Armstrong apologizes, says he was disrespectful to Sastre and V...

Damn right he was disrespectful! And he'd be an idiot not to apologize now. I hope Christian shows Lance just how little of a joke he is.

The 'organizing' of the Tour 2008 was a BAD joke; Lance should have focused on that... The Tour is like wine: good years, bad years...

ZEN)))

If that had been done by any other person, would we even be here now!

He's a human being like everyone else and screws up like everyone else in society.

Cheers All

Becca wrote:

Damn right he was disrespectful! And he'd be an idiot not to apologize now. I hope Christian shows Lance just how little of a joke he is.

Like a 7 time winner joke?? LOL I think you are funny!!! Human, all too human wrote Nietzsche, So is Lance and so are you. we all mess up but being harsh on an appology is a choice of being rude.

French TV spent all afternoon trying to play 'shock-jock' about the 'no-radio' day on Bastille Day... it was kind of funny seeing the riders/directeurs' reactions :-)

And Swiss TV text-news reports that the day was 'spoiled' by the action of riders colluding to maintain a 30kph speed until 30k from the finish...
(but if that's true, how did the breakaway not take a massive lead (3m+ max)?)

They show the average speed as 40.70km/h... over 194km distance... over 4h46m43 of racing? My math is not what it was, but you have to accelerate REAL fast, to balance a 30km/h average speed sustained for a good part of 164km,

It was "grotesque", "a sad spectacle", a "stroll in the park" these guys say. Of course due to a 'group of teams' who 'protested' this experimental rule.

UCI to determine if this will occur again on Friday... if they choose to sustain NO-radio racing then, it negates a chance for that funky middle-mountain stage to create the anticipated surprise(s)...

ZENup

People shouldn't take athletes words too serious... it's not that often that they're able to mean what they say.

Lance was out of line in saying what he said, but like MOeP said, had it been another person saying, for example, that all TdF since 2006 have lacked emotion and interest... no one would have made a fuss about it.

But then again, Lance didn't lie...
;-/

2006 - Ullrich and Basso out on the eve of the 'Depart'... Landis win and gets disqualified; the winner becomes Pereiro (after Landis in coroned in the Champs Elysées), who was left to escape and gain 30 minutes on the peloton one day and everyone knew he wasn't a true contender

2007 - Contador earns his 'maillot jaune' overnight, when "The Chicken" Rasmussen is banned by his own team for lying regarding his TdF preparation whereabouts; contender Vinokourov is expelled for doping the day he won a mountain stage

2008 - Contador is banned, not because anyone has anything against him, but because his team (the one who's dominating this year's TdF) is banned; the virtual leader (Rogers) is forced to quit over an injury and potential winners are as few as possible

Not the Tour de France best days, one must agree.

ZENmud wrote:

French TV spent all afternoon trying to play 'shock-jock' about the 'no-radio' day on Bastille Day... it was kind of funny seeing the riders/directeurs' reactions :-)
And Swiss TV text-news reports that the day was 'spoiled' by the action of riders colluding to maintain a 30kph speed until 30k from the finish...
(but if that's true, how did the breakaway not take a massive lead (3m+ max)?)
They show the average speed as 40.70km/h... over 194km distance... over 4h46m43 of racing? My math is not what it was, but you have to accelerate REAL fast, to balance a 30km/h average speed sustained for a good part of 164km,
It was "grotesque", "a sad spectacle", a "stroll in the park" these guys say. Of course due to a 'group of teams' who 'protested' this experimental rule.
UCI to determine if this will occur again on Friday... if they choose to sustain NO-radio racing then, it negates a chance for that funky middle-mountain stage to create the anticipated surprise(s)...
ZENup

I was laughing at all the excuses the riders along with Andy and Lance came up with when being asked about the No-Radio Day.

That ladies and gentlemen is real bicycle racing!

mogwai73 wrote:

People shouldn't take athletes words too serious... it's not that often that they're able to mean what they say.
Lance was out of line in saying what he said, but like MOeP said, had it been another person saying, for example, that all TdF since 2006 have lacked emotion and interest... no one would have made a fuss about it.
But then again, Lance didn't lie...
;-/
2006 - Ullrich and Basso out on the eve of the 'Depart'... Landis win and gets disqualified; the winner becomes Pereiro (after Landis in coroned in the Champs Elysées), who was left to escape and gain 30 minutes on the peloton one day and everyone knew he wasn't a true contender
2007 - Contador earns his 'maillot jaune' overnight, when "The Chicken" Rasmussen is banned by his own team for lying regarding his TdF preparation whereabouts; contender Vinokourov is expelled for doping the day he won a mountain stage
2008 - Contador is banned, not because anyone has anything against him, but because his team (the one who's dominating this year's TdF) is banned; the virtual leader (Rogers) is forced to quit over an injury and potential winners are as few as possible
Not the Tour de France best days, one must agree.

Well said Mogwai73

The best point I read was this: "Why is the UCI choosing the sports 'Finest Moments' to do 'radio-test-days', when they could choose a 'Spring Classic' or a lesser-known stage race to 'play games' with the riders/teams?

The second best comment was: "our sponsors are paying millions, and they want to win! and protect their investments... radios are a natural means of communication, and no other team sports ban communications between players and coaches during 'a match'..." (think that was A. Schleck who'd said that...)

ZENreportz

ZENmud wrote:

The best point I read was this: "Why is the UCI choosing the sports 'Finest Moments' to do 'radio-test-days', when they could choose a 'Spring Classic' or a lesser-known stage race to 'play games' with the riders/teams?
The second best comment was: "our sponsors are paying millions, and they want to win! and protect their investments... radios are a natural means of communication, and no other team sports ban communications between players and coaches during 'a match'..." (think that was A. Schleck who'd said that...)
ZENreportz

...well,zat is La France for you...right Raymond???

Gus wrote:

<quoted text>
...well,zat is La France for you...right Raymond???

UCI is located in Switzerland.

Don't think we can blame that one on the French!

My Opinion_El Paso_Texas wrote:

<quoted text>
UCI is located in Switzerland.
Don't think we can blame that one on the French!

you're right,I'll go stand in the corner

I'm going to put words in Gus' mouth (without his permission... heh heh)

of the Teams represented on the Tour de France:
an overwhelming majority of the 'French Teams' favoured the ban;
an overwhelming majority of the 'Other Teams' were against the ban.

To me the accurate question would be 'who convinced the UCI that this 'concept' was 'fine' and 'deserved a trial' at the Tour'?

So let's give Gus and MOeP a half point each...

My Opinion_El Paso_Texas wrote:

<quoted text>
UCI is located in Switzerland.
Don't think we can blame that one on the French!

(now (sigh) Raymie will show up and claim I am bashing the French, when he knows his cousin told him the very same facts...)

ZENtrivia

I know that all of the riders have relied on the radios so long now that they're somewhat lost without them.

I enjoy seeing shots where, at a moment when great effort is required, all of a sudden Joe Rider rips the earplug out of his ear, and then goes for the Glory Moment...

In fact, I think Contador did that Sunday in Verbier...?

ZENmemory?