if Lance wins 5 and 6

[Gentolm]

1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if lance was to win # 5 he should
quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but that really is not true. I am
puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that mean the person is the best,,, Would he have
to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best thx 4 ya'll input zilla

 

[Tom Kunich]

"gentolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> 1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if
lance
> was to win # 5 he should quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but
> that really
is
> not true. I am puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that mean
the
> person is the best,,, Would he have to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best

Sounds like it was written by some football announcer.

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, gentolm <[email protected]> wrote:

> 1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if lance was to win # 5 he should
> quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but that really is not true. I am
> puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that mean the person is the best,,, Would he
> have to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best thx 4 ya'll input zilla

Welcome to the group.

I hardly ever engage in spelling/grammar/usage flames, but this is so bad in so many ways that you
look like an inebriated AIM'er. Please stop it!

To answer your question, I have no idea why they think he should quit at 5, unless they are big fans
of Ullrich and think he needs some help with his comeback.

As for who is the best, the record books show Miguel Indurain as the only winner of 5 consecutive
TdFs, though several others have won 5. In many people's eyes, Mercx (Eddy, not Axel) will always be
the best TdF rider, and perhaps the best overall rider (it is true that Lance and other recent Tour
winners focus much more single-mindedly on the Tour these days than Mercx did, but that's just how
the sport has evolved).

If Lance takes 6, and especially 6 consecutive tours, he will be at the top of the record books,
and I daresay for a long time. Even if he stays at four (and interestingly, he is the only 4-time
winner; every rider who has won four Tours managed a fifth), he will still be one of the great
TdF riders.

What impresses people right now is that Armstrong's Tour victories have been so powerful and
routine-looking. I don't know a lot of Tour history, but some who know better than I claim that
Lance is more of a complete threat than any other rider. He has proven a dominant rider both in TTs
and in the mountains, a remarkable achievement. About the worst you can say about him is that he has
the support of a very, very strong team.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Psycholist]

<< Sounds like it was written by some football announcer. >>

Or someone who thinks that Lance winning six TdFs while focusing on them almost exclusively doesn't
make him better than Eddie Merckx winning 5 while also winning almost everything else all season
long, too.

Bob C.

"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "gentolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > 1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if
> lance
> > was to win # 5 he should quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but that
> > really
> is
> > not true. I am puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that mean
> the
> > person is the best,,, Would he have to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best
>
> Sounds like it was written by some football announcer.

 

[Curtis L. Russe]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> << Sounds like it was written by some football announcer. >>
>
> Or someone who thinks that Lance winning six TdFs while focusing on them almost exclusively
> doesn't make him better than Eddie Merckx winning 5
while
> also winning almost everything else all season long, too.
>
> Bob C.
>

Well, sure, but I think Merckx was carried by his teammate in the track wins in the winter...

--
Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two wheels...

 

[Art Harris]

"psycholist" wrote:

> Or someone who thinks that Lance winning six TdFs while focusing on them almost exclusively
> doesn't make him better than Eddie Merckx winning 5 while also winning almost everything else all
> season long, too.

Yeah, and since Lance focuses only on the TdF, he should at least be able to win all three jerseys
like Eddy did in 1969.

Art

 

[Tom Kunich]

Merckx was a complete rider as well. Hinault was a complete rider. Indurain was a complete rider.
Anquetil was a TT specialist who could hold on in the mountains. They were all great racers but
Eddy Merckx stands head and shoulders above everyone else in the sheer ability to win anywhere and
at any time.

That doesn't make Lance hamburger though.

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, gentolm
<[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > 1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if
lance
> > was to win # 5 he should quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but that
really is
> > not true. I am puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that mean
the
> > person is the best,,, Would he have to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best thx 4 ya'll input zilla
>
> Welcome to the group.
>
> I hardly ever engage in spelling/grammar/usage flames, but this is
so
> bad in so many ways that you look like an inebriated AIM'er. Please
stop
> it!
>
> To answer your question, I have no idea why they think he should
quit at
> 5, unless they are big fans of Ullrich and think he needs some help
with
> his comeback.
>
> As for who is the best, the record books show Miguel Indurain as the only winner of 5 consecutive
> TdFs, though several others have won 5.
In
> many people's eyes, Mercx (Eddy, not Axel) will always be the best
TdF
> rider, and perhaps the best overall rider (it is true that Lance and other recent Tour winners
> focus much more single-mindedly on the
Tour
> these days than Mercx did, but that's just how the sport has
evolved).
>
> If Lance takes 6, and especially 6 consecutive tours, he will be at
the
> top of the record books, and I daresay for a long time. Even if he
stays
> at four (and interestingly, he is the only 4-time winner; every
rider
> who has won four Tours managed a fifth), he will still be one of the great TdF riders.
>
> What impresses people right now is that Armstrong's Tour victories
have
> been so powerful and routine-looking. I don't know a lot of Tour history, but some who know better
> than I claim that Lance is more of
a
> complete threat than any other rider. He has proven a dominant rider both in TTs and in the
> mountains, a remarkable achievement. About
the
> worst you can say about him is that he has the support of a very,
very
> strong team.
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Tom Kunich]

Eddy Merckx was riding against guys who were riding all season as well. Lance is riding against
other Tour specialists.

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> << Sounds like it was written by some football announcer. >>
>
> Or someone who thinks that Lance winning six TdFs while focusing on
them
> almost exclusively doesn't make him better than Eddie Merckx winning
5 while
> also winning almost everything else all season long, too.
>
> Bob C.
>
> "Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "gentolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > > 1st timer here ,,,, i read in the dallas time paper(usa) that if
> > lance
> > > was to win # 5 he should quite. It went on to say if he won # 6 he would be TDF best but that
really
> > is
> > > not true. I am puzzled if he or anyone won it 6 time why wouldn't that
mean
> > the
> > > person is the best,,, Would he have to win it 7 or 8 times to b the best
> >
> > Sounds like it was written by some football announcer.
> >
> >

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Art Harris) wrote:

> "psycholist" wrote:
>
> > Or someone who thinks that Lance winning six TdFs while focusing on them almost exclusively
> > doesn't make him better than Eddie Merckx winning 5 while also winning almost everything else
> > all season long, too.
>
> Yeah, and since Lance focuses only on the TdF, he should at least be able to win all three jerseys
> like Eddy did in 1969.
>
> Art

Heh. Nothing will take away from Merckx's record of achievement, ever. It's like saying that Gordie
Howe or Babe Ruth are no longer among the best at their sport, because they have been surpassed in
the record books. They were the best in their eras, and more dominant in their eras than any other
competitors in their respective sports. In baseball, you might talk about Ted Williams, DiMaggio, or
some modern star as being a similarly powerful figure. In cycling, we must now speak of Merckx and
Indurain as Tour greats. Lance is up there, since he has shown no signs of weakness, there is a
chance he will pull off some unprecedented achievements (6 wins, mainly).

Armstrong rides in a world where there is a lot more money in cycling, and where there is only one
race that really matters at the peak, and where guys like Jalabert train for the polka dots, and
then deliberately drop off GC pace to ensure they don't get chased down by the USPS Blue Meanies.
Basically, everyone is a specialist, be they a classics specialist, a world championship contender,
a track rider, a Vuelta rider (Heras, to pick one), or a Tour de France rider.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club