Merckx critical of Ullrich



C

Charles Hizark

Guest
"Although Jan Ullrich maintains that he is right on target
for his Tour de France plans, there are concerns that he is
taking things a little too easy at this time of year. In
today's Rund um Köln, Ullrich could only manage 64th place
at 5'41 down from the winner, a far cry from his 52 km solo
effort to win last year.

Ullrich joked afterwards that, "In 2003 I was an outsider
and I was only able to win because the others didn't
recognise me in my Coast jersey. However, it's a long time
to the Tour and I'm on the right track."

Five time Tour winner Eddy Merckx, who is never afraid to
speak his mind, told DPA, "It seems that Jan has again not
worked hard enough in his previous preparation and is
still too much overweight. Sure, he has still over two
months, but to beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour will be
harder than 2003." "

I agree with Eddy time is getting shorrt for Jan. On the
otherhand I will be interesting see what kind of shape
Armstrong is in after training in the US. Personally I think
Lance is taking a big risk by training in the US and
eliminating the Dauphine Libre from his schedule. There is
the slight chance that this could open the tdf for a
outsider to win.
 
"Charles Hizark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I agree with Eddy time is getting shorrt for Jan. On the
> otherhand I will be interesting see what kind of shape
> Armstrong is in after training in the US. Personally I
> think Lance is taking a big risk by training in the US and
> eliminating the Dauphine Libre from his schedule. There is
> the slight chance that this could open the tdf for a
> outsider to win.

I would think that there's a good chance that he could
develop a lot stronger training in Colorado than he could in
Spain or France. For one thing the altitude is a quite a bit
higher and for another, there's no media to hound him or
fans to break in his door for an autograph.
 
"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Charles Hizark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > I agree with Eddy time is getting shorrt for Jan. On the
> > otherhand I will be interesting see what kind of shape
> > Armstrong is in after training in the US. Personally I
> > think Lance is taking a big risk by training in the US
> > and eliminating the Dauphine Libre from his schedule.
> > There is the slight chance that this could open the tdf
> > for a outsider to win.
>
> I would think that there's a good chance that he could
> develop a lot stronger training in Colorado than he could
> in Spain or France. For one thing the altitude is a quite
> a bit higher and for another, there's no media to hound
> him or fans to break in his door for an autograph.
I just feel that Lance should stick to what has worked for
him in the past.
 
Not an option for a guy who wants to keep his kids. The ex
will definitely have lots of court ammo if he decides to
prepare exclusively in Europe.

> I just feel that Lance should stick to what has worked
> for him in the past.
 
"Tom Kunich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Charles Hizark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > I agree with Eddy time is getting shorrt for Jan. On the
> > otherhand I will be interesting see what kind of shape
> > Armstrong is in after training in the US. Personally I
> > think Lance is taking a big risk by training in the US
> > and eliminating the Dauphine Libre from his schedule.
> > There is the slight chance that this could open the tdf
> > for a outsider to win.
>
> I would think that there's a good chance that he could
> develop a lot stronger training in Colorado than he could
> in Spain or France. For one thing the altitude is a quite
> a bit higher and for another, there's no
media
> to hound him or fans to break in his door for an
> autograph.

Stronger training? The OP is correct. This is a risk no
matter how you look at it. He can't follow the same program
because of his lifestyle changes. This is not a calculated
decision, it is a compromise. This will be the most
difficult Tour for Armstrong post-cancer.
 
David Wuertele <[email protected]> wrote:
> Robert> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycl-
> Robert> ing/3542415.stm

> "Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's
> Dauphine Libere race as he prepares to go for a record-
> equalling sixth Tour de France title."

> Record-equalling?

If it had not been for that stupid french spectator who hit
him in the stomach, Merckx would have won 6 times.

Didier

--
Didier A Depireux [email protected]
[email protected] 20 Penn Str - S218E
http://neurobiology.umaryland.edu/depireux.htm Anatomy
and Neurobiology Phone: 410-706-1272 (lab) University
of Maryland -1273 (off) Baltimore MD 21201 USA Fax:
1-410-706-2512
 
"Didier A. Depireux" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
>
> > "Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's
> > Dauphine Libere race as he prepares to go for a record-
> > equalling sixth Tour de France title."
>
> > Record-equalling?
>

Is this another 'virtual' TdF win?
 
