I was watching the Tour de Georgia coverage on OLN this afternoon and I was wondering if there had been anything made of Lance’s little gesture at Floyd Landis at the end of the second to last stage. Lance sat on Floyd’s wheel all the way up the mountain and then kicked it at the end, dropping Floyd like a rock. As Lance crossed the line he looked up at the clock, seemingly noticing that his teammate had put in enough time to take the overall lead over Floyd in the race. Then he had what seemed to be a taunting look and finger point at Floyd.
Is there some amount of bad blood between the two of them after Floyd left?
How did Lance feel about Tyler, Levi, and others who left his team in favor of becoming the stars of their own teams?
Finally, why is the Tour DE Georgia called Tour DE Georgia? Why don’t they call it the Tour OF Georgia. The race is NOT in France, it’s in Georgia! The Tour DuPont had that nice Euro feel to its name, but DuPont was the sponsor.
You know, Adam, my husband & I noticed and wondered the same thing. I also wondered if it was a “You may have beat me in the TT, but I’m still the man!” kind of point.
Tom Danielson’s attack on Brasstown Bald was amazing.
As great as Lance might be, he is not above petty little gestures. Seems like he does one of these moves on an annual basis. And yes, I’m a big fan . . . even when he makes me cringe.
if i recall correctly, it was a cyclingnews.com interview. he said something to the tune of ‘when you put years into training a person and then they leave, and then someone on my team who is actually happy to be here beats this guy, it’s a great feeling’. it was clearly directed at Landis; he also made some comment about Phonak that ‘they can’t climb. they can roll in the flats, but drop like flies when the pitch goes up’ or something to that effect.
If it were me, I wouldn’t look to piss Floyd off though. May give him an extra gear at some point later this summer.
i saw an interview (cyclingnews?) where lance said he kicked it in because he was not sure if there were time bonuses. since his teammate was going for the stage win (and possibly the GC at that point), he didn’t want floyd getting any time back, so he ditched him. i have no idea if this is true, but that’s what the interview said.
I like when athletes are a bit cocky, personally. I think it brings out better performances, and motivation for more inspired training. If I were in Floyd’s position, I would have loved for him to give me the “Fuck you, I kicked your ass you damned traitor” look, that would just make me more fired up for le tour, where the racing really counts.
That’s exactly what the interview said. I was in the post-race press conference at the end of Stage 5, and Lance said he kicked it because he didn’t know if time bonuses were available for his third place finish. Since he wasn’t sure, he went on the offensive and dropped Floyd. But earlier in the press conference, he said exactly what another poster said – that he was happy to work for a teammate who was happy to be a part of the team and all that. Clearly that was a dart aimed at Floyd. Lance seems to take it personally when a teammate leaves for another squad. The exception to that is Tyler Hamilton. He and Tyler have remained friends since Tyler left. But that’s a rarity. And as someone else said, Lance is not above petty gestures at the expense of others. Sometimes, he’s very unprofessional.
On the topic of his Lanceness, I just saw that Ekimov was injured in a training ride outside Austin this weekend. Apparently, he hit a hole in the road and bounced off his bars and landed on his back. Lance was there but not in the wreckage.
“And as someone else said, Lance is not above petty gestures at the expense of others. Sometimes, he’s very unprofessional”
Why is it unprofessional? Michael Jordan was commonly known to be one of the biggest trash talkers on the basketball court. Baseball players routinely flip their bats and watch the ball when they hit home runs. Football players dance or flap their wings or whatever almost every play. These guys are professional athletes, not diplomats or businessmen. Gamesmanship is part of the sport.
I also noticed in when OLN interviewed Floyd before the Brasstown stage he commented that he hadn’t seen the climb but he wasn’t the kind of guy that needed to see it five times to do well. Was this an innocent comment or a dig at Lance’s reputation for preriding big stages and climbs.
How about maybe he was being a good domestic for his Danielson in the lead. Riding on the wheel of the biggest competitor until they were sure the time gap Danielson need to win was covered then Lance was told he could go. If anything it showed me Lance understands his role in a race he is not winning and shows his team, that he will fight for them up and until the tour. BUT he will expect the same until the end.
Lance might ride like a machine, but he is actually human.
I love when he sneers at someone, or does a psych job on them, or even when he says or does something stupid. Shows he’s human, just like the rest of us.
its rediculous that he gets mad when people leave his squad. On Postal, the only one who got the glory and the wins was armstrong. he seems to get pissed off at the fact that the idea that people might want something more than just giving him glory for the duration of their entire careers. If someone helped me set a record like armstrongs win, i hope i would thank them and wish them well, not get angry that they not dedicate their entire careers to me. “Oh my god, why did landis leave, wasnt he happy getting paid less and not winning and races for himself?”
You people are ridiculous. None of you know what the hell is going on…pure speculation AND reading into situations…
I could take a gesture any one of you made at your last race and turn it into something that makes you look like an asshole. Except i know better…we’re all jackasses…but there are very few real assholes around here. And Lance ain’t one of them.
anyone else notice that as soon as someone joins lance’s team, they seem to get a lot better and produce better results. i’m sure they’re are quite a few of those guys in the upper ranks right now. phloyd (as i saw one sign in the TDG read) had some good results before joining postal but really made a name for himself working for lance. danielson has had some good results before joining discovery but i don’t think any of them compare to this win. is it the johan’s planning or is it ‘just lance’??
i liked the point, it showed me that lance may not have been in top shape in georgia but he appears to still have a little fire burning down inside
anyone else notice that as soon as someone joins lance’s team, they seem to get a lot better and produce better results. i’m sure they’re are quite a few of those guys in the upper ranks right now. phloyd (as i saw one sign in the TDG read) had some good results before joining postal but really made a name for himself working for lance. danielson has had some good results before joining discovery but i don’t think any of them compare to this win. is it the johan’s planning or is it ‘just lance’??
i liked the point, it showed me that lance may not have been in top shape in georgia but he appears to still have a little fire burning down inside
Riders do seem to get better when they join Postal, maybe it’s something in the water.
Don’t forget who left after one season, Tom Boonen. He seems to be doing okay for himself.