If the name Lance Armstrong only makes you think of those yellow LiveStrong bracelets, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Tour de France, which starts this Saturday, July 2. This is the last time Lance will ride, and he is doing so in an attempt at his 7th straight Tour win. Prior to last year, no rider had ever won more than 5.

To put the physically punshing Tour de France into perspective, imagine riding a bike 25-30+ MPH, 100+ miles per day, for 21 days. Some of those days are spent pedaling up the side of a mountain, and then flying down the other side reaching speeds of 60mph on roads with no guardrails and straight drops down.

And you complain about morning cardio! :D

If the past is any indication, then the real race won't begin until July 12th, when the race enters the mountain stages. It is during these stages where Lance generally obliterates his opponents, and it is quite a physical phenomenon. Watching Lance effortlessly shift it into another gear while riding up a huge incline and blow by an unsuspecting rider is awe inspiring. Considering the man was given a death sentence in 1999 makes it even more impressive.

Here in the U.S., the Tour is being televised on the Outdoor Life Network, or OLN. DirecTV subscribers can watch on channel 608, and most local cable companies probably have it too. If you just want to catch the mountain stages, they're July 12-14, and 16-18.

To me, Lance retiring at this stage in his career is the equivalent of Michael Jordan's first retirement. Here's to hoping he goes out wearing the yellow jersey...


Vive le Lance!

I've been watching the Tour de France religiously for about the past 4 years, right in the middle of the Armstrong dominance. It's not the most exciting sport, but theres so much more to it than most people imagine. It seems that most people believe that Lance just bikes and outrides everyone, and that the sport is a one on one type deal. Once you get into the strategy employed by the teams, people trying to slow down the leader, or race ahead to wear others out, it's really interesting. Lance is riding in the best team on the planet who really want to see their leader out on a win. I also have a feeling he wouldnt enter this race unless he believed that he could win. I'm seeing a 7-peat.

I've been watching the Tour de France religiously for about the past 4 years, right in the middle of the Armstrong dominance. It's not the most exciting sport, but theres so much more to it than most people imagine. It seems that most people believe that Lance just bikes and outrides everyone, and that the sport is a one on one type deal. Once you get into the strategy employed by the teams, people trying to slow down the leader, or race ahead to wear others out, it's really interesting. Lance is riding in the best team on the planet who really want to see their leader out on a win. I also have a feeling he wouldnt enter this race unless he believed that he could win. I'm seeing a 7-peat.
It's kind of sad how little credit the rest of the team gets.

Started watching TdF about the same time. It's a boring thing to be watching at first glance, but very addictive. I'm Danish so I'll be chearing for CSC. But I think Dicovery Channel will be doing everything they can for Lance. To bad about Ullrich. That was a nasty accident. Hopefully he'll have no problems because of it.
Should be fair.

I really want to see how Floyd Landis does this year with his own team. Landis was awesome last year but his inexperience and lack of "maturity/seasoning" as a rider was evident. By maturity/seasoning, I am referring to his strength as a rider. It takes years of riding to build up the base needed to complete the TDF.

Tomorrow's Stage 1 is much more important this year. Lance can make an immediate impact tomorrow and get the Yellow Jersey. He's likely to give it up after another stage or 2, but that's OK. He'll be wearing Yellow by mid-July.

I agree that it's sad the rest of the team gets no credit. Lance wouldn't have won any of the TdF's if it weren't for the teams he's been with. Last year Landis & Azevedo carried him up the mountain, yet most people never even hear their names. I also think it says a lot about his past teammates when they move on to other teams, ala Leipheimer, Landis, Hamilton.

I found it really interesting that Lance kept pointing out Vinokourov (sp?) on T-Mobile as such a threat. Especially when you consider Vino is rumored to be coming to Discovery next season. I just hope that when Lance is gone, coverage of cycling in the U.S. is not.

Lance just left the gate in the TT. Foot popped out of the pedal... time to go watch.

I'm so pumped. I'm going back and forth between this and Live 8

Lance just left the gate in the TT. Foot popped out of the pedal... time to go watch.

This may have cost him the stage.

I wonder how his rivals feel today, esp Ullrich after he got caught?

Great start to the TDF for Team Discovery.

LOL, I live in the Philly area, about 30 mins from Live 8 & am sitting watching the TdF.