[email protected] (kaiser) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Not an option for a guy who wants to keep his kids. The ex
> will definitely have lots of court ammo if he decides to
> prepare exclusively in Europe.
>
I seriously doubt Lance will be able to have custody of his
kids. How can a judge possibly consider giving him custody
when he is on the road so much. In any case it's hard to
find a better case to let the wife have custody.
> > I just feel that Lance should stick to what has worked
> > for him in the past.
 
Didier A. Depireux <[email protected]> wrote:
> David Wuertele <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Robert
> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/-
> > > 3542415.stm

> > "Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's
> > Dauphine Libere race as he prepares to go for a record-
> > equalling sixth Tour de France title."

> > Record-equalling?

> If it had not been for that stupid french spectator who
> hit him in the stomach, Merckx would have won 6 times.

Dr. Lafferty's famous article from 1995 in the "Annales
Contrefactuale du Cyclisme" convinced all serious
cycling historians that Lemond holds the Tour record
with six wins, since he would surely have won in 1985
had he not been unjustly repressed. 1987 and 1988 are
obvious givens, modulo Lemond's hunting accident.
Lemond is thus without a doubt the greatest virtual
cyclist of all time.

A sixth Tour victory for Armstrong would reduce the
importance of this argument and Dr. Lafferty is very
protective of his citation count, which probably explains a
few things you see going on here.
 
"Benjamin Weiner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:407da501$1@darkstar...
> Didier A. Depireux <[email protected]> wrote:
> > David Wuertele <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > Robert
> > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cyclin-
> > > > g/3542415.stm
>
> > > "Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's
> > > Dauphine Libere race as he prepares to go for a record-
> > > equalling sixth Tour de France title."
>
> > > Record-equalling?
>
> > If it had not been for that stupid french spectator who
> > hit him in the stomach, Merckx would have won 6 times.
>
> Dr. Lafferty's famous article from 1995 in the "Annales
> Contrefactuale du Cyclisme" convinced all serious
> cycling historians that Lemond holds the Tour record
> with six wins, since he would surely have won in 1985
> had he not been unjustly repressed. 1987 and 1988 are
> obvious givens, modulo Lemond's hunting accident.
> Lemond is thus without a doubt the greatest virtual
> cyclist of all time.
>
> A sixth Tour victory for Armstrong would reduce the
> importance of this argument and Dr. Lafferty is very
> protective of his citation count, which probably explains
> a few things you see going on here.

Ergo for Lance it's just drugs.
 
Benjamin Weiner <[email protected]> wrote in
news:407da501$1@darkstar:

> Didier A. Depireux <[email protected]> wrote:
>> David Wuertele <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > Robert
>> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling-
>> > > /3542415.stm
>
>> > "Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's
>> > Dauphine Libere race as he prepares to go for a record-
>> > equalling sixth Tour de France title."
>
>> > Record-equalling?
>
>> If it had not been for that stupid french spectator who
>> hit him in the stomach, Merckx would have won 6 times.
>
> Dr. Lafferty's famous article from 1995 in the "Annales
> Contrefactuale du Cyclisme" convinced all serious
> cycling historians that Lemond holds the Tour record
> with six wins, since he would surely have won in 1985
> had he not been unjustly repressed. 1987 and 1988 are
> obvious givens, modulo Lemond's hunting accident.
> Lemond is thus without a doubt the greatest virtual
> cyclist of all time.
>
> A sixth Tour victory for Armstrong would reduce the
> importance of this argument and Dr. Lafferty is very
> protective of his citation count, which probably explains
> a few things you see going on here.

Lemond's virtual victories count more than Armstrong's
actual victories, because Armstrong's wins are tainted by
the use of a performance enhancing disease called cancer.
Before he got cancer, Armstrong was not a GC threat in
Grand Tours, but then he used the disease to drop unwanted
weight and enhance his performance in the mountains. This
is no different than using EPO or other performance
enhancing products.

Therefore, Armstrong + cancer = cheating. Lemond's virtual
victories are the true record.

