"PARIS, March 10 (Reuters) - American Lance Armstrong has pulled out of the Paris-Nice race with a sore throat, his Discovery team said.
Armstrong, six-times winner of the Tour de France, will return to his training camp in Spain. The fourth stage of the first major race of the season will take place later on Thursday."
Maybe a question of commitment or just saving himself for the BIG one?
More likely he found riding in sub-zero teperatures with ice on the roads not to his liking, and I for one do not blame him.
More likely he found riding in sub-zero teperatures with ice on the roads not to his liking, whilst drawing in all that freezing air into his lungs. I for one do not blame him.
To be honest with that much temparature extreme change I wonder why any athlete would want to take the risk. Personally I’d be racing in the Tirrano-Adriatico instead (Pettachi gave a lead out train masterclass yesterday)
Oh, well … no “Finisher” T-shirt for him.
This just goes to show that he is an over the hill out of shape cyclist who is gonna get his butt handed to him in the tour!!!
Someone always says something crazy like this so i thought i would be the first!
or maybe he really did get sick. I know… it would be shocking to think he’s human after all his success.
This just goes to show that he is an over the hill out of shape cyclist who is gonna get his butt handed to him in the tour!!!
Remember in 2003 when he was spotted eating a donut in Feb and everybody said he was fat & washed up & woldn’t win the tour… now that was funny right there
I have no doubt he is sick. Was trying to express that it hurts when you have a problem with throat or lungs in freezing weather racing hard. He made the right decision as far as I am concerned, sorry this didn’t come across.
This just goes to show that he is an over the hill out of shape cyclist who is gonna get his butt handed to him in the tour!!! **You beat me to it. **
Just seen his interview on Eurosport earlier today. Basically, it was his first race of the season, whereas normally he would have been racing since February and deosn’t have it in his legs for such a big race, thought maybe he should have started in Mercia. He went on to say that he hadn’t ridden in the European peleton since tdf and with the temps and the speed and breaks all around it was too much for him.
Just as well it wasn’t just the temps as the leg and arm warmers have been removed and they are climbing the hills in the sunshine today!
Bwaaak Bwwwaaak Bwwwaaaak - Lance is just a chicken and did not want to get “detained” by the French!
Agreed. The conditions for this year’s Paris-Nice seemed extreme - unusually cold/wet/snowy. It’s a long season, and I am sure Lance and his advisors have their eyes on the bigger picture.
Fleck
I hope so. 7 and leave that is my hope.
Geez, and here I was planning to cruise the 60min over to Tanneron on Saturday and catch the boys as they climbed up through the mimosas. And perhaps zip down the coast through the pines of Roquefort and along the coast, down to the promenade and up behind the port onto the Grand Corniche, put in some riding behind Nice and then pop down to the top of the col d’Eze for more of the same on Sunday afternoon. But now you make it sound so cold out I might as well head up to Gréolières and put in some more time on the skate skis.
In fact, I just popped back to my desk from watching the sun set in a clear and cloudless sky and actually it is shaping up to be some perfect March riding weather around these parts. Should be the usual scenic and dramatic stages around the Riviera for Saturday and Sunday. Could be chilly coming off the col de la Porte, especially in some of those little nooks and crannies tucked away from direct sun exposure for much of the day.