How does he do it ?

"your father smelled of elderberry....."

Scotty said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities are
so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back of
my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the last
six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes of
any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong is
bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount. But nothing
really matters much, it's doom alone that counts. And the one eyed
undertaker, he blows a futile horn. Come in she said I'll give you shelter
from the storm.

Scotty said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ?

Here's a thought, and I know it's way the [censored] out there considering how
lazy americans can be, but maybe, just maybe he actually trains harder
than anyone else and works tirelessly to shave every second.

your mother was a a hamster

<< Ok I said it now let the abuse

Quoted message said:

begin... >><BR><BR>

When you look at his annual racing performance he is just good. When
you look at his tour performance he is great. He sacrifices everything
to peak at the tour. In the 90s Indurain finished one of the time
trials almost 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher. An amazing
performance. Those at the top of their game do make it look easy. The
art of peaking for the tour is exactly that an art and no one does it
better than Lance.

Joe

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities are
so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back of
my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the last
six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes of
any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong is
bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount. But nothing
really matters much, it's doom alone that counts. And the one eyed
undertaker, he blows a futile horn. Come in she said I'll give you shelter
from the storm.

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities are
so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back of
my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the last
six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes of
any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong is
bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The same way Mohammed Ali did it. or the Miami Dolphins perfect
season team, or the Yankees, or the Williams sisters, or Tiger Woods,
etc. Work hard, work smart and get lucky.

After all, Armstrong's biggest tour rival was a fat guy that gets
loaded on coke and wrecks his car. How tough is that?

Robert

Robert Crim said:

The same way Mohammed Ali did it. or the Miami Dolphins perfect
season team, or the Yankees, or the Williams sisters, or Tiger Woods,
etc. Work hard, work smart and get lucky.

The Williams sisters are possibly not the best example to use in this
context.

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ?

He's a natural freak and he and his team have the best preparation and
direction. You should check out the "Road to Paris" video. Amazing.
The other teams just don't get it, or they aren't willing to commit
100% to the Tour de France and let the rest be gravy. He's such a
driven perfectionist that he's a few percentage points ahead of the
next guy. And almost every element of his team is a little better
than the other teams. It adds up to a blowout.

JT

"Robert Crim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so

overwhelmingly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the

last

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The same way Mohammed Ali did it. or the Miami Dolphins perfect
season team, or the Yankees, or the Williams sisters, or Tiger Woods,
etc. Work hard, work smart and get lucky.

After all, Armstrong's biggest tour rival was a fat guy that gets
loaded on coke and wrecks his car. How tough is that?

Robert

I've worked hard all my life and it's got me nowhere. What's the deal?

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 19:53:08 -0400, "tooly" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Robert Crim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so

overwhelmingly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the

last

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The same way Mohammed Ali did it. or the Miami Dolphins perfect
season team, or the Yankees, or the Williams sisters, or Tiger Woods,
etc. Work hard, work smart and get lucky.

After all, Armstrong's biggest tour rival was a fat guy that gets
loaded on coke and wrecks his car. How tough is that?

Robert

I've worked hard all my life and it's got me nowhere. What's the deal?

Maybe you left out the "work smart and get lucky" part?

R.

"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so

overwhelmingly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

above all the competition ?

He's a natural freak and he and his team have the best preparation and
direction. You should check out the "Road to Paris" video. Amazing.
The other teams just don't get it, or they aren't willing to commit
100% to the Tour de France and let the rest be gravy. He's such a
driven perfectionist that he's a few percentage points ahead of the
next guy. And almost every element of his team is a little better
than the other teams. It adds up to a blowout.

JT

Why come he no goey for the Olympics gold? Is cycling the one sport that
olympics considered passe...a yawner after 20 stages of tdf and other tours?

The docs told him he had 30% chance of living after his cancer diagnosis to
give him something to hope for...they didn't think it was that good. Yeah,
docs are wrong a lot but he was pretty riddled with the stuff....

