Can Simoni Challenge Amrmstong?

[lazysegall]

I don't think the riders are trying to play lance at his own game...I think instead that the riders are all riding for second place. No rider is willing to try and crack armstrong if they might crack themselves as well. Furthermore riders have been hesitant to really try and do that for their team...Does anyone think telekom could get their act together and maybe have someone challenge Armstrong?

 

[Tour de Lance]

no one can challenge Lance if he's on fire.they can just ride for the second place...

 

[micron]

What I meant by 'playing him at his own game' is that other riders wait to attack Armstrong at the points where he expects an attack and is prepared for it i.e. the mountains. If they did ride 'old school' tactics and attacked on any terrain, then US Postal would truly be made to work. But, as Telekom proved the other year, aint no point riding tempo up the climbs and let Armstrong sit on your wheel and get a tow. But I agree that if anyone else truly wants to win, they have to ride like they're riding for first place - which is why its refreshing to hear Simoni talking like he believes he can win it.

 

[Unregistered]

Just a thought folks ....

Seven years ago, I bet a bunch of people were sitting around and mostly agreeing that Miguel Indurain (then aged 32) looked odds-on to take out Tour number 6. He'd just won the Dauphine Libre and seemed to have peaked right on schedule for his sole objective of the season.

A few dissenters might have been mentioning Berzin but I bet no-one was predicting some Danish bloke called Bjarne Riis was going to crush Big Mig in the mountains.

I'm not saying Lance (aged 32?) won't win this year's Tour, but he's not going to win it for ever, and will we really know just how well he's going this year until the Tour hits the big climbs in week 2?

 

[Tour de Lance]

it's sure that he wont win it for ever!but he'll win it this year

 

[lazysegall]

First to lance's wife (tour de lance) obviously if lance is on fire he wins...That is like saying if lance pulls out from the tour someone else will win.

I don;t think that the old kind of attacks would have any more sucess against lance. First, postal is a team that stays vigilant. they aren;t lazy. Second, Heras will ride high in the overall standings and landis would probably also be able to stay with many attacks. Third, there is no evidence to suggest that lance cannot ride in the front in longer races. Some of his battles with Jan occured before the final climb, but I do agree that strong teams like telekom should attack attack attack and not even come up with a team leader (unfrotunaley for them I think that zabel will not be happy if botero or vino try to have a breakaway on flat or rolling stages.

 

[DutchArmada]

Simoni can definitely challenge Armstrong in the mountain stages.

I think that Gilberto Simoni's timetrials are way too weak to win the yellow jersey, but he'll be giving Lance and the US Postal team a hard time in the Alps and the Pyrenees, if he recovered well enough after his Giro win.

All in all, he might not be able to win the Tour, but he might let Armstrong or any other ride lose the Tour. Certainly if he is going to work together with some Spanish riders.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to an exciting Tour de France.

 

[Tour de Lance]

Originally posted by lazysegall
First to lance's wife (tour de lance) obviously if lance is on fire he wins...That is like saying if lance pulls out from the tour someone else will win.

I don;t think that the old kind of attacks would have any more sucess against lance. First, postal is a team that stays vigilant. they aren;t lazy. Second, Heras will ride high in the overall standings and landis would probably also be able to stay with many attacks. Third, there is no evidence to suggest that lance cannot ride in the front in longer races. Some of his battles with Jan occured before the final climb, but I do agree that strong teams like telekom should attack attack attack and not even come up with a team leader (unfrotunaley for them I think that zabel will not be happy if botero or vino try to have a breakaway on flat or rolling stages.

so u basically agree with me?

 

[claggy]

i cant really simoni challenging armstrong (although id love to see it happen)
firstly he could loose as much as 10 minutes in the tts , may well be affected by the speed in the first week. Isnt it his 1st tour? so he wont be used to the style of racing , time and time again you see riders who have performed well in the giro in the past whittle into obscurity in the tour. at the end of the day the giro (as much as i prefer it to the tour) is not at the same level as the tour is .

I think gonzales may be a better option, he was climbing better and better at the giro and i feel he can match armstrong in the tts. but i cant see him living with lance in the mountains.
the only way (apart from injuries or age as mentioned above) i can see lance loosing is if all the team leaders form some sort of secret pact against him but thats not going to happen is it.

 

[patch70]

Simoni has done 2 TDFs before. I think it was '97 & '98 and he finished about 100th in one and DNF the other.

 

[lazysegall]

I think the best indicator of simoni's tt time loss to lance would be his losses to leader o each tt stage in the giro...He did not loose anywhere near 10 minutes.

 

[Cycling Master]

Simone challenging Armstrong?No way!!!At least this year he doesn't stand a chance...
A very good surprise to me were,on this year's TDF,Vinokourov and Tyler Hamilton,not to mention the impressive return of Jan...

 

[Hunter]

In one word NO! NO he will not NO he can not and NO he did not.

 

[Seraphim]

Too bad for Simoni, but couldn't we see that happen?

It's impossible to excel in both the Giro and the Tour at the same year...

If only we take a look at the time shedule: between the Giro and the Tour you have a period of only..what, six or seven weeks?

Far too little to AND rest from the Giro AND after that rest period, to ride yourself in shape AGAIN for the Tour.
What Simoni did this year, was to try to "stay at shape" for the Tour. But that's not the right way!

Sure, Petacchi did it...to win stages in both Tours. But he stepped out of the Giro in (I think) the last week, AND he didn't have to make that fysically and mentually demanding task Simoni did: to defend the first place in the Giro.

NOW a word from me:
I think Simoni is now so ****** and disappointed, that we will definitively see him back in next year's Tour!
I even say that he will NOT ride next year's Giro (why shoudl he, he has won two Giro's now?) and fully prepare himself for the Tour.
And we will see a tremendously talented climber then!
At least in this Tour he showed some backbone..he could also say after one week: OK, it's not going to happen this year- I'm gone!

Let's see it happen- next year!

 

[TbosS]

It would be nice to see Simoni and Beloki attack LA next year. I'm curious if you'll be right. It is hard for an Italian champion not to ride the Giro. But, I must confess, I hope with you that he won't.

 

[Jimmythecuckoo]

Beloki in tandem with a fired up Simoni, Ulrich, Vino and Gonzalez could well be the ones to end the Armstrong era.

Having said that LA has had plenty of bad luck in this tour and could get a smooth ride into history next year!

 

[Seraphim]

Originally posted by TbosS
It would be nice to see Simoni and Beloki attack LA next year. I'm curious if you'll be right. It is hard for an Italian champion not to ride the Giro. But, I must confess, I hope with you that he won't.

Whooo now, take it easy.

I don't want to spoil your (my!) fun, but there are two questions to answer:

1 with three complex injuries (broken elbow..), I won't say that Beloki is fully RECOVERED within 6 months;
2 and even IF he is fully recovered then:
-nobody can guarantee that he will reach his level of before the injury;
-after recovering from injuries, you of course also need at least 5-6 months to TRAIN and get yourself IN SHAPE for next year's Tour...!

But, and now I will conclude positively, let's say that Beloki will experience the "jalabert model": after a major injury, coming beg even better, stronger and more motivated...

 

[ambal]

Just bought a 28'' TV so I can see Simoni kick Lance's ass!
Well, every year we look for someone who would challenge Armstrong and they all fail in the end. We'll see.

How times have changed 28"

 

[jhuskey]

No s**t. I think my cell phone has a 28" screen. I do miss those day. TDF is somewhat boring in comparison.

 

[swampy1970]

Can he match him?

[HASHTAG]#strava[/HASHTAG]

See who wins and then I'll go up there, fake the data and beat 'em! HA!