"Davide Tosi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Sierraman said:
I think he would rather go out on top rather then step down to winning one classics or the Giro. How do you go from the prestige of the
TDF
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to the Giro? It like going backwards, I don't think he will do that.
"step down", "going backwards"? talking about cycling with you yankees is so frustrating, because you really don't get it The Giro or the monuments are not minor achievements, are just different ones, for which you need different skills. The fact that the Tour is by far the most famous cycling race on your side of the Ocean does not mean that here it is the same thing. By your standard Sampras and Agassi should always have played only Wimbledon, disregarding the Roland Garros, Flushing Meadows, Australian Open and the Masters.
The other Grand Tours and the Monuments had always been as important as Le Tour. If you yankees want to change that, the only solution is to keep you out of this sport. I think Verbrugghen got it and this is the reason for which he's starting the pro tour thing. The first step is to force the teams to ride them all. In a few years he'll require that all the top riders do it. If don't ride one, you ride none. Take it or leave it. It's you yankees that are forcing Hein to do this.
I know the Giro was a huge deal in the old days with some of the Italian greats. From your point of view I would expect many Italians feel it's a shame that the Giro didn't become the greatest race instead of the French version. I have done some reading about it, the Giro is a pretty big deal in Italy, but you probably be surprised how many Americans who have heard of the TDF, have never heard of the Giro. Put it in any words you like but I bet you in Lance's mind, why go win the Giro when he won 6 TDF's? Wait and see, he might enter the Giro, but I doubt it. Why do dittos of another stage race that isn't that important? Now forget about how I feel, but what does lance think? That's the question right there. Does he care more about the money or his palamares?
Jan looked happy on the podium with team members joking around and such. Second fiddle isn't all that bad. Coming into the tour, it was mainly the Lance-Jan show for starters. He's the big gentle german machine that everybody was watching and seems somewhat content. True, the eternal second in previous tours but maybe he's a happier camper then you think.
That really seems to say it all - I'm beginning to think he's satisfied with 2nd placings (well, satisfied enough to train light). Sure doesn't seem to "hate losing" as much as Armstrong does.
Didn't Ullrich grow up in the East German "sports machine"? Does that fit this not-very-hungry-to-win attitude?
Just trying to understand where Jan is coming from.
"Davide Tosi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Sierraman said:
I think he would rather go out on top rather then step down to winning one classics or the Giro. How do you go from the prestige of the
TDF
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
to the Giro? It like going backwards, I don't think he will do that.
"step down", "going backwards"? talking about cycling with you yankees is so frustrating, because you really don't get it The Giro or the monuments are not minor achievements, are just different ones, for which you need different skills. The fact that the Tour is by far the most famous cycling race on your side of the Ocean does not mean that here it is the same thing. By your standard Sampras and Agassi should always have played only Wimbledon, disregarding the Roland Garros, Flushing Meadows, Australian Open and the Masters.
The other Grand Tours and the Monuments had always been as important as Le Tour. If you yankees want to change that, the only solution is to keep you out of this sport. I think Verbrugghen got it and this is the reason for which he's starting the pro tour thing. The first step is to force the teams to ride them all. In a few years he'll require that all the top riders do it. If don't ride one, you ride none. Take it or leave it. It's you yankees that are forcing Hein to do this.
I know the Giro was a huge deal in the old days with some of the Italian greats. From your point of view I would expect many Italians feel it's a shame that the Giro didn't become the greatest race instead of the French version. I have done some reading about it, the Giro is a pretty big deal in Italy, but you probably be surprised how many Americans who have heard of the TDF, have never heard of the Giro.
Ok, but the world of pro cycling doesn't live on the American audience. In the USA cycling is a niche sport broadcasted on a cable channel. In Europe it's one of the 3 top sports in terms of audience and many of the major races (not only the TdF) are free to air on public channels or commercial networks and drive really interesting audience ratings. So, the UCI has to take care about the European market, because it's his main one. The yankee market is not really important for the future of the sport.
Also he said he was afraid that an angry fan might pop out and punch him in the gut like happened to Merckx and he was really sacred and it didn't happen.
So the RBR July posters are correct then, HE is sacred ?
"Donald Munro" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Sierraman said:
Also he said he was afraid that an angry fan might pop out and punch him in the gut like happened to Merckx and he was really sacred and it didn't happen.
So the RBR July posters are correct then, HE is sacred ?
Would you be afraid of millions of drunk fans, on drugs and waving flags like they taunt bulls, all this happening while they are dressed up like the fans of Mardi Gras? Next thing they will be throwing beads at the riders!
Also he said he was afraid that an angry fan might pop out and punch him in the gut like happened to Merckx and he was really sacred and it
======
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didn't happen.
Donald Munro said:
Quoted message said:
So the RBR July posters are correct then, HE is sacred ?
Sierraman said:
Would you be afraid of millions of drunk fans, on drugs and waving flags like they taunt bulls, all this happening while they are dressed up like the fans of Mardi Gras? Next thing they will be throwing beads at the riders!
in article [email hidden], Sierraman at [email hidden] wrote on 7/27/04 5:41 PM:
Quoted message said:
"Tom Schulenburg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Sierraman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... <SNIP>
Quoted message said:
Put it in any words you like but I bet you in Lance's mind, why go win the Giro when he won 6 TDF's?
Because winning the Giro would be easier than winning the TdF. Especially
if
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he doesn't have to face Jan, Tyler, and Mayo.
-T
How much prestige is there in that? Not to take away from the Giro but I don't think Lance wants to win against anyone but the best.
He won the Tour of Georgia, didn't he? That was the best of the domestic scene, to be sure, but certainly not the cream of the crop among pro cyclists. If next year's Giro is like this one, he should be able to use it as a training race. As I've already suggested, Carmichael is a brilliant man and I'm sure he could figure out how to do a Giro-Tour double.
