posted Aug 11, 2007

can't believe you stated the obvious sherlock, modern racing is all about the team, if you have ever raced 180Km on a bike, you can't do it all by yourself

Armstrong was a great cyclist, made even greater by a great team manager, pprbably the best their has ever been

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posted Aug 11, 2007

While Armstrong may not have failed a drugs test, the USPS/Discovery team has a long history of producing dopers (Landis, Heras, Hamilton). They may not have tested positive whilst with the team, but once they moved elsewhere and were able to ride for stage wins/overall classification rather than riding for Armstrong, they started meeting the UCI testers more frequently and got caught.

Much of Armstrong's success is credited to his super-domestiques getting him through the mountains. In a sport such as cycling, if your team-mates are cheating, you are also gaining an unfair advantage. Negative tests do not mean that Armstrong's victories were entirely legitimate (not that this was in any way unusual in the peloton during his era).

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posted Aug 11, 2007

"Armstrong was great but it’s doubtful he would have been able to dominate the Tour in such emphatic fashion without his accompanying Blue Train."

You have that right, Martin. I think it must have been somewhat of a mixed blessing to be a team mate of Armstrong. No doubt wonderful to be part of a very successful team containing the Tour winner for all those years, but after all, one had to completely sacrifice one's own aspirations (and ego!) to even get a look-in.

I am sorry to read that Bruyneel is thinking of retirement from the sport. He's a great tactician, and would no doubt be a welcome asset to any team.

Anyway, at the risk of being churlish, I'm not that sorry to see the end of the road for this team. It's time for a complete shake-up in the sport, and this is likely the first of many who will decide enough is enough.

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posted Aug 12, 2007

Maybe, just maybe, Cycling without the pressures that come from sponsors might just produce clean riders again!!

I know worldwide global sports can not survive without sponsorship, but the sponsors should also take a good look at themselves, as they are the ones that put so much pressure o the riders and teams to succeed, that the riders feel the pessusre to the point that they need the chemicals to produce the goods to keep the sponsors happy!!

The 'blood' in on many hands!!

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posted Aug 13, 2007

I find an aweful lot of duplicity in some of these comments. Accusations on wrong deeds with curcumstantial evidence, and then praise for Bruneel as a "master tactician" etc. If drugs were systematic in the team, and the evidence, although circumstantial, if pretty damning, would Bruneel NOT have known? And if he did this makes DSC/USPS team no better than Festina.
New teams will form, with sporting directors who will impose zero tolerance drugs policies, the sooner it happens the better for the sport.
Isn't it damning for the sport, that a discussion about a team disbanding, has just become yet another "drugs" discussion?

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posted Aug 13, 2007

JMB - "There was a wealth of evidence against Armstrong in a case that he settled out of court. Don't believe the hype!"

Says who? you?!?! Ha! What on earth are you basing that on?

Who are you, one of the lawyer's? Were you there?

As for not believing the hype? I'm not believing you, I know that.

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posted Aug 14, 2007

Great memories indeed. The whole Lance story is an inspiration, he got me riding a bike again and there are millions like me. Big Blue were a model of professionalism, Lance a great leader and Johan the great tactician. Less of the football mentality guys, where we love to hate anything big and successfull. Just respect success and Discovery / USPS / Tailwind or whatever you want to call them have shown us great successes. They will be missed. Who to follow now? I'll stick with Sean Yates and support whoever he ends up with. Chapeau Lance / Johan / Contador / Discovery. I'm still riding and enjoying. The sport is coming clean, the key is to look forwards and not drag skeletons out of every cupboard. Look back and we are in danger of discrediting all the Tour greats from 1903 onwards, including the great Jacques Anquetil.

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posted Aug 14, 2007

They shoud run these classics like the local bike run we have; and everyone is just out on their bicycle having a good time racing. No first, second or third place!

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posted Aug 28, 2007

Rubbish!! If do well in both time trials and the mountains you have the tools to win le tour. Armstrong was a superb time trialler and launched so many attacks in the mountains to blow his opponents away it was untrue. He made dozens and dozens of solo attacks in the mountains without a team mate in sight. Yes his team were important but he could have done it any team

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