Spoiler - If yesterday didn't do it....

Originally Posted by mojomarc

But this is nothing new in the sport, or even with Lance. Look at how he responded back a few years ago after he arguably gifted the stage win to Pantani and Pantani responded by saying that it was no gift. Personally, I find this tremendous drive that LA has to personally destroy his competition one of the more compelling aspects of his personality, but I can understand how it would rub people the wrong way. To me, his is kind of the cycling equivalent of Michael Jordan, who always went out of his way to crush anyone who ever publically doubted him or showed him up.

Also, remember back last week, when Simeoni tried to break again and was caught in the last meters? Simeoni said his break wasn't for any tactical reasons, but "a matter of pride" to win the stage as a revenge for how he feels he has been treated in the doping scandal, so complaining about Armstrong without equally condemning Simeoni for his actions (which were clearly legit) isn't very even-handed.


I don't think you quite know the whole story with Simeoni here. First, you've asserted that there was a personal issue between the two, but it's actually a public issue, as Simeoni testified that Ferrari was encouraging doping--the public nature of these charges has done nothing to help the image of cycling. When LA stated publically that he didn't think the event in question ever happened and Simeoni was lying about his charges that Ferrari taught him how to use EPO without being caught (and thus backhandedly implying that's exactly what Armstrong was doing, since LA has admitted that he had worked with Ferrari in the past), not only did Simeoni fight with him in the press about it, but he actually filed anti-defamation charges against LA. The guy was suing the leader of the Tour, and then trying to use the Tour as a stage to win and thus gain fame, and LA basically wasn't going to let that happen on his Tour. You don't let a guy win who will then give more publicity to the doping scandal that is really harming cycling if you're LA. I can't blame him in the least.


They knew he couldn't last, so they simply allowed him to go for a while and then mowed him down like they mowed down the rest of the field. On a flatter stage, Simeoni had a better chance of getting away, which is why the different tactic was used.

Originally Posted by ItalianStallion

Look, if the whole peloton didn't want Simeoni to win, he wouldn't have been able to get away, not yesterday, nor the day before, nor in the other stage.

I just don't buy the whole "Simeoni is bad for cycling" issue. Why is Lance the only one that went after him? Why didn't Lance set USPS on Simeoni, rather than going for it himself? If it isn't a personal issue, why would Lance risk going after him in person?

In my opinion, Lance went after Simeoni because it was a personal issue. And he just wanted to see a clear "don't mess with me" signal. It's only my opinion, I might be right or I might be wrong. But one thing is for sure, if most riders in the peloton do not like Simeoni, he would not be able to move at all.

Originally Posted by antoineg

What I found most interesting was the conjunction of the fact that Armstrong's gripe with Simoni stems from comments made about the doctor who supposedly gave doping advice, and Armstrong's later comment that he did what he did "to protect the peloton".

Let's play devil's advocate. If the peleton were clean, wouldn't they want a doctor who was trying to advocate drug use within the sport run out of town on a rail?

Conversely, if the peleton were generally dirty, wouldn't they want to shut up someone was was raising a minor stink about a doctor who was providing drugs?

Originally Posted by Ian Chan

Another possibility: peloton is clean, simeoni is lying. And who would like him, given that cycling (and the tour) just bearly survived a series of scandels?

Originally Posted by antoineg

Come on Ian. What possible reason would Simeoni have to lie. What has he got to gain from it?

Originally Posted by Ian Chan

Other riders might dislike Simeoni, but not to the point which they won't let Simeoni win at any cost. However Lance does have a good reason to dislike Simeoni a lot

( A: if he did use drugs, he wouldn't want Simeoni to be talking about it or
B: Lance is clean, and Simeoni's testimony doesn't do well for Lance's image)

Originally Posted by gntlmn

Please be careful about the spelling on Fillipo Simeoni's name. The other rider is Alberto Simoni, who is also in this year's TdF, and he is not the one referred to in this thread, although some of you are spelling Simeoni's name as if he's Simoni.

Originally Posted by antoineg

I use Occam's razor to theorize that Armstrong is doping and Armstrong doesn't like that Simoni is trying to expose a doctor that Armstrong has used in the past. It's the simplest explanation, given the circumstances and the oblique comments.

Originally Posted by RedSky

No, the simplest explanation is that Simeoni (a confessed doper) is lying to cop a plea

Originally Posted by Morpheus

Any guess who TrekDedicated roots for? Hey TD, I'll take you on my HUFFY any day. Well that is if your carbon fiber bike doesn't fall apart while trying to catch up to my big chunk of steel....

Originally Posted by TrekDedicated

I'd do laps around you and go home to your wife before you even laced up your shoes.

Originally Posted by antoineg

Obviously big talk = big penis = big brain.

TrekDedicated, you are my HERO! You are the SMARTEST and BEST person in the WHOLE WORLD!!!

/me dismisses trek

Originally Posted by antoineg

Have you been watching too much Law & Order: SVU? That comment



makes no sense whatsoever from a policing perspective. If he is lying about Dr. Ferrari, how would that help him "cop a plea"? And with whom? The UCI? The Italian Police? Who is going after Ferrari that would be helped by a lie from Simeoni? What offer has Simeoni been given if he agreed to lie about Ferrari, or provide damaging testimony about Ferrari?

Really, this is all too much.