# Riders on Armstrong: "stiff, tight, nervous..."



## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

I thought this was interesting...

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-7-123-19776-2,00.html

"_Since his comeback, the doubts about Armstrong, among cycling's cognoscenti, at least, had been less about his fitness than his bike handling. The pros racing alongside him had routinely decribed him as stiff, tight, nervous. After his crash in the Vuelta Castilla, several young pros expressed the opinion that Armstrong didn't even seem to belong in the pack_."


----------



## Andrew1 (May 27, 2009)

The quote in context, for those who don't want to read:



> More to the point: He navigated the dangerous course with confidence and ease. Since his comeback, the doubts about Armstrong, among cycling's cognoscenti, at least, had been less about his fitness than his bike handling. The pros racing alongside him had routinely decribed him as stiff, tight, nervous. After his crash in the Vuelta Castilla, several young pros expressed the opinion that Armstrong didn't even seem to belong in the pack. It's clear, now, that Armstrong won't cost himself a Tour de France win.


By the way, the course they're talking about is the Nevada City crit.


----------



## bmxhacksaw (Mar 26, 2008)

I love context.


----------



## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Funny how using the _whole_ quote completely changes things huh?


----------



## yater (Nov 30, 2006)

LA obviously doesn't know how to ride his bike.


----------



## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

> Armstrong didn't even seem to belong in the pack.


That's true since Armstrong and Leipheimer broke away early and lapped the field with only BJM able to stay on their wheels. Even after they came around again nobody was able to stay on their wheels and LA rode the last six laps solo. 53 of 104 starters were pulled.

LOL at evaluating his bike handling from afar.


----------



## zphogan (Jan 27, 2007)

Yea, maybe Lance should throw on some training wheels for the Tour.


----------



## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

zphogan said:


> Yea, maybe Lance should throw on some training wheels for the Tour.



Zing!


----------



## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

"Stiff, tight, nervous" ? Without the context those words (say the following in Borat accent) "sound like my wife before she lose her virgine."


----------



## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

*evaluation...*



Art853 said:


> That's true since Armstrong and Leipheimer broke away early and lapped the field with only BJM able to stay on their wheels. Even after they came around again nobody was able to stay on their wheels and LA rode the last six laps solo. 53 of 104 starters were pulled.
> 
> LOL at evaluating his bike handling from afar.


....and who are these cycling judges?....1 or 2 Cat 1/2 riders probably pissed that they drove 4 hours to race and he shows up and blows it apart...on a "training" day...


----------



## yater (Nov 30, 2006)

bahueh said:


> ....and who are these cycling judges?....1 or 2 Cat 1/2 riders probably pissed that they drove 4 hours to race and he shows up and blows it apart...on a "training" day...


Yep....he should have stayed in retirement. He's obviously washed up.


----------



## Mr. IROC-Z (Mar 20, 2007)

ping771 said:


> "Stiff, tight, nervous" ? Without the context those words (say the following in Borat accent) "sound like my wife before she lose her virgine."


LMFAO!!!! That is great! I hope Lance wins and shuts up the haters!:cryin:


----------



## pacificaslim (Sep 10, 2008)

I think many of you are still misreading the paragraph. I think what the writer is trying to say is: in the first couple of races this year many (euro)pros found his bike handling to be pretty bad, but that he seems to have gotten his handling skills back now. The evidence for that was that he navigated the Nevada City course with confidence and ease and so will not having any bike handling problems in the Tour.

In other words, it was not the other racers at nevada city who were complaining about his bike handling - he did fine there.


----------



## yater (Nov 30, 2006)

I wonder if the collarbone/surgery had anything to do with the poor bike handling.


----------



## JayZee (Sep 3, 2008)

WeakMite said:


> I thought this was interesting...
> 
> http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-7-123-19776-2,00.html
> 
> "_Since his comeback, the doubts about Armstrong, among cycling's cognoscenti, at least, had been less about his fitness than his bike handling. The pros racing alongside him had routinely decribed him as stiff, tight, nervous. After his crash in the Vuelta Castilla, several young pros expressed the opinion that Armstrong didn't even seem to belong in the pack_."


I have to admit that watching him in the Tour of California (on TV) he did appear pretty sketchy and he has had more than his share of crashes since returning. Of course that is not to be unexpected. I know the first few crits and races of every season everyone is a little sketchy and it takes a few races to get back in groove of racing in a large group.


----------



## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Coolhand said:


> Funny how using the _whole_ quote completely changes things huh?


Never use a quote in context when you can turn the meaning 180 degrees by omitting a handfull of unnecessary words.


----------



## klkees (Jul 6, 2009)

They HOPE he is tight and nervous


----------



## haikalah (Oct 5, 2004)

What's a cog-no-scenti??? Ha Ha Ha


----------



## ti-triodes (Aug 14, 2006)

When did Bicycling magazine start covering cycling again?  



I thought it was a fashion mag.


----------



## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

Coolhand said:


> Funny how using the _whole_ quote completely changes things huh?



How about this context???

http://www.slate.com/id/2222407/
_
Armstrong's return to cycling didn't start smoothly. The wheels started to come off—literally—at the Tour of California. He crashed on each of the first two days, slipping on a rainy road and then bumping into a motorbike carrying his personal photographer. Then he took down his team leader, Levi Leipheimer. The day after that, he shoved a toy-syringe-wielding fan into a snowbank.

His sketchy, nervous riding was scaring the bejeezus out of the other riders. "We thought he was a neo-pro," one Spanish rider told the press (a neo-pro is a cycling rookie). Armstrong eventually took himself out, crashing on a crappy road in Spain and breaking his collarbone—a common cycling injury that he had miraculously avoided during his entire Tour de France reign._


----------



## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

bas said:


> How about this context???
> 
> http://www.slate.com/id/2222407/
> _
> ...


Except he didn't take out Leipheimer. Leipheimer crashed by crossing the wheels with Armstrong and not paying attention - Armstrong was in front of LL.

I am sure it took LA some time to adjust to riding in a big peloton after 4 year retirement. But if crashing is any measure of bike handling skills - so far over last 6 stages he is better than Boonen, Rogers, Hincapie, Menchov, Gesink and perhaps another 50 riders or so who had bad luck and crashed.

Frankly, I think this discussion is a bit silly. Crashing once (or even twice) is no indication of poor bike handling skills - it depends on the context. And I can't figure out why slate "Jerkstrong" article mentions crashing - is this considered evidence of his jerk-ness?


----------



## haikalah (Oct 5, 2004)

Regarding the spanish rider calling a 7 time TDF winner a "neo-pro," is he racing the Tour? If so, did he make the Stage 3 break?


----------

