"I do agree that Merckx and Co where of a different kind."

I also agree, but it was also a different era. If Eddie was racing today he wouln't be racing almost every weekend like he did in his day.

We were having the same discussion about Formula One not long ago, complaining that there are no off the wall rebel interesting personalities any more and today's drivers are more all more like corporate CEO types. Let's be honest, Micheal Shumacher is boring, despite the fact he's won more races than anybody else.

Agree on Schumacher and all the other F1 guys for that matter, F1 in general for my taste.

Armstrong is, however, boring as hell. He is an impressive champion with an incredible life story. But with the stunning numbers goes a boring racing style and just to see him for three weeks a year (in good shape) doesn't help.

He might win but for me the real Heros are others and it's for them that I am so excited about the Tour and all other races, not because of Armstrong!
He's just the winner, nothing more.

Just a winner, nothing more?

Talk to someone with cancer.

I think Lance isn't as one-dimensional as his straightforward personality implies. He's certainly not Cipo or Il Pirate, but he's not distracted by style over substance either.

I agree Le Tour is about more than Lance, though. Too bad they don't have time to give us a 30 second bio of all of them on OLN. I'd like to know more about them and how they got there. Even a few cameos of the lantern rouge types would be nice. Less about Lance would actually raise my interest level. (er, well, that's almost impossible to do)

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

I am actually not a Lance worshipper, but I must object.

Boring as hell? Gee, I wonder how a boring guy remains friends with Bob Roll and Robin Williams - those guys must really appreciate their straight men... Or maybe he's just the most boring cancer-surviving, Butthole Surfer-loving, rock star-dating, Tour-winning guy you know of. Hard to say.

Boring racing style? Have you actually watched any of the last five Tours? This guy has done things that have sent shivers up my spine in each one - from the Hautacam climb, to the complex battle with Pantani up Ventoux, the devastating attack on Alpe d'Huez, and last year's just plain miraculous cyclocross escapade while avoiding Beloki.

I definitely don't think boring when I think of Lance Armstrong.

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TonyG

What is Enoch Root?

excellent point, tx dude. i guess dude (LA) cannot please fucking everybody. instead of pleasing old fat euro-ex pro's he has chosen to please every person or loved one of a person with cancer. such a selfish man, that lance.

speaking of which, where was saiz or any of his D.S. collegues when LA was without a team and nobody would return a phone call? the sport of cycling did SOOOOOO much for him then. think he might possibly remember that? sucks for you, saiz - had you spent a dime on a phone call then you could've had the next tour legend on your team, instead of banking on alex fucking zulle all those years. THAT worked out pretty well, eh?

all that, and i am not even all that much of a LA fan myself, being more of a greg L man. saiz's comments were lame, is all.

"Merckx gave everything he had to the sport. The whole season. That's what separates the European idea of cycling from the American idea. It's not a judgment, just an opinion. But for all those reasons, that's why I hope he doesn't become the first rider to win the Tour six times."

Hmmm ... How many times has Liberty Segurous raced this year? They took almost the whole month of June off to prepare for the Tour. Didn't see Heras, et all at any of the Spring Classics.

It's a different sport now. There were very few pros in Merckx's day that could devote the whole year to cycling. Hell, most of them spent the offseason blacksmithing, or farming, or shoeing hoses or working at their family's cobblery shoppe.

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No sidewindin bushwackin, hornswaglin, cracker croaker is gonna rouin me bishen cutter!

I think Saiz's comment "He's taken a lot from the sport, but he hasn't given much back in return." is way out of line. How about his involvement with the League Of American Bicyclists, the Ride for the Roses charity ride in TX, the way he transformed how riders prepare for the Tour (reconaissance training, wind tunnel testing), how he has single-handedly increased cycling awareness in the U.S., etc.

Exactly. I don't think it's unfair or anti-Armstrong, but Manolo's statement is very Euro-centric. I think it might be worthwhile to speculate what Lance's program would have looked like if he had remained signed to a European team. I bet he would have had pressure to ride other tours and probably would not have been able to maintain the five-Tour (or beyond) streak. He might also have been pressured into riding the Vuelta or Giro and lost his edge along the way.

"There's no comparison," he said, using Merckx as an example. "Merckx gave everything he had to the sport. The whole season. That's what separates the European idea of cycling from the American idea. It's not a judgment, just an opinion. But for all those reasons, that's why I hope he doesn't become the first rider to win the Tour six times."

Basically the above comment summarizes Saiz's European perspective. Not that it's wrong, as pro cycling has traditionally been a European sport, but thanks to Lance's success and the rise of such riders as Tyler, Leipheimer, Floyd, etc., his views are a bit old school.

As a Lance fan I want to see him riding with a bit of angry edge this year. Saiz's comments are useful in that respect.

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Aeromon (Aerobic Monster) - Pokomon's evil endurance junkie twin

Saiz did say something about sticking his finger up the Tour's arse, I think during the Festina Affair or thereabouts. Saiz also did nearly run a motorcycle off the road at the Vuelta (TV motorbike or race official), screaming something to the effect of "I shit on your whore mother. I will kill you and cut you to pieces." (at least, that's assuming the person who posted that translated his statement correctly). therefore, nothing Saiz says should surprise anyone. :)

I (really) don't like Armstrong, but I also think that Saiz's statement about him was inaccurate. Lance has given back to society (maybe not specifically "the sport"). maybe Saiz is retaliating for Lance's comments about Heras in the latest Sports Illustrated (he said Roberto was "unprofessional").

I think Saiz is just trying to get inside Lance's head on the eve of the Tour. Can't blame the guy, since nothing he's ever done tactics-wise on the road has worked. I'm equally sure Lance recognizes this for what it is, and maybe even chuckled about it.

Ken