As difficult as it might be for some people to fathom, it's quite possible
he's just a very strong, focused and determined individual. Recovery after
a day's riding or a week's riding is nothing compared to the recovery he
went through after chemo and all.

After beating the disease and living, winning the tour is pretty much small
chainring.

Of course, this could all just have been a story, a hoax orchestrated by
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lance, the doctors, Nike, Trek, et. al., to sell
stuff --books, bikes, clothes, cars--all the while B-M experiments on him
and shoots him up with all kinds of drugs and [censored] that can't be detected.
Yeah....that's it....that's the ticket....

"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 18:48:23 -0400, "Scotty" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so

overwhelmingly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

above all the competition ?

He's a natural freak and he and his team have the best preparation and
direction. You should check out the "Road to Paris" video. Amazing.
The other teams just don't get it, or they aren't willing to commit
100% to the Tour de France and let the rest be gravy. He's such a
driven perfectionist that he's a few percentage points ahead of the
next guy. And almost every element of his team is a little better
than the other teams. It adds up to a blowout.

JT

scientific training and focus.
How do any champion athletes DO IT??
--

<< Of course, this could all just have been a story, a hoax orchestrated by
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lance, the doctors, Nike, Trek, et. al., to sell
stuff --books, bikes, clothes, cars--all the while B-M experiments on him
and shoots him up with all kinds of drugs and [censored] that can't be detected.
Yeah....that's it....that's the ticket.... >><BR><BR>

They actually found cancelled checks from Bristol-Meyers to one Jan Ullrich.
The great rival who LAnce keeps beating to help the story? We don't REALLY
know know that Lance ever had cancer. Hell, this whole tour de france is
something done in a Hollywood studio. OMG!

"ie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The docs told him he had 30% chance of living after his cancer diagnosis

to

Quoted message said:

give him something to hope for...they didn't think it was that good.

Yeah,

Quoted message said:

docs are wrong a lot but he was pretty riddled with the stuff....

As difficult as it might be for some people to fathom, it's quite possible
he's just a very strong, focused and determined individual. Recovery

after

Quoted message said:

a day's riding or a week's riding is nothing compared to the recovery he
went through after chemo and all.

After beating the disease and living, winning the tour is pretty much

small

Quoted message said:

chainring.

Of course, this could all just have been a story, a hoax orchestrated by
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lance, the doctors, Nike, Trek, et. al., to sell
stuff --books, bikes, clothes, cars--all the while B-M experiments on him
and shoots him up with all kinds of drugs and [censored] that can't be detected.
Yeah....that's it....that's the ticket....

Ya know ie, you may have good point here (no, not the ticket stuff). Anyone
who has looked at the green monster in the face and 'survived', realizes
something precious about each day of being alive.

I think of the grueling torture all these riders must be enduring...beyond
imagination really. But only to live with purpose like these guys must
feel...being at the top of what they do, having a real reason to strive.
Seeing life's last moments makes one realize that 'body torture' pales
against the far greater struggle in which the spirit must prevail. I have
no doubt that LA's bout with cancer has everything to do with his ability to
go that extra yard...to train, to do whatever it takes...to 'live' for the
simple joy of it.

"Scotty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ?

Were you all alone in claiming that Lance was all washed up when he didn't
win the Ventoux TT?

Quoted message said:

I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities

are

Quoted message said:

so far above all the others,

This is interesting - "far above all the others". In some 2,000 miles
(MILES!!) of racing he has accumulated 6 minutes (about 3 miles) advantage
on the competition (3 guys this year discounting the 3 guys who were also at
this level but dropped out or didn't start - Hamilton, Mayo and Beloki)
that's in the neighborhood of a 10th of a percent and you call that "far
above all the others".

Tell me something - is there anyone home in your head?

The problem with this group is that there are the trolls and those who
believe that trolls.

