TdF Question

Dave Stallard at [email hidden] wrote on 7/10/03 2:56 PM:

Quoted message said:

And he won 5 Giros. And he won the Giro and the Tour in the same year. He would have won more than
5 Tours, but a deranged fan kidney punched him one year during the race. All told, he won hundreds
of races - about a third of all those he entered.

I thought the kidney punch was in the Giro. He also had a lifelong battle with a back injury from a
crash on the track- in, what, 1969? - before he won any Tours.

"..would have.." - Tough game to play - He did what he did, and it probably will never be eclipsed.

Cycling has a glorious and rich history - riders of each era have always contributed to the legacy.
It is telling that the time of Eddy is known as "The Merckx Era".

Quoted message said:

I'm sorry, but even though they are great athletes, I just can't compare Indurain and Armstrong
to Eddy. They are TdF specialists only. They don't take chances on the other events. The
Cannibal, by contrast, went for EVERYTHING. He's the greatest of all time - for all time. That's
just what I think.

No question of Eddy's greatness. Also, don't ignore the fact that he had to race one heck of a lot
more because he wasn't making it from his contract alone. He needed the money from the other races
to make a living. The economics of modern cycling have changed, obviously.

I would point out that Lance isn't exactly a "TdF specialist only". He is an exceptional athlete
who has won the World Championship and been extremely competitive in one day races both
domestically and internationally. He has focused on the Tour as his current goal, because it is the
biggest darned thing in the world. The specificity of his training, teammates and preparation is
geared toward that.

Indurain, on the other hand, comes a bit closer to fitting that description
- he hated the cold weather races in the north and you would generally not see him on _any_ start
line until absolutely necessary. (Although he did sacrifice his chances at the World Champ jersey
to insure that Abraham Olano would win, even with a softening rear tire).

Quoted message said:

That's not to take anything from Lance. I still want him to win 5 TdFs, and next year, the
ultimate, never-attained prize: the 6th.

I want him to win 6 while wearing the WC jersey.

-- Jim

cyclofiend.comcyclofiend.comOpen ↗

Jim Edgar said:

I thought the kidney punch was in the Giro. He also had a lifelong battle with a back injury from
a crash on the track- in, what, 1969? - before he won any Tours.

I think that back injury was during a motor-paced event --- I thought it was on the road, but maybe
the track, and it was after he had won at least his first Tour.

The reference I found does not mention the back injury, but says:

"Wearing the Yellow Jersey of race leader, Merckx was riding toward the unthinkable, a sixth Tour
victory. As he climbed to the top of the Puy de Dome, a French fan punched Merckx in the ribs,
briefly disrupting his breathing. The assault, plus the fact that Bernard Thevenet was riding a
brilliant race, finally defeated the Belgian champion. Merckx would never win Le Tour again."
townsleyb.members.beeb.netmerckxe.htmOpen ↗

--

David L. Johnson

__o | This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for _`\(,_ | complicated
philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our (_)/ (_) | temple. The philosophy is kindness.
--The Dalai Lama

David L. Johnson at [email hidden] wrote on 7/11/03 11:05 AM:

Quoted message said:

Jim Edgar said:

I thought the kidney punch was in the Giro. He also had a lifelong battle with a back injury from
a crash on the track- in, what, 1969? - before he won any Tours.

I think that back injury was during a motor-paced event --- I thought it was on the road, but
maybe the track, and it was after he had won at least his first Tour.

Wasnt' sure on the exact timing of the crash, but as you state it, it sounds correct - it was
definitely a motorpaced, but I did think it was a track event - the driver of the derney was killed.
Long-time friend of Eddy's.

I stand corrected on the kidney punch - dunno how I got that in the wrong country... maybe I'm
confusing it with some of the other dust-ups in that race.

;^)

Quoted message said:

The reference I found does not mention the back injury, but says:

I can't seem to lay my hands on it either - there are references online here:

news.bbc.co.uk2064842.stmOpen ↗

... but, I recall reading it - maybe a Cycle Sport in the batch I've passed on.

take care,

-- Jim

www.berryfloor.com

Zippy the Pinhead said:

Just got a good look at the USPS jerseys during the TTT today.

What the hell's a "Berry Floor"?

Is there some kind of law that says you can't ride competitively unless you have signs on you that
mean absolutely nothing?

Dave Stallard said:

I'm sorry, but even though they are great athletes, I just can't compare Indurain and Armstrong
to Eddy. They are TdF specialists only. They don't take chances on the other events. The
Cannibal, by contrast, went for EVERYTHING. He's the greatest of all time - for all time. That's
just what I think.

In 1969, Eddy won the Points Competition and King of the Mountains IN ADDITION to the overall Tour
de France! Incredible.

Art Harris

This is just funny.

cyclingnews.comtour.phpOpen ↗

Don't tell me--they've got schizzo combinations of each of the four jerseys ready, just in case
someone is the best climber/overall leader/young rider/whatever green is. I know--color-blocking,
with THREE combinations! Or four!

--Karen M. already tossed it to alt.sewing

[email hidden] (Karen M.) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

This is just funny.

cyclingnews.comtour.phpOpen ↗

Don't tell me--they've got schizzo combinations of each of the four jerseys ready, just in case
someone is the best climber/overall leader/young rider/whatever green is. I
know--color-blocking, with THREE combinations! Or four!

--Karen M. already tossed it to alt.sewing

Simply done, I guess. In midieval heraldry, descent was shown by 'quartering' arms--dividing the
design into fours, and using each quarter to show the arms of that part of the family.

any heralds out there to tell me what the limits are on that?

-Luigi