Let the Countdown Begin

[Dawgbitten]

For those who ride or those who may be interested:

River City Cycling & Fitness is celebrating Lance Armstrong’s historic try at a
record 6th Tour de France victory by giving you the chance to register for a trip to
Austin, TX to RIDE WITH LANCE on his home turf. Just stop by the store at 3787
Youree Drive in Shreveport and enter to win!



AND!!!!



Come watch the tour with us! We’ve got the Tour LIVE in the shop! Stop by Saturday
morning, July 3rd starting at 7:30 and we’ll watch the start of the Tour coverage,
with racing starting at 8. Bring a comfy chair and make yourself at home -- we’ll
provide the coffee, juice, soft drinks and muffins! If you can’t make it at 7:30,
feel free to stop in anytime we’re open to catch the Tour -- we’ll be playing it all
day, every day (we’re open 10-6 during the week and 11-4 on Saturdays). And if
you’re coming Saturday morning, please let us know by replying to this e-mail or
calling me at 629-BIKE because I’m thinking about making my famous 6X Bran Muffins
and I’ll need to know how many to bake…..



AND!!!!



DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO SAVE BIG ON LOTS OF STUFF THRU JULY 25TH! To help
celebrate Lance’s historic try at 6 consecutive TDF victories, we’re putting a bunch
of stuff on sale! Save up to 30% on some items! Save on CLOTHES, HELMETS,
ACCESSORIES AND MORE! And while you're there, check out some cool new stuff, like
the NEW SCOTT CR-1 Team Issue road bike--the strongest, lightest production bike in
the world (the frame weighs less than 2 lbs!!!). Only 100 were imported into the
country and we have 4 of them!



COME BY, CHEER LANCE ON, WATCH THE TOUR,

EAT A MUFFIN AND SAVE BIG MONEY!



See you soon!

Ian.

[nadB]

Many Thanx for the invitation.

Sounds like fun.

[boxerdog]

Lance Armstrong would not win if he didn't have the best team in the world. I wish those guys could get more acclaim in all this. Bottom line, it takes more than one rider to win the Tour... and Armstrong has a group of guys willing to sacrifice themselves so that he can succeed.

[nadB]

Well Said, boxerdog --

However, those guys get a heck of a lot of glory just being on the winning team.

And most of them wouldn't stand a bat's chance in hades of making a good show on their own.

If they thought they could be competitive on their own, they'd bail like Hamilton and Heras.

jmho

[boxerdog]

I beg to differ, nadb. Without looking it up, please give a name of one of his teammates. I think the only glory they get goes to UPS (or is it FedEx?). I also believe the reason none of them has bailed is because they realize a team of that calibar cannot be assembled and, therefore, none of them has a chance of Armstrong's success. Whenever Lance is done, one of those guys will take over, and win. The European riders simply don't have nearly the team of Armstrong. If they weren't so ego-driven, they could quite easily assemble a team to knock the Americans off.

[dawg80]

Name Lance's team, without looking it up?

I'll try...

Floyd Landis, George Hincapie, Jose Avedo, something Rubiero, something Noval, ...ah, and three more guys. Okay, so I can't name the whole team right now. I will be able to after watching the Tour a couple of days.

In pro cycling, especially in multi-stage races like the Tour de France, it takes a strong team to win. The same can be said for a championship football team, where most fans can't name the OL.

Of Lance's 2004 team, only the youngster, Jose Avedo, may some day lead a team in the Tour. The other guys either don't have the over-all talent, or are past their prime. Mostly, they are specialists, such as a climber, or a sprinter, but don't have what it takes to be an over-all champion. In fact, given riders like Cippolino and Pettachi as sprinters, and Ventakuroz (sp?) as a climber, and many others, there are plenty of riders with WAY more talent than any member of the Postal team, that will NEVER win the Tour. Why? They don't have all the parts needed.

No, these guys do a great job of filling specific roles on the team. And make no mistake about it, this is a great team. Oh, just thought of another one, Eko. His name is Ekiomov, or something like that.

Go Lance!

[dawg80]

Hey Dawgbitten:

I just bought a bike for my lil girl, and while trying to adjust the front brake...well, I kinda screwed it up. May have to bring it by for a little professional doctoring.....and watch the Tour too!

[Dawgbitten]

D80,

You wouldn't want me working on your daughter's bike. It might not work after I finished with it. That message was from Ian Webb. He left John Cobb a while back and opened his own bike shop. I posted it here for those interested.

For those in Tyler, John Cobb left Shreveport a while back and opened his store over in Tyler (Bicycle Sports). John used to do wind tunnel testing for Lance and his TT bike down at A&M. John used to have one Lance's Tour TT bike on display at his shop in Shreveport. I am sure he has it in his new store. He also has a signed yellow jersey from Lance. Pretty neat stuff if you like that sorta thing. You can also find several $5000 + Triathlon bikes in stock!

