Well, I don't know a phylangie (sp?) from a carbuncle, but if that (the apparent hump), were Lance's problem seems like we would have seen it (and heard it widely commented on) before now, don't you think? My purely-uneducated guess would be that it's something they're working on for aerodynamics. One of Graham's pictures seems to indicate something similar on George Hincape. My 8.5 cents worth.

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"...like every writer, he measured other men's virtues by what they had accomplished, yet asked that other men measure him by what he planned someday to do."

You have a good point. I was just hypothesizing because of earlier information I read. Could it be his radio/transmitter? Who knows. Maybe if J. Cobb surfs through he could shed some light on this.

Incidentally, someone else appears to have gotten my password, because that last post (which I deleted) about condylomas was not posted by me, yet I was able to delete it.

Pay no attention to that other naysayer.

Lance "and what was that crack about bacon bits?" Faler.

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That is just one more group of people that should be thrown screaming from a helicopter- George Carlin

Yep you are correct. If you look at old pictures he has a slight curve http://grahamwatson.com/2000/tdf/image28.html but not anywhere near that pronounced. Maybe he has an ACME rocket pack under there.

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That is just one more group of people that should be thrown screaming from a helicopter- George Carlin

Just wondering is it anything to do with the ear piece he is wearing ?

Not sure what it is but it may need some sort of receiver - altho' as he is climbing I would have thought he would want as little weight as possible.

Hey All,

Re: lance's back problem...he has a spondylolisthesis (sp?!) around L4 or L5 or something, according to an interview I read with carmichael. I am not sure what grade the lesion is. They were trying to fix this with yoga and stretching. Not sure I see the point of this. Most authors suggest there is spontaneous bony healing in 15 percent of pts, which can be raised to 25-30% with bracing and cessation of activity for a few months. An orthopod at Univ of Chi just claimed a 50% healing rate at a sports med conference there last friday...however, his management and data are not yet published. Obviously, none of the above are real options for lance's tour prep.

Anyway, my point was that whatever his back issue is, I don't think it has anything to do with his t-spine.

Philbert

med student who cannot wait to graduate

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Dr. Philip Skiba
Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes now available on Amazon!

I think thats a Camelback. Looks about the right size. He's just breathing which gives him that distened stomach with that tight skin suit.

Look at the striations in his leg--you don't see those unless his bodyfat is under 8%.

I went over to John Cobb's Forum, and posted a question about the apparent hump on Lance's back, ans also asked why Lance didn't wear shoe covers in that race. John replied (albeit somewhat obscurely) as follows:

"That's the same hump he's had since '91. I was at Murcia last year and it is very hot there and the course is not very long but has lots of turns. Lance didn't need shoe covers for that situation."

The obscure (at least to me) part was about the hump, not the shoe covers....even I could figure that one out.

He has a hump in his back, always has... check out the photos from the TTT in 2001... it's pretty obvious in some of them.

Could it be a Camel back filled with a 7-11 Slurpee?