It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Quite a good tour so far with stages giving attacking riders a chance. Obviously big teams are waiting for the serious mountains.
To be honest my love of the event (and it was love!) died with the Armstrong scandal. I felt I'd been cheated of 7 years, although there were other cheats before and after. To make matters worse Armstrong was such a ****. I never liked him, but I did admire him greatly.
The other thing that lost a bit of magic for me was 2003 (I believe) when it became a rule that everyone had to wear a helmet. It was 100% the right thing to do, but the whole peleton instantly seemed to lose its personality. Everyone looked the same.
Note: You confused me with the Pippa York comment! Of course, it was Robert Millar at the time. Loved his years on the tour! Best of luck to Pippa York in her new life.
really good tour.
I feel sorry for anyone who should have won but was denied by the drug cheat 'winners' during all those years of shame. Armstrong and Landis have been struck off of the results, but let's face it, Riis, Ullrich and Contador were also winners who either failed drug tests or admitted to taking them.
According to the University of Ferrara, who conducted tests on Induráin, his strength came from his body's superior physiology. His blood took 7 litres of oxygen around his body per minute, compared to 3–4 litres for an ordinary person and 5–6 litres for fellow riders. His cardiac output was 50 litres a minute; a fit amateur cyclist's is about 25 litres. Induráin's lung capacity was 7.8 litres, compared to an average of 6 litres. His resting pulse was as low as 28 BPM, compared to an average 60–72 bpm, which meant his heart would be less strained in the tough mountain stages
Armstrong was also a freak of nature. If everyone had been clean, he may still have dominated his era. All the other top riders were doing it during his time, yet he was still dominant.
To be honest I think there is a question mark against all of the 80's 90's and 00's winners at least.