NS
 
Nev Shea wrote:
>Armstrong's wins are tainted by the use of a performance
>enhancing disease called cancer. Before he got cancer,
>Armstrong was not a GC threat in Grand Tours, but then he
>used the disease to drop unwanted weight and enhance his
>performance in the mountains. This is no different than
>using EPO or other performance enhancing products.
>
> Therefore, Armstrong + cancer = cheating. NS

I always thought this sounded better in French.
 
"Nev Shea" <[email protected]> wrote in message >
>
> Lemond's virtual victories count more than Armstrong's
> actual victories, because Armstrong's wins are tainted by
> the use of a performance enhancing disease called cancer.
> Before he got cancer, Armstrong was not a GC threat in
> Grand Tours, but then he used the disease to drop unwanted
> weight and enhance his performance in the mountains. This
> is no different than using EPO or other performance
> enhancing products.
>
> Therefore, Armstrong + cancer = cheating. Lemond's virtual
> victories are the true record.
>

IIRC, Lemond was born with only one kidney. How much does a
kidney weigh?
 
Carl Sundquist <[email protected]> wrote:

> IIRC, Lemond was born with only one kidney. How much does
> a kidney weigh?

Are you serious? Kidneys develop (in embryo) at the same
time at the outer ears, so that there's a strong correlation
between kidney malformation (horse-shoe shape, having 1
kidney from 2 fused ones, etc) and "funny ears", mostly ears
sticking straight out. Did Pantani have just one kidney too?
Is that how he was so light?

Didier

--
Didier A Depireux [email protected]
[email protected] 20 Penn Str - S218E
http://neurobiology.umaryland.edu/depireux.htm Anatomy
and Neurobiology Phone: 410-706-1272 (lab) University
of Maryland -1273 (off) Baltimore MD 21201 USA Fax:
1-410-706-2512
 
Originally posted by Charles Hizark
Five time Tour winner Eddy Merckx, who is never afraid to
speak his mind, told DPA, "It seems that Jan has again not
worked hard enough in his previous preparation and is
still too much overweight. Sure, he has still over two
months, but to beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour will be
harder than 2003."

Merckx is critical of Jan Ullrich. Merckx was critical of Armstrong at Liege last year. Merckx was critical of Van Looy and Maertens.

I love Eddy Merckx and marvel at everything he has done, including ballooning-up to well over 250 pounds, but I fear for Axel at family get-togethers. He must receive a lashing for his palmares as he has done nothing compared to these riders.
 
I was just watching the Fleche Wallone and it appears that
Ullrich did not finish. This seems to confirm that Ullrich's
form is off at this point. So unless Ullrich starts to act
fast his chances of winning the tdf will be over.

[email protected] (Charles Hizark) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> "Although Jan Ullrich maintains that he is right on target
> for his Tour de France plans, there are concerns that he
> is taking things a little too easy at this time of year.
> In today's Rund um Köln, Ullrich could only manage 64th
> place at 5'41 down from the winner, a far cry from his 52
> km solo effort to win last year.
>
> Ullrich joked afterwards that, "In 2003 I was an outsider
> and I was only able to win because the others didn't
> recognise me in my Coast jersey. However, it's a long time
> to the Tour and I'm on the right track."
>
> Five time Tour winner Eddy Merckx, who is never afraid to
> speak his mind, told DPA, "It seems that Jan has again not
> worked hard enough in his previous preparation and is
> still too much overweight. Sure, he has still over two
> months, but to beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour will be
> harder than 2003." "
 
"Charles Hizark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was just watching the Fleche Wallone and it appears
> that Ullrich did not finish. This seems to confirm that
> Ullrich's form is off at this point. So unless Ullrich
> starts to act fast his chances of winning the tdf will
> be over.

For some reason, Jan doesn't seem to be able to concentrate
on his training in the winter and then is continuously
playing catch-up in the spring. The pictures I've seen of
Jan did not show him significantly overweight as in past
years but he speed in the races he has done this year is not
impressive.

But he ALWAYS comes through for the Tour. Not being able to
beat Armstrong still leaves him as one of the most talented
riders in Tour history with more podium finishes than
anyone else?