O/T Tour de France...

[Mark Lovelace]

Babe Ruth is the greatest (athlete of) all-time, of course, I don't think anyone would argue with that.

 

Well, maybe I would. I think that the Bambino was the greatest hitter and definitely the greatest sports icon of all time, but if you look at pictures of him, or film of him running, you certainly have to have a narrow definition of the term 'athlete' to call him the greatest of all time.

 

As for drug use, I doubt you could find any major sport, short of golf, where today's stars are not monsters compared to their counterparts from 30 years ago. Compare Shaq to Jabbar, the Williams sisters to Chris Everet, or Mark McGuire to Hank Aaron. Pro athletes these days are friggin' huge, and I don't believe that they were all born that way.

 

As someone else mentioned, pro-cycling invites more drug testing than many other comparable sports, and this may lead to a perception of greater overall drug use, but it could also simply mean that more cheaters actually get caught. Regardless, bravo to Lance for giving new meaning to the phrase "Go postal!"

 

Oh and by the way, shouldn't it be the Tour de Freedom?

[Dan_AKA_ROY]

#5

 

Hope you don't mind me bringing this topic back up but I couldn't resist. GO LANCE GO!! USA USA!!

[Fred from Université de Sherbrooke]

I'm just back from a 3 week trip to France... I was at L'Alpe d'Huez for the finish of this stage. There was 500000 people lined on the road side!!! Man I can said they've suffered from heat... For my 3 week trip, it averaged 35 deg. celcius... I suffered by doing nothing so thing about those guys doing 200km days after days...

They're tough man.

[Jammer™]

Scott, Good luck to ya in your race. I will let ya know when I'm ready to buy those bikes from ya.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Tour de Lance!!!!!

 

 

Five down, one to go; to be the best cyclist that ever lived PERIOD

[mold100]

I need to give 1000+ props to Lance, I do trail

riding not a big roadie but I follow it.Hes not even human.

 

I really am not in favor of Babe Ruth being the greatest athlete of all time either-not a baseball fan sorry-I need to say maybe Rocky Marciano.

[Dan_AKA_ROY]

Babe Ruth will never be remembered as the most conditioned athlete. In the 1920's, his stats were way above anyone else. In 1921 he hit 54 HR's I think. No one else hit 20! .344 lifetime BA .495 OBP I still feel hitting a baseball is the toughest thing to do in sports. IMHO.

 

Lance Armstrong's accomplishments border insanity. Who ever thought an American would win no less than 5 straight Tour de France titles?

Lance is clearly one of the greatest, and if he wins his sixth straight next year, the greatest cyclist EVER!!

 

Many will argue in greatest athlete debates. So many sports to pick from that had dominant athletes. Lance is right there near the top.

 

What about Jim Thorpe?

[Jammer™]

It's one thing to be able to ride a bike a long distance. But then you throw in the hills, curves, and traffic they ride in, while on a diet of granola and water. How can you not be amazed at Lance's accomplishments. I don't know much about the Tour de France course, but I do know it's all I could do to ride a mile to the quick-e-mart for some cigarettes. Go Lance!

[Scott Bond]

I will bet ,that if he wins the 6th---

The French will search back 200 years into Lance's family tree and try to dig up some French blood.

[Chris Rizzo]

I too used to do a bunch of bicycle racing in my earlier years...and know the amount of suffering a bicycle racer tolerates is absolutly incredible. What other sport do the competitiors have to endure that fine line of aerobic/anerobic performance for such a long period of time...I think armchair cyclists and sports fans in general don't really understand that type of performance, nor have every really experienced that type of exertion. Pedaling the bike is the easy part, it's the abilty to tolerate anerobic pain and lactic acid for extended periods....

 

That's why I race bikes with motors now!

 

To win the Tour once is amazing, but multiple times is mind-blowing. Five (or 6!) times is incomprehensible! Lance is truly a god of human performance, endurance, and perseverence.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

:bump:

 

He, he, he....

Tour de Lance

[Chris Rizzo]

Gotta love it! go Lance go!

[Fred @ Slate Industries]

I have been following the whole thing on "OLN"

The fans are everywhere,I guess you just

get used to riding a bike through a cattle stampede, following a motorcycle.

[Brent Wilkerson]

quote:

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:bump:

 

He, he, he....

Tour de Lance

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Last post: 07-28-2003

James' bump: 07-19-2004

 

A one year bump? Is that legal?

 

[Dan_AKA_ROY]

Lance stormed thru the mountains I hear. 2nd place and closing fast. Go Lance Go!!! 6 peat it!!!

 

Gotta catch the Frenchman, what is it 22 seconds behind?

 

22 seconds behind but the Alps coming up. Predictions are that Lance will easily pass him by and win the tour. Stay tuned.

[G Caputo]

VALREAS, France (AP) - Lance Armstrong retook the overall lead in the Tour de France on Tuesday, closing in on a record sixth title with an emphatic sprint finish on the first Alpine stage.

 

Armstrong out-sprinted Italian Ivan Basso, his last real challenger after two weeks of punishing racing, to take his second stage victory in the 2004 Tour and the 18th of his illustrious career.

Behind Basso was Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champion whose challenge fizzled in the Pyrenees.