G.Love
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:08 PM UTC
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Hate to be one to gloat, but did an AMERICAN just win the Tour de France for the fifth time? An AMERICAN riding for the US POSTAL SERVICE team, no less, not a Brit riding for the Royal Mail team.
Where are all the Brit riders? - smoking their fags and working on their coronaries by sucking down their greasy fish and chips! Maybe Beckham can take up biking to save face for the Brits, then I can see the movie "Bike it Like Beckham" or "Beckham Away" - ride the bike you bloody Cutters!!! (ref. the movie Breaking Away)
You know if the shoe were on the other foot, you would be taking a swipe at the US….
markie
Joined: October 15, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 13178
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:10 PM UTC
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Its good when America wins everything. You are so gracious.
G.Love
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:13 PM UTC
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Just trying to live up to the Ugly American stereotype!
*In my best Homer Simpson voice*
"Wooohoo! We're #1! We're #1! USA! USA! In your face!"
thirsty moore
Joined: January 11, 2000 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 6131
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:16 PM UTC
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Um, get better atheletes?
Originally posted by markie:
Its good when America wins everything. You are so gracious.
mankie
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:29 PM UTC
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More importantly, do the Brits really care about bicycle riding? I think NOT. We normally let the Italians and French enjoy the girlie sports. If there was a Brit rider though, I bet he had two balls in his shorts.
thirsty moore
Joined: January 11, 2000 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 6131
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:30 PM UTC
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That's nice Mankie, keep playing kickball in the back yard.
markie
Joined: October 15, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 13178
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:34 PM UTC
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its very difficult to become a professional raod cyclist in Britain. there is not enough infrastructure in the sport and not enough high profile local races. Therefore kids dont take it up early enough as a sport to become great at it.
Americans are naturally advantage over Britain having in Colorado, a high altitutude place to train.
thirsty moore
Joined: January 11, 2000 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 6131
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:37 PM UTC
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I was too busy swimming and playing soccer. I think my Pops would have preferred baseball though.
markie
Joined: October 15, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 13178
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:40 PM UTC
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Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by markie:
.
Then why does one-knacker mail boy spend 6 months in Spain training?
training, or "competing" in the classics?
you need to be based in europe once you are an established cyclist.
ggw
Joined: December 16, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 14237
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:40 PM UTC
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Originally posted by markie:
Americans are naturally advantage over Britain having in Colorado, a high altitutude place to train.
The Belgians haven't done too badly (18 titles) and the highest point in Belgium is probably about 500 feet.
markie
Joined: October 15, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 13178
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:45 PM UTC
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
The Belgians haven't done too badly (18 titles) and the highest point in Belgium is probably about 500 feet. [/QB]
when was the last time a Belgian won? If altitutude trainings benefits were known at that point then he trained at altitide.
Merckx trained at altitude, but the whole training thing was so much less scientific back in those days. Back then you didnt train all year for one race, the tour. Hence Merckx won a lot of classice and the Vuelta and Giro and tour all in the same years.
The men to raise the bar in training professionalism are Greg Lemond and Miguel Indurain. But that probably just reflects and increased commercialisation of allsports, not just cycling, in the 80s.
mankie
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:51 PM UTC
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Markie is also forgetting the all powerful $$$$$$. Brit, and most European athletes for that matter, have to train before and after they go to work or school and then on weekends. They don't get the sponsorship money or the endorsment royalties which enables them to be able to train full time…then there's also the steroids of course.
ggw
Joined: December 16, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 14237
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:54 PM UTC
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Well a Dane won in '96 and an Irish guy in '87 (is there altitude in Ireland) and plenty of Dutch have placed.
You gotta feel sorry for Jan Ullrich, second place in four of the last six years.
thirsty moore
Joined: January 11, 2000 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 6131
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:55 PM UTC
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If only he didn't have to practice before and after school.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
You gotta feel sorry for Jan Ullrich, second place in four of the last six years.
ggw
Joined: December 16, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 14237
Re: Tour de Force
July 28, 2003 at 05:59 PM UTC
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Originally posted by mankie:
Markie is also forgetting the all powerful $$$$$$. Brit, and most European athletes for that matter, have to train before and after they go to work or school and then on weekends. They don't get the sponsorship money or the endorsment royalties which enables them to be able to train full time…then there's also the steroids of course.
Armstrong has been tested more than any other athlete alive. It's the wops, krauts, and frogs who get pinched for juicing up.
And Europeans have a huge advantage in cycling sponsorship. It's really only since Armstrong has been so successful that sponsorship money has gone into the sport in the US.