Ok, so he wont' say until Thursday who exactly the sponsor is, but I'm betting it's the swoosh.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aJrxaSSjazck
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aJrxaSSjazck
Nike to sponsor Lance Armstrong's new team.
- Thread starter seshomoru
- Start date
I was wrong about this sport. Le Tour is captivating television - my first time to actually watch this event and I can't get enough of it. Y'all were right and I was wrong. The mental and physical grind these guys go through has got to be more demanding than almost any other sport there is. Maybe any other sport, period. I'll have my crow with a side of bacon please.
so I don't have anything else to compare it to really. I am amazed at how fast these guys can go while being a gnat's *** from their competition, on a bicycle. It's crazy to me since I had no clue. That and the European scenery on HDtv makes for great television.
Agreed. Don't like the way they set it up at all. There really aren't any climbs of note until Ventoux so the peloton has just sort of rolled along outside of Contador taking one stage. I have enjoyed the sprint finishes. Cavendish is ridiculous, and the overhead replays of High Road organizing and leading him out have been very cool. Farrar and Hushovd have to be wondering what in the hell else they can do to stop him. Granted, Hushovd probably takes the green, but all the stage wins Cav has are almost more impressive.weblow said:
At least they finally brought back the Team Time Trial, which is a favorite of mine.
Seshomoru said:
this years Tour has been slow. Today was pretty good but it is unusual to get into the last week before there is a big separation. Everyone has just been riding with the pack and it has made for boring TV. I do agree that the HD views of the countryside have been flat amazing.
when racing? I hear all this talk about is Lance going to just help Contador and Team Astana win or is he going to still try to win the whole thing himself? How does the team thing work? I know it's better if the team stays together because you can go faster as a group than by yourself but what advantage does a rider have when he has a teammate or two near him when they break away from the peloton? Sorry if I seem dubm on this subject but I'm learning..
If your have a team member willing to lead or ride in front of you it allows you to draft, just like nascar. If the first rider is riding at 100% effort to go 20mph, the guy behind him only has to put forth about 70% effort to go 20mph. So your team will ride ahead of the main guy or Contedor right up until the sprint in the end. that way he still has gas left in the tank to make that final push for the win.
Also, when they say that Lance is playing a good teammate by riding on the opposing guys tire, that just means that Lance and other teammates are going to chase down anyone that tries to go for a run and prevent them from getting a lead.
Teammates also will drop back to pick up water bottles and food, then ride all the way back to the front of the group to deliver it to the leaders.
NO ONE wins the Tour without a good supporting team helping them out. Many say that the support team actually works a hell of a lot harder than the actual leader or winner of the tour.
Hope that helps a little, keep watching and you will see what is going on. If you have ever been on a long bike ride with a group of people or have a chance to, try to lead for a couple of miles and then try to ride at the back of the line, it makes a HUGE difference.
Also, when they say that Lance is playing a good teammate by riding on the opposing guys tire, that just means that Lance and other teammates are going to chase down anyone that tries to go for a run and prevent them from getting a lead.
Teammates also will drop back to pick up water bottles and food, then ride all the way back to the front of the group to deliver it to the leaders.
NO ONE wins the Tour without a good supporting team helping them out. Many say that the support team actually works a hell of a lot harder than the actual leader or winner of the tour.
Hope that helps a little, keep watching and you will see what is going on. If you have ever been on a long bike ride with a group of people or have a chance to, try to lead for a couple of miles and then try to ride at the back of the line, it makes a HUGE difference.
When I used to ride recreationally, I could very easily go 2 MPH faster in a group than I could by myself. And I rode with a group called the Slow Spokes, so that should tell you the level I was riding at. I could pretty easily ride at 16 MPH by myself or 18 MPH with a group. These guys are riding at close to 35 MPH (on level roads) and are drafting much, much closer than I ever dreamed of. I would guess the effects of drafting are the very minimum 3 MPH for them and probably 4 or more MPH.
Edit to add: My brother-in-law used to ride competitively before he met my sister. He'd race in races all over the southeast. These races are divided by class where the lower classes start first and the top classes start later. In one race he was in, a young Lance Armstrong and his team were in the top class. Mike and his team were riding along and suddenly he heard a sound like he'd never heard before behind him. It was Armstrong and his team. They passed Mike's team easily and Mike decided to give it all he had so he pulled onto the back of their train and rode with them for a couple of minutes before he was completely gassed and had to fall back. So yeah, my brother-in-law has ridden with Lance. The thing that most amazed him was the sound of an elite cycling team.</p>
Edit to add: My brother-in-law used to ride competitively before he met my sister. He'd race in races all over the southeast. These races are divided by class where the lower classes start first and the top classes start later. In one race he was in, a young Lance Armstrong and his team were in the top class. Mike and his team were riding along and suddenly he heard a sound like he'd never heard before behind him. It was Armstrong and his team. They passed Mike's team easily and Mike decided to give it all he had so he pulled onto the back of their train and rode with them for a couple of minutes before he was completely gassed and had to fall back. So yeah, my brother-in-law has ridden with Lance. The thing that most amazed him was the sound of an elite cycling team.</p>
Thanks. I had no idea there was so much strategy that went into a bicycle race. This sport is actually pretty damn cool, just wish I knew a little more about it. I'm looking forward to these next few days.
.....watched of the race this year, I think it'd take Contador bowing out in the future for Armstrong to ever win again. Contador is just a a beast when it comes to climbing.
I don't know, maybe if Lance forms the right team with guys willing to dedicate themselves to his success, then he can do it again.
I don't know, maybe if Lance forms the right team with guys willing to dedicate themselves to his success, then he can do it again.
Armstrong has said a few times in the last couple of days that he is not close "this year". He has basically only been training for half a year and does not have all that he thought he would have from it.
He has sat out for four years and then trained a half a year against all of these people that have been going non-stop and he is still second...
I fully expect him to have a team of his choosing next year and give Contador all he wants.</p>
He has sat out for four years and then trained a half a year against all of these people that have been going non-stop and he is still second...
I fully expect him to have a team of his choosing next year and give Contador all he wants.</p>
J
JimHalpert.nafoom
Guest
Also, if you've got several team members at the front, they can help block other riders from making a push when you go for it by slowing down and hopefully slowing the peloton. So when they do this, other riders either have to accept the slower speed, break away from the pack themselves, or try to take over the front of the peloton.
My only problem with the Tour is that every year when it comes on, the number of cyclists on the street increases by about 10 times the normal. If you're such a big enthusiast, why do you only ride when the Tour comes around?
And, what's the deal with the jerseys? Can you buy cycling clothing that doesn't have a bunch of logos that make it look like you're pretending to be a member of some cycling team?
And, what's the deal with the jerseys? Can you buy cycling clothing that doesn't have a bunch of logos that make it look like you're pretending to be a member of some cycling team?