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sailor · 07-19-2004, 07:02 PM

There certainly is a lot of racing left--but 6:30 is far too much time to make up unless Armstrong crashes. Sure, Ullrich could have a good TT, but there is no way he is making that time up, unless, like I said, Armstrong crashes. He wont be able to get into a break either--US Postal has shown how strong they are and how well they have this race wrapped up. Any breakaway with anyone of importance will not be allowed to survive. Ullrich has already said that he will likely be throwing his support behind Kloeden, his teammate who is far better placed than he is. I dont discount Ullrich coming back in the Alps--he is a monstrously strong rider--but, barring Lance crashing, this tour is over for him.

As for Basso, he is no threat to Lance in the final time trial. There, if nowhere else, Lance can take several minutes out of him. As for the climbing styles, Lance does a good bit of his climbing out of the saddle. Watch him even on small rollers--he gets out of the saddle. Its not a question of how tired he is, its just how he does it. I dont know too much about Basso's climbing style, but it looks to echo Tyler Hamilton's--in the saddle all the time. Neither is necessarily better, just different.

I do think that Merckx was a better rider. The difference is that Merckx rode as many races as possible, and still managed to clean up. He had over 400 wins in his career--Lance has had "only" around 70. When Lance does the spring classics, the Giro d'Italia, and then wins the Tour, then he will be on the same stage as Merckx. But yeah, Id have to give Lance second.

07-19-2004, 07:02 PM	#25 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	There certainly is a lot of racing left--but 6:30 is far too much time to make up unless Armstrong crashes. Sure, Ullrich could have a good TT, but there is no way he is making that time up, unless, like I said, Armstrong crashes. He wont be able to get into a break either--US Postal has shown how strong they are and how well they have this race wrapped up. Any breakaway with anyone of importance will not be allowed to survive. Ullrich has already said that he will likely be throwing his support behind Kloeden, his teammate who is far better placed than he is. I dont discount Ullrich coming back in the Alps--he is a monstrously strong rider--but, barring Lance crashing, this tour is over for him. As for Basso, he is no threat to Lance in the final time trial. There, if nowhere else, Lance can take several minutes out of him. As for the climbing styles, Lance does a good bit of his climbing out of the saddle. Watch him even on small rollers--he gets out of the saddle. Its not a question of how tired he is, its just how he does it. I dont know too much about Basso's climbing style, but it looks to echo Tyler Hamilton's--in the saddle all the time. Neither is necessarily better, just different. I do think that Merckx was a better rider. The difference is that Merckx rode as many races as possible, and still managed to clean up. He had over 400 wins in his career--Lance has had "only" around 70. When Lance does the spring classics, the Giro d'Italia, and then wins the Tour, then he will be on the same stage as Merckx. But yeah, Id have to give Lance second. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato Last edited by sailor; 07-19-2004 at 07:06 PM..