# Lance sounds like an old guy...



## nealalto (Mar 5, 2007)

“That was the craziest last 30km I’ve ever seen,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter. “Long, fast descent at 80kph, plus then a tight circuit. At one point today we reached 110kph. That’s almost 70mph. Not sure that’s necessary really. Tomorrow is same kind of finish. It’s bike racing, not Moto GP.”

I guess this is what happens when Lance finally steps out of his one and only race...


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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

70mph on a bike? Yeahhhhh... no thx.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

nealalto That’s almost 70mph. Not sure that’s necessary really. Tomorrow is same kind of finish. It’s bike racing said:


> Have you ever been 70mph on a bike? I would have been fined for laying down a brown slippery streak on the road at those speeds. 50 is about my limit. I guess I am old too.


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## akrafty1 (Apr 10, 2006)

I was at about 60mph coming down Hogpen Gap one year... I coulda made diamonds... Didn't like it one bit.


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## zeroman (May 6, 2009)

As I sit here with a two week old plate holding my shoulder together all I can think about is what could go wrong at that kinda speed. Perhaps that is what he was thinking about. Everything is magnified at that speed, a little tap or nudge by an adjacent rider and everyone could go down.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

did you see the course - the last part was in and out of tiny villages with major road width changes (plus houses right against the road, railings etc). The tour is crazy enough - the Giro is crazy Italian style...


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## rugger (Mar 1, 2005)

Well, relatively speaking, Lance IS an old guy. We oughta cut the guy a break, 37 yrs old, coming out of retirement, with pins in his collarbone.

What a wimp.

My top dh speed is low 40's, and that was fast enough. On the plus side, I did discover that my rear wheel needed truing.


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## saird (Aug 19, 2008)

rugger said:


> I did discover that my rear wheel needed truing.


Hah, I wonder how that would have felt at 70mph?


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## logansites (Jan 4, 2007)

50+ is ok when its perfectly straight...


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## Comer (Jan 13, 2009)

I got to 58mph on the backside of Hogpen, that road feels like it goes straight down. Scary, yes. Did you see where that lady died after crashing there last year at Six-Gap?



akrafty1 said:


> I was at about 60mph coming down Hogpen Gap one year... I coulda made diamonds... Didn't like it one bit.


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## rugger (Mar 1, 2005)

saird said:


> Hah, I wonder how that would have felt at 70mph?



Moot point, because I never would have hit that speed


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

That is friggin NUTZ! I hit 53 and though I didn't touch my brakes, I had serious skid marks! In my shorts!


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

What's funny is Lance is struggling on the climbs and they haven't even done any of the hard ones in the dolomites. If they'd done the Giau or Fedaia he would've lost a lot more time.

I got up to 105kph descending the Marmolada and felt i was being conservative. Coming down Tre Cime di Lavaredo the next day I went even faster and I really thought I was being even more careful. Both times I didn't look at the max speed until I got to the bottom, which probably helped. Amazing how fast you can pick up speed on some of those descents. Damn I love riding there. Food's not bad either.


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## gh1 (Jun 7, 2008)

Hell I am older than Lance I do 55 frequently. He is a pro bike racer, its steep, the guy up front is down low and someone is pushing his ass to get him to go faster. Deal with it, its not that big of a deal.


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

I hope I never get so famous that everything I say gets dissected by internet geeks.


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## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

I don't believe this is a case of Lance acting old, whining, whatever.

The finishes of GT stages are put together more for showing off the finishing town that threw a ton of money at the organizers than rider safety. In every GT someone openly complains about the finish, usually it's a sprinter

Going 55+ solo is one thing, and yes it's scary. Going 55+ in a pack is something all together different. Yes, these guys are all pros, but there are dramatic differences in descending ability. Salvodelli good. Basso, Ulrich, Bruyneel not so much.

Trust me I'm no LA fan. To my recollection, of the GT's the Giro has the most suspect history of sketchy finishes. So LA didn't like the finish and twittered, posted whatever about it, he's entitled to his opinion.


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

gh1 said:


> Hell I am older than Lance I do 55 frequently. He is a pro bike racer, its steep, the guy up front is down low and someone is pushing his ass to get him to go faster. Deal with it, its not that big of a deal.



55 doesn't equal 70. Either way, 55 is scary fast, 70 is unthinkable on an little piece of rubber. 


How much distance does it take a bike to stop at that speed?


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

JohnHemlock said:


> I hope I never get so famous that everything I say gets dissected by internet geeks.


