Acording to tour radio:
Lance Armstrong explained at the start of the stage that he didn’t intend to wear the yellow jersey today. He said it wasn’t right that he should wear the jersey which Dave Zabriskie lost in unfortunate circumstances. The CSC rider crashed with less than 2km to go in the team time trial.
The peloton stopped at the 0km mark and it appears that the race organizers assked Armstrong to wear the yellow jersey for today’s stage. After a brief conference on the outskirts of Chambord Armstrong replaced his Discovery Channel team jersey with the race leader’s one.
Respect.
He sure didn’t seem to have any misgivings about pulling on the jersey after the stage yesterday. It’s called having your cake and eating it, too. Get all the press coverage, photo ops and sound bites for the nightly news of you donning the yellow jersey. That stuff was everywhere last night and this morning! Ah, but once the moment has been milked for maximum exposure…play the noble sprotsman by graciously declining to wear the tainted jersey…but not for too long, afterall, there’s all that Lance-in-yellow OLN air time ahead.
this is all a bunch of bullshit anyway. if michael schumacher crashes on the last turn at monaco, obi-juan montoya won’t decline the podium champagne.
especially since zabriskie crashed all by himself why should lance care. it’s not like a spectator took the guy down.
he played the politics of the peloton because he had to.
I have to wonder how much lance got in davids’ head on monday.
'enjoying that jersey? can I have a turn?
the guy is a master .
"this is all a bunch of bullshit anyway. if michael schumacher crashes on the last turn at monaco, obi-juan montoya won’t decline the podium champagne.
especially since zabriskie crashed all by himself why should lance care. it’s not like a spectator took the guy down."
Totally agree. Zabriskie would be in yellow if he didn’t crash. Luck, skill, whatever, he crashed, he lost the jersey. In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably a really good thing for Dave to have to go through this. He’s a stud on the TT bike, so he’ll have his day in the sun again. Lance should wear the jersey because he’s leading the race. No question.
After a brief conference on the outskirts of Chambord Armstrong replaced his Discovery Channel team jersey with the race leader’s one.<<
He actually has the yellow jersey on over his Discovery team jersey.
clm
wow. it’s not hot there today is it?
He explained that they did not see the end of the stage on TV yesterday after his finish. Lance said that “the TV in the bus was broken.”
Believe it or not, as you will. I for one would give him the benefit of the doubt.
matt
Yup.
Because Discovery won the stage even if Zabriskie hadn’t crashed Lance would have been in yellow under the rules if the times had tied. We’ll never know how close it could have been but I get the impression that LA would have been in yellow (just).
My moment though was watching the sheer frantic pace Voight laid down sprinting for the line. they really wanted it. Maybe next year boys…
Ok, ok, let me get this straight. The TV is broken so armstrong doesn’t know what happened. Not one of his dozens of minions tells him what happened? Not one reporter or commentator asks Lance about what happened before the podium ceremony? The man is continuously surrounded by people who know what happened to put him in yellow yet not one person thinks to tell him what happened or ask him about what happened? Amazing.
Yeah right…I bet Crow told him…if he expects us to believe that he didnt know…next he will try to sell us ocean front property in Colorado…
He sure didn’t seem to have any misgivings about pulling on the jersey after the stage yesterday. It’s called having your cake and eating it, too. Get all the press coverage, photo ops and sound bites for the nightly news of you donning the yellow jersey. That stuff was everywhere last night and this morning! Ah, but once the moment has been milked for maximum exposure…play the noble sprotsman by graciously declining to wear the tainted jersey…but not for too long, afterall, there’s all that Lance-in-yellow OLN air time ahead.
The donning of the yellow jersey (like that of the spotted, white and green jerseys) is a ceremonial one that marks the current leaders of the respective categories. It’s not one open to discussion as to whether to attend: it’s required. The actual wearing of the jersey is (has been?) open to disagreement (ref. Lemond’s refusal to wear it in 1991?). Armstrong had no choice but to appear at the donning ceremony. Armstrong chose not to wear it at the start of the next stage out of respect for Zabriskie, the peloton, and cycling tradition. The officials stopped the peloton and “requested” that he put on the yellow jersey.
Do you smack your head often on that really large chip on your shoulder?
Cycling has a number of “Rules” or “Protocols” that seem a bit odd to people outside the sport. They trace their roots back to the tremedous amount of respect that the riders have for one another. These gentleman’s agreements continue to be used today in racing and most of them seem to revolve around the theory that you need to earn the leadership of the race on a fair and even playing field and not take advantage of a fellow rider due to mechanical, other mishaps or delays.
The most obvious of these is to not attack, and even back off on the pace when riders need to “seek natural relief”( have a pee). The whole peleton will slow and wait for these riders to get back on. Same for when the yellow jersey or leader has a mechanical or a crash - the pace is slowed so that the yellow jersey can get back going again.
Fleck
Matt said that Lance didn’t see what happened, not that he didn’t know what happened.
jaretj
Facts are stubborn and amazing things. When presented, they are devastating in an argument. Nicely done.
This proves that no matter what LA does, people will critisize him. If he wears the jersey, people will critisize him. If he doesn’t wear it, people will critisize him. If he answers questions from the press, people will critisize him. If he doesn’t give answers, people will critisize him.
This proves that no matter what LA does, people will critisize him. If he wears the jersey, people will critisize him. If he doesn’t wear it, people will critisize him. If he answers questions from the press, people will critisize him. If he doesn’t give answers, people will critisize him.
ain’t that the truth. this was a time trial. the guy crashed. tough.
it’s not the same as a mass start ride, and people shouldn’t expect lance to treat it as such.
many of those traditions have to do with misfortunes and needs of the group as a whole.
this one guy made a mistake. he didn’t flat, he wasn’t interfered with , the guy in front of him didn’t crash taking him out - all situations that happen in mass start rides and resulted in the noble traditions referred to here.
this was a time trial a balls to the wall all out race we can all identify with no?
no gifts. too bad. wear the yellow lance you earned it.
Totally agree. Zabriskie would be in yellow if he didn’t crash. Luck, skill, whatever, he crashed, he lost the jersey. In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably a really good thing for Dave to have to go through this. He’s a stud on the TT bike, so he’ll have his day in the sun again. Lance should wear the jersey because he’s leading the race. No question.
These roadies are dangerous on TT bikes. They need to practice more. 
Talk about some nasty player-hating. Nobody can say that Zabriskie would have been in yellow if he didn’t crash. Nobody knows that CSC lost any time because of it. It certainly didn’t look like they slowed any. If that is true, then Lance and Zabriskie’s times would have been the same, and Lance would be in Yellow because his team won the TTT. So Lance participated in the ceremony yeatserday, and then this morning he didn’t want to represent the Yellow Jersey in the Peleton. They are two separate issues. He had no problem standing up for the sponsor which is the responsibility of whoever is in the jersey. He didn’t feel like doing that among the other riders. I think it shows a lot of respect for Zabriskie and for the jersey.