Lance on Oprah

[massbikebabe]

Rumor has it that Lance Armstrong and his hunny Sheryl Crow will be on the Oprah Winfrey show tomorrow Feb. 11 2005. Check your local listings. I guess the main topic is the success of the Livestrong bracelets.

karen

[Jennifer Gallow]

I can confirm the topic ... TiVo told me Lance was going to be on TV tomorrow.

[yogabear]

I have my vcr set to record Oprah :)

[luv2ride]

:D So I got home from work only to see 5 minutes of Oprah...but it was a good 5 minutes...Lance is going for #7 Yes he said he will do another Tour d'Lance.....I am jumping up and down and up and down....it's going to be a great summer!

[jobob]

I didn't see it, but according to reports he didn't say *when* he was going for a 7th tour. So it could be next summer. Just sayin'

[massbikebabe]

He didn't really commit to doing number seven this year...says he wants to see how it goes. I have to admit I really liked the interview. I have always thought of him as somewhat of a pompous a$$, however you have to give the devil his due, he is a good role model for young cyclists like my 13 year
old son. Most of the time when some of the "well respected" athletes give interviews I cringe at the grammer and their inability to complete a full sentence. AND what really drives me crazy is when they start out "I was jus hangin wit my boys"...makes me want to pull out my own tongue!!

karen

[caligurl]

yep... we already knew he'd go for #7... just not when... and we still don't know when... it's in his contract to do ONE TdF in the next 2 years....

so the wait continues....

[jobob]

I hope he does it this year simply because if he doesn't, odds are the TdF wouldn't be televised in the US - since gee, why would anyone care about the Tour unless Lance was in it? :rolleyes: :p

[spazzdog]

Even if Lance doesn't go, Discovery may field a team for the Tour... they have to prepare for "life after Lance".

[MM_QFC!]

Yeah, I heard both he and Johan (Bruyneel) quoted as saying the final decision about Lance's plans to ride the TdF for this year, won't be made until early May. He said that his contract calls for him to ride the Tour again, but it can be this year or next. Guess we'll all have to wait...

Also, don't the new regulations (UCI?) mandate that teams have to race in all 3? So, whether Lance rides or not, Discovery has to field a team at the Giro, TdF and the Vuelta, as they are the "majors". They're also intending to contest at many of the Spring classics too, right?

And, isn't Lance also keeping quiet his decision on whether to make a run at the hour record too?

[jobob]

Oh, the Discovery team will absolutely send a team to the Tour, as Mary mentioned they have to as part of the new Pro Tour set up. I believe as part of the Pro Tour agreement they must participate in all 3 Grand Tours (TdF, Giro and Vuelta), and a variety of other events on the Pro Tour schedule - with or without Lance.

But the fact is, if Lance isn't competing in the Tour, odds are the coverage in the US would be significantly less than if he were competing, which is a shame. IMHO of course.

[Steph_in_TX]

At this point in time, OLN is showing they'll have daily coverage of the tour. They are also doing a new weekly show that will cover whatever races take place during that week. I can't recall when they start but most of the spring classics were listed so it won't be too long. I'd look on their website, but I'm being lazy. :rolleyes:

[snapdragen]

OLN’s Comprehensive Same-Day Cycling Schedule Debuts March 6th

STAMFORD, CT (Feb 10, 2005) – OLN®, the home of professional cycling, introduces Cyclysm Sundays, a new, weekly show dedicated to the races, the athletes and the teams that cycling fans are watching throughout the season. Airing every Sunday at 5:00 PM ET, Cyclysm Sundays will feature same-day coverage of many of the major cycling races, including the Spring Classics, and will be hosted by the rotating team of cycling experts – Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll.

"Cycling is hugely important to OLN, and the Spring Classics are some of the most exciting races out there," said Gavin Harvey, President of the network. "By presenting cycling every Sunday, we're creating a basis for the entire season. Fans, even those who only recently caught the cycling bug, can turn to OLN to watch the season unfold and experience the building drama of this punishing sport."

In addition to race coverage, Cyclysm Sundays will feature a weekly update on Lance Armstrong and the Discovery Cycling Team; training tips from Chris Carmichael, personal coach to Armstrong; and coverage of the National Championship Series, a U.S.-based cycling series in which the top domestic cyclist is crowned at the end of each season. The format of Cyclysm Sundays will change somewhat in June, when the show focuses mainly on previewing the Tour de France.

“We’re excited about this new format,” said John Carter, Vice President of Production and Executive Producer. “It’s going to be a fantastic showcase for Lance's team as they take on the heaviest schedule ever for these great classic races.”

The race schedule for Cyclysm Sundays follows (same-day unless indicated; subject to change):



March 6th Paris-Nice (France)

March 13th Paris-Nice (France)

March 20th Milan San Remo (Italy)/Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)

March 27th Criterium International (France)

April 3rd Tour of Flanders (Belgium)

April 10th Paris-Robaix (France)/Redlands* (USA)

April 17th Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)

April 24th Liege-Bastogne-Liege (Belgium)/Sea Otter* (USA)

May 1st Tour de Georgia (USA)

May 8th Giro d’Italia (Italy)**

May 15th Giro d’Italia (Italy)

May 22nd Giro d’Italia (Italy)

May 29th Giro d’Italia (Italy)

June 5th US Pro Cycling - Philadelphia (USA)

June 12th Road to the Tour (Tour de France preview)

June 19th Road to the Tour/Nature Valley Classic (USA)

June 26th Road to the Tour

July 3rd - 24th Tour de France (France)***

Sept 4th Vuelta a España (Spain)

Sept 11th Vuelta a España (Spain)/San Francisco Criterium* (USA)

Sept 18th Vuelta a España (Spain)/Tour de Cliffs* (USA)

Oct 15th Giro di Lombardia (Italy)
* Tape delay

** Giro d’Italia coverage may be expanded to include Saturday Coverage

*** Tour de France will include daily coverage

[massbikebabe]

YEAH :D


Something to do while we watch the freakin snow melt!!

