Tour de France 2005

[spazzdog]

One last thought on the 2005 Tour...

Did y'all notice that the riders wore helmets throughout all stages this year?

Last year the rule was the riders could ditch them on an uphill finish, but this year (gladly), everyone had a helmet every day, all day.

I'm wondering if there was pressure from cycling advocacies... anybody notice on any other pro rides where the boys generally ditch their helmets?

Until next year...

spazz

[MaryG]

Could anyone decode the Armstrong speech for me? I do not at all understand his reference to 'those who don't think cycling is a sport...I feel sorry for them,' etc.? What is he talking about?

During CBS's coverage this afternoon there was a prerecorded interview with Lance Armstrong. He was asked what he would miss least/miss most. Armstrong said with a laugh something like I am not going to lie to you that I am not going to miss the European press and the fact that you wake up in the morning and have to read in the papers more BS being printed about you.

I took his speech as being directed at the press and all the none believers. That they are the ones that don't believe in dreams.

[On_yer_left!]

The other point I think he's trying to make is that there was so much speculation and trash talk that drugs fueled his performance, not sheer athletic ability. That was why he said people didn't seem to believe in miracles -- the detractors who didn't believe he could come back from cancer and do the things he did WITHOUT enhancement.

I love that at the end of each stage, the guy couldn't even take a leak without being hustled to the drug test van first. Can you think of any other sport where they're as obsessive?

[greenchick]

anybody notice on any other pro rides where the boys generally ditch their helmets?


Unless I'm remembering wrong, the TdF has been sort of the last holdout -- most of the other national federations (except maybe the Italians?) have required helmets for a while now.

Of course, I picked up that tidbit in reading up on Casartelli's accident, and it still took them 10 years after the fact to change the rules. Sigh.

[Bustertb]

I agree spazzdog, Levi's team director was asleep at the wheel. They went after Vino the first time he went off the front. I can't remember if the ruling of doing away with the time sprints was before or after Vino's first attack. If it was after the first attack then my thinking would be that the team director thought that ALL the time bonuses were canceled. So maybe it was a matter of misunderstanding. Surely Levi's team knew that Vino wasn't gonna give up after one attack. Especially after he attacked all throughout the race for 3 weeks.

In my opinion I don't know if Levi could out sprint Vino. But he should have been up there to at least try. No one on Vino's team was helping him, so maybe if Levi's team had been up there like they did the first time Vino attacked then Levi could have beat him in a sprint. We'll never know. If anyone reads Levi's comments about this would you please post the article? Thanks!

[Adventure Girl]

If anyone reads Levi's comments about this would you please post the article? Thanks!I haven't heard/read any comments from Gerolsteiner or Levi, but I assume the story will surface eventually. Maybe Gerolsteiner assumed that at least 3 sprinters would beat Vino to the line. I would also like to know the story. Who's fault was it? Gerolsteiner's? ONL's? The Tour organizers'? Or perhaps Jobob's!! :p

[profàvélo]

Could anyone decode the Armstrong speech for me? I do not at all understand his reference to 'those who don't think cycling is a sport...I feel sorry for them,' etc.? What is he talking about?

What do you all think?

Here's what he said:

``For you people who don't believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics, I'm sorry for you,'' Armstrong began, standing on the top step of the podium at the Tour de France for the last time. ``I'm sorry you can't dream big and I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. ... There are no secrets. This is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it."

I think it's directed to all those who believe that he has been doping the whole time, that he could not have done what he did otherwise. Most French cycling fans that I have come in contact with--and the French press--believe that he cannot be clean, that he uses things that are not yet detectable. This is his answer to them.

[bikerchick68]

apparently Lance's comments were directed at an article in a French paper the day prior (along with years of the same crap) with the headline "Who is Lance Armstrong?"... It brought up all the doping allegations that have proved unfounded and insinuated yet again that there is no way a person can do what he has done without the aid of dope... since they gave him a microphone he rather discreetly blasted the press... he was much nicer than I would have been...

[Dogmama]

They've tested Lance and found that his is physiologically superior in terms of VO2 max, ability to clear lactic acid, etc. Anybody read the Bicycling magazine article on Lance? The final conclusion was that even when Lance is retired, old & fat, he can still your butt.

Face it. Lance is a freak of nature. The French need to back off.

[cindysue]

The other point I think he's trying to make is that there was so much speculation and trash talk that drugs fueled his performance, not sheer athletic ability.

that's the message that came through to me too. But I found the acceptance speech to be somewhat condescending - to the public and to his colleagues. "It's up to you guys to do it next year. I'm outta here" (or something to that effect).

