Can Simoni Challenge Amrmstong?

GearGrinder

I heard on tv(sbs ) that simoni will be in the tdf. Can he challenge him?. he is better than rumsas who was 3rd last year.

Mampara

It's gonna be the biggest battle ever. Simoni said himself that he is ready for Lance.

Scalatore

Just bought a 28'' TV so I can see Simoni kick Lance's ass!
Well, every year we look for someone who would challenge Armstrong and they all fail in the end. We'll see.

Mampara

The only thing that's gonna influence Simoni's chances is the fact that he's doing the Giro and pushing his body so hard. If he can recover in time, he's gonna be on LA's wheel all the way.

GearGrinder

that sounds great, finally some competion in the tdf

freek

Simoni just won (well, tomorrow I guess) the Giro, convincingly. He's gone out of his way to win stages, to beat Pantani. Pantani gets all the attention in the media, Simoni feels underrated.
This means, besides being fysically tired, he probably lost the appetite to challenge Armstrong in the tdf. How many riders did well in both Giro and TdF in the same year? Not many I think.
He'll probably go for a mountain stage win, after having lost a lot of time in the important stages.

It's just so hard to excel twice in the same season at this tough sport.

drewjc

i was going to be backing Cadel Evans for a top result this yr....maybe top 5, but looks like those plans may be put on hold til next yr. Have to wait and see..........

frzamilan

Just thought I would throw in my two cents:

First, to answer the original question...I do think Simoni can challenge Armstrong. Whether he can beat him is a totally different story.

I have to admit I was very impressed with Simoni's form in the Giro. The man dominated in the hills, and for the most part held his own in the time trials. What struck me as the most impressive is how lean he is. If you look back at previous years, this is the leanest Simoni has ever been in any Grand Tour. Pair that with his innate ability to climb and you can probably come up with some ungodly w/kg figure.

Now, lets get to the real meat of the issue...can this guy actually pose a threat to Lance? My guess would be qualified yes. If we assume he can recover adequatley from his efforts in the Giro and arrive on form again for the Tour, my guess is that he will be very competitve in the hills.

Now, according to Simoni (in velonews) Lance has never been challenged by a serious climber in the Tour. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I saw Lance go toe to toe with Pantani no less in the Tour in 2000. I think Pantani qualifies as a serious climber considering he owns the record on some of the most storied climbs in all of cycling.

For arguements sake I will assume Simoni can climb just as well as we saw Pantani climb in the 2000 Tour. Given that, I will also venture to say that as long as Simoni is a threat to Lance on the GC, you can bet your ass Lance will be on his wheel up each and every climb and stalking every attack.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see someone challenge Lance and at least make him work for his fifth Tour. But what everyone (including Simoni) seems to forget is that this guy can climb just as well as anyone in the world. Furthermore, even on his "bad days" in the time trial, as exhibited by his TT effort in the middle of the Tour last year, he only comes a close second to the winner when he is having an off day.

So, in my humble opinion, Simoni needs to stop threatening Lance with coming to the Giro, and actually step up to the plate with his best form for the biggest and best bike race in the world. Then we will see how much panicing actually takes place, and from whom.

Jimmythecuckoo

Is Aitor Gonzalez down to ride?

He has the attitude to psyche it out as well as pedal it out with Armstrong.

Cant wait for the centennial tour to get going.

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lazysegall

Aitor is riding with Fassa and that is a strong team with Frigo as well. I watched every Giro stage and i don;t think he will challenge.

On Simoni. he is great in the mountains. Lance, however, says that simonis talk is cheap. He is more concerned with jan and tyler. Personally i don;t think anyone is a real challenge. Personally i think that Simoni is a lot like heras. He might be able to stress lance, but Simoni will loose about 3 minutes overall in TT. the Saeco team is strong though for the TTT, but nothing fantastic. If you think that simoni is 4 minutes better in the montains then i guess he can win. I could also see simoni riding very hard in a stage. Breaking down the whole feild and someone else might pick up the pieces. Hamilton might be a prime pick as he might be willing to let Jan, Lance, Simoni, and Heras ride themselves to death.

Janie

No way! Simoni's got nothin on Lance! What are you thinking? The Tour is so much harder to win than the Giro. Simoni should shut his mouth before he gets his ass kicked. No one can challange Lance this year. You're ALL wrong!

GearGrinder

you sure your not lances wife? , your probably right though. At least it will create a bit of suspense.

mjolnir2k

Jeez, every year it's "I'm gonna kick Lance's butt", yet at the end of the race Lance seems to be the guy wearing YELLOW.

These guys are all fantastic athletes and there are quite a few (Simoni included) that could pose a challenge, but the best predicator of future results is past performance and I can't recall seeing Simoni on the top step of the podium at any recent TDF.

I also believe Lance has a tremendous team this year (with a new climbing specialist just added) and that is going to be tough to beat.

I would anticipate that Simoni might be seeing the third step of the podium, but he won't be going home with a new Yellow jersey!

As Lance succinctly put it "Talk is cheap".

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lazysegall

I don't think that simoni will win I was simply acknowleging how he lance could loose. Could is a possibilty...and it is a small one if you ask me.