[Bossdawg]

This is more talk about bicycling than I thought I would ever read about.

[boxerdog]

You called my bluff, 80. I am impressed.

[dawg80]

The other two Postal riders, that I couldn't remember, are Beltran and Podranos.

Make no mistake about it, these guys are well-paid and well-treated. They are special in their unselfishiness. I don't think I could spend my career as they do. Oh, I could handle a few years of riding for a great one like Lance Armstrong, helping him win. But a time would come when my competitive nature, my own desire to go for a "W", would force me to seek my own team. Former Lance teammates like Roberto Heras and Tyler Hamliton have done just that. I don't blame 'em. Sports is all about competition and that yearning to be the best. Ya have to go for it!

It starts today. Good luck to all the American riders. Go Tyler, Go Levi ... but, I hope Lance gets #6.

[nadB]

GREAT JOB by Lance Armstrong today in the prologue time trial.

#2 - Armstrong
#16 - Ullrich (15 sec. behind Armstrong)
#18 - Hamilton (16 sec. behind Armstrong)
#26 - Mayo (19 sec. behind Armstrong)

[nadB]

Looking GOOD in the overall standings after the 1st stage:

#3 - Armstrong (10 sec. off the lead)
#16 - Ullrich (25 sec. off the lead)
#18 - Hamilton (26 sec. off the lead)
#29 - Mayo (29 sec. off the lead)

Four U.S.Postal riders in the top 20 riders, overall standings, after the 1st stage:

#3 - Armstrong (10 sec. off the lead)
#9 - Hincapie (20 sec. off the lead)
#17 - Landis (26 sec. off the lead)
#20 - Ekimov (27 sec. off the lead)

[nadB]

Robbie McEwen (Australia) wins Stage 2.
Thor Hushovd (Norway) takes the Yellow Jersey.

Numerous falls today; the favorites are still playing it safe and staying out of trouble.

#4 - Armstrong, 18 sec. behind the leader
#17 - Ullrich, 33 sec. behind the leader
#19 - Hamilton, 34 sec. behind the leader
#31 - Mayo, 39 sec. behind the leader

Armstrong gained 2 seconds today on Mayo.

The US Postal Service team stays in 1st place, 6 sec. ahead of Team CSC.

Could be wild tomorrow -- they hit the cobblestones.

[nadB]

From FresnoBee re Stage 3 tomorrow:

To keep the five-time champion safe, his U.S. Postal Service squad generally designates two teammates to stay with Armstrong during each stage, said Postal veteran George Hincapie. Hincapie, competing in his ninth Tour, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, a Russian on his 14th Tour, usually take over the bodyguard role for final 20 kilometers (12 miles), when the pack is speeding to the line.



"We keep him out of the wind, keep him from going too far behind, just keep him in a good position all day - with as little energy expenditure as possible," said Hincapie.

Tuesday could be another day of thrills and spills, with two sections of cambered cobblestone paths that some riders are dreading. The weather forecast is for broken sunshine, which is good because the paving, tricky at the best of times, is treacherous when wet.

"Everybody's concerned," said Hincapie. "It's going to be a little technical stage and a lot can be lost."

Both cobbled sections come in the second half of the mostly flat 210-kilometer (130-mile stage) from Waterloo, Belgium, to the northern French town of Wasquehal. The route should again favor sprinters or riders who brave a breakaway ahead of the main pack.

The first cobbled section runs for 2.8 boneshaking kilometers (1.7 miles). The second, 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the finish, is 1.1 kilometers (nearly three-quarters of a mile) long and also forms part of the Paris-Roubaix race, a grueling classic known as "The Hell of the North."

Punctures, crashes, crowds are all potential hazards. Some say the cobbles have no place in the Tour and could spoil the race if they unseat a top rider. Lighter riders especially risk being thrown around.

"It's too risky," said Dirk Demol, assistant sporting director for Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service squad.

Danish squad CSC plans to fit slightly wider wheels with more grip and have people roadside armed with spares for any punctures, said spokesman Brian Nygaard. Top CSC rider Ivan Basso, an outside contender for the Tour title, has never competed on cobbles before, although the team scouted both sections twice last week, he added.

Riders "don't like it. The element of chance is too big," said Nygaard. "If you have a puncture there and have to wait two minutes for a spare your Tour could be over."

Armstrong rival Tyler Hamilton, who suffered a double-fractured collarbone in a crash on day 2 of the last Tour, also ordered wider wheels for his team, their mechanic said.

Hamilton says he would have avoided the stones had he designed the Tour route.

"But that's what bike racing is all about, different terrain, mountains, flat stages, crosswinds and this year cobblestones," he said. "We'll obviously try to stay toward the front and try to stay upright, obviously. Our goal for that day is just safety."