Don't get me wrong - kudos to him for sure for all his hard work and seven wins! But, I think he had a chance to really make a powerful statement about the guys who use their "athletic ability" - and blew it! You had to read between the lines - and I don't think people got it - heck I don't really understand what he was trying to say by that.

[Adventure Girl]

Cyclingnews spoke to Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer after the 2005 Tour de France, where he was ticked off to lose his 5th place on GC (effectively €19,000 in prizemoney) to crazy Kazakhi Alexandre Vinokourov, who moved ahead of Levi after gaining 0'20 from the stage win time bonus yesterday in Paris. But Leipheimer, like many riders in the peloton, was informed that because the slippery final circuits of the Champs Elysées were neutralized by the race officials, no time bonuses would be awarded at the finish. "That's what we heard from our team, that the circuits were neutralized and no time bonuses would be awarded. It was a big surprise to me," he said. Confusion?? :(

[Bustertb]

I figured that they were under the impression that ALL time bonuses had been canceled. I don't agree with the Tour Officials ruling. They should have been more clear on it beforehand. It was obvious Levi and his team was gonna go after Vino when he attacked. Alot goes into the tour and they do a good job putting it together, well they've been doing it long enough, but I don't agree with their decision in this particular situation. I'm sure they didn't want ANOTHER American in the top 5 anyway!

[Lynne]

ok, so I waited until after the Tour to read this whole thread (my eyes! my eyes! I think I'm going blind! dang monitor...)

Anyway, this was my first Tour (yep, a Tour Virgin) and it was pretty exciting! Lance is amazing and I have to say, even though he's a total freak of nature and physiologically painfully superior to us lame humans, he still works his *ss off from what I understand. Good for him! Yes, I bet it got boring seeing him win year after year, and I am looking forward to next year when I assume Basso and Urlich will battle it out (and maybe Rasmussen will get over his nerves and get some backup from his team?).

And really, sometimes I didn't like Vino, but dang, I really respect him. He's really a powerhouse too. Think about the fact that he did what he did without his team's support. What could he do with a REAL team? I want to see who he's with and what he does next year.

But, oh...Basso is sooo good looking (said the woman in me). I love the way he always looks like he's smiling when he's really toughing it out....yum!

Dang, ALL those biker boys are SO hot...such a fun thing to watch, isn't it? All those little hinies (sp?) swaying back and forth in all those shots...hehe. But they do get a bit gaunt looking, don't they? Did you girls see that snippet in Cycling magazine about Lance burning like 971,000 calories in the tour which equates to like 571 yummy snoballs? Yeah, THAT'S why I'm biking...

[spazzdog]

Gerolsteiner screwed up... or rather their director sportif did. It's his job to get clarification from officials and relay info to his team.

When they canceled the time bonus' for the intermediate sprints, someone needed to ask the question "what about the finish bonus?" Even Phil and Paulmhad it wrong and they generally know what's going on.

Oh well... I bet they check from now on should a similar occasion arise.

[Dogmama]

I'm reading that book right now. Wow - he put the "P" in Paranoid! Anybody else read this?

[Bustertb]

Love your Lance quote. I love that commerical. Nike's ad agency comes up with some good ones.

[CorsairMac]

Time Bonus: The ruling was made after they came on the Champs and stated that the time bonuses were cancelled and the GC times were set. That was one of the reasons Discovery took over the front on the Champs to slow the pace down since there wasn't any sense in sprinting for any more time. When Vino sprinted to the finish line, even OLN was confused why he was doing that and thought it was just for the glory of winning the final stage. For anyone who watched it live - there was a delay in the posting of the GC because the Tour directors were trying to decide if they should give the time bonus to Vino or not. I'm still surprised that Gerolsteiner didn't file a complaint over the decision but there may be more here then anyone wants to let on about. Someone posted the quote here from cyclingnews where Levi said they all thought the time bonuses were cancelled which means the decision wasn't changed until After the finish of the race.

Helmets: The new ProTour rules state the riders have to wear helmets at all times now during a race. There were 2 riders penalized in the very very beginning of the season for taking their helmets off at the base of a climb. Apparently neither they nor their teams were aware that the rule had been changed.

[VenusdeVelo]

Some pixs from the victory laps....

[greenchick]

Those pics are fantastic, VdV -- thanks for posting them!