I gotta think the guys on here are either really young and have never crashed on a fast decent or their full of BS.

I've crashed at the bottom of a hill at almost 50mph and shattered my wrist, road rashed and crushed my helmet.

The bulk of the guys on this site are kidding yourselves if you think your man enough to mix it up in the pro ranks going down hill at 70mph. 

I used to live for bombing hills until that wreck. I hit 50 now and all I think about is what's going to happen when I go down. I'm 35 now, every year that goes by I start to value my health a little more. I'm sure Lance is the same way.

Racing is racing, but some of that crazy **** at those speeds is just tempting fate on a 15 pound bike.


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## Caine (May 20, 2006)

heathb said:


> The bulk of the guys on this site are kidding yourselves if you think your man enough to mix it up in the pro ranks going down hill at 70mph.


5 minutes 'til the macho forum jockeys respond with fantastical stories and general assertions that all the pros are p#$$ies.


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## mquetel (Apr 2, 2006)

nealalto said:


> “That was the craziest last 30km I’ve ever seen,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter. “Long, fast descent at 80kph, plus then a tight circuit. At one point today we reached 110kph. That’s almost 70mph. Not sure that’s necessary really. Tomorrow is same kind of finish. It’s bike racing, not Moto GP.”
> 
> I guess this is what happens when Lance finally steps out of his one and only race...


...and Levi said something similar. 

...and Tommy D said something similar.

70mph is f*cking crazy fast on a bicycle.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

Lance is 38 and a good decender in the past. He's been pretty good throughout his career at staying upright. 

Of course age catches up with you. He's at the age limit for the Giro. I doubt if there's a guy in the race this year that is past 38.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

heathb said:


> Lance is 38 and a good decender in the past. He's been pretty good throughout his career at staying upright.
> 
> Of course age catches up with you. He's at the age limit for the Giro. I doubt if there's a guy in the race this year that is past 38.


He is 37, same age as simoni and voigt.


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## DM_ARCH (Feb 23, 2007)

Every additional mile per hour is faster than the previous. 40 is fast 45 is faster. 50 is much faster than 45. 55 is much much faster than 50. 60 is just plain freaking fast when compared to 50. 70 is like insane fast, crazy, and unsafe pro or not. 

Really, it isn't *necessary*. They could just chill a little....but it's a race and everyone wants to win so it kinda becomes a game of chicken.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

i bet jens didnt complain on twitter.de


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

You guys exceeding 50+ mph are tempting fate by leaving your life in the hands of the state road crew or the last red neck that sprewed gravel onto the road reaching for a fresh sixer.

I was running the Blue Ridge Parkway this weekend and noticed a nice 1.5 inch step up at the bridge expansion joint. Wonder what gives first when you hit that at 50+?


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

gh1 said:


> Hell I am older than Lance I do 55 frequently. He is a pro bike racer, its steep, the guy up front is down low and someone is pushing his ass to get him to go faster. Deal with it, its not that big of a deal.


Yeah I can tell you 55 is nothing compared to 65 let alone 70. Now think of doing that in the tightest largest peleton you've ever been in. Add to that, that you don't necessarily trust the guys around you. Factor in the rough European roads. Not such a piece a cake now. Even if you're the best bike handler/descender in the world, that means everyone else is only second best. That's what's scary.


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## Wborgers (Oct 6, 2008)

I wonder if the word was passed in the peleton that the finish was too dangerous for a sprint and that called off the charge- sure seemed like someone called off the chase w/ 10k to go- any thoughts?


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## moabbiker (Sep 11, 2002)

Not sure, hard to close that kind of gap downhill. Seems like it was only quickstep doing the work too, trying to position Davis (who did some incredible climbing to stay in that main group)


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

yeah, there's fast and there is too fast...

with the crap protection on bicycles, that kinda speed can easily be fatal. Even a helmet landing head first will do little good, at that speed it will shear off, as will half your skull.

Coming off at 65kph is no fun, but 110 is another ball game.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

Helmet is better than nothing. Some of the footage of guys decending pre 2000 with no helmet was truely boneheaded. 

Pantani with his bald head flying down the mountain tucked down low and hanging behind his seat at 60mph is a thing I hope others don't try in the future. Imagine if your stem snapped at that point and you're still clipped into your pedals. Borders on suicide.


