Jan Ullrich

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

"I apologize in advance if anyone is tired of prognositcations before Le Tour. But just wondering what the general consensus of the nycc members are . . . more particularly, whether the members are mostly Lance Armstrong Fans. I don't know whether anyone has read ""Lance's War"" by Coyle, but it sheds some interesting light on the Tour machine a/k/a Mr. Millimeter a/k/a Lance Armstrong.

That being said, I'm going out on a limb here . . . Jan Ullrich will beat Lance. Even more than that, Jan Ullrich will not win the TdF. Who will? Iban Mayo, the enigma . . .

So, I hope these predications have caused some anger among the LA fans. Perhaps, then, we can get a daily group going to watch it at some bar in Manhattan, and then we can argue for our respective favorites . . . Email me if you're interested."

Anonymous's picture
Alfredo Garcia (via Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii) (not verified)
Interesting Book

"Aloha,

""Lance's War"" was mentioned several weeks ago on the message board. It's a different look at Lance. Probably less hagiographic, more competitive, more velioraptor-like and a drive to win that parallels Michael Jordan.

Haven't read the book yet, but I wonder how that racer Simeoni (or Simon) who pissed off Lance, that Lance bullied him into not winning a Tour de France stage, last year, got treated in the book.

My impressions of Jan Ullrich and even former racer ""Jaja"" Jalabert is that they're really nice guys. Jaja is also a good family man who balanced his racing career.

Alfredo"

Anonymous's picture
Heath (not verified)
The book

"I just finished the book about 5 minutes ago.

I do not remember if there was any bias either way in the book about the Simeoni incident. There was a lot of information that was stated with no opinion made. Based on some of what Coyle wrote in other sections of the book, if Coyle gave his opinon, he would have lost all access to Lance.

I guess you could say that the bias was made in what wasn't said, versus what was said.

I think Lance will win again. I think he has a way of psyching everyone out. Although part of me believes a ""fan"" is going to change the outcome of this years race."

Anonymous's picture
Mordecai Silver (not verified)
Mayo?

That's a bold prediction...let's see where he stands after Stage 1.

Mayo may surprise everyone and win a mountain stage, and even finish in the top 10. But as for winning the whole thing, not even close. Ullrich could win if Lance has bad luck, but he hasn't for the last 6 years.

Anonymous's picture
Chris T. (not verified)
Jan won't beat Lance

1. I wouldn't guess where most NYCC members fan loyalties lie. Even those who respond here probably are not representative of the membership's fan loyalites

2. Lance has the strongest team. They will control the tempo of the race when the going goes uphill. Look for Discovery to employ tactics of grinding their opposition to exaushtion with hard tempo riding, similar to last year.

3. Phonak will supply this year's podium contender in either Floyd Landis or Santiago Botero, replacing CSC and Ivan Basso.

4. Discovery regards its main competitor coming from T-Mobile. To win, T-Mobile should send Vinokurov or Kloden off the front to put pressure on Discovery to chase them down, or convince other teams (Liberty Seguros, Euskatel) to attack.

Elijah, you can email me with a phone number, and we can chat strategy.

I found Coyle's book to be well written. But I found it more revealing about the people around Lance than about Lance himself

Anonymous's picture
John Z (not verified)
12 Hours

I read the book as well; its the most insightful book on cycling I have ever read. Ullrich's form? Tough to see from here. But if you read the book, there is a simple test to predict his form. Anyone in France close enough to pinch Jan's ass for us? Only a very, very light Ullrich can beat Armstrong. But first, Ullrich must better Armstrong tomorrow. Period.

Anonymous's picture
Karol (not verified)
Lance's grip

"I read the book about a month ago. The publicist lives in my building. I found it to be a page turner (not that I'm biased, of course), even though it essentially provides a blow by blow of Lance's training leading up to Tour Six and the Tour itself, including lots of Cheryl cameos. The language was poetic (I'm a writer, too) and the action compelling.

I absolutely agree, though, that the best part of the book wasn't about Lance, but about the characters that surround him--Jan Ullrich who's got a self-described ""internal pig dog"" (an admitted Gummy Bears addict), Floyd Landis whose Mennonite parents thought he was damned to hell for riding his bike (but showed to cheer him on the Tour), Vino the crazy Kazakh who rode like he had nothing to lose, skinny fast Iban Mayo, split personality Tyler Hamilton (part Boy Scout, part insane dare devil suspended on blood doping charges), and infamous Dr. Michele Ferrari (Lance's doctor convicted on doping charges after the last tour).

The whole book thrives on the feeling that we'll learn some dark secret about Lance, but it's clear as Heath said that Lance would have shut Coyle down if he pressed too hard, dug too deep. Coyle instead relies on Irish journalist David Walsh's doping allegations in his book, L.A. Confidentiel: Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong (published in French). The only daming thing Coyle adds is the allegation made by Lance's former mechanic and assistant, Mike Anderson, who says he found a banned steriod, Androgen, in Lance's Girona, Italy apartment after Tour six. Anderson was fired not long after that, though the discovery was never discussed with Lance.

It left me thinking about drugs on the tour, and though I'm squeaky clean, I thought, Well, if everyone's doing it, then Lance is doing it even better.

I think, by the way, that he'll win. He trains the hardest, putting in miles, hills, speed work, rather than relying on races to get him into shape. Who can beat him? Olympic Gold medalist Hamilton's out. Landis? I love the Mennonite underdog, but I doubt he can pull it off. Ullrich? He lacks drive, and will probably be fat. Mayo? Maybe, but I don't think he's strong enough, period. Don't look at this season's performance as a barometer. Lance never does well in pre-Tour races, purposefully saving his legs for the race that counts."

Anonymous's picture
John Z (not verified)
Observations

I think its safe to say Armstrong pinched Ullrich's ass today...

Anonymous's picture
JP (not verified)
Are you kidding ...

... he kicked it - emphatically!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had it been a boxing match, it would have been stopped.

I'm a Jan fan, but wtf can I or anyone say ...

... VENGA JAN!

Congrats to DZ

Anonymous's picture
John Z (not verified)
Lance Book

You gotta read the book...

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