I was not thinking of Lance winning a sprint stage in a sprint finish. That would be impossible. Team Radio Shack was not set up for sprint finishes. They were put together to win the GC...
I was thinking that he could win a "sprint stage" that is not exactly a Mark Cavendish-type course, but, one that has CAT 3, and 4 climbs and an elevated finish (there is one of these left). Lance would go on a well planned break (if there is such a thing...), and, then attack the small group and finish by himself with the first chase almost a full minute behind. Hey, I can dream, can't I? With Lance out of contention I have lost my extreme passion for the tour. I still enjoy it, but I am not hanging on every word and action as I would have been doing had Lance been in the hunt. Brett Favre, and Lance. That's it for me. I have no other real sports heros. (Larry Bird and Michael Johnson have long ago retired...) Ok. I have got this out of my system!! ---- [email protected] wrote: > > Lance has signed onto 2 new sponsors -- Gerital and Grecian Formula. > > But on a more serious note Lance has finally seen the writing on the wall. He > will be 39 in a couple months and he is up against much younger and very > hungry young men. Lance will not be set up by Radio Shack to do a sprint -- > Lance is no sprinter -- it's not his job. As long as he finishes the TdF then > he will have done his job. The idea of Lance doing something special during > the TdF should be that he (at 38 almost 39 yrs. old) is at the TdF and > finishing a very tough race series. Nobody past the age of 33 has won the TdF > since post WWII. My comments are not to take anything away from Lance but > just from following the TdF for over 30 years. > > Gary Smith > TLC for Bikes > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > To: Gyros <[email protected]> > Sent: Fri, Jul 16, 2010 4:34 pm > Subject: [Gyros: 16054] Lance's Tour...what might we expect? > > > > eing a true Lance fan it pains me to see how his Tour hopes have come undone. > he reasons are many and a bit complicated, but suffice it to say even the > most > essimistic predictions of his chances to win would have been much too > lenient. > Now, Lance fans are left to wonder what to expect of him. Will he work for > Levi, > nd, if he does what exactly would he be working towards? Levi cannot make up > he time deficit on Schleck and Contador, barring tragedy. Is it worth using > the > ntire team to help Levi to a possible podium finish? > I really thought that Lance still feels as though he can do something special > in > is final tour, and, this would mean winning a stage and wearing yellow one > inal time. But, he has lost time to the main field in the last 2 stages, > which > s not a great sign. If he is in good form you would think that he would at > east stay in contact with the main field. Yesterday, he lost 29 seconds to > the > ain field on a sprinters stage. Why would he do this? Are you going to tell > me > hat Lance cannot stay with the peloton in the final miles of a sprinter's > race? > > nd, he was well behind in today's stage. I cannot rationalize this. It is > nimagineable that Lance would drop out of the tour...but, he certainly is not > iding like someone who is into it. > I am hoping that Radio Shack is focusing on a particular stage for Lance to > win, > ut I am unable to see which one that would be. Scheck and Contador will be > ighting it out in the Pyrenees, so those stages will be difficult to > win...the > printers will be gearing up for the final sprint stages, and I can't see > Radio > hack setting him up for a win in a sprint stage; and, Contador will have much > ore at stake in the final Time Trial and will certainly outride Lance. > Right now, what is Lance riding for? His motivation has always been to win; > can > e handle just going through the motions and waiting for this thing to end? > Or, is he going to do something very special? > I am hoping that he gives us something pretty quick! Today he left without > alking to any reporters, which he has not done thus far. Please, oh God of > ycling, do not provide us with the worst case scenario which has Lance > quitting > he tour. > Give him a stage win. > > > - > ou received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. > o post to this group, send an email to [email protected] > o unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] > > -- > You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected]
