Merckx, Roche or Armstrong?

LOL!

He is the '93 World Champ.

However, per the latest UCI ranking Lance is currently only the 2nd best cyclist in the world:

UCI Top 10 2002 rankings:

1. Erik Zabel (Ger) 2269 pts

2. Lance Armstrong (USA) 2110

3. Paolo Bettini (Ita) 2012

4. Robbie McEwen (Aus) 1947

5. Dario Frigo (Ita) 1772

6. Mario Cipollini (Ita) 1749

7. Aitor Jimenez Gonzalez (Spa) 1551

8. Roberto Heras (Spa) 1455

9. Davide Rebellin (Ita) 1452

10. Michele Bartoli (Ita) 1417

Rob, you should know better than anyone, a lot of it is about business. The domestiques get their chance for glory and $ in the shorter tours and 1 day classics in their home countries and places other than the TDF. Other than the Tour de Suisse, which is frequently a tune-up for the TDF, look how many times an Italian wins the Giro or a Spaniard wins the Vuelta. REad Lance's book for a little more inside perspective.

Yeah, I'm well aware of the business of cycling.

And like I said, the little Basque waifs and strays can have the Vuelta AND the shorter tours and classics for that matter.

What I'm talking about is the Giro and the World Champs. Why can't Lance step up like the big boys, Merckx and Roche and win all three in one year. Is the Tour too tough?

And, "Read Lance's book for a perspective..."? Isn't that book called "It's Not About the Bike"? As far as I could tell it was all about the bike. What the hell else would it be about?

The Bikers Prayer, Bob Roll

Our Cyclist, Who are in Le Tour,

Hallowed be thy Wheels.

Thy King of the Mountains Come,

Thy Field Sprints be Done,

On the Flat Stages as They are in the Time Trials.

Give Us this Day thy Daily Musette,

And Forgive Us if We Know Not Your Place,

As We Forgive Those Who Know Nothing of Our Sport.

Lead Us Not into Positive Drug Tests

and Deliver Us From All Cancelled Stages.

AMEN!

Down goes Ullrich! Down goes Ullrich!

Until you have stared down the infinity of death it would be wise to simply watch what Lance is doing, as he is not done yet. The 'old school' riders/athletes were not as efficient/patient with their energy as Armstrong is. He accumulates all year so that when the big dance comes around he can pulse that energy and put on a show.

Edward could win em all....no peak. spring to fall...always in form. he was the best ever. cycling is too specialized for that sutff now. when is the last time you say the Lion King in a polka dot jersey???

that is why I, JAJA, am so great i held the green and not the dot..... I am as well rounded as they come.

but now i am gone....

There's no good reason FOR LA riding in the Vuelta or Giro. He kills everyone in the TdF....he's made his point that he's the best great tour rider in the world. What would winning the Giro prove? So what if Eddy did it back in the day...the sport is different now.

Plus, I'm sure that USPS would not want to see him jeapordize being on the podium in Paris for zero US exposure in Italy in June, and they get to speak with their dollars.

Although I would love to see LA win Paris-Roubaix or Liege-Bastigone-Liege, I can completely understand his reasoning for focusing solely on the Tour.

Tony Rominger wrote:

So what if Eddy did it back in the day...the sport is different now.

Exactly,

The sport has changed. 50 years ago football players would play both ways (defense and offense), but the sport has evolved to a point where that is no longer possible. You need to focus on one position and perform extremely well as such.

For any of the TdF racers the WC comes at an odd point in their season as well. The WC is the midst of their buildup phase and it is hard to peak for this one event.

-Clay

The sport may have changed but if Lance wants to take his place among the immortals of cycling, he'll need to step up. Hell, who wouldn't want to spend three weeks in France in July? I want to see Lance with the rainbow jersey, and not that one from 1993.

Down goes Ullrich! Down goes Ullrich!

Simply not true. Lance will indeed "take his place among the immortals of cycling" if he wins 6, or even 5, Tours.

I don't see how that can be disputed.

Lance will be adding the World Championships to his calendar in 2003 as he hopes to win Le Tour de France and the WC. Then 2004 is an Olympic year hopefully gold.

"The Bikers Prayer" by Bob Roll brings a tear to my eye. Bob, can you write one for the marathon?

Jos, alot like Cosmo Ndeti who won Boston three time in a row & then came 3rd in his fourth try. He would never race any races that were worth a shit prior to the Boston Marathon. ALso alot like LViren who would save himself only for the big dance, OGames.

"The sport may have changed but if Lance wants to take his place among the immortals of cycling, he'll need to step up." That is funny... he needs to "STEP it up?" According to whom.....YOU??? Funnier still. Youngest world champ ever, all those Tour wins.... and he's not one of the immortals yet?? And came back from Cancer to achieve all those tour wins!! Yeah, and Geb needs to win a marathon before I will consider him an immortal runner.

Go write another dumb poem, jack-ass.

I believe that was just the kind of reaction Bob was looking for.

All things being equal between cycling and running, who is greater? Lance or Hodgie-san?

The only reason Merckx was so dominant was because the competition he was against sucked. The training now is much more intense and riders are much more evenly matched. Lance Armstrong rides many of the classics, though many of them not to win and many of the pre tour stage races. He also made an attempt to win one of the post tour classics (San Sebastien) and the san francisco grand prix. In my eyes, Lance armstrongs approach to racing is no worse than Marios. The poor italian can't (he probably could, he just chooses not to) even finish a major tour and pretends to retire in order to get attention. I read somewhere that the reason he doesn't ride the mountain stages is because it messes up his muscle tone. Vanity such as that is much worse in my opinion than the methodical approach to racing that lance armstrong chooses

The man has won four Tours in a row and he will win more. He is a complete rider, as is anyone who wins the tour, he is an absolute monster in the mountains, cleans up in the time trials. Plus, today the riders are way better, everything has improved and to dominate the Tour is something to marvel at. The Tour (de Frace) is the only victory he needs to win racing wise each year to show he is the best. If a rider even wins one stage in the Tour, he gets the adulation of fans, his country, etc., it changes your career. But to win the entire thing, let alone four years in a row, come on man! The Tour lasts for 27-30? days, that's one month of all out comp. Those other races can't even compare in size, difficulty and overall importance. Peace, I'm out.

Mario won't ride the mounatains because it would affect his muscle tone? He might have been kidding, but anyways, wouldn't riding in the mountains make you muscles bigger, thus BETTERING your muscle tone.

"I would ride all out, as hard as I could, I didn't care how I looked." LA