Can Simoni Challenge Amrmstong?

lex

Iban Mayo? Nope... Yea, he's really having a great season but I can promise you that Lance wasn't going full gas on the Galibier. He had a minute lead over Mayo and he knew that he would catch him on the downhill finish (he did). Mayo only put about 28 seconds on Lance on that climb AND don't forget that Lance was jacked up on antibiotics!! He's frickin superhuman. This is all the same talk as last year, and year before, and.... as Phil Liggett says, Lance ALWAYS makes his rendezvous.

The reason Lance will win, and Lazysegall said it best, he can TT like a mutha! Nobody is better...nobody! Lance has dominated the TT's the last 4 years...even in the ones he didn't win he usually was second. If somebody can take it to lance they have to put it to him BIG in mountains because they can't destroy him in TT. Someone might beat him in a TT stage, like Santi last year, but then Santi blew up like a firecracker in a mountain stage to follow. I just can't see Simoni (or anybody) taking 3 minutes out of Lance in the mountains if Lance is on. Simoni is terrific but then so has Jan and Beloki the last few years and they looked like club riders next to Lance on the big stages.

Mayo might challenge...but not this year. I think one of the future greats will actually be cadel evans from AUS...young, very good TT and hills...he blew up huge in giro last year in yellow but he's got a lot of talent and youth.

lazysegall

Every day there is a new hot rider to beat lance...I really don;t think Mayo has it...I can at least listen to arguments about how simoni could take 4 minutes out of lance in the mountains, but Mayo certainly can;t. If mayo takes that amount of time out of lance in the mountains even two minutes then I would say that lance must be in pitiful shape and then really anyone could win. Personally I don;t think that anyone can be lance straight up. Either lance will crack because someone else attacks or he gets sick or injured. The only person who even has a claim in my view is simoni...I don;t think he will do it, but simoni can at least claim to be a significantly better climber...The only other man who might be as good a climber is heras, but he won;t be attacking.

Brogar3

Simoni might have a chance in the Mountain stages, at least he does in his own mind's view, but the fact is he will be blown away in the TTs and the TTTs. Simoni's prolly comparing himself to Pantini (Lance's old rival) who he blew away in the Giro. He's talking enough smack, but I don't think he will be able to back it up.

patch70

On the Galibier in the Dauphine, Iban Mayo did do well but then Lance was recovering from a fairly major crash. Simoni has a history of choking in the Tour, even more so than Botero. Is anyone aware of Belocki's recent form?

micron

If Armstrong can be surprised by a team or rider who doesn't play by his rules, who has the guts to attack and who doesn't go out there believing he's only riding for second place then I genuinely think he can be beaten. Too many riders try and play Armstrong at his own game.

lazysegall

I don't think the riders are trying to play lance at his own game...I think instead that the riders are all riding for second place. No rider is willing to try and crack armstrong if they might crack themselves as well. Furthermore riders have been hesitant to really try and do that for their team...Does anyone think telekom could get their act together and maybe have someone challenge Armstrong?

Tour de Lance

no one can challenge Lance if he's on fire.they can just ride for the second place...

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micron

What I meant by 'playing him at his own game' is that other riders wait to attack Armstrong at the points where he expects an attack and is prepared for it i.e. the mountains. If they did ride 'old school' tactics and attacked on any terrain, then US Postal would truly be made to work. But, as Telekom proved the other year, aint no point riding tempo up the climbs and let Armstrong sit on your wheel and get a tow. But I agree that if anyone else truly wants to win, they have to ride like they're riding for first place - which is why its refreshing to hear Simoni talking like he believes he can win it.

Unregistered

Just a thought folks ....

Seven years ago, I bet a bunch of people were sitting around and mostly agreeing that Miguel Indurain (then aged 32) looked odds-on to take out Tour number 6. He'd just won the Dauphine Libre and seemed to have peaked right on schedule for his sole objective of the season.

A few dissenters might have been mentioning Berzin but I bet no-one was predicting some Danish bloke called Bjarne Riis was going to crush Big Mig in the mountains.

I'm not saying Lance (aged 32?) won't win this year's Tour, but he's not going to win it for ever, and will we really know just how well he's going this year until the Tour hits the big climbs in week 2?

Tour de Lance

it's sure that he wont win it for ever!but he'll win it this year

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Go Lance and Us Postal team! Go Oscar,Tyler and all italian boys!

lazysegall

First to lance's wife (tour de lance) obviously if lance is on fire he wins...That is like saying if lance pulls out from the tour someone else will win.

I don;t think that the old kind of attacks would have any more sucess against lance. First, postal is a team that stays vigilant. they aren;t lazy. Second, Heras will ride high in the overall standings and landis would probably also be able to stay with many attacks. Third, there is no evidence to suggest that lance cannot ride in the front in longer races. Some of his battles with Jan occured before the final climb, but I do agree that strong teams like telekom should attack attack attack and not even come up with a team leader (unfrotunaley for them I think that zabel will not be happy if botero or vino try to have a breakaway on flat or rolling stages.

DutchArmada

Simoni can definitely challenge Armstrong in the mountain stages.

I think that Gilberto Simoni's timetrials are way too weak to win the yellow jersey, but he'll be giving Lance and the US Postal team a hard time in the Alps and the Pyrenees, if he recovered well enough after his Giro win.

All in all, he might not be able to win the Tour, but he might let Armstrong or any other ride lose the Tour. Certainly if he is going to work together with some Spanish riders.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to an exciting Tour de France.

Tour de Lance

so u basically agree with me?

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Go Lance and Us Postal team! Go Oscar,Tyler and all italian boys!

claggy

i cant really simoni challenging armstrong (although id love to see it happen)
firstly he could loose as much as 10 minutes in the tts , may well be affected by the speed in the first week. Isnt it his 1st tour? so he wont be used to the style of racing , time and time again you see riders who have performed well in the giro in the past whittle into obscurity in the tour. at the end of the day the giro (as much as i prefer it to the tour) is not at the same level as the tour is .

I think gonzales may be a better option, he was climbing better and better at the giro and i feel he can match armstrong in the tts. but i cant see him living with lance in the mountains.
the only way (apart from injuries or age as mentioned above) i can see lance loosing is if all the team leaders form some sort of secret pact against him but thats not going to happen is it.

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