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## monocognizant (Sep 12, 2008)

At that speed a chipmunk running accross the road is deadly. If you go down at those speeds, you don't get up, EVER! No thanks, there are too many variables beyond your control.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

heathb said:


> Helmet is better than nothing. Some of the footage of guys decending pre 2000 with no helmet was truely boneheaded.
> 
> Pantani with his bald head flying down the mountain tucked down low and hanging behind his seat at 60mph is a thing I hope others don't try in the future. Imagine if your stem snapped at that point and you're still clipped into your pedals. Borders on sucide.


Yet almost no one was ever killed or recieved a life-altering head injury?


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

heathb said:


> Helmet is better than nothing. Some of the footage of guys decending pre 2000 with no helmet was truely boneheaded.
> 
> *Pantani* with his bald head flying down the mountain tucked down low and hanging behind his seat at 60mph is a thing I hope others don't try in the future. Imagine if your stem snapped at that point and you're still clipped into your pedals. *Borders on sucide*.


Pardon the pun.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Yeah he's complaining, is a wuss and should just stfu right?

I guess that makes about many others wusses too since Levi, TD, Rogers etc all said the same thing.

One guy is fine. 100 people going down that fast, one slip and it could mean several deaths, not injuries. Like Levi said, 15lbs bike, 2mm lycra, 100 over guys, no pads etc, sure, no one was afraid at all. I'm sure everyone wishes they went at 100mph instead. 70 is child's play. Bunch of cowards. 



He sure is a wuss alright.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

2mm thick lycra? is the giro a triathlon?


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

heathb said:


> The bulk of the guys on this site are kidding yourselves if you think your man enough to mix it up in the pro ranks going down hill at 70mph.


I'm 18, crazy, out at 60mph. If there are curves on the road, I won't go above 55mph. And I'm talking alone. I might, maybe hit 50mph on a straightaway with packs. But I'd be sh!tting a brick.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

alexb618 said:


> 2mm thick lycra? is the giro a triathlon?


That's what Levi said.


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## rugger (Mar 1, 2005)

I remember one TDF race, I think it was the brutally hot summer, where on a switchback descent, Lance got cut off and had to go overlannd down a terraced vineyard to catch up with the pack. Granted, switchbacks aren't quite as fast,m but sometimes those steep descents have some unnerving 180 deg turns. All it tkaes is one freaked out cat or squirrel and yer toast.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

More than a few racers have hit the stupid spectators dogs. Why anyone would bring a dog to a race is beyond me. The cops should round up the dogs of these people and impound them and charge big bucks to bail them out.


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## bikesarethenewblack (Dec 30, 2008)

People - it's a bike race. The point is to get to the finish as fast as possible and to get there in front of the next guy. You go go uphill as fast as you like and you can go downhill as fast as you like. Risk and consequences don't matter.

If you can't keep pace on an uphill, you fall back - same on a downhill. That's the way it works.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

uzziefly said:


> That's what Levi said.


it must be true, the new GOD out of the united states of freedom says lycra is 2mm thick, and then turned water into wine

and he surveyed all the 2mm thick lycra, and it was good

amen


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

bikesarethenewblack said:


> People - it's a bike race. The point is to get to the finish as fast as possible and to get there in front of the next guy. You go go uphill as fast as you like and you can go downhill as fast as you like. Risk and consequences don't matter.
> 
> If you can't keep pace on an uphill, you fall back - same on a downhill. That's the way it works.


+1....What would you have them do, put in some "gates" like they do in a downhill skiing course? Make em ride mountain bikes so they can have disc brakes and an upright riding position, downhill suspension and moto-cross pads?

70mph in a bunch on a mountain highway IS really pushing it but these guy's are the best bike racers in the world. I bet the sprinters think going uphill at 15mph is life-threatening, too but the climber-specialists do it all the time...Maybe they (the climbers and guys who don't like hanging it out on the descents) should go faster uphill so they can play it safe on the descents...And the slow climbers, they can, if they choose to risk it, try to make it back on the descents.

Any Pro rider in the bunch is surely not prohibited from 'sitting up' while descending, or from using their brakes if they are uncomfortable with the speed they have...Of course, they would probably not keep their jobs long, doing that...


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## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

JohnHemlock said:


> I hope I never get so famous that everything I say gets dissected by internet geeks.


yes but then again he's the one who wanted to twitter isnt he..so


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## DM_ARCH (Feb 23, 2007)

Gnarly 928 said:


> +1....What would you have them do, put in some "gates" like they do in a downhill skiing course? Make em ride mountain bikes so they can have disc brakes and an upright riding position, downhill suspension and moto-cross pads?
> 
> 70mph in a bunch on a mountain highway IS really pushing it but these guy's are the best bike racers in the world. I bet the sprinters think going uphill at 15mph is life-threatening, too but the climber-specialists do it all the time...Maybe they (the climbers and guys who don't like hanging it out on the descents) should go faster uphill so they can play it safe on the descents...And the slow climbers, they can, if they choose to risk it, try to make it back on the descents.
> 
> Any Pro rider in the bunch is surely not prohibited from 'sitting up' while descending, or from using their brakes if they are uncomfortable with the speed they have...Of course, they would probably not keep their jobs long, doing that...