Unbelievable finish. Lance caught Jan Ullrich and just missed winning the stage by 2 seconds. For those who don't know how the Time Trial works, each rider starts 60 seconds after the previous rider so that they are spaced out on the course. In this case, Jan Ullrich who finishes 2nd to Lance just about every year in the Tour, started ahead of Lance. It has to be mentally devastating to watch your primary rival blow by you knowing he started 60 seconds after.

Another irony today... each day a "random" rider is chosen for drug testing. Today it was Lance, even though they were just tested a few days ago. Random, my....

Stage 1 Results:

1 David Zabriskie (Team CSC) 20.51
2 Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel) 0.02
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile Team) 0.53
4 George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) 0.57
5 Laszlo Bodrogi (Credit Agricole) 0.59
6 Floyd Landis (Phonak Hearing Systems) 1.02
7 Jens Voigt (Team CSC) 1.04
8 Vladimir Karpets (Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne) 1.05
9 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Liberty Seguros-Würth) 1.06
10 Bobby Julich (Team CSC) 1.07
11 Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Phonak Hearing Systems) 1.12
12 Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile)

Stage 2 complete. A good day for Team Discovery. No crashes, no lost time.

Stage 2 complete. A good day for Team Discovery. No crashes, no lost time.

Stage 3 went the same as Stage 2. Look for the Discovery Team to gain additional time over the rest of the peloton in Stage 4 (a Team Time Trial (TTT)).

Team Time Trial day! This is probably my favorite day, save the mountain time trial.

Should be good when they get near the end :)

I watched the whole "Chasing Lance" series FitTV ran. I was hoping they'd cover some of the strategy teams employ, but they didn't. I don't get OLN so I am stuck reading about TDF on the web.

Go Lance!

-- Jeremy

Man! I feel bad for the dude that went down. That's gotta suck. All that training and all that focus washed away with one split second of lost concentration.

It's crazy too because CSC lost to Discovery by two seconds and if the guy in yellow (cant remember his name) didn't fall him and Lance would have been tied.

What tv channel in the US is the tour on? Is it broadcast live?

Thanks!

im watching the higlights now, intresting stuff, ive never been a person for cycleing but htis is pretty cool. :)

The guy who went down was another American, David Zabriskie. He's only the 3rd American to ever wear the yellow jersey (Lance & Greg LeMond are the others). It is a shame because Zabriskie & Team CSC were flying in todays TTT. What is most sad is that there is a rule that states if a rider goes down in the last kilometer of a TTT (team time trial), he is given the same finishing time as his teammates. Zabriskie went down with 1.5km to go.

At this point, I would've liked to see Zabriskie keep the yellow. I'm guessing Team Discovery may not even defend it this early in the race. Still though, today's TTT was impressive. Disco set a TTT record today with an average speed of 57.324km/h, which I think is around 37-38mph.

And I think I'm flying when I'm going 22mph.

I read that Lance tried to not wear the yellow because of Zabriskie's fall, but they made him wear it anyways. There was another American rider last year, Hamiliton maybe?, who seemed to be very good. He was the one who rode on a broken collarbone the entire race and still came out in a very respectable final position. Is the race on tv, well I mean on a station that is more nationally recieved. I've been wanting to watch, but between school and studying for finals I havent given my tv much use lately. I really want to watch during those mountain stages, where the real men in the tour start to emerge.

Yeah, Lance is definitely old school. He is the boss of the peloton and he knows it. It was a classy move on Armstrong's part to NOT wear yellow until he had rightfully claimed it (and not because of a crash).

OLN has the exclusive rights to the TDF so if you don't get it, then unfortunately, you're out of luck.

I was pretty pumped up for this year's TDF with 2 series of mountain stages. First the Alps and then the Pyrennees.

OLN has the exclusive rights to the TDF so if you don't get it, then unfortunately, you're out of luck.
.

What channel is OLN? What does that stand for? I'm guessing I probably don't have it. I've got just about every channel by cable company offers, so there's a chance! :D

What channel is OLN? What does that stand for? I'm guessing I probably don't have it. I've got just about every channel by cable company offers, so there's a chance! :D

OLN = Outdoor Life Network

http://www.olntv.com/

After today's stage, there's pretty much only one thing to say:

Congrats on your 7th straight Tour victory, Lance.

