Why I like George....



"Tim Mullin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ....better than Lance.
>
> After today's PR, Hincape admits he just didn't have the legs after making
> the break with Museeuw. No ******** excuses, just an honest admission of
> what every cyclist knows--some days the other guy is just faster than you.
>
> Lance, on the other hand, always seems to have an excuse. A hunger knock.
> The other guy warmed up in air conditioning. Everything, it seems, this
> side of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Why can't he admit that--plain and
> simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not the hallmark of

a
> great champion in my book.


I said this years ago, that Lance has always had all of the marks of a bad
loser. I thought the cancer episode might have helped him mature a bit but
that lasted for only about 2 years or so. Since last year I am waiting for
him to "fail to win" the Tour. He is such a fool that I am sure he will make
it the most memorable day of his career.
 
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Kinda makes you wonder what someone like Bjarne Riis could do with

him...
>
> Or how he might do if he had a team mate (or two) somewhere past the first
> 50km of the race... The most striking thing in that Nike video a few

years
> back (the one that focused on Lance's preparation for the TDF, including
> riding up that mountain until the snow blocked the road, and then some)

was
> the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard on the radio, wondering
> where his guys were, asking for a bit of help.


The real point here is that he did not complain through the media in spite
of it happening many times throughout the past few years.


> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
> http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>
>
 
"benjo maso" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Tim Mullin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> > > Isn't a hunger knock an admission that you did something stupid? When

I
> > > heard him talk about it, I thought that's what he was doing ...

> admitting
> > > he'd done something boneheaded.
> > >
> > > As for "the other guy warmed up in air conditioning" ... show me where

> Lance
> > > ever said that. Paul Sherwin and Phil said it. The media said it.

But
> I
> > > think you're putting words into Lance's mouth.

> >
> > You're right on this point, but Armstrong and Carmichael did blame the
> > poor performance on dehydration (see lancearmstrong.com for
> > reference). Hunger knock, as you said, admitting he'd done something
> > boneheaded. The same for dehydration. The same for the rubbing brake.
> > In each case, Lance, in effect, is saying, "He didn't beat me I did
> > something stupid and beat myself." Whether intentional or not, it has
> > the effect of deminishing the winner's accomplishment. It's petty,
> > it's sad, and it says a great deal about Armstrong's character.

>
>
> When Gino Bartali lost a few minutes to Robic and Coppi in the first
> mountain stage of the Tour of '49 because of serious stomach troubles, a
> journalist said to him: "But it wasn't your own fault, you were sick".
> Bartali answered: "Of course it was my own fault. When a rider gets sick,

it
> means his preparation wasn't good enough".
>
> Benjo Maso


I love it.

Everyone expects so much more from George and I expect so much more from
Lance Romance. All of the complaints about Lance are totally within his
control to correct.
 
Nev Shea <[email protected]> wrote:

> >> the Paris Roubaix coverage, where George is heard on the radio,
> >> wondering where his guys were, asking for a bit of help.


> I didn't see that video. Was it filmed the year George went head first
> into the ditch, and his helper Boonen had to go on and take George's spot
> on the podium? Oh, and I can't recall, but didn't George have teammates
> with him that day when Johann just motored away from them all with about
> 30 k to go? I recall Frankie being UP the road then.


That was the year in between those two, where Knaven was up
the road ahead of Georgie, Museeuw, and a few others (Vainsteins,
also Domo), so chasing would just have towed Johan to the front.
Georgie had a point there. Even in P-R, it does help to have
numbers on your side.

> Hey, I like George too and wish him the best of luck, but I think you're
> going overboard in making excuses or trying to stack the deck in his
> favor.
 
"trg" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Maybe it makes us feel better to see a
> loser play nice, but it's hypocritical. I'd rather the guy tells us
> what he feels and believes than the usual sports cliche pap.


It doesn't have anything to do with playing nice. It has everything to do
with stating the obvious. Some days the other guy is better/faster/luckier.
That's just the way it is.
 
Tim Mullin wrote:
> "trg" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> Maybe it makes us feel better to see a
>> loser play nice, but it's hypocritical. I'd rather the guy tells us
>> what he feels and believes than the usual sports cliche pap.

>
> It doesn't have anything to do with playing nice. It has everything
> to do with stating the obvious. Some days the other guy is
> better/faster/luckier. That's just the way it is.


Obvious for you maybe, but not for the guy who refuses to admit defeat. That
part of the psychology of being a winner. When someone says they lost
because of dehydration, or a rubbing brake, or whatever, to them they're
stating the obvious. Let them tell it like they see it.
 
On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:26:36 +0200, "trg"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Obvious for you maybe, but not for the guy who refuses to admit defeat. That
>part of the psychology of being a winner. When someone says they lost
>because of dehydration, or a rubbing brake, or whatever, to them they're
>stating the obvious. Let them tell it like they see it.


I think it is also that Lance is most often interviewed at the end of
a stage, not the end of the race. For Lance, the issue is not just
today's stage, he is thinking in terms of the next day.

If you have just finished a one day classic, its over. Whatever
happened, you get a beer (or whatever) and move on. In the stage race,
if you're a GC rider, you have to be thinking in terms of whether what
happened is momentary, something to be addressed someway tomorrow, or
a serious problem. You say the other guy was simply better today and
everyone starts talking about how you're going to lose the next time
trial by a minute plus.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
 
"Nev Shea" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Oh, and I can't recall, but didn't George have teammates with him
> that day when Johann just motored away from them all with about
> 30 k to go?


Just like he did to EVERYONE else? Why, ****, no WONDER that George can't
win.
 
On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 23:05:28 GMT, Tim Mullin <[email protected]>
wrote:

>....better than Lance.
>
>Why can't he admit that--plain and
>simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not the hallmark of a
>great champion in my book.


Well of course! Great champions are not defined by their race results,
like winning five TdFs in a row. It's their interview technique that
truly defines them.


jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3
 
John Everett <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 23:05:28 GMT, Tim Mullin <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >....better than Lance.
> >
> >Why can't he admit that--plain and
> >simple--on that day the other guy rode a better race? Not the hallmark of a
> >great champion in my book.

>
> Well of course! Great champions are not defined by their race results,
> like winning five TdFs in a row. It's their interview technique that
> truly defines them.


Let me just interject with the way I feel, and I'm sure a lot of other
people feel as well: I AM SICK OF LANCE ARMSTRONG. It is WAY past
time for the sport to have a third and fourth former TdF champion
riding in the peloton. There are four Giro winners, and five Vuelta
winners, one of whom (Zuelle) is retiring soon... but only two Tour
winners. Let's get some variety... as long as it isn't Lance
Armstrong or Jan Ullrich.

Here are some examples of ideal situations:

Joseba Beloki DNS, Sylvain Chavanel takes up the mantle and wins.
Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia 1-2 in Paris, or vice versa.
Christophe Moreau finally comes out of his shell.
Bobby Julich finally lives up to his potential.
Levi Leipheimer redeems.
Tyler Hamilton puts in a thrilling solo attack into Paris and beats
Ullrich on the last day.
Roberto Heras beats his former team leader into the ground, with the
help of Christian Vandevelde and Isidro Nozal.

Here are some examples of bad outcomes:

Lance Armstrong breaks the record and we all suffer through one more
year of Krispy Kreme trolls on rec.bicycles.racing.
Jan Ullrich comes back from crashing his drunk ass into a bike rack
and repeats his 1997 victory, having won nothing else the entire
season.
 
Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
they are so well known and ignored under their own?
 
Tom Kunich wrote:
> Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
> they are so well known and ignored under their own?




The point that seems to be missed here is that, like Lance or not, he is
a world class rider and more importantly- a winner. George is a great
bloke and a class rider but does not have it in him to consistently win.
Take tennis as an example - in Macenroe's biog he tells of loads of
players that were better then him and stronger but did not have it in
them to win - they simply did not want it badly enough. It is the same
in every sport - there are those who ultimately would kill their mum to
win and need it more than anything.......and those who are good blokes.
Frank Bruno versus Mike Tyson.......

A winner never admits they were beaten by a better man - that would be
facing the fact that someone out there is better than you. A winner who
loses just got unlucky on the day...there is no one better.

Lance has that attitude...if you dont like it or it doesnt seem like
good sportsmanship then get real.



--
 
On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 19:48:13 GMT, Tom Kunich wrote:
> Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
> they are so well known and ignored under their own?


He really is called Jeff Jones (aka Sonarrat). Maybe the original JJ
should finally start calling himself Dr. Jones..?
 
Ewoud Dronkert wrote:
> Maybe the original JJ
> should finally start calling himself Dr. Jones..?



what is jeff a doctor of?

hh
 
"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
> they are so well known and ignored under their own?
>

He's a genuine Jeff Jones. I'm sure we can come up with some better
demarcation than this though. I had no problem with Sonarrat.

cheers,
Jeff (the other other Jeff Jones)
 
"h squared" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Ewoud Dronkert wrote:
> > Maybe the original JJ
> > should finally start calling himself Dr. Jones..?

>
>
> what is jeff a doctor of?
>

chem (please, spare the jokes). It was actually a combined
theoretical/physical degree on modelling coal combustion. Brown coal looks
great in a miniskirt. I spent a lot of time reading Cyclingnews instead of
doing experiments. I had no idea it how it would influence my career :)

Jeff
 
"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 19:48:13 GMT, Tom Kunich wrote:
> > Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
> > they are so well known and ignored under their own?

>
> He really is called Jeff Jones (aka Sonarrat). Maybe the original JJ
> should finally start calling himself Dr. Jones..?


Actually that's even worse. Sonarrat hasn't been a troll that I've noticed
and usually had something to say that you would want to read. Pot shots at
Lance are a bit "in" aren't they? I'm actually not a great Lance fan because
he's too mechanical for my tastes. But a winner is a winner and someone
telling us that he'd rather a bunch of also-rans won is pretty unreal. Let's
face it, there were plenty of the "Anyone but Merckx" crowd during Eddy's
day.
 
"Jeff Jones" <jeff@cyclingnews-punt-com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
> > they are so well known and ignored under their own?
> >

> He's a genuine Jeff Jones. I'm sure we can come up with some better
> demarcation than this though. I had no problem with Sonarrat.


My appologies to Sonarrat if I misunderstood his postings. But the
anti-Lance talk does get as boring as Brian Lafferty's "Every pro is a
doper".
 
Jeff Jones wrote:
> "Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Isn't it pitiful how the trolls have to use other people's names because
>>they are so well known and ignored under their own?
>>

>
> He's a genuine Jeff Jones.


Yep. My dad saw Cyclingnews.com for the first time the other day, saw
the name and said, "I didn't realize THAT'S what you were doing on the
Internet!" :)

> I'm sure we can come up with some better
> demarcation than this though. I had no problem with Sonarrat.
>
> cheers,
> Jeff (the other other Jeff Jones)


I'm sure that we can come to some kind of an agreement. Perhaps I can
switch back to Sonarrat, and you can see if you can get me an internship
over the summer. I don't eat much. (Only half joking.)

Nah, I just thought it would be funny to do this. Since you don't
agree, I'll change back after sending this message.