[OT] Tour de France : Bravo Lance !

Well, he proved one more time that he is capable of very big performances. He can, IMHO, tempt a new crown next year.

Kudos to Lance. I know this may topic for debate but he may be the greatest American athlete of our time. I ride my bike twelve to twenty miles daily and "feel" the burn. And the Tour is certainly no 20 mile bike trail ride! For Mr.Armstrong to win 5 of these even after a Cancer diagnosis and this year after taking a header is amazing. A true athlete. Now where are his big endorsement deals? Tony Hawk can't be the only guy around :-))

As far as Lance going out on top and resting on his Laurels. He most certainly has earned the right to make that call and he certainly could have went out on top many a Tour De France Ago. The fact he comes back strong every year speaks for itself.

Cheers, Max Bryant

The United States Postal Service gave Lance and Crew, (whether that's ALL of the team or not I'm not sure) $14 Million!!! I _think_ that's over 5 years, but still, for the big wigs in the company I work for, you'd think they could have found a better way to spend that kind of money. Nothing against Lance, the United States Team, or the Tour De' France, but you'd have to work for the meatheads like I do to understand.

As I've said to my direct supervisor, "Piss poor planning on Management's part does NOT constitute an emergency on MY part!"

Sorry, rant mode off...........

Tom

also it is interesting to note that on the 20th anniversary. of kraftwerk's original tour de france theme, the boys were asked to do it again. rather than a rehash of the old, they have done their usual tasty ne version to celebrate the event and the winners. appearing at an mp3 group near you. or ask me to post it for you.

sad to hear that after all the public posturing on improving employee morale, the po is still a pos. the barstow po is run by idiots and staffed by demoralized people who snarl at a request that they have to ask higher up. going postal is no joke, and they people who run the pos don't listen to the public.

I'm glad we have a much kinder, gentler Post Office here. Right, Don? I'd rather see the PO spend money on Lance than more seminars where folks wrap each other in toilet paper and tinfoil. :D

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Hey! I for one would like seeing Scott enter next year, win a record 6th, then he can retire as the REAL champion!

too bad they don't wrap their employees in a better workplace.

Big deal. He can ride a bike. You can train to ride a bike. That doesn't make you an athlete. Endurance and guts yes. Athlete? The next thing we will hear is that some bowler of golfer is an athlete.

They are athletes in every sense of the word.

Compared to my secores, they're more like magicians.

WmB

So what is your definition of an athlete? Someone who can hit a ball with a bat or racket. Someone who can throw a ball through a hoop? Someone who can give and take a punch? Yada Yada Yada. Just curious.

Sevenout

Cheers M Bryant

Yeah, they get lots of pictures taken and big salaries and adoring fans. NA$CAR seems to be saying, "Screw the cars, the drivers are the important things!" There isn't much point to anyone saying Driver X drives a new "Quigley" when they are all moulded in the same shell and just painted different colours. Yecccch!

No, I'd classify Lance Armstrong as a true athlete. It takes an enormous amount of stamina and will to do what he's done.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

I was being a smartass, I think anybody who thinks professional cyclists are not athletes is a complete assnozzle. Lance is the man.

I think race car drivers are athletes too - but in a different way, Nascar guys pretty much only turn left but Formula One drivers pull several G's in turns and have cat like reflexes. Let's not get into the crazy motocycle riders. Tiger Woods can bench press over 300lbs and can hit a knock down 3 wood 300 if he wanted to. Believe it or not, those little obnoxious stoner kids on skateboards, inline skates and dirt bikes are athletes too.

Fighter pilots would be considered athletes too if FOX TV had some new tv show where they shoot each other down to win some prize. "ladies and gentlemen, the Pepsi Toys R' US F-16 Falcon has just dropped the hammer with some FLAVOR on the Penzoil Chick Fil A F-18 Hornet over the Las Vegas strip!" "Look out below!"

Chess players and modelers are not athletes though.

Hmmnn...TACTS comes to prime-time...now THAT'S "reality TV"...

Well... I remember seeing some fighters on ESPN - in 1992 or 1993. IIRC, they were covering either the William Tell or Gunsmoke competition.

Probably in better taste than FOX would ever manage. When we first got Speedvision there were some great shows on there but once FOX got their slimy paws on it it went to... well, you know where. Everything they touch turns to crap.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

If making moronic statements was an athletic event you'd get the gold.

CBix