Tour de Force

[G.Love]

Hate to be one to gloat, but did an AMERICAN just win the Tour de France for the fifth time?  An AMERICAN riding for the US POSTAL SERVICE team, no less, not a Brit riding for the Royal Mail team.
 Where are all the Brit riders? - smoking their fags and working on their coronaries by sucking down their greasy fish and chips! Maybe Beckham can take up biking to save face for the Brits, then I can see the movie "Bike it Like Beckham" or "Beckham Away" - ride the bike you bloody Cutters!!! (ref. the movie Breaking Away)
 
 You know if the shoe were on the other foot, you would be taking a swipe at the US....

[markie]

Its good when America wins everything. You are so gracious.

[G.Love]

Just trying to live up to the Ugly American stereotype!
 
 *In my best Homer Simpson voice*
 
 "Wooohoo! We're #1! We're #1! USA! USA! In your face!"

[thirsty moore]

Um, get better atheletes?
 
 

Originally posted by markie:
  Its good when America wins everything. You are so gracious.

[mankie]

More importantly, do the Brits really care about bicycle riding? I think NOT. We normally let the Italians and French enjoy the girlie sports. If there was a Brit rider though, I bet he had two balls in his shorts.

[thirsty moore]

That's nice Mankie, keep playing kickball in the back yard.

[markie]

its very difficult to become a professional raod cyclist in Britain. there is not enough infrastructure in the sport and not enough high profile local races. Therefore kids dont take it up early enough as a sport to become great at it.
 
 Americans are naturally advantage over Britain  having in Colorado, a high altitutude place to train.

[mankie]

Originally posted by thirsty moore:
  That's nice Mankie, keep playing kickball in the back yard.

Actually the Brits have back gardens...and you keep playing Tee-ball.

[mankie]

Originally posted by markie:
 
 
 Americans are naturally advantage over Britain  having in Colorado, a high altitutude place to train.

Then why does one-knacker mail boy spend 6 months in Spain training?

[thirsty moore]

I was too busy swimming and playing soccer.  I think my Pops would have preferred baseball though.

[mankie]

Originally posted by markie:
  Its good when America finally wins something. You are so gracious.

Yes indeed.

[markie]

Originally posted by mankie:
   

Originally posted by markie:
 
 .

Then why does one-knacker mail boy spend 6 months in Spain training? [/b]

training, or "competing" in the classics?
 
 you need to be based in europe once you are an established cyclist.

[ggw]

Originally posted by markie:
 Americans are naturally advantage over Britain  having in Colorado, a high altitutude place to train.

The Belgians haven't done too badly (18 titles) and the highest point in Belgium is probably about 500 feet.

[G.Love]

Originally posted by mankie:
 

Originally posted by thirsty moore:
 [qb] ...and you keep playing Tee-ball. [/b]

and what's the matter with T-ball?  Is there an equivalent for cricket to get the little ones interested at a young age?
 
 PS play croquet in your garden all you want!
 PSS One knacker has more balls than you and I will ever have!

[markie]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
   

The Belgians haven't done too badly (18 titles) and the highest point in Belgium is probably about 500 feet. [/QB][/QUOTE]
 
 when was the last time a Belgian won? If altitutude trainings benefits were known at that point then he trained at altitide.
 
 Merckx trained at altitude, but the whole training thing was so much less scientific back in those days. Back then you didnt train all year for one race, the tour. Hence Merckx won a lot of classice and the Vuelta and Giro and tour all in the same years.
 
 The men to raise the bar in training professionalism are Greg Lemond and Miguel Indurain. But that probably just reflects and increased commercialisation of allsports, not just cycling, in the 80s.