I agree with this totally. Like I said, it's a race and everyone wants to win. BUT I don't think this thread was ever intended to question whether they should or should not go that fast. I think the question is "Is Lance an old man" for saying he was nervous on that decent. In my mind, he has every right to be scared. Can he descend at those speeds...yes...would he for a win....yes...would he still be scared? Hell yes.


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## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

sounds like armstrong has finally gotten the wake up call of realism that most guys get when they have kids growing up around them, just the natural cycle (ha!) of life :wink5: You DO have to be crazy if your a miltimillionaire and yet sign up for this madness! :crazy: 
go home to your kids you big foolish man!

If your brokea$$ then it makes sense to risk life and limb.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

"I gotta think the guys on here are either really young and have never crashed on a fast decent or their full of BS."

I'm thinking its a lot of choice #3, not unlike most discussions of average speeds on the internet.


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## moab63 (Aug 7, 2006)

*Or power outputs*



cdhbrad said:


> "I gotta think the guys on here are either really young and have never crashed on a fast decent or their full of BS."
> 
> I'm thinking its a lot of choice #3, not unlike most discussions of average speeds on the internet.


There must be 1,000 guys around here with and FTP of 400 or so , read it more than once.

Also the FIRST rule of most competitions is to win you must FIRST finish, crashing big makes the news and funny reels, and thats about it.


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## gh1 (Jun 7, 2008)

CabDoctor said:


> Yeah I can tell you 55 is nothing compared to 65 let alone 70. Now think of doing that in the tightest largest peleton you've ever been in. Add to that, that you don't necessarily trust the guys around you. Factor in the rough European roads. Not such a piece a cake now. Even if you're the best bike handler/descender in the world, that means everyone else is only second best. That's what's scary.


I have done 65 in a pack when I was younger. And the guy that said something about 400 watts, give me a break. It doesnt take watts to haul ass downhill. I saw the road that they were hauling ass on, it was wide and fairly straight. If you dont like to haul ass downhill, then dont.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

205km - Levi Leipheimer twittered on yesterday's stage: "We had a fast
downhill in the middle of the stage and we were comparing top speeds,
heard JJ Haedo hit 117kph!! That's 72.7mph to be exact. Wow, the last
30km today was crazy! The peloton was not happy."


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

hitting the ground at 70 wearing nothing but lycra and Styrofoam would be a career ender.


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## bikesarethenewblack (Dec 30, 2008)

DM_ARCH said:


> I agree with this totally. Like I said, it's a race and everyone wants to win. BUT I don't think this thread was ever intended to question whether they should or should not go that fast. I think the question is "Is Lance an old man" for saying he was nervous on that decent. In my mind, he has every right to be scared. Can he descend at those speeds...yes...would he for a win....yes...would he still be scared? Hell yes.


I wouldn't even say he's an old man, he's an fool. Complaining of people going too fast downhill is like complaining they are going too fast uphill, or too fast in a corner. So . . . . you're going to yell slow down. It's a freaking bike race. Lance lost time, he needs to get over it or speed up - it's that simple. 

News flash - you can make and lose time in areas other than hills and TTs.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

bikesarethenewblack said:


> I wouldn't even say he's an old man, he's an fool. Complaining of people going too fast downhill is like complaining they are going too fast uphill, or too fast in a corner. So . . . . you're going to yell slow down. It's a freaking bike race. Lance lost time, he needs to get over it or speed up - it's that simple.
> 
> News flash - you can make and lose time in areas other than hills and TTs.


That's a pretty ignorant view. If you read what he said you'd realize he was complaining about the organizers putting together a dangerous course - he's right. It's stupid to have a descent like that into the finish. Serves no race purpose, isn't strategic, just tempts some desperate riders to try some dangerous moves, especially in the rain (the whole peloton was complaining by the way). Have you ever ridden one of these descents into a finish in a grand tour- they are insane.


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## bikesarethenewblack (Dec 30, 2008)

stevesbike said:


> That's a pretty ignorant view. If you read what he said you'd realize he was complaining about the organizers putting together a dangerous course - he's right. It's stupid to have a descent like that into the finish. Serves no race purpose, isn't strategic, just tempts some desperate riders to try some dangerous moves, especially in the rain (the whole peloton was complaining by the way). Have you ever ridden one of these descents into a finish in a grand tour- they are insane.


Point where he was complaining of the course, not the speed. Again, and there is no debating this, it's a race - get there first regardless of anything else. The guy lost a minute and half. I didn't see anyone else lose time much less a minute and half.

So downhill finishes bad - uphill good. I think not.


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## doctor855 (Dec 27, 2008)

nealalto said:


> “That was the craziest last 30km I’ve ever seen,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter. “Long, fast descent at 80kph, plus then a tight circuit. At one point today we reached 110kph. That’s almost 70mph. Not sure that’s necessary really. Tomorrow is same kind of finish. It’s bike racing, not Moto GP.”
> 
> I guess this is what happens when Lance finally steps out of his one and only race...


lot of the younger riders that are on twitter commented about it also. none of them liking it. 70 mph is fast as ****...and even faster when bumping handlebars with the peloton all around you


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## bikesarethenewblack (Dec 30, 2008)

doctor855 said:


> lot of the younger riders that are on twitter commented about it also. none of them liking it. 70 mph is fast as ****...and even faster when bumping handlebars with the peloton all around you


If they had twitter in the 80s they would have complained that it was too cold and Hamsten shouldn't have won. Everyone had to do it and, guess what, they should have maybe worked a little harder on the climb to catch the breakaway. Sometimes things just work out like this, you can't plan it - people wanted the breakaway, teams with sprinters, descents were on the table - so guess what, you're in for a ride. It's called bike racing, put away the targeting computer, use the force and take your shot. The *****ers are the calorie counting, power tap reading, hill scouting, TT riding, too skinny grand tour riders. 

70 is fast, others have gone much, much, much faster. Try go over 40 on a cobbled downhill and do it twice - it's called Ghent and I bet none of those riders *****ed. 

Give me the classics any day, these modern day grand tour riders are killing the dynamic nature of bike racing.


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

For everyone that has never raced down hill in a pack, here's an excerpt from Chris Horners blog on stage 7: 

"Astana teammate Lance Armstrong hit the front for us, stringing out the field by riding at 35 mph on the front. This helped to keep our team out of trouble and in good position at the front for the descent. On the descent we were up to 50 mph, and almost curb to curb, 10 to 12 guys across the road going all out in the rain.

As we hit the tricky parts of the descent, the first hairpin started coming up quickly. I hit the brakes to set up for the corner, and NOTHING HAPPENED! Within seconds I was rubbing the rear tire of the rider directly in front of me at incredible speeds. 

At this point, I was really wishing that I made out my will before I left home. Time slowed down, and I knew that in the next second only two things could happen. One, I'm on the ground with something broken, or, two, the brakes would kick in and pull me back out of trouble. Luckily for me the brakes dried the rim enough that the pads could grab and start slowing me down.

Now the only problem was that I still needed to survive 40 or 50 more hairpin turns in the next 30 miles before I would be safely at the finish. From this point on staying at the front and as safe as possible was the only thing on my mind."


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

stevesbike said:


> That's a pretty ignorant view. If you read what he said you'd realize he was complaining about the organizers putting together a dangerous course - he's right. It's stupid to have a descent like that into the finish. Serves no race purpose, isn't strategic, just tempts some desperate riders to try some dangerous moves, especially in the rain (the whole peloton was complaining by the way). Have you ever ridden one of these descents into a finish in a grand tour- they are insane.


Yeah, I have to agree with you here. Apparently some here are more expert than the Pros.

And it's not like bike racers are the only ones who complain about safety. Moto GP riders led by Valentino Rossi were complaining about Laguna Seca. Formula One drivers complain about unsafe conditions. Even the best like Ayrton Senna. World Cup skiiers complain about safety issues. Some people here need to wake up. It's not like it's a race among Evel Knevel's.


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

bikesarethenewblack said:


> It is the same for everyone,


Exactly, and everyone thought that descent was stupid. Riders want to race, what they don't want is there whole season to get flushed down the toilet cause the rider in front him had the glue on his tubular melt off as he was breaking for a corner.


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

lookrider said:


> Yeah, I have to agree with you here. Apparently some here are more expert than the Pros.
> 
> And it's not like bike racers are the only ones who complain about safety. Moto GP riders led by Valentino Rossi were complaining about Laguna Seca. Formula One drivers complain about unsafe conditions. Even the best like Ayrton Senna. World Cup skiiers complain about safety issues. Some people here need to wake up. It's not like it's a race among Evel Knevel's.