What an amazing display in the mountains. This guy is just unbelievable.

Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky (David Letterman show)

10. Race starts at 9, Lance rolls out of bed around noon

9. Has already figured out that the trophy can hold a 3-gallon margarita

8. He eats frosting by the fistful

7. For the last leg, he rode one of those crazy 1920s bikes with the big front wheel

6. Deliberately crashing into things to get more air time on sportscenter

5. Making a couple extra bucks delivering pizzas during the race

4. After the starter pistol is fired, he hangs around hitting on french babes

3. Turns to the other riders and says, "oooh, I'm sooooo scared"

2. Instead of training, spent last 2 months pimping his bike

1. Has started selling ad space on his ass



:tucool: All jokes aside, I'm really enjoying this year's race - awesome stuff. I still can't understand how they ride for so long on those aweful bike seats.


Cheers,

G

Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky (July 21, David Letterman)

10. Goodbye Gatorade, hello Colt 45

9. For next two stages will be riding a unicycle

8. Is only giving 109%

7. Shouts, "Which one of you French bastards want my autograph?"

6. Yesterday rode twenty miles out of his way looking for whores

5. Already put the yellow championship jersey for auction on eBay

4. Lets fans ride on the handlebars

3. During stage 18, took in the noon showing of "Wedding Crashers"

2. On alternate days, substitutes his fat brother Dennis Armstrong

1. Took detour to nail Jude Law's nanny

Believe it or not, the thin little bike seats are more comfortable than the fat squishy kind. The thinner the seat, the less rubbing against the thighs.

other than rasmussen, this has been the most boring tour in years. it would have been far more interesting to see someone step up and really challenge lance for his last go-round.

oh well... the course was really in his favor, with its early tts.

so sad to see voeckler flailing around this year. i wonder is he is or has been ill? that's been a surprise.

other than rasmussen, this has been the most boring tour in years. it would have been far more interesting to see someone step up and really challenge lance for his last go-round.

Agree on that, it's like all the other riders already accepted defeat when the tour began. Where's the fighting spirit?!

What I found VERY surprising is that both Basso & Ullrich have stated that it is impossible to beat Armstrong. They did this with one day left in the Pyranees.

What I found VERY surprising is that both Basso & Ullrich have stated that it is impossible to beat Armstrong. They did this with one day left in the Pyranees.



This year's TDF was essentially over when Lance got the lead over his rivals in Stage One. To their credit, they attacked and were aggressive through most of the mountain stages. Unfortunately for them, Lance kept pace and they were unable to gain any ground even after Lance was isolated from his Discovery teammates.

I highly suggest reading Lances books! I've read both (actually I was pretty much addicted to them..I read both within 5 days) and they're excellent. He's a very interesting character and his stories of things that happen amongst riders etc. are really very interesting!

(On a side note, he was treated for all his cancers at Indiana University's medical campus in Indianapolis where the most reknowned treatment of testicular cancer was developed. Shoutout to my Hoosiers!)

Also, from Bill Maher:
New Rule: Cheering for Lance Armstrong doesn't make you an international cycling aficionado. Unless you can name one other rider in the Tour de France in the last 100 years, you're not a fan, you're just someone who likes it when America beats foreigners. And by the way, you're also not a tennis expert if you like watching Russian teenagers bounce up and down. You're just a perv.

hahaha! :claplow:

Lance wins the time trial!!!

Top Ten Signs Lance Armstrong Is Getting Cocky (July 21, David Letterman)

10. Goodbye Gatorade, hello Colt 45

9. For next two stages will be riding a unicycle

8. Is only giving 109%

7. Shouts, "Which one of you French bastards want my autograph?"

6. Yesterday rode twenty miles out of his way looking for whores

5. Already put the yellow championship jersey for auction on eBay

4. Lets fans ride on the handlebars

3. During stage 18, took in the noon showing of "Wedding Crashers"

2. On alternate days, substitutes his fat brother Dennis Armstrong

1. Took detour to nail Jude Law's nanny

lmao :lol: :lol: :lol:

you kill me

I really enjoyed watching the Time Trials today.

Felt bad for King of the Mtn., Mr. Rasmoussen with his wipe outs & bike problems - all part of the race though...

Overall, these guys all kick some serious butt - wow.

Don't want to miss tomorrow... :nod:

G

I wonder how many more yellow jerseys (& other bike stuff) are sold in cycling shops around the world this time of year... :confused: :D

I can tell you one thing, bike shops across America, particularly Trek dealers, will be crying come tomorrow. Lance has been such a big boom for cycling in the U.S. & it's evident with all of the Disco/Postie jerseys I see on the roads... not to mention the Trek bikes.

I can tell you one thing, bike shops across America, particularly Trek dealers, will be crying come tomorrow. Lance has been such a big boom for cycling in the U.S. & it's evident with all of the Disco/Postie jerseys I see on the roads... not to mention the Trek bikes.

So how much for a Trek bike anyway? I'm guessing 10k plus?

I want this bike:

Livestrong (http://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Road/Performance_Road/Madone/Limited_Edition_Livestrong_Madone_SL/index.php)

Viva La Lance! 7 straight baby!

I enjoyed that... :nod:

G

So how much for a Trek bike anyway? I'm guessing 10k plus?


nope. depends on the bike. one of the things they hype pretty heavily is the discovery rides stock trek frames. so, if you want to part with about 5k, you can ride the same madone that disco rides.

or, you can be a little more realistic and get a very nice bike for a lot less money.

nope. depends on the bike. one of the things they hype pretty heavily is the discovery rides stock trek frames. so, if you want to part with about 5k, you can ride the same madone that disco rides.

or, you can be a little more realistic and get a very nice bike for a lot less money.

I found their website after some googling Trek Bikes (http://www.trekbikes.com/)

I would actually like one of their mountain bikes (pleasantly surprised by the price), lots of dirt and gravel trails to ride here.

for road bikes, based on what i've seen and can remember...

trek1000: 600$ - bottom of the line, i've heard complaints about the gears
trek1200: 700-800$
trek1500: 1100$ - this is the one i have. you will never need to upgrade if you get this bike. light, fast.
trek5000: $2500 not much better than trek1500, but lighter components.
trek Madone 5.9: $4300-6000: if you have the money, buy this bike.


if you're short on money, buy the 1500.
if you have alot of money, buy the Madone.

assessories (clothing, pedals, helmet, etc) will run you another 800$ probably.

I don't know about anyone else but Sunday's victory lap on the Champs-Élysées was VERY bittersweet for me. In today's era of sports, it's not too often where I can point to an athlete and say he or she is the epitome of a role model. Lance is certainly deserving of the accolades he receives.

Lance has shown nothing but class, sportsmanship (when called for), desire to win, and dedication. On top of his cycling accomplishments, he has became a beacon of light, and a symbol of hope for cancer patients.

Here's to hoping the next chapter of his life, fighting cancer through the LAF, is as successful as a Saturday afternoon time trial.

Vive le Lance!

if you're short on money, buy the 1500.
if you have alot of money, buy the Madone.


I disagree.

Buy the bike that best suits its intended use. Most of us are not racers; race-based geometry does not suit our needs, nor does it best serve our riding styles.

And shop around. TREK is just one of many, many bicycle manufacturers. And, don't buy bottom of the line components. You'll regret it.

As far as bikes go I was impressed to see some of TREKs current models. A couple years ago I believe the owners son took over the co. upon his fathers death, and trek bikes were going the way of schwinn who now sells bikes at wal mart. I would recommend looking at Specialied as well.

One thing to keep in mind when getting a bike is that a model like the Madone (named after the Mountain Lance trained on) is designed and built for a 140-160 lb rider. There are many high end components which consider a warranty VOID if a rider is too heavy. By too heavy, they mean 180 lbs. Forget 8% bodyfat, they don't care.... check first!

Find a local bike shop and ask questions!!! Tell them your planned mileage... the terrain you want to ride... etc. If they try pushing the most expensive bike in the place on you, walk out. Buy a bike that you can afford, and will USE.

STOP PRESS - LATEST SPORTS NEWS

NANTERRE, France, July 25th 2005

Lance Armstrong may be stripped of his seventh Tour de France title.
In a random check for banned substances, French authorities found three substances in Armstrong's hotel room that are banned by the French:

Toothpaste, deodorant, and soap.