July 27, 2004
Tour De Lance Redux
One of the best features of OLN's coverage of the Tour is the daily commentary section. Each of OLN's talking heads has something to say about each day's stage, and it's generally something a casual observer wouldn't necessarily notice. Besides Liggett et. al, Lance Armstrong's training coach, Chris Carmichael, also wrote a daily column that was always very interesting. From Stage 20: A Job Well Done:
People often ask me what separates Lance Armstrong from the rest of the peloton, even though the answer is right in front of them all year long. Go and find Lance Armstrong in October, then again in December, January, March, etc. He'll be thinking about the Tour de France, and he'll be doing the training necessary to reach his absolute best level of performance in July. That's the sort of commitment it takes to win here, and if you're unwilling to put in the work required, don't expect to win the Tour de France anytime soon.
As The Blogfather would say, "Indeed:"
The very fine British racer David Miller [sic - it's spelled 'Millar'] tells the story of ringing Armstrong on his cell phone on Christmas Day a few years back. Miller was tipsy in a bar with his mates. His call finds Armstrong riding his bike up a steep mountain. Miller’s friends wonder why he is swearing a blue streak into his phone at a close friend. Miller’s response: “I’ve just lost the Tour de France.”
Back when Woody Hayes coached OSU (they weren't yet pretentious enough to call themselves "The" Ohio State University, despite the fact that they're just "a" state university in Ohio, along with Bowling Green, Kent, and others, but I digress), he had a sign in the locker room, all season long:
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BEAT MICHIGAN TODAY?
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Lance Armstrong had a sign over his bed, so it'd be the first thing he saw in the morning, and another on his nightstand, so it'd be the last thing he saw at night: "What Have You Done Today To Win The Tour?"
Finally, I think the Tour needs a new logo. How about this:
Category: Sports
there was another great story about Lance from last year after he fell. One of the former teammates of his from USPS watched when Lance got up from his fall, and noticed the look on Lance's face.
Somthing to the effect of "those guys are screwed, Lance doesn't make that face very often."
Posted by: Tman at July 27, 2004 11:28 AM
Lance's achievements are even more impressive when you consider he is banging Sheryl Crow! Hell's bells, talk about a training distraction.
Posted by: Senator PhilABuster at August 2, 2004 08:56 PM