Couldn't have said it better:thumbsup:


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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

heathb said:


> I gotta think the guys on here are either really young and have never crashed on a fast decent or their full of BS.
> 
> I've crashed at the bottom of a hill at almost 50mph and shattered my wrist, road rashed and crushed my helmet.
> 
> ...


Funny... I am almost 23 and don't descend fast because I feel it just isn't worth it. In a race maybe I would risk going all out but too much can happen when I am just out having some fun and getting some exercise.


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something. That's my point. Example: They say Formula 1 cars create enough down force that they can drive upside down. Does this mean then that they should throw a giant loop in the middle of a formula one track? Of course not. In a similar but less hyperbolic vein, if the riders in the peleton are yelling "Piano, Piano!" as they crest the summit. And a team feels the need to ride in the front taking up the whole road to keep riders at what they consider a "safe" speed. Then something is wrong. Yeah they can ride a descent like that, but should they. It's just like 400km stages or double stage days. They've done them before, but in the interest of the riders long term well being they ended those days. I'll tell you that my favorite race period was stage 19 of the Giro were Savoldelli regains the Pink jersey by bombing down a descent like a fiend. So I'm not against descents. And yes I race to.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

I've raced since 1982 - in Canada, the US, Europe ( was one of the founders of the team Chris Horner came up through, Swami's in Encinitas, CA). The point you're missing is that the downhill sections Armstrong was complaining about are stupid ones for a race organizer to put as a lead-in to the finish. There was no major climb before it - it was the main group, who were thinking about setting up their sprinters, so there was no split in the field. It doesn't serve a purpose other than to endanger the riders. Using downhills to get an advantage is fine, but they should have some real climbs before them to break up the field. 

Armstrong had a teammate die on a descent. Think that sticks with a guy when race organizers put together a course like today and it's raining?


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## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

you obviously have no clue about going FAST on a mountain descent, mc Ewan (and co) unleash their sprints at at speed no more than 70km/hr at the front of bike races and at the END bunches crash all the time near these speeds for sprints, but you obviously dont grasp the FACT that going 110km/hr down a mountain descent is MADNESS if you are on your own, its so fast that...you almost cant think fast enough to react to corners coming at you going that speed. Now bad enough doing it on a lone breakaway (only having to concentrate on yourself) but in a bunch 10-12 wide across the road going 110km/hr wheel to wheel is almost infomation overload, and crashing at that speed is closer to death rather than broken bones. you know the phrase "speed kills" its one thing crashing at 70 its another thing crashing at 110 and taking out thirty other guys!


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

off to Doping in 3..................2......................1


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## muscleendurance (Jan 11, 2009)

are you even listening? :mad2: clearly not, you've said your point now you seem to want to argue it to the death for some reason? I know someone just like that, are they are HARD WORK communicating with, it turns into a monologue and lots of this :mad2: so on that note
read the last line in my sig :wink5: ...


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

Funny, you seem to be the only one that doesn't understand my point. just try not to take any of us out next race when you're busy "taking risk" and not getting "gapped"

Cheers!


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

I know you would, that why you just sent me this:

bikesarethenewblack
RoadBikeReview Member

user gallery 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 171

tell you what, Ace
I travel, a lot, east and west coasts - you got something to say - you can say it to my face or let your legs do the talking. Just let me know where and when I'll show up with my bike and we'll talk. I got lots of frequent flier miles, confidence in my racing and digital camera and would love to play this one out.

Interested? Otherwise, leave it alone.


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

seriously dude, let it go


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## CabDoctor (Jun 11, 2005)

Since this thread is getting much to personal, here's a nice picture of some flowers


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

...anyway, I would love to hit 70 mph on a bike. 58 is the fastest I've obtained so far. I've touched 56 going down a fire road on the mountain bike, that was fun. There should be nothing wrong with going that fast unless your equipment is not in good shape. Of course it depends on who is right next to me also.


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## Rosicky (Mar 30, 2005)

A lot of other riders complained the germans did the italians did...and Lance was always one of the best descenders.If you read the Bruyneel interview on velonews you´ll see why he lost time on the downhill.Just take no risk and put the rest of the season at risk..if he where going for the GC he would be in the front but there is no point for taking risks when you are in the race to ride into form.
Even Cadel Evans said on his twitter that the stage was bad...


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