[jobob]

Well be still my heart ! I'll be getting my Bob, Phil & Paul fix again. I adore those guys :D

Thankyee kindly, snapdragen!

[Adventure Girl]

I know I’m a couple of days late on this, but I just watched the show (Gotta love TIVO!!). I liked this little exchange between the three of them (paraphrasing):

Oprah (to Sheryl): I hear that you rode a big hill in Spain somewhere…

Lance (very proudly): She did L’Alpe d’Huez! That’s not a hill, it’s a mountain!

Sheryl: Yeah, but it took me an hour and a half. The record is 37 minutes, and I did it in an hour and 37 minutes.

Lance: But a lot of people do it in 2 hours and 37 minutes.

Oprah: And some people can’t do it at all…. So, Mr. Livestrong, how long did it take you?

Lance (with a big smile): 37 minutes!!

But here’s the question I have for all you research hounds. Has Lance ever climbed it in 37 minutes? I thought Marco Pantani’s record was 37 minutes 35 seconds. The best time I could find for Lance was 38 minutes 1 second…

Anyone know? Maybe he’s done it in 37 minutes in training. Does that count?

[massbikebabe]

I thought the record belonged to Richard???, the climber...
Anywhoo, I did hear on local news today he IS going to do the Tour :D

[nuthatch]

YAY!! Now I'll have something to look forward to on those Sunday trainer rides until the weather breaks! It sure beats watching the tapes of last year's Tour over and over again!

[CorsairMac]

Sorry I'm late - been visiting with family. It was my understanding from the Tour of 2004 according to some verbal exchanges between the commentators: Lance broke Marcos record based on the distance that Marco was timed - which was not the same distance as the time trail. (either the start gate was farther back or the finish line was farther up - I don't remember which) I never heard anymore from anyone else about it tho - only that day and only from the "boys" Phil and Paul.

[MightyMitre]

That's right CorsairMac - Lance might have broken Marco's time but it wasn't over the same distance. The start line was in a slightly different place.

Also, as a MASSIVE Pantani fan, the year Marco did it in 37 mins was also at the end of a stage which finished on top of the mountain - so not only did he fly up L'Alpe, but he'd already ridden a full stage that day.

Would eat my polka dot jersey to see Mr Armstrong achieve that!

:)

[mtbstarr]

I have been away from the 'puter. This is late but.....Lance is doing the Tour de Georgia this year. The hubby has found on the Lance website that MAJOR MAJOR Tour de France teams/contenders are going to be at this race. Could be worth a cross country travel to see. Starts the third week of April. Already have my hotel room :)

[skibum]

Yep, you're right. Once Lance announced that he was doing the Tour de Georgia, several other big name teams said they would be there too. Phonak, CSC, a couple of others. I imagine we'll see a few more announcements in the coming weeks.

I went last year to the stages on Fri & Sun. I plan to do Fri/Sat/Sun this year. I am very lucky that much of this race is "local" for me. Last year, we were able to just drive to a good parking spot and ride our bikes from there to a spot along the stage route.

I'm glad you're coming to join in on the fun and to see a great race! :)

[jobob]

Once Lance announced that he was doing the Tour de Georgia, several other big name teams said they would be there too. Phonak, CSC, a couple of others. Don't know about Phonak or any of the other teams, but CSC had Tour of Georgia on their schedule all along, their participation wasn't contingent on whether or not Lance would be there. :rolleyes:

- Jobob, CSC fan.

[skibum]

Don't know about Phonak or any of the other teams, but CSC had Tour of Georgia on their schedule all along, their participation wasn't contingent on whether or not Lance would be there. :rolleyes:

- Jobob, CSC fan.

I think CSC, Phonak, and even Discovery had the TdG on their schedule prior to Lance's big announcement about coming. And maybe they even planned on sending some big-named riders. I guess what I should have said was that just after Lance's press release, there was a flurry of press releases from other teams confirming their attendance and naming some well-known riders that would be there. Could just be coincidence. Could be part of some planned hype to generate some excitement for the race. Who knows?

[CorsairMac]

I'm just excited the USA has a "tour" that is generating interest in some of the big name teams. Actually, I'm overjoyed that there is a Cycling event in the US that is generating international interest period! OK OK...I know about the T-Mobile Crit......but thats sponsered by T-Mobile. Its nice to know theres another race that has sparked interest!

[BikeMomma]

One of the things that got me interested in riding and racing bikes was the Coors Classic, back in the 80's. I saw a couple stages of that - one was the finish of a road race into Sacramento in 1986 (Greg LeMond had just won his first Tour), with a couple laps around the historic "Old Sacramento" part of town (cobblestones!!). I got within about 20 feet to Greg - awesome! He escaped the crowd (aka, me) by jumping a curb and riding away on the sidewalk.... The other stage was in San Francisco, around the Presidio (old army base, I believe). For that one, I was about two fans short of getting an autograph from Davis Phinney. He excused himself just before I got to him, saying that Connie was probably looking for him... I made up for it later, however, when I got Jeff Pierce's autograph at the bike expo. He had won that day's stage. What a cutie! Whew! :p

I was only 16 years old for the Coors' Sacramento stage, but it got the love and excitement of cycling into my blood and helped me to make that first step into the bike shop. Let's hope the Tour of Georgia can do the same for the next generation of bikees! Lance has already done so much for the sport already. There's much more awareness now.