> Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999, as well as the six
>>> straight
>>> Tour titles that followed. "
>>>
>>> Didn't the Madone name come later?
>>>
>>> cheers,
>>> clive
>>
>> Much later, 2004. In 1999 the team was on the 5500 for road races and
>> Trek labeled Litespeeds for the time trials.
>
> Except for LANCE's super secret prototype Madone. Why do you think it was
> 8 and a half grand?
Lance was riding a completely-stock 5200/5500 frameset, the only
modification being the glued-on number plate tabs. The components are
nothing extraordinary either. The bike is on display at Trek's headquarters
in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The bike cost no more than $4000.
Also on display is the 5900 Lance rode up Luz Ardiden in 2004, with the
chainstay that cracked after having been run over by... was it Mayo?...
after the handbag took lance down.
Lance rarely rode prototype equipment, and tended to be a bit superstitious
about his rides. His favorite "climbing" bike, for some time after it was
replaced by the initial Madone, remained the 5900. This primarily because
the 5900 had taken him to a number of mountaintop victories, and he didn't
see the point to messing with success. Eventually they came up with a
modified Madone (less the aero tail fin and downtube, which subtracted a few
ounces of weight but was less aero) that he was happy with.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA