Armstrong Virtually Wraps Up Tour Title

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Too strong. Lance Armstrong capped his most dominant Tour de France with a crushing win in the final time trial Saturday, all but guaranteeing him a place in history as the first six-time winner of the 101-year-old race.

Pedaling furiously for a victory he didn't even need to secure his sixth crown, Armstrong again overpowered his rivals, building a gaping lead that he carried past cheering crowds to the finish in Besancon.

The Texan, riding a high-tech aerodynamic bike and wearing his bright yellow leader's jersey, was 1 minute, 1 second faster than second-place Jan Ullrich, the 1997 champion and five-time runner-up.

Only a crash or other disaster on Sunday's last ride into Paris — little more than a lap of honor for Armstrong — can stop him from becoming, in titles at least, the greatest of the Tour's 53 winners.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=755&e=1&u=/ap/20040724/ap_on_sp_ot/cyc_tour_de_france

[patdem]

1. What a story...all I can say is GO LANCE...what proof that a human

has very strange powers indeed!! From terminal cancer to his 6th win in the Tour...whata man!!!

[OnceARunner]

8. One of the top athletic accomplishments of all time

You know the French are pissed at this. An American taking their race 6 years in a row.

[VolcanoJen]

10. Not really. Check out this article.

French Both Resent, Admire Armstrong - AP

Excerpts:

As Lance Armstrong raced toward unheard-of Tour de France glory, France is torn. Many resent a brash Texan muscling in on their beloved cycling classic. But how can you hate such a champ?

"Face it, the man is amazing," said Sebastian Bizeul, a medical technician. He reflected a broad national sentiment. Of course he'd prefer to see a Frenchman on top, he said. But it's a fair fight.

"This stuff about drugs, his aloof manner, his guards, it is all minor if you care about the sport," Bizeul said. "He has worked hard, and he is grand champion. You've got to give it to him."

On one stretch of country road, a French farmer watched the pack flash by. A huge American flag was stuck in the front bumper of his battered old Peugeot.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

12. Dude, there's like hardly any posts on your blog!

[Flagg]

18. Is everything a nationalist macho contest for you ?

[BonjourUSA]

14. He's a wonderful machine

He works like a machine, he thinks like a machine, he has as many feelings as a machine, he speaks like a machine and does he repairs himself like a machine ?

[TexasProgresive]

2. Last weekend I watched a broadcast network

show on Le Tour. There was one scene in the Pyrenees on an obvious climb when Armstrong just went into hyperdrive. I couldn't have gone up that slope the speed difference between him and the leaders. What am I saying I couldn't pedal up that slope at all- I'd go backwards.

I don't have cable or satellite- does anyone know which network? I think it was NBC. I sure want to catch it tomorrow!

[desertalien]

3. Sunday 11:00 am on CBS

Or 8:30 est - 5:30 pac on OLN. GO LANCE :crazy:

[TexasProgresive]

5. Thanks -Say are you from Roswell? n/t

[salonghorn70]

4. HOOK 'EM LANCE

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[desertalien]

6. Roswell I wish !

I'm in Bono Country, as in Sonny or rather Mary. Yikes!
Is it Roswell or Rosewell?

[salonghorn70]

7. Welcome

I don't think that I understood your post. Nevertheless, welcome to DU.
:hi:

[Scairp]

9. Lance Armstrong

The only international representative America has at the moment bringing us any honor at all. Lance is a true hero, both for overcoming cancer and for winning the most grueling sporting event in the world so many years in a row. He has made us all proud.

[TrogL]

11. Any chance he's on steroids or something?

It just seems to good to be true.

Other athletic "too good to be true stories" eg. Ben Johnson have turned out to be drug related.

[BiggJawn]

13. I think it's doubtful. But look for the TdF to ban Sheryl Crow next year..

"Eet MUST be zee Femme! He cannot sleep wit her at ALL next year!"

Too much to lose and nothing to gain by doping. It'd be the "Say it isn't so, Joe" moment to end all moments.

Hell, I'd take an ax to all my bikes, buy a coondog and a rebel flag and get one of those beer helmets and use it all the time if it turned out to be so.

[Sparky McGruff]

19. As a cancer survivor, steroids would be seriously risky

He's a prostate cancer survivor, right? Taking steroids would be just ASKING for the cancer to come back.

[BiggJawn]

20. No, Testicle Cancer...

That had spread to his lungs and brain.

[Eurobabe]

15. so far nothing on network TV re: TDF

this sucks! I am forced to listen online to OLN. :(

Adelphia (those f'ing crooks) changed the channel line up 6 months ago, and I have SOAPNET <sarcasm on> but NOT OLN.

[BiggJawn]

16. Thank Random Chance for OLN online!

I doen't even HAVE cable!

Bell Lap!!!!!!!!

Who's gonna take the sprint?

[Dudley_DUright]

17. Nothing virtual about it anymore

Lance has taken a record 6th straight Tour. Way to go Lance. :bounce: :party: :toast: