# Why is Lance training in CO???



## Gall (Feb 6, 2004)

Hello,

SInce Lance never answers my Twitter questions I will ask here...

Why do you think he picked Aspen CO to train at and around, when he has the option to train anywhere in the world?

Is it the altitude, the climate ?


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## iherald (Oct 13, 2005)

His girlfriend and new son live there. His son was born there a week or so ago.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

High altitude, new baby, great place to live. If I could afford it, I would be riding there as well.


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

Gall said:


> Hello,
> Is it the altitude, the climate ?


..........or the lack of French visitors?


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## Gall (Feb 6, 2004)

*But Its Cold There !!!!! Lol (nm)*

nmnmnmnmnm


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## ProRoad (Oct 13, 2008)

he bought a house there last year while training for leadville. Then the above events occurred.

And the French visited today.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

You ever been to Aspen? You'd train there too, even if he had a world of choices. The cycling is awesome. There are also few places at altitude that aren't a little on the chilly side. Food is good and you can hang out with Jaaaaaaaack baby.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

Altitude 8200 feet. Who needs an altitude tent with that much alt?


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

ProRoad said:


> he bought a house there last year while training for leadville. Then the above events occurred.
> 
> And the French visited today.


Really? The French came with their sample bottle and clippers? That much be a trip.


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## daveloving (Jan 5, 2009)

I Wish I was there right now!


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

hawker12 said:


> Really? The French came with their sample bottle and clippers? That much be a trip.


3 doping controls in the last 2 days: 2 UCI, 1 USADA


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Levi appears to be living with him. Or at least, they train together a lot.

Secret affair?


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

dagger said:


> Altitude 8200 feet. Who needs an altitude tent with that much alt?


Yeah but he has one. Does he ship it to Alberto now?


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*and isn't*

CTS based in CO??
Hunter S. Thompson lived outside of town near Basalt
if I had silly money, I'd have a home there too
cycling, fishing, snowboarding-skiing.....and a nice hot spring close by


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

If you have the $, Aspen = shangri la. Absolute paradise, and europe has no climbs even close to the endless passes available in Aspen/Rockies.


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## sbsbiker (Mar 29, 2008)

Not as hot as Austin. 
Colorado is perfect for training right now, not too hot, clear trails, and roads,mega passes, natural altitude and the summer tourists aren't up here yet. Please come visit, we need your money. I personally favor Steamboat Springs.


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## bigpinkt (Jul 20, 2006)

bigmig19 said:


> europe has no climbs even close to the endless passes available in Aspen/Rockies.


:idea:


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## nepbug (Jun 6, 2006)

Cause it's just plain sweet here.

As stated earlier he stayed in Aspen while training for the Leadville 100 and loved it. 

What Pro wouldn't want to have Independence Pass right out their front door?


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## brentster (Jul 12, 2007)

We've been to Vail the last 7 years for a week of mountain biking. This year is July 11th - 18th and I look forward to it 360 days a year.


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## EndoMadness (Jul 14, 2005)

The unfortunate thing about Independence Pass...is all the Damn Texans. No local rides that thing after memorial day (when it opens to the public)...it is crazy tight and the blind spots near Aspen are scary with RVs (ie-texans). People will wake up ungodly early to ride.

But maybe Lance is used to Texans...(J/K)

but the riding here is sweet....Leadville, Fremont Pass, Vail Pass....list goes on. Best part is the respect from drivers in the Aspen, Steamboat, Breck, Vail areas.....almost everyone rides a bike or their spouse does. Until you get further out into cattle countyr...never a problem.

I've been flipped off 2 times in 16,000 miles on the roads.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

Sounds like heaven to me. I hope he and levi can get themselves sorted out to dominate come LeTour Alberto will be tough to topple.


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## tour (Jun 4, 2008)

EndoMadness said:


> The unfortunate thing about Independence Pass...is all the Damn Texans. No local rides that thing after memorial day (when it opens to the public)...it is crazy tight and the blind spots near Aspen are scary with RVs (ie-texans). People will wake up ungodly early to ride.
> 
> But maybe Lance is used to Texans...(J/K)
> 
> ...


loveland, hoosier, tennessee, and my personal favorite, mt evans

you can also do the copper triangle and hit fremont, tennessee, and vail in one ride.


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

bigmig19 said:


> If you have the $, Aspen = shangri la. Absolute paradise, and europe has no climbs even close to the endless passes available in Aspen/Rockies.


I spend a lot of time in Aspen but I am calling BS on the second half of this statement.


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

JohnHemlock said:


> I spend a lot of time in Aspen but I am calling BS on the second half of this statement.


Nope, just basic geographical fact. Grades are sometimes worse in Europe but dont even think about comparing elevations.


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

bigmig19 said:


> Nope, just basic geographical fact. Grades are sometimes worse in Europe but dont even think about comparing elevations.


And don't even think about comparing severity of climbs. There is absolutely nothoing within a hundred miles of Aspen that compares with HC climbs in the Alps.

A fat bastard like me can dispense with every climb in Aspen with relative ease.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

*From the horses mouth*

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12705822
ASPEN — The wiry, middle-aged cyclist in the black Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop jersey rolled to a stop Wednesday at the top of Independence Pass. Unlike the nearby tourists scurrying up to the lookout point of the Continental Divide, Lance Armstrong only looked at his teammate, Levi Leipheimer, sitting on the rear fender of their black support van. Armstrong has seen these massive Rockies, still flecked with snow under a turquoise sky, too many times to count. 

The seven-time Tour de France winner is now a Coloradan. Coming out of a 3 1/2-year retirement, Armstrong built a $9 million house in Aspen and will live much of the year here. Just maybe these 20-mile daily training grinds up Independence Pass will help him win Tour No. 8 when the Tour de France begins Saturday in Monaco. 

"The altitude will help," said Armstrong, changing the jersey from his Austin, Texas, bike shop to his trademark yellow-and-black Livestrong. "I'm here more for other reasons. My kids are here. I've got the new house here. I love the community, and the people are great." 

Aspen is sprinkled with as many celebrities as snowflakes, yet even a town frequented by the Dalai Lama and Bill Clinton turns its head when Lance Armstrong walks into Matsuhisa on Main Street. Recognition is not a problem. 

After 3 1/2 years, he hasn't changed much. Leaning against his bike at 12,095 feet above sea level, Armstrong looked as fit as he did when he sipped champagne for the last time in Paris four years ago. He has a little less hair, but it may have been just the sweat-soaked crewcut. 

Regardless, he's the same angular, steely eyed Armstrong who helped lift cycling to the front pages in America 10 years ago. 

"Having Lance in town, as well as (teammate) Levi Leipheimer, has created a buzz we haven't experienced in a long time," said Michael Wampler, owner of Aspen Velo. "He moved here for the training and not be constantly harassed by the locals." 

Armstrong was no stranger to Aspen. He had done summer training rides for years and had come for various events. When he trained here last summer for the Leadville 100, "it cemented things," he said. 

During his Tour de France reign from 1999 to 2005, he split his training between the hills surrounding his Austin home and the Pyrenees in Europe. That changed once he dug his pedals in the Rockies. 

"It's the trails, the training, the community," Armstrong said. "It's so hot in Texas. Right now it's already 100. It's good for wintertime. It's home. The kids have school there, but we don't have the climbs. Obviously, we don't have the elevation. And it's grown a lot. Austin is not a bad riding city, but it's not what it was when I lived there 20 years ago." 

Talk to Armstrong today and he sounds like a tour guide. Relaxed and playful, he rattled off every cycling trail within a day's drive of Aspen. He talked about riding his bike on dirt roads on the back side of Snowmass and up Capital Creek and Glenwood 3 Mile. 

He also talked of his love for altitude, something that he figures will pay off on those long, torturous climbs up the Alps next month. 

"It's pretty good," Armstrong said of the Rockies. "We could probably use a few more — not that we're asking for it — paved roads. A few more paved climbs. The . . . American climbs are typically not steep. 

"But you don't see anything this high in Europe. We're at 12,000 (feet). The highest we see (in the Tour), as you know, is 7,000." 

Still, this Tour will be challenging, even for a seven-time winner — especially for a 37-year-old. There are three mountaintop finishes, including famed Mont Ventoux on July 25, the day before the ceremonial procession into Paris. 

As he said, however, winning an eighth Tour de France isn't why he built a home here. He and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, just had baby Max a month ago, and his three other children come to visit. And while Armstrong can paralyze Paris by walking down the Champs-Elysees, he can sit at one of his favorite Aspen haunts, Campo de Fiori, and sign nary an autograph. 

He said only one person has knocked on his door, and he's had a few drive-bys. That's it. 

"It's interesting to me that you get this mix of high-profile people, but you also have a lot of people who just love endurance sports," he said. "You go up Castle Creek or Ashcroft on a weekend, it's unbelievable. The other interesting thing? Three quarters of them are women. I've never seen so many women on bikes. It's really cool." 

Armstrong fits seamlessly into Aspen's fit populace. In fact, he often fits into the local peloton during the Aspen Cycling Club's regular outings. "A guy will come in to the shop and say, 'Lance went by me so fast I didn't know who it was,' " Wampler said. 

Added Charlie Tarver, owner of the cycle shop Hub of Aspen and Armstrong's friend: "He can come here and be a regular person. If you're 6-7 but hang out with the Denver Nuggets, you don't feel so freakishly tall." 

Armstrong was scheduled to leave for Monaco on Friday, and the question is will this trip mean an eighth Tour win or just another sad comeback attempt by another aging athlete. At 37, he would be the oldest winner in the Tour's 96-year history, topping 36-year-old Firmin Lambot in 1922. 

Yet John Wilcockson of the Boulder-based website VeloNews, who will be covering his 41st Tour, lists Armstrong among the top five contenders. 

"I think his chances are very good," said Wilcockson, who will sign copies of his book, "Lance: The Making of the World's Greatest Champion," at Tattered Cover in LoDo at 7:30 p.m. Monday. "He's more motivated now than he was five years ago, and I think his physical form is perfect." 

Armstrong won't go that far. His teammates, 2007 winner Alberto Contador and Leipheimer, are also contenders. But Armstrong did return from a broken collarbone in March to finish 12th at the Giro d'Italia in May. 

"I honestly don't know," he said. "It's nice to go in as kind of an underdog or as an underdog. But at the same time, we have a team that people will look to to carry the race." 

A few minutes later, he was back on his bike heading down the mountain toward his new home. Speeding motorists probably were wondering who the cyclist in the yellow jersey was coming closer in their rear-view mirrors. 

John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or [email protected]


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## Woolbury (Oct 12, 2005)

Met Lance outside the bike shop in Aspen when we there in early April, then saw him later riding out on the McClane Flats road. Made my day. Been back twice to ride Indy Pass, got snowed on going over 3 wks ago, then last week did a 105 miler from BVista over Indy to Glenwood to finish the BTC. Riding, skiing, fishing, Aspen area is hard to beat. Unfortunately, all I can afford is a tent in a nearby campground


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