did armstrong prepare as well this year?

[claggy]

hes getting stronger every day which suggests he may have prepared less well this year.

 

[Vo2]

I reckon other teams have played a big part in the outcome of this years Tour. Riders have come to the front to attack LA and his team more often than in previous years.

 

[gymbob]

i think armstrong has prepared as well as usual - brilliant early season form in both classics and week stage races, but hes a victim of his own success by refining a scientific approach to training that has now been adopted by his competitors. plus his competitors are nearing an age when they are more capable of winning the tour

 

[coolworx]

I dunno... it seems his 'MTB' training came in handy in avoiding one pileup - as he guided his skinny tires x-c for a 100 yds to cut off a switchback and rejoin the pack...

And his spinning a smaller gear in yesterday's stage victory was classic MTB mentality (not to mention the f-it attitude after that crash)

 

[steve]

Originally posted by gymbob
but hes a victim of his own success by refining a scientific approach to training that has now been adopted by his competitors. plus his competitors are nearing an age when they are more capable of winning the tour

Thats a really good point, I got the impression most of the top riders would have prepared beter than those of a few years ago. How much closer would the tour be with no TTT?

cheers

 

[latterider]

I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that Lance was ill leading up to TdF, a stomach problem, could this be the reason for his slow start?

 

[aistewart]

Originally posted by steve
Thats a really good point, I got the impression most of the top riders would have prepared beter than those of a few years ago. How much closer would the tour be with no TTT?

cheers

Yeh, but the "Contre la Montre" is quite rightly known on the continent as the "Race of Truth", so surely even the Team Time Trial is one of the most crucial and revealing aspects of the Tour. This especially so cause the "lesser" members of the teams are critical to the overall performance, and must pull their weight.

 

[Cycling Master]

I think he might have prepared himself well,but the truth is he wasn't the 99-00-01-02 Armstrong we know on this year's edition of the TDF...
And to make things worse,his rivals were tremendously fast and consistent...
And don't forget,last year he won 4 stages,and this year just 1...
One way or the other,we've being seing the most competitive TDF in years!