Armstrong comeback!

[ad9898]

I think he is looking at the following, of course I could be wrong ,the 2009 Tour de France, the Amgen Tour of California, the Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, and the Dauphine-Libere,

 

[Andrija]

I think he is looking at the following, of course I could be wrong ,the 2009 Tour de France, the Amgen Tour of California, the Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, and the Dauphine-Libere,

Off course. That's what he said. What I'm trying to do is make parody of all this.
Let me break it for you...
He says he'll prove he's clean and win the Tour that way. That's what no one believes he has done before, so, maybe, he should try some more things he has never done before. Especially now, at 37, after 3-4 years of retirement.

 

[Hitchy]

Interesting indeed...As a coach, I wonder what the real motivation for the comeback is, (not the cancer 'spin'), but what really motivates lance to do this, he really has nothing to gain from this & everything to lose...whatever else he is, he's not a stupid guy, so I'm sure he knows all this...so why do it?...what's put the fire back in his belly?.

can he do this after 3 years retirement?. Logic says not, but normal peoples logic has never seemed to stand in Lance's way before...Will ASO let any team with Lance on it & Bruynel as DS, into the TDF?. Anyone want to bet the 2009 TDF parcours (yet to be announced), has just been re-written to include more 'lance unfriendly' stages!...maybe, no mountains at all, just sprint stages with massive bonuses (say 1 min) to the stage winners, then no ITT's...hmmm. (I'm joking of course ) If he's riding for Astana, what does this mean for Contador & Leipheimer?...do they take a back seat?....The problem for Lance now, is he set the bar on professionalism...the 1% ers that helped Lance win, are now the norm..everybodies doing it...so lance might be training his **** off now, but so is everyone else....

For mine, I think lance has forgotten the lifestyle of a pro rider, the committment required to bring success...does he still have a taste for pain? (of the 3 week variety), it's one thing to 'talk the talk', deep down does he really want to do this (comes back to my previous thoughts about 'motivation')...time will tell. FWIW, I don't think he can do it & at this stage I'd be thinking it will be a long shot even for him to start the tour, let alone finish it & winning it is surely beyond the realm of possibility...my tip is after a couple of disappointing spring races, he'll decide, (or injury will decide for him) not to start the tour.

As a cycling fan who has enjoyed taking the **** (not literally) out of Lance & his druggie team...I think this is going to provide much 'material' for us amateur 'humourists' over the next 10 mths...roll on le tour!

 

[hoggy]

IMO he should not be trying to win for himself. he would get just as much exposure for the LAF if he helped get a win for someone else. He could be a super (dooper) domestique for Cervelo test team and help Sastre win again or for Cadel to help him in the mountains (drag him up all the way up and cover attacks). despite all the reservations about LA he might just gain a bit of respect if he came back to help someone else instead of winning for himself. it would also save face when he doesnt win, he could say i wasnt trying to win, my job was to help Cadel, or Carlos.

 

[bobke]

I agree.
I thought that this years TDF was excellent from a cycling fans viewpoint because the overall result was up for grabs right up until the final road stage.
And that sort of situation makes the TDF more compelling and it is better viewing.

In addition spectator numbers at roadside were higher than 2007.
This was probably down to the fact that the racing was more competitive (clean?) and because most of the French riders were doing well in terms of stage finishes and in terms of GC.

if you were believe some.............there was no one watching the 2008 TDF!

This year's Tour was boring as hell.
I think only eurotards found it exciting.

Second rate riders wheelsucking each other to death.

No, it is not exciting to see guys who would have been definitively dropped by Lance at the bottom of a climb in any of the Tours "fight it out" until the last boring slow ascent of the next ridiculously slow mountain.

Apparently I was not the only one who thought so:
ARMSTRONG:
“It wasn’t a lightbulb going off,” he says, but a realization, combined with a gradual frustration “with the rhetoric coming out of the Tour de France. Not just the Tour on TV but the domestic press, the international press, the pace, the speeds at which participants rode. It’s not a secret. I mean, the pace was slow.


This is such a breath of fresh air.
Cant wait to hear all the whining and moaning and gnashing of teeth.
Let the fun commence guys.
Your worst nightmare has returned.

 

[fscyclist]

I think Armstrong watched this year's tour and after that pathetic display convinced himself he could still win. I think he would have won this year if he raced. Next year is different. We are looking at Basso and Contador returning along with improvement and maturation among the Schleck clan, and I don't think he can match them. I wouldn't be surprised at a top ten, however.

I don't know his motivation for returning, but I would think ASO and the media machine around cycling would applaud it. For no other reason, it brings interest to the race.

I wouldn't underestimate LA's motivation and tolerance for pain - more importantly I think he revels in inflicting pain in his opponents.

 

[Frigo's Luggage]

Gas up the Ferrari Camper Van...pappa is comin' home.

 

[whiteboytrash]

I think Armstrong watched this year's tour and after that pathetic display convinced himself he could still win. I think he would have won this year if he raced. Next year is different. We are looking at Basso and Contador returning along with improvement and maturation among the Schleck clan, and I don't think he can match them. I wouldn't be surprised at a top ten, however.

I don't know his motivation for returning, but I would think ASO and the media machine around cycling would applaud it. For no other reason, it brings interest to the race.

I wouldn't underestimate LA's motivation and tolerance for pain - more importantly I think he revels in inflicting pain in his opponents.

Basso is not riding the Tour. Although it would be funny watching both of them in the grupetto trying to avoid the cut off time.

 

[ad9898]

Basso is not riding the Tour. Although it would be funny watching both of them in the grupetto trying to avoid the cut off time.

I don't think this would happen, he will have a pretty good idea before he starts what his condition is, he will have a raft of data from his previous tour wins

I think if he is on the start line, expect at least a top 5 finish.

 

[whiteboytrash]

I don't think this would happen, he will have a pretty good idea before he starts what his condition is, he will have a raft of data from his previous tour wins

I think if he is on the start line, expect at least a top 5 finish.

I have it on good authority that Armstrong is bringing new sponsors to the team and there will be an anti-cancer theme.

 

[poulidor]

I think Armstrong watched this year's tour and after that pathetic display convinced himself he could still win. I think he would have won this year if he raced. Next year is different. We are looking at Basso and Contador returning along with improvement and maturation among the Schleck clan, and I don't think he can match them. I wouldn't be surprised at a top ten, however.

I don't know his motivation for returning, but I would think ASO and the media machine around cycling would applaud it. For no other reason, it brings interest to the race.

I wouldn't underestimate LA's motivation and tolerance for pain - more importantly I think he revels in inflicting pain in his opponents.

Yes an usual doped Lance would have won the last TDF where dopers were on a smallest program than the precedent years. So Lance's judgement is false and stupid, his come-back, especially when annoucing the will to win, is very bad for cycling. The pharmacy and the race to PED is back too!

As we have seen in Beijing new PEDs and/or gene doping are available. That is probably what want to use Lance...
We already need DNA comparaison with his first ball.

 

[Grater]

Well, Jan is training at the moment for a fact. His races will be several charity races the first October 3 in Stuttgart.
I believe it is a retirement/farewell race in honor of Weseman.
I would love to see an Artmstrong vs Ullrich race one more time and not a wheelchair race so................ sometime soon.

Even if Ullrich wanted to come back, I don't think he will be allowed with the investigation even though it's officially closed. It might be reopened if he announces a comeback. But who would he ride for? I know Columbia wouldn't take him.

If he did decide to then he can argue that he's been out of the sport for a few years and that's his suspension. However, Ullrich has sense!

It would be good to see the Ullrich and Basso showdown we wanted in 2006 with Lance again. But I can't see it happening. I am a huge fan of Ullrich - always will be and I hope he stays in retirement.

 

[Grater]

The only reason I can think of Lance coming back is he has realised the sport is getting cleaned up.

His conscious got the better of him and he wants to prove he can ride clean and riding clean and winning would make a sense of wellbeing to him that he can win without cheating like he did in 1999 - 2005.

It will also get the doubts away that he ever cheated.

Good move. But there is just one problem. He won't win.

 

[mitosis]

Jan is actually looks pretty fit right now...

how many times have i heard that?

 

[poulidor]

The only reason I can think of Lance coming back is he has realised the sport is getting cleaned up.

His conscious got the better of him and he wants to prove he can ride clean and riding clean and winning would make a sense of wellbeing to him that he can win without cheating like he did in 1999 - 2005.

It will also get the doubts away that he ever cheated.

Good move. But there is just one problem. He won't win.

Maybe you are right he want to prove that he could have won clean if the rest of the field were clean too. Of course he can' t stated directly that he won with doping as his contenders.

 

[Rolfrae]

This year's Tour was boring as hell.
I think only eurotards found it exciting.

Second rate riders wheelsucking each other to death.

No, it is not exciting to see guys who would have been definitively dropped by Lance at the bottom of a climb in any of the Tours "fight it out" until the last boring slow ascent of the next ridiculously slow mountain.

Apparently I was not the only one who thought so:
ARMSTRONG:
“It wasn’t a lightbulb going off,” he says, but a realization, combined with a gradual frustration “with the rhetoric coming out of the Tour de France. Not just the Tour on TV but the domestic press, the international press, the pace, the speeds at which participants rode. It’s not a secret. I mean, the pace was slow.


This is such a breath of fresh air.
Cant wait to hear all the whining and moaning and gnashing of teeth.
Let the fun commence guys.
Your worst nightmare has returned.

A breath of fresh air this is most certainly not. It's the stale stench of a half-rotten corpse that refuses to lie down and die (that's a metaphor in case you're too dumb to get it). One day Armstrong the man will be dead (as will you and as will I) but the Tour de France will still be going strong and the Texan will just be another of the names in the history books. Americans like you will have long since stopped caring about or enjoying cycling and the Tour in particular but "Eurotards" like me will still be enjoying the racing, standing at the road and cheering.

 

[mitosis]

This year's Tour was boring as hell.
I think only eurotards found it exciting.

Second rate riders wheelsucking each other to death.

No, it is not exciting to see guys who would have been definitively dropped by Lance at the bottom of a climb in any of the Tours "fight it out" until the last boring slow ascent of the next ridiculously slow mountain.

Apparently I was not the only one who thought so:
ARMSTRONG:
“It wasn’t a lightbulb going off,” he says, but a realization, combined with a gradual frustration “with the rhetoric coming out of the Tour de France. Not just the Tour on TV but the domestic press, the international press, the pace, the speeds at which participants rode. It’s not a secret. I mean, the pace was slow.


This is such a breath of fresh air.
Cant wait to hear all the whining and moaning and gnashing of teeth.
Let the fun commence guys.
Your worst nightmare has returned.

Pretty easy for Armstrong to call a race slow when he didn't turn a pedal himself.

You're out of line with most people if you are of the opinion that this year's tour was not interesting.

Let him say he's coming back. Just because he says he wants to race it doesn't guarantee him a place. The US audience won't add much to the race following - the eurotards as you call them will follow the race because its a great race, not because one individual is present or not.

IMHO he is missing the publicity.

 

[Rolfrae]

I have it on good authority that Armstrong is bringing new sponsors to the team and there will be an anti-cancer theme.

This pisses me off too. He announces that it's not about him, it's about cancer. That way if ASO refuse Astana a place in the Tour he can say, so you Frenchies are pro-cancer cowards. Call me a cynic but if the man told me he was on fire and I'd set him alight myself I still wouldn't believe a word he said.

 

[limerickman]

Well this something worth watching, he said the pace of the 2008 tour was slow,
.

Ahem.

2008 TDF was the fifth fastest TDF, of the 95 TDF races held since 1903.

 

[limerickman]

This year's Tour was boring as hell.
I think only eurotards found it exciting.

Second rate riders wheelsucking each other to death.

The huge numbers of roadside spectators and the increased TV Nielsen figures for TDF 2008 - as ever - state different.

Apparently I was not the only one who thought so:
ARMSTRONG:
“It wasn’t a lightbulb going off,” he says, but a realization, combined with a gradual frustration “with the rhetoric coming out of the Tour de France. Not just the Tour on TV but the domestic press, the international press, the pace, the speeds at which participants rode. It’s not a secret. I mean, the pace was slow.

Oh dear.
Let me spell it out for you.

2008 TDF was the fifth fastest TDF, in the 95 editions of the race, since 1903.

Shooting fish in the proverbial barrel.