"Joe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When you look at his annual racing performance he is just good. When
you look at his tour performance he is great. He sacrifices everything
to peak at the tour. In the 90s Indurain finished one of the time
trials almost 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher. An amazing
performance. Those at the top of their game do make it look easy. The
art of peaking for the tour is exactly that an art and no one does it
better than Lance.

If he was "good" he'd win L-B-L instead of losing to Hamilton. He'd have won
a lot of the smaller races he entered that he in fact finished WAY down in
the pack in.

The fact is that Lance is good in the Tour. Bernard Hinault made the point
that if Eddy Merckx had focused entirely on the Tour he'd have won every
year as well. One of the major reasons that USPS has won so handily is that
guy behind the wheel of the team car - Johann Bryneel.

"Richard Adams" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Scotty said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so

overwhelmingly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

above all the competition ?

Here's a thought, and I know it's way the [censored] out there considering how
lazy americans can be, but maybe, just maybe he actually trains harder
than anyone else and works tirelessly to shave every second.

I don't see how anyone can look at Lance and not draw that same conclusion.
Here are my top 6 reasons LA is 'beyond category':

1. He simply works harder than everyone else. Compare LA's
training/nutrition ethics to JU's - no comparison.
2. Genetics. Lungs, heart, legs, weight, brain - he's got it all.
3. Incredible team (again). USPS was unassailable this year - no attacks
from any GC rivals (except JU on a couple of descents)
4. Incredible team management. Johan is the best, no question.
5. Incredible technology/equipment. Bikes, helmets, skin suits, aero riding
position - it's all the very best.
6. Drive. The man will not settle for 2nd best 'anything'.
7. Experience. He simply knows how to win TsDF.

I'll be absolutely amazed if it turns out he's doping - he's got too much to
lose.
Jeff

"Tom Kunich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Joe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

When you look at his annual racing performance he is just good. When
you look at his tour performance he is great. He sacrifices everything
to peak at the tour. In the 90s Indurain finished one of the time
trials almost 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher. An amazing
performance. Those at the top of their game do make it look easy. The
art of peaking for the tour is exactly that an art and no one does it
better than Lance.

If he was "good" he'd win L-B-L instead of losing to Hamilton. He'd have

won

Quoted message said:

a lot of the smaller races he entered that he in fact finished WAY down in
the pack in.

But, LA could really give two [censored] about those other races. People talking
about him racing the other GTs next year are doping themselves. LA will
continue to do what's worked for the past 6 years - focus on and win the
TDF.

I agree with you though, Johann is one of a slew of reasons Lance continues
to win the tour (see my other post in "How does he do it" thread).
Jeff

Quoted message said:

The fact is that Lance is good in the Tour. Bernard Hinault made the point
that if Eddy Merckx had focused entirely on the Tour he'd have won every
year as well. One of the major reasons that USPS has won so handily is

that

Quoted message said:

guy behind the wheel of the team car - Johann Bryneel.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In a group of world class athletes of

any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? <<

Ever hear of Eddy Merckx? In his words: "Ride lots".

"Scotty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I realize I am opening myself up to a torrent of abuse, but I must ask the
question. Am I alone in wondering how Lance Armstrong is so overwhelmingly
above all the competition ? I realize that there is not one shred of
evidence of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong, but his abilities

are

Quoted message said:

so far above all the others, it puts a small doubt somewhere in the back

of

Quoted message said:

my mind. Has anyone analyzed his performances and given his ability say a
percentage number ? Is he 10 percent better than the others across the

last

Quoted message said:

six tours ? Or maybe more than that ? In a group of world class athletes

of

Quoted message said:

any endurance sport is there a single champion that has dominated their
sport so completely ? At the top level of any sport, how do you gain that
amount of performance over the others ? It appears that Lance Armstrong

is

Quoted message said:

bordering on beyond human abilities. Ok I said it now let the abuse
begin...

The deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount. But nothing
really matters much, it's doom alone that counts. And the one eyed
undertaker, he blows a futile horn. Come in she said I'll give you shelter
from the storm.