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View Full Version : Lance WILL RACE '05 Tour de France!

fasterfoster
02-16-2005, 07:40 AM
It's official! Lance will compete in this years Tour.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5243628.html
igor
02-16-2005, 08:04 AM
Just heard this on the FAN as I was reading the link.
noise_is_life
02-16-2005, 08:25 AM
He said it on his appearance on Oprah too, umm, not that I watched it or anything... :embarass:
tmac
02-16-2005, 08:35 AM
Kind of too bad. I just read the following last night, and thought the author had some good points that would bring some better drama for Lance's quest for seven and his potential to really put his stamp on the record books - in a few more categories anyway.

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/7565.0.html
fasterfoster
02-16-2005, 08:41 AM
He said it on his appearance on Oprah too, umm, not that I watched it or anything... :embarass:I hate to admit it, but I actually recorded Oprah for the announcement. He only said that he would race for a 7th. He's been saying that all year. He never said if he'd do it this year until this announcement.
EmL34
02-16-2005, 08:48 AM
Sweet...another July of 'working from home'.
nigel
02-16-2005, 01:47 PM
Hrmmmm, i dunno......i just hope there is some great younger new riders to watch to make it exciting. Tired of seeing the same thing.
SPR
02-16-2005, 03:40 PM
I predict, being the realist that I am, he will not start and if he does he won't finish. Just my opinion.:D
grizzly adam
02-17-2005, 07:54 AM
Kind of too bad. I just read the following last night, and thought the author had some good points that would bring some better drama for Lance's quest for seven and his potential to really put his stamp on the record books - in a few more categories anyway.

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/7565.0.html

I say screw the Hollywood ending! Any word on the team? Who'd we lose, gain, etc.
I think it's interesting that he's coming back, but I wonder if he can do it if the team is lacking in any way compared to years past.
tmac
02-17-2005, 08:15 AM
I say screw the Hollywood ending! Any word on the team? Who'd we lose, gain, etc.
I think it's interesting that he's coming back, but I wonder if he can do it if the team is lacking in any way compared to years past.

It's not Lance's team that will make it interesting - I'm sure whoever Discovery sends will be hand-picked to shephard Lance into Paris. I'm more curious about who the other teams have put together specifically to stick pumps into the spokes of Discovery.
fasterfoster
02-17-2005, 09:58 AM
I say screw the Hollywood ending! Any word on the team? Who'd we lose, gain, etc.
I think it's interesting that he's coming back, but I wonder if he can do it if the team is lacking in any way compared to years past.Here's the official team roster from the Discovery Team site: http://team.discovery.com/bios/bios.html
jaybird
02-17-2005, 11:30 AM
I think the loss of Floyd Landis is going to be a big impact over the course of the Tour. Floyd was a solid workhorse for the team on the long pulls the team had to do.
TomT
02-17-2005, 03:11 PM
I think the loss of Floyd Landis is going to be a big impact over the course of the Tour. Floyd was a solid workhorse for the team on the long pulls the team had to do.

1999 - Cancer survivor with a weak team = 1st win
2000 - Big names are back racing, lost Jonathan Vaughter, never win = 2nd win
2001 - Lost Kevin Livingston who helped Lance in the mountains = 3rd win
2002 - Lost Tyler Hamilton, Lances right hand man = 4th win
2003 - Distractions in the personal life, Ullrich, Beloki, Hamilton = 5th win
2004 - Lost Heras. Ullrich, Hamilton, Heras, Mayo, Beloki, Leipheimer = 6th win
2005 - Lost Landis oh no!

Maybe Johan knows something about managing a bike team?
grizzly adam
02-17-2005, 03:13 PM
Fabulous!

....not sure what I was thinking....
SPR
02-17-2005, 03:27 PM
With LA's reputation does anyone think that he would ride or finish the TdF if he couldn't win? It's comes down to a damned if does and damned if he doesn't dilema for the media.
jkalla
02-17-2005, 04:22 PM
With LA's reputation does anyone think that he would ride or finish the TdF if he couldn't win? It's comes down to a damned if does and damned if he doesn't dilema for the media.


I can't see him giving up in the middle of the race at this point in his career just because he couldn't take the yellow jersey. Can you imagine the heat he would take for it. I will say this - there are a lot of riders who would love to be remembered as the one who beat Lance Armstrong.

If he took second or third or even last place it wouldn't diminish the acclompishment